Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Joyous Festivus (take your pick of chosen intro). This has been a very weird Christmas for us. Here, situated in the only part of Australia in lockdown, Christmas …
Perhaps the least natural winner of the Thorn-Clarke Single Vineyard Selection range (behind wines like the Shiraz), but what do you expect for a Barossan Malbec? Actually, this Thorn-Clarke Single …
On the heels of the quality blend comes another ambitious Wrattonbully red heroing Malbec. It's oak-shaped, but no doubting the quality, the hints of mint and mid-weight, smooth grained and …
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 …
I missed December's Almost Club edition (holidays), so this is a huge crop of almostness... As the name suggests, here are the wines that almost hit the mark for me in …
Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy Malbec 2016 Langhorne Creek Malbec done well. Lavish, purple fruit with a plush open, modern Aussie form. Really purple with an oak sweetness. Slightly sausagey purple …
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 …
Bremerton Langhorne Creek Malbec 2015 You know exactly what you're going to get from Bremerton, and that's flavour. This Langhorne Creek winery makes typically well-priced wines of weight and power, even …
It's that time again. These wines didn't quite make it up onto the site in October... Yelland & Papps Devote Roussanne 2015 From Greenock. Wild fermented, basket pressed and matured in 29% …
Just like that, we arrived at Wendouree. For years, I've been waiting to get to this almost mythical Clare Valley winery, never making it further than the gnarled old vines at …
Bleasdale Double Take Langhorne Creek Malbec 2012 Slowly, but surely, Bleasdale are reinventing themselves as one of our top Malbec producers. Few people seem to have noticed yet - besides some …
2015 Sydney Wine Show - Results + Tasting the Winners Last week saw the 2015 Macquarie Group Sydney Royal Wine Show (to use the full name) winners announced and, carrying on …
Orange - Part 2: The tasting notes For context, it's best you start here. The Swinging Bridge Cellar Door If I have to pick but one variety that most impressed me on last …
Matchbox Wine Co. Malbec 2012 Clever packaging too 14%, Screwcap, $30 Source: Sample www.matchboxwineco.com Fun comes in many different shapes and sizes. Here it is delivered via a joven style Clare Valley Malbec, drawn from …
Bremerton Special Release Malbec 2010 (Langhorne Creek, SA) 14.5%, Screwcap, $24Source: Samplewww.bremertonwines.com.au Apparently this uses 'Demptos Hungarian oak which adds a complementary refined spice note'. I immediately saw Demptos and thought Demtel, …
Mills Reef Elspeth Malbec 2004 (Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, NZ)$NZ40, Cork, 14.0%Winery WebsiteThis was bought from the lovely cellar door at Tauranga, kiwifruit capital of NZ and home to excellent …
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