Pure class. This Oakridge Original Vineyard Cabernet 2018 is a somewhat shy - but deadly correct - Yarra Cabernet. Bright, leafy and relatively high acid style. Cool and pencily, the palate …
I long for the days when Taltarni of the modern era starts tasting like Taltarni of yesteryear. Obviously that's the past and with climate change likely impossible to replicate the …
Second in line behind The Menzies in Yalumba's Coonawarra Cabernet hierarchy and it's a long term style. Set and forget form, with drying tannins as the centre feature. Oh and …
Grippy, tannin-led Margaret River Cabernet at a fair price. Drying and a little lean, but has classic perfume and a rather long palate. A little Merlot might have helped this …
Good packaging, but not much substance with these Altus Rise wines. This Altus Rise Wildlight Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is firm and lean Margaret River Cab that ends up as largely …
Cath Oates' Margaret River wines continue to impress. Ever since the original releases using fruit nabbed from a Treasury contracted block, these wines have shone. And this Oates Ends Cabernet …
I didn't expect to like this. Ripe Coonawarra Cabernet, finished off in an Irish whisky cask, and proudly about oak rather than fruit? It's the antithesis of the vital terroir …
Welcome to old school Coonawarra Cabernet. Mint. Tannins. Slightly warm, ripe fruit. More tannins. Stern acidity. You wouldn't call this anything but full bodied, and the best years are quite …
Entry level Yarra Cabernet from Soumah and it's an easy drink. Proudly leafy, yet not unripe at all. it's light, lithe, tannic and well made, the alcohol a little noticeable, …
From the Millon Wines stable, though I've never seen a bottle of this Clare’s Secret Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 locally. Export special? Inspired by Lasingham Bin 56, this is chunky, rustic …
Classy Yarra Valley claret mode in an arch-traditional, mid-weight style. Pencil shavings, understated fruit, balanced acidity. It’s perhaps lacking the killer blow - and the fruit is light and leaning …
According to this benchmark New York Times article, our music tastes are set in our teens. For men, it means your favourite song is likely to have been released when …
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 …
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 …
If ever I needed a reminder of how bloody big and variable Australia really is, then it came on Saturday morning's flight. Flying out of Sydney and it's hard to miss …
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 …
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon. The icon. A blue-chip Australian red with a history of glory spanning back decades to the beginning of Margaret River wine. Or at least that's the pitch. …
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 …
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 …
St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 This year, for the first time, I was on the judging panel for the Australian Wine List of the Year Awards, sifting through 50 odd wine …
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