Robust is putting it mildly - this Taylors St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a beast. Minty, firm and uncompromising, with oak lifting up the palate, but tannins squaring it off again. …
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 …
Light Clare Riesling that has all the right moves but needs more concentration. There’s a lemon juice citrus attack, but it gets a bit watery and diffuse to finish. Pleasant. …
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 …
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 …
It feels a little dirty to be writing about wine right now. Or maybe it's a sense of futility - I'm that guy talking about wine while sitting on one …
Following closely on the Top 20 Chardonnay comes the Top 20 Shiraz of February 2020. For this lineup I dug deeper into the sample pile, searching - perhaps blindly - for …
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 …
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 …
Why stop at just 10 great Shiraz for the month? Here is the follow on list of the best 11-34 Shiraz to pass the desk in October 2019. Terre à Terre …
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 …
Pikes Los Campeneros Shiraz Tempranillo 2016 Clare Valley red blend that manages to be easily delicious (much like the Tempranillo). Exuberant and bright red fruited style that doesn’t feel forced. The …
Pikes Luccio Sangiovese 2018 Honestly, there isn't much local Sangiovese that floats my boat. Pizzini, Coriole, Castagna, Greenstone... It's a small pool of talent. Which makes this Sangiovese a welcome entrant. From …
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 …
I've finally managed to get on top of this shitty cold, which means my olfactory bits are finally working again. What better way to get back into the groove than with …
It's new release season in the wine industry, which means that I came home to a small mountain of samples to pickup from the post office. But this is new …
Following on from Monday's article on blends, I thought it only fair to back it up with a selection of the better white and red blends to pass the desk …
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 …
Happy New Year! I'm celebrating the start of 2019 with a little tasting note house cleaning, how about you? Actually I'm mainly at the beach. Before we crack out the towels …
I'm still working out what to drink on Christmas day. I've got most of the usual boxes ticked - Primo Joseph sparkling red, '12 Giaconda Chardonnay maybe and a stray bottle …
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