This Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc 2018 or the regal Cab Sauv? It’s a toss-up on first glance as both wines are so impressive. The straight Cabernet ultimate rises above, …
From the close planted Crayères vineyard in Wrattonbully, and what a pleasure to see more Australian straight Cab Franc. Handpicked, the Terre à Terre Cabernet Franc 2016 spends a huge …
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 October 2019. I like plenty …
I missed December's Almost Club edition (holidays), so this is a huge crop of almostness... As the name suggests, here are the wines that almost hit the mark for me in …
The premise with this collection is very very simple - I've been hitting the sample pile hard over the past week or two, and these 30 wines were not only …
Christmas is my favourite time of year. The smell of gardenias. The sun. The green grass. The promise of holidays. It's so good. This time of year is also perfect for …
For the final post in my 'wines that moved me in April' series comes this final collection - that I'm calling the 'better reds that aren't Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz or …
'We’ve taken the old roller and painted it red.' 'To make it go faster, to be fun and breezy. So that everyone can enjoy the ride. And appreciate the timelessness of …
Witchmount Sunbury Cabernet Franc 2016 Now, for something completely different. A handpicked, wild fermented, carbonic macerated, unfined and unfiltered Cabernet Franc from a region that lies in the shadow (and underneath the …
Howard Vineyard Picnic Adelaide Hills Rose 2016 Now here's a Cabernet Franc based rosé from an Adelaide Hills based vineyard who know a thing or two about Franc. Lightly coloured and built …
Can Cabernet Franc 'make it' in Australia? Long considered just a blending grape, I talked up the future of Orange's Cab Franc just the other week, and this new Terre à …
So now that I'm back in Sydney, at the desk, it's time to start writing up a few of the producers I visited over the weekend in Orange. And what better …
So today was my second and last day of vineyard touring here in Orange (start here for day one) and while I've got a ridiculously early 5:40am cab booked to …
I've decided that the single biggest challenge with these two Brash Higgins reds is deciding what to attack first - is it the flesh and round generosity of the MRLO …
More imported goodies from the Negociants portfolio Negociants Australia can not only lay claim to the finest range of imported wine in Oz, but they put on some great tastings too. …
Henry's Drive Pillar Box Rosé 2013 (Padthaway, SA) 13%, Screwcap, $20 Source: Sample www.henrysdrive.com A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc, this is about as cynical as pink wines get. It's not even that …
Howard Vineyard 'Amos' Cabernet Franc 2009(Adelaide Hills, SA) 14.8%, Screwcap, $60 Source: Sample www.howardvineyard.com The search for great Australian Cabernet Franc continues - am I a masochist? This is from the 'Amos' super-premium range, …
Orange: Time to rethink its hero red wine? 'The region is planted to 60% red wine varieties and 40% white wine varieties - which says something about the region but also …
Tapanappa Whalebone Merlot Cabernet Franc 2008 (Wrattonbully, SA)$80, Cork, 14%Source: Samplewww.tapanappawines.com.au Another day, another dogma challenging wine. Here though, the question is not about climate challenging varieties (as it was with …
Sally's Hill, Petaluma and Climbing Sally's Hill Cabernet Franc 2008 (Pyrenees, Vic) - 14% The (effective) second label of Neil Robb's Sally's Paddock operation, with the wines still produced at the Redbank …
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