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 …
It's 3 days late I know, but here are a few wines that almost hit the mark this month. Some are just good, simple drinks. Others are genuinely average to poor... Hand Crafted Montepulciano 2016 From Geoff …
There a few wines that, when they land at Graham HQ, skip any sort of 'tasting' queue and go straight to the 'drinking' department. This Tolpuddle Chardonnay 2016 is such a beast. Again, the beauty of …
I can easily see why you'd want to make wines on the Mornington Peninsula. Close enough to Melbourne but still far enough away. Great beaches. A healthy local wine community. Distinctive terroir. In fact, the only …
Irrewarra. Mark that name down under your watch list. Irrewarra is the new winemaking project of Nick Farr (yes, son of Gary) focused on a vineyard near the town of Irrewarra in western Victoria. Planted in …
Following the Pommery I wrote about last week, this 2012 Piuze is the latest wine to escape from the Graham cellar. I bought this bottle back in 2013 when I visited Patrick in Chablis itself. He …
The title is pretty explanatory - here are 24 Chardies that hit the mark over the past few weeks, plus a few that almost made it but fell short. The Hits Bay of Fires Chardonnay 2016 What a …
Although I can't afford it, there is an awful lot of Chablis and white Burgundy consumed here at Graham HQ. Chardonnay, in general, is the choice grape, Pinot second, Riesling is up there and then …
As you can see the volume of posts has dropped off a bit lately as I'm still not feeling great. My ankle issues turned out to be an arthritis flare up, and the last few …
Life is so much easier when you have a great vineyard. That's not to say that winemaking is easy, in any way. But it certainly helps when you start with the best materials. Further, when you …
Here's a selection of wines that were almost great. Some are just good, solid wines that are occasionally unready, through to slightly underwhelming/unexciting, and rounded out with a few wines that miss the mark completely. Why post …
Well, I still can't drink, which makes it a little sad to be opening wines from one of my favourite Kiwi producers. It's the reminder that normally I'd prefer to be roadtesting these at dinner …
New Zealand's Waipara Valley wine region has had a name change. Well, it's still Waipara, but the producers of this oft-overlooked (and glorious) wine region are now putting North Canterbury on labels instead. Given that New …
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Kooyong are one of the top new generation wine producers on the Mornington Peninsula. Principally known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this is an estate marked by thoughtfully made wines …
In 1966 a research paper by University of WA agronomist Dr John Gladstones was released that declared Margaret River's climate of wet winter, moderate dry summers and gravelly soils ideal for viticulture. Inspired, Perth cardiologist Tom …
Each year Voyager Estate do a masterclass that is not to be missed. Pitting their own Cabernet and Chardonnay against the very best in a blind tasting, it's one of those events you don't miss …
It's impressive to see the volume of Rhone whites in this lineup of Yarra Wines tasted recently. A reminder that the Yarra Valley is more than just Chard/Pinot/Cab/Shiraz and makes some of the best Viognier/Marsanne/Roussanne …
Bannockburn Extended Lees Contact Geelong Chardonnay 2011 Here's a wine that fits somewhere in between experiment and frankenwine (depending on your perspective). It's a Chardonnay from Bannockburn in Geelong that spent an astonishing four lees in barrel/tank …
Domaine Chanson Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes 2014 Much has been written about the glories of the 2014 white Burgundy vintage, and I'm here to say believe the hype. Oh and Chanson have had a great …
Neudorf Rosie's Block Chardonnay 2016 Another great release under this label from Nelson's Neudorf. Handpicked, whole bunch pressed, wild ferment in barrel, 10 months on full lees in barrel. While many Australian Chardies continue to trend leaner …
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.