If you have just $50 to spend on a bottle of sparkling, then spend it on one of the glorious Adelaide Hills wines I talked about on Monday. But if you're …
Leclerc Briant Millesime 2007 Here's a prime example of a good Champagne that could be sublime, but just lacks some vitality. Disgorged in December 2015 and I wonder if sitting around …
I'm finally getting back into some sort of normal programming this week, or whatever that means when you're a new parent. The little one is sleeping, but the days now …
Admittedly I've not had the greatest luck with goodies from the cellar lately, with more misses than hits. Maybe I'm cursed. Regardless, today I'm kicking off a little series of posts …
I'm more in the Krug camp than Dom Perignon (give me richness any day). But still, I wasn't going to turn down a glass of the Dom Perignon P2 1998 when …
The biannual Vin de Champagne Awards rolled through Sydney again this week, with this year's winners celebrated at a black tie event at the Four Seasons on Monday night. I was lucky …
Taste Champagne Prestige Masterclass Tyson Stelzer's Taste Champagne tastings kicked off in Sydney today, with a large contingent of Champagne producers opening their wares at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel (Melbourne and Brisbane are …
The quest for quality BYO restaurants in my area (Sydney's northern beaches) is an endless pursuit. Sure, there are plenty of quality restaurants. There are also plenty of BYO restaurants. But …
I love Christmas. Surely the greatest time of year for drinking and eating and basically an excellent excuse to bring out something tasty. This year was a little more subdued at …
Highlights from the 2014 Vin de Champagne Awards Monday night I went to the 40th anniversary presentation dinner for the Vin de Champagne Awards - a biannual competition held by the …
Champagne Lancelot-Pienne Cuvée Perceval 2006 12%, Cork, $120 Wines like this illustrate just how magical fine grower Champagne can be. Imported by Eurocentric Wine, a mere 800 bottles of this are produced …
Keeping Mum on Mumm This is a snippet from a recent column on Mumm Champagne. The language is a bit different to the rest of the articles here on the blog, …
Champagne Janisson Baradon Non Dose NV (Champagne, France) 12%, Cork, £31 Source: Retail 'A non-dosé champagne based on the 2007 vintage with 30% reserves from 2006 fermented in oak (5-15 year old Burgundy …
Thursday - Bubbles and 'that Drum article' It seems I reached a level of infamy this week via a rant by non-wine drinking comedian Ben Pobje, who shot himself in the …
Talking 'interesting wines' on the Food in Focus radio show It can seem a bit silly sometimes to single-out wines that could be called 'interesting', purely as it's such a subjective …
Bollinger La Grand Année 2004 (Champagne, France) 12%, Cork, $300 Source: Sample www.champagne-bollinger.com Oh yes, this is seriously fine fizz. Easily on a par with the sublime 02 and needing only bottle age to really …
Charles Heidsieck - my new favourite NV Champagne That title is a bit of a misnomer actually. The Charles Heidsieck 'standard' NV is not actually all that new to me. Indeed, …
Salon 1996 (Champagne, France) 12%, Cork, $700 Source: A gift glass I've been watching the tweets from the Len Evans tutorial this week (hashtag #LET12), lingering enviously over the pictures of epic, occasionally …
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002 (Champagne, France) 12.5%, Cork, $135 Source: A glass from someone else's bottlewww.salondelamotte.com The Champagne you're having when you're not having Salon, Delamotte is usually a wine of some …
Perrier-Jouët Bella Époque 2004 Pretty bottle first, serious sparkling wine second. Or at least that's the way I've always viewed Bella Époque, the Champagne itself just a little soft and broadish considering …
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