New packaging for this Coonawarra red, and it only up the VFM even more. $35 Cabernet done good. This Yalumba The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is named after the cigar-shaped strip …
Hot on the heels of this month's Almost Club (highlighting wines that didn't make the silver medal standard), here is a selection of ten wines that DID make it (if …
Firstly, what a treat to get four-year-old Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot for sub $30! Coonawarra Cab, even in easier forms, needs the age, and it helps give this an edge. The …
For all the enthusiasm directed towards Yalumba's Shiraz-based reds, the Cab/Cab Shiraz blends are where it's at for me. This Yalumba The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 epitomises the slowburn, quietly …
The bread and butter wine for Zema and reliable in its style. This warm-year Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a hearty beast though. Think sappy, dry and tannic Coonawarra Cabernet …
You know what I like about this new Zema Estate Saluti Cabernet Shiraz 2016? It tastes like a Zema red, just more luscious and more immoveable. Released to commemorate forty years …
It always feels like you're stepping back in time with these Zema reds, harking back to the early noughties in winemaking style. That's not necessarily a bad thing mind you, …
While the Jaraman Shiraz was a bit OTT for my tastes (and ended up in the Almost Club as a result), this proper hearty Taylors Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here is a selection of wine that almost made it in October and November 2021. As …
I like these Masterstroke wines. Hearty. Substantial. Intriguing that this Taylors Masterstroke Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 feels more balanced than the St Andrews Cab tasted in the big dog Shiraz & …
An 'Exploration of Australia’s Distinguished Sites'. What a lofty title for this Zoom tasting, held last week by a group of prominent Australian family winemakers (all of whom are in the …
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 …
So many luxury wines end up as disappointments. Too often, wines with AUD$100+ pricetags and unfettered ambitions turn out to be bulldust and oak tannins. Wines that speak of ego, of …
14% alcohol. It's a mark in the sand. One of those (unconscious) ripeness expectations, where anything north of 14% is going to have ripe fruit (in table wine) with minimal …
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. But then, I fell in love with wine and craft beer, and it took over my life.
Twenty three years later and I spend my days wearing many beverage hats and judge at wine shows around the world...Read more