Following closely on the Top 20 Chardonnay comes the Top 20 Shiraz of February 2020. For this lineup I dug deeper into the sample pile, searching - perhaps blindly - for …
In what has become a semi-annual event, I ventured out into the Armageddon-esque sideways rain on Saturday to taste the trophy winners (and more) from the Sydney International Wine Competition. You're …
Line 'em up, these two full bodied reds pack in an awful lot of flavour for $30 or less. Strictly speaking these aren't quite what I'd go for on a …
Here are 24 tasty white and pink wines for your immediate drinking pleasure. Wines that, to my tastes at least, are in the prime of their lives and should be consumed …
Meta: An abstraction from a well-known concept It's easy to get jaded about Shiraz, and particularly Barossa Shiraz, when you're exposed to a lot of it. The singularity of 'plums, alcohol, …
This is just a taste of the finest big reds that passed the desk this November. Background notes in italics. Oakridge Original Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Spends 3 weeks on skins post …
Why stop at just 10 great Shiraz for the month? Here is the follow on list of the best 11-34 Shiraz to pass the desk in October 2019. Terre à Terre …
'How much is it?'. Peter Lehmann winemaker Nigel Westblade chimes in. 'It's $2,000 a magnum.' Silence. Followed by the sound of furious scribbling. It's rare to completely quieten a pack of typically loud (and …
Torzi Matthews 1903 Old Vines Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2017 Today is Grenache Day, and while I hate grape days (there's now a Lambrusco Day and a Carignan Day FYI), I'm a …
In what has become something of a tradition (posts here, here, here, here and here for starters), I went to this year's 2019 Sydney Royal Wine Show exhibitor event tasting …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad… Here’s a selection of wines that almost made it in July 2019. I like plenty …
Tim Smith Barossa Mataro Grenache Shiraz 2018 Old vines, old barrels, unfined and unfiltered. Tim Smith delivers another lively, generous and affordable Barossan red and I like it. Dark purple red, it's …
Lou Miranda Shiraz Centarian Mataro 2015 Old vine Shiraz Mataro, with the Mataro component in particular over 100 year old. For all that old vine fruit it seems to have been …
Chateau Tanunda 150 year old Vines Semillon 2017 Barossa Semillon is such a particular taste. An oddity that must be achingly hard to sell - even harder than Hunter Semillon - …
St Hugo Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2016 It's interesting to see how the St Hugo style hasn't changed over the years, despite new wines being added to the range. Still ripe, old …
Lou Miranda Estate Old Vine Grenache 2018 One of the better wines from the Lou Miranda stable for mine. Nails the old vine Grenache mode with generous fruit and no oak. From …
Bugalugs Shiraz 2018 This is good, inexpensive, bright and juicy modern Barossa Shiraz. Plum juice aplenty in an affable style. Minimal oak, minimal tannins, just genuine, simple Barossa Shiraz. A bit …
Millon Estate The Royal GSM 2017 Every time I see Millon Estate I write Million Estate.... This is a tick up on the Shiraz, if also a little syrupy. 12 months …
Millon Estate The Royal Shiraz 2016 A new name to me that looks to be export-focused, with the wines made by Angus Wardlaw (Brothers at War). Based on the Millon Wines …
Pirathon Gold Shiraz 2016 Following on from the Black Shiraz comes the top dog Pirathon red. Interestingly, I preferred the Black, but that's just me. From the De Fazio and Hillview …
At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, slogging through physics and chemistry, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.
Twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.