Balgownie turned 50 in 2019 and to celebrate, there was this special bottling of Balgownie Estate Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, drawn off the original 1969 plantings. Most winemakers might …
You've come a long way baby... Ever wondered how the Calabria family have managed to conquer the Riverina, including buying the McWilliams family businesses for circa $30m? It's with wines like this …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here is a selection of wines that almost made it in May and June 2021. We're …
De Bortoli goes large on Yarra Cabernet. Or at least that's my expectation when the wide-shouldered bottle of 2019 De Bortoli Melba Amphora lands on the doorstep. But the Clos Apalta/90s Tintara …
Cabernet is probably the least appreciated grape in the Graham household, even though I have a cellar full of Margaret River, Coonawarra & Hawke's Bay reds. Cab's unpopularity is purely a …
I haven't been tasting as much this week after Miss 2 brought home a virus from daycare and took out the whole house like a rogue wave at a Nippers …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here is a selection of wines that almost made it in March 2021. You can …
This didn't feel like a normal NYE. But with a toddler, what counts a 'normal' NYE anyway? More importantly, who cares about New Years? Regardless, I opened plenty of tasty drinks …
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 to a pass mark …
I feel like a broken record, but here is another ‘good’ Coonawarra red that might have been great with less oak. This Patrick of Coonawarra Home Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 …
Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Joyous Festivus (take your pick of chosen intro). This has been a very weird Christmas for us. Here, situated in the only part of Australia in lockdown, Christmas …
I wish these Zema wines were just a little less overt. More elegance, tone down the oak and alcohol. This Zema Estate Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, for instance, is …
Yarra Valley in full luncheon claret mode. That's the pitch with this Zonzo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 in all its leafy, elegant glory. It's understated, driven by acidity, elegance and …
Robust. That's how you can describe the Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. Dark colours, blackberry coulis on the nose and thick, berried palate edging towards overripeness, the tannins drying out the …
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 the environment.
Twenty one years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer. and judge at wine shows around the world...Read more