While not quite of the same calibre as the exceptional Tiers, this Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2018 is another solid Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. Tight and citrussy lemon butter style, the palate …
On recent form, I like everything Anthony Fikkers touches (like the Gamay). and this In Dreams Chardonnay 2019 is compelling wine. From vineyards all over the Yarra with a smorgasbord of …
This is now the third bottle of Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2018 and each time it gets better. Now officially at 'phwoar' level. For a little context about Tiers, you need to …
Like all of the Steels Gate wines, this Steels Gate Home Block Blanc de Blancs 2016 is a model of delicacy. Pure and vital, it's all white flowers and marzipan, the …
I think the Hanging Rock table wines are most underrated. The bubbles get plenty of attention, but there's glory across the board. This Hanging Rock The Jim Jim Chardonnay 2018 …
Caroline Mooney's latest Bird on a Wire Chardonnay 2017 is a masterful wine. Sourced from the Willowlake vineyard, it's whole bunch pressed, wild fermented and 30% of the blend goes …
Every time. Every wine. There's a detail in all of the Levantine Hill 'Paddock' wines that is hard to ignore. It's a nod to winemaking skill (hat tip Paul Bridgeman), to …
Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 Somehow this slipped through the cracks when it first landed, and what a wine to fall through the cracks - a true benchmark for Australian Chardonnay. It spends …
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 over the past few …
Silkwood's wines have taken big leaps in recent vintages but there remains stumbles. This Pemberton Chardonnay has ripe fruit but a lumpy middle, the flavours end up tinny and a …
Shout it from the rooftops - Eldorado Road, as a label, should be much more famous. The wines are too interesting, too keen, too complex to be 'just another Victorian …
I don't get it. This Hill Smith Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay 2018 is wild fermented Eden Valley Chardonnay that spends 6 months in barrel. Clearly the aim is delicacy but …
I'm in cleanup mode at the moment, sifting through the (physical) sample pile and my (digital) notes to tidy things up Kondo-style. While it's cathartic to delete some half-baked stories written …
Chardonnay, like it or not, is still the most important white grape in the country, making up over 45% of all white grapes crushed, and 20% of total grapes crushed, …
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 …
Oakridge Vineyard Series Barkala Chardonnay 2018 This feels like a repetitive post. Andrew opens Oakridge Chardonnay. Andrew loves Oakridge Chardonnay. Rinse. Repeat. The 2018 releases from Oakridge feel like proper balancing work …
The 2017 Giant Steps wines are magnificent. Pinot, Chardonnay, Gamay et al. All in ‘best ever’ territory. I haven’t liked the riper ‘18s as much, but hot dog this Giant …
Petaluma, the forgotten icon. Once, a long time ago, Petaluma sat right at the pointy end of quality Australian wine. Driven by the relentlessness of Brian Croser, Petaluma had a reputation …
I miss eating at restaurants. Ever since our small child came along the ritual of going 'out' to dinner and lingering over a bottle or two (after a warmup beer or …
Here are 24 tasty white and pink wines for your immediate drinking pleasure. Wines that, to my tastes at least, are in the prime of their lives and should be consumed …
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