I know that plenty of people dislike these larger roundup style posts, but following on from my list of the Chardonnay hits of the summer, it seems only natural that …
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 …
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 …
Castelli Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Castelli's recent form has been excellent, with a line of superb Chardonnay and Cabernet (in particular). This Estate Cab is another fine release. What appeals here is …
Galafrey Dry Grown Great Southern Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 It's easy to make generalisations when we see wine jargon. Whole bunch. Old vines. Dry grown. All of it fits in that space …
Galafrey Dry Grown Reserve Riesling 2016 Following on in this line of '16 Riesling comes another crazy cheap wine. Is Riesling our most under-priced variety? It would be easy to make …
Chardonnay is the most popular grape in my house. By a margin. Pinot rates highly when winter comes along, but Chardie is the champ. I didn't take this 2014 Castelli Estate …
I'm moving at the moment, which means that my whole world is in a box in one place or another - everything feels misplaced, even though it is not lost …
Xabregas are one of the better proponents of off-dry Riesling in Oz, even though I prefer the less-sweet bottlings. This Xabregas X2 Riesling is classified as 'sweet' on the back …
'Arguably the best value variety from Australia in decades' That's the Decanter opinion on Australian dry Riesling, a wine that - despite endless coaxing from wine writers, sommeliers, retailers and producers …
So, I'm happy to announce that the official Australian Wine Review sample pile is now nearing a manageable level! That's a very welcome improvement from the point it was at …
It feels like anything but Riesling weather in Sydney this weekend and I can only feel for the producers at the Wine Island festival who would have endured three days …
Hot on the heels of my ranty response to a rant on Australian Chardonnay styles, and Jancis' very complementary piece on modern Australian Chardonnay, let me present to you a …
Plantagenet Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Interesting to taste this up against a varied squad of Cabernet competitors. A surprisingly marginal wine to be honest, reflecting in this wine's variable reputation. The Plantagenet …
Xabregas Mad Men of Riesling Devolution 2014 'This is devolution'. To be honest, this is less wild and crazy than expected. It's just really fucking good - the best of the new …
Xabregas Artisan Riesling 2014 A worked, dry style Riesling fermented in neutral barrels on fine lees for texture. You can see the step-up over the standard Xabregas Mount Barker, with more …
Alkoomi Black Label Frankland River Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 It's Cabernet day here at Australian Wine Review, which means I really should have some cheddar on hand. Or goose, as a Bordeaux …
X by Xabregas Figtree Riesling 2014 The drier of the two X by Xabregas '14 Rieslings and, for mine, the better balanced wine. pH 3.22 Ta 7.35 RS 11g/L. Water green. Slightly …
X by Xabregas Spencer Riesling 2014 Light straw coloured, this 'medium dry' (according to the IRF scale on the back) Mount Barker Riesling has an old fashioned lemonade lemon juiciness on …
Xabregas Mount Barker Riesling 2014 Essential stats: pH 3.08, TA 7.8g/L, RS 4.2g/L. There's a broadness in these 2014 Great Southern Rieslings that I'm not enamoured with. A warm year, producing chunky, …
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