As the name suggests this is McLaren Vale Mataro/Mourvedre/choose your m name with 100% whole bunches. Matt East tinkering with Mataro here, and carries his trademark light touch. You don’t …
Jason Schwarz's typically approachable Meta wines in good form again. This Schwarz Wine Co. Meta Mataro 2019 is handpicked Barossa fruit, wild fermented with 28% whole bunches. A berry delight …
Not quite a bolt from the blue, but these Thorn Clarke Single Vineyard wines are very good. This Thorn Clarke Single Vineyard Selection Mataro 2018 is one of the highlights. From …
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 …
This is just a taste of the finest big reds that passed the desk this November. Background notes in italics. Oakridge Original Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Spends 3 weeks on skins post …
Let's not bullshit, the vast majority of wines made aren't compelling. They're not. There's a tiny quantity that are compelling, but most are are pleasant, well made, if unexciting. And …
John Duval Annexus Mataro 2016 Would you believe that this is ex-Penfolds winemaker John Duval's first ever straight Mataro? Like Grenache, Barossa Mataro/Mourvedre/Monastrell/choose your name is enjoying a well earned revival …
After getting stuck into Penfolds this week for a lack of authenticity in their mooted new releases, I figure it's only right today to highlight a producer that is making …
Tim Smith Wines Mataro 2016 Texture. That's what I like about Tim's wines. He's a genuine guy, and his wines look authentic too, with generous Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz the standouts …
Schwarz Meta Mataro 2017 Another easy drink from the Schwarz Meta line. Handpicked and wild fermented Barossa Mataro with 20% whole bunches. This is a wine built to please. Purple edged, it’s …
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 …
There is another side to the Barossa. A side that sits beyond big brands, the cellar doors, the marketing budgets and the volume. A world where producers are small, the wines …
Dub Style No. 1 Mataro 2015 Dudley and Irina are pumping out value bangers at Inkwell lately, and this single vineyard Mataro is on point. Oh and Mataro, from McLaren Vale? …
Rock of Wisdom Barossa Mataro 2014 Another new name to me and plenty of interest here. Rock of Wisdom is the label of Pete ('Rock') + Sofi ('Wisdom') Hiscock who are making …
It's that time again! These wines haven't quite made it into full review status this month. I'm a bit behind (living out of a suitcase does that), hence why this list …
Schwarz Meta Mataro 2015 The evidence of just how good Barossa Mataro can be continues to mount. Looking into my crystal ball, I predict that, Grenache and Mataro are the future …
Tim Smith Barossa Mataro 2015 I loved this wine's big brother. Delicious. This is isn't quite in the same league but still quality. Dark ruby, black fruit, menthol, dark berries. Announces itself …
Tim Smith Wines Reserve Barossa Mataro 2015 I first got wind of this wine earlier in the year when hassling Tim for a vintage report. He let slip that the first …
I've been lucky to have tasted the Mitchell Harris wines since the start, way back in 2010 when Johnno Harris was still a winemaker at Mount Avoca and the Mitchell …
Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Mataro 2012 Mataro - a tricky grape to get perfectly ripe, even from old bushvines in warm Barossa. Seems even trickier in cooler western Victoria. 10% whole bunches used …
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