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 to a pass mark …
This takes a different turn in 2020. The Tahbilk Marsanne 2020 is riper, fuller, more honeyed... and all together more everything. More honeydew and less green melon, the acid still …
Stylistically akin to the best Hunter Semillon, this Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne 2014 is a fascinating piece. Sourced from a patch of Marsanne vines that dates back to 1927 (who knew!) …
Getting skin contact/orange wines right is harder than you think. Phenolics, minimal filtration, minimal additions. Many things that can go wrong, and then you need someone to understand the style. …
I love textured white wines. Alsace field blends? Gimme. Barrel fermented Margaret River Sauv? Yes please. But every year, the 'textural white' segment disappoints. I get that it's a balancing act to …
It's been a long month here at Graham HQ, and the next few weeks promise to be just as intense. I can't wait for that glorious period in between Christmas …
Here are a few of the wines that have passed the desk this month and almost made the grade. Some weren't far off the mark, others are absolute disasters. A few …
It's impressive to see the volume of Rhone whites in this lineup of Yarra Wines tasted recently. A reminder that the Yarra Valley is more than just Chard/Pinot/Cab/Shiraz and makes …
It’s that time of the month again – time to collate a range of wines that didn’t quite make the grade. Plenty opened this month, which is why this list is …
It's that time again. These wines haven't quite made a full write up this month. Odds and ends... Sunshine Creek Yarra Valley Cabernets 2013 No back label. Feel the mystery! Not quite in …
Fifty year old Marsanne vines! Wow. People often forget that we have some serious old vine resources of less mainstream varieties (like century old Trebbiano vines in the Hunter). This comes …
What a disappointment this lineup was. So many boring wines, with too many edging towards flavourless, acidic water territory. Obviously price plays an important part here, but that doesn't excuse …
Handpicked Highbow Hill Vineyard Yarra Valley Marsanne 2014 Current release Marsanne, from a little known producer, for $60/bottle? Jousting sticks... Yet this is not shit. Not at all. Rather, it's a pretty …
Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne 2004 (Nagambie, Goulburn Valley, Vic) 11%, Screwcap, $46.50 This is the most brilliant awkward wine I know. Brilliant on one hand, with a wondrous combination of fruit power and …
Tahbilk Marsanne 2013 (Goulburn Valley, Vic) 12.5%, Screwcap, $18.80 'As Tahbilk's fourth generation winemaker, I would love to share the Estate's story' That's Alister Purbrick, in the release notes of this wine, Hard …
From the notebook treasure-trove: Tahbilk verticals I've been doing a bit of cleaning this weekend and, in typical form, have turned up a whole treasure-trove of old tasting notes from last …
Movements from Wine Australia + some fine wines to match This week marked our first big WCA committee meeting for 2011 (WCA - Wine Communicators of Australia, the national committee of …
Tallarook Marsanne 2005 (Goulburn Valley, Vic)$30, Screwcap, 14.5%Wild yeast ferment in small french oak. Unusually long growing season made for a strong structure.I'm not winning on the alternate white varietals …
Held at two hatted wine hotbed Bentley Restaurant & Bar, this dinner pitched Australia's own Rhone inspired superstar Clonakilla against contemporary Northern Rhone wonderkind Yves Cuilleron, in a fittingly modern, …
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