The Top 20 Shiraz of August 2020
August 28, 2020
As the name suggests, these are the Top 20 Shiraz of August 2020. There was more Shiraz this month, there always is. But these are the wines I want to …
The Almost Club Lockdown edition: 68 wines that almost made it over the past 3 months
July 8, 2020
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 …
Review: Thorn-Clarke Single Vineyard Selection Riesling 2019
May 13, 2020
Way back in the time before COVID19 rendered the events industry null and void, I used shapely Eden Riesling like this Thorn-Clarke Single Vineyard Selection Riesling 2019 in tastings as …
Review: Hill Smith Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2019
May 12, 2020
Just a little underwhelmed by these '19 Hill Smith Estate whites. They all need more ripeness to be convincing. Anyway, this has promise, with a wild ferment and some barrel …
Review: Hill Smith Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay 2018
April 29, 2020
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 …
20 great Australian Riesling (and more) to distract you from our looming viral hellscape
March 20, 2020
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 …
Tasting the 2020 Sydney International Wine Competition trophy winners
February 11, 2020
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 …
$25 well spent: Torzi Matthews Schist Rock Shiraz 2018
October 28, 2019
Torzi Matthews Schist Rock Shiraz 2018 The second label to the glorious '18 Frost Dodger and is basically the non dried fruit portion and aged in ex-Frost Dodger barrels. What a $25 …
Almost Club October 2019 edition – more than 45 wines that almost made it this month.
October 16, 2019
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 …
Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz 2018 and the quest for Shiraz balance
September 4, 2019
Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Shiraz 2018 Yesterday I was banging on about how I prefer drinking Chardonnay over Shiraz, but here's an exception. An Eden Valley Shiraz from Dom Torzi that …
23 bloody good Australian Chardonnay. Highlights from Shaw + Smith, Curly Flat, Oakridge etc
September 2, 2019
Sure, Shiraz gets all the attention, but for my money, Australia's most consistently drinkable premium variety is Chardonnay. That's simply a result of style. So much top tier Australian Shiraz - …
Almost Club July 2019 Edition: 23 wines that almost made it this month
July 29, 2019
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 July 2019. I like plenty …
Brothers at War I’m Always Right Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
July 10, 2019
Brothers at War I’m Always Right Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Another well-weighted release from the Wardlaw brothers. From a vineyard at 390m outside of Eden Valley. it’s a really quite …
Brothers at War The Old Man Eden Valley Syrah 2017
June 27, 2019
Brothers at War The Old Man Eden Valley Syrah 2017 Another well balanced release from Angus & Sam Wardlaw and well priced. This is sourced from their Pendee Farm vineyard just …
Triumphant Tim Smith Eden Valley Viognier 2018
June 26, 2019
Tim Smith Eden Valley Viognier 2018 Easily one of the best Viognier in the country, although it's a shallow pool as so many producers get the V-weed so wrong. What I …
Almost Club May 2019 edition: 25 wines that almost made it
June 12, 2019
Not all wines can be great. In fact plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad... Here's a selection of wines that didn't quite excite me in May. Several …
10 fine new Australian Riesling on a Tuesday – feat. Harewood, Castle Rock, St Hugo & more
May 21, 2019
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 …
Sydney International Wine Competition 2019 – a look at the (unusual) winners
February 28, 2019
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 …
The drinking thread: 30 smashable Australian wines (for $30 or less) I’d drink on a hot January night
January 20, 2019
The premise with this collection is very very simple - I've been hitting the sample pile hard over the past week or two, and these 30 wines were not only …
15 Australian Cabernet (and blends) that looked good in late 2018
January 2, 2019
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 …
About me – Andrew Graham
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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
