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 January. Some are just nice …
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 for today, here are 15 …
It's been a long month here at Graham HQ, and the next few weeks promise to be just as intense. I can't wait for that glorious period in between Christmas and New Year where life …
Longview Devil’s Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Always plenty of flavour in these Longview reds, with Nebbiolo the standout variety. This Cabernet packs in plenty of punch, but I'm not sure the minty tannins work. It's not …
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 grew up worshipping the mid …
d'Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Don't tell anyone, but while d'Arenberg have a million different Shiraz releases, I often prefer their Grenache and Cabernet - especially the Cabs with a few years in bottle. …
Bremerton Coulthard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 So much flavour and heart in this serious Langhorne red. $22 well spent. Less lavish oak on the nose this vintage, and better because of it, with varietal cedar and tobacco …
Mitchell Harris Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Ever had one of the old Taltarni reds (like these)? They're Aussie classics, showing just how delicious low alcohol Australian reds can be. Pity the (often warm and hard) modern Taltarni …
Hardys HRB D670 Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Underrated wines these HRB series and with a rich history - there are lots of forgotten labels in the Accolade portfolio really, though plenty of hollow commercial products too. This …
Mandala Butterfly Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Classic Yarra Cabernet from a vintage prime for delivering the odd finessed wine. It's like the Yarra's version of a luncheon claret, just riper and more immediately attractive. There's HB pencil, …
Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 In my mind this is the archetypal McLaren Vale Cabernet. From a warm year that typically delivered ripeness and power, it's a wine of substantial flavour, oak, tannins - everything. Hearty, …
Wine shows cop a lot of flack. You need only read the feedback to my post on the 2018 Sydney Royal Wine Show exhibitors tasting to see that. But is it justified? And indeed do …
From solid drinks to faulty train wrecks (and everything in between), the Almost Club is for wines that didn't hit the Australian Wine Review 'recommended' mark (17/20, 90/100) in August 2018. Note that there is friendly …
I could almost phone in the review for this St Hugo 2015 duo. Oaky reds with warm alcohol, no shortage of (added) acidity and plenty of tannins. Job done, let's go to the pub (and drink …
Authenticity. It's something we need more of in the wine industry. More authenticity, less made up brands. Less mid-tier reserve wines, more genuine wine labels. More single vineyards, less South Eastern Australia. Actually, there are plenty of …
Oh yes, this is a big edition! As the name suggests, these are the 34 wines that almost made the Australian Wine Review top grade (of 17/20 or 90/100+) this month. Some missed the mark by a …
Overripe and overdone or just a particular style? That's the question that rolling around my brain when I opened these new Bremerton super premiums. Here's a winery that has made its reputation on wines with expansive flavour, …
From great value quaffers to absolute train wrecks, this month's compilation of 'almost' wines is a biggun'. I'm always conscious of my prejudice against overripeness and heavy-handed oak, but I call both as symptoms of poor …
As close followers would have noticed, I've been on a mission this month, trying to get the sample pile back into shape. Now we're nearing the end of April and I'm still behind, so it's time …
Goodman Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Classic Yarra Valley Cabernet. There's a timelessness to this mode of red, even if it's slightly uncool in the modern riper Cab world. Cassis, pencils shavings, a vegetal hint and backed by …
At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, 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.
Almost 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.