Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here then is a selection of wines that almost made it over the past few …
Graeme's Blend is always the best Passing Cloud release. Sure, the Macedon wines have the style, but Bendigo is the beating heart (and it shows). This red aims high and almost …
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 …
As it says on the tin, here are ten of the best Shiraz to pass the tasting bench this October. A special note to the breadth of Hunter Shiraz from …
It's been a rough week or so at Graham HQ, as a sniffly 5 month old meant little sleep and not enough wine... So let's keep this tight. As the name …
Happy New Year! I'm celebrating the start of 2019 with a little tasting note house cleaning, how about you? Actually I'm mainly at the beach. Before we crack out the towels …
From near misses to faulty junk. Here is a collection of the wines that almost won me over in October 2018. A special, frustrating mention to the two Leasingham wines. I …
The title says it all, these are 10 of the best Shiraz to pass the desk this month. This isn't a comprehensive last, as I probably taste somewhere between 6000-7000 wines …
Following on from last month's focus on other reds and Shiraz, this May I'm all about red blends. It's always frustrating that we seem so singularly focused on mono-varietal wines in Australia, as …
Here's a selection of wines that were almost great. Some are just good, solid wines that are occasionally unready, through to slightly underwhelming/unexciting, and rounded out with a few wines that …
It feels like I've had a lot of premium Cabernet over the past few weeks, especially after the Voyager extravaganza and the Margaret River 50th Anniversary tastings. But no point in …
While I struggle through the man flu and can't smell anything, here are a few Shiraz/Syrah to pass the desk recently. Leeuwin Estate Art Series Margaret River Shiraz 2014 This is the …
Following on from my post about 2015 vintage generalisations, here is a roundup of a swag of 2015 reds from Victoria and South Australia that have passed the desk recently. Mornington …
Q: Have you noticed any trends among the wines this year? A: 'The quality of the 2015 vintage in South Australia and Victoria'. That's James Halliday, talking trends in an article …
Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Ripeness. That's the focal point in this Balgownie Cabernet, which flirts with some of the rum and raisin dried fruit characters seen in other '13 Vic …
The Story Grampians Shiraz 2014 Rory Lane's latest Shiraz and it's a beauty - if in need of another 2 years minimum to show it's best. Sourced from three Grampians Shiraz …
If there is one winery whose new release wines I'd like to see with more bottle age it is Balgownie. There's a sturdiness to the structure of the Bendigo reds …
Balgownie Estate Old Vine Shiraz 2013 The pointy end of the Balgownie Range and from a dry, warm vintage. This comes off the oldest 12 rows planted in 1969 and spends …
Balgownie aren't classically known for their Chardonnay, but the classically full-flavoured style of the Balgownie Chard has won plenty of friends over the years. On that point, I'm still amazed at …
A few alternate reds from the week. Lino Ramble Tom Bowler McLaren Vale Nero d'Avola 2014 Another smart wine under this label. Handpicked, biodynamically farmed grapes that were wild fermented, basket pressed …
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, so a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say, I discovered wine, and my life evolved with a unique dual focus - wine and environment.
Twenty years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
I now judge at wine shows around the world, sit on the Australian Wine List of the Year awards panel and was once a Wine Journalism Young Gun (but baby that was years ago).
Currently, I write features for a variety of publications including National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS, plus I'm a former Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert.
In 2019 and 2020 I was voted in the Top 30 Best Wine Critics in The World, and in my spare time, I'm a sucker for punishment and run trail ultra marathons, much to the delight of my long-suffering family. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here