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 the most quintessentially smashable Australian …
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 up, and the last few …
Tim Smith Wines Mataro Grenache Shiraz 2015 Tim Smith has a real knack with texture. That may sound notional, but all of his reds - and I'm largely talking reds here - have a generosity that …
Dodgy Bros McLaren Vale Mataro 2013 This is the right way to start the year - with a wine I like. Wes 'Dodgy' Pearson's 2013 reds are easily his best yet - and this Mataro is on …
4 smart South Australian GSM permutations Is there a more charismatic South Australian blend than the GSM? Surely not. In Australia's 'single varietal or bust' market, however, this blend remains something of an afterthought to the …
Torzi Matthews 1903 Old Vines Grenache Mataro of Domenico Martino 2012 (Barossa Valley, SA)14.2%, Screwcap, $35Source: Samplewww.torzimatthews.com.au A mouthful of a name but I think you get the drift... Only one guess on the price This red blend …
The most Merlot-esque Penfolds Merlot (and a Mataro) Penfolds Cellar Reserve Merlot 2010 (Adelaide Hills, SA) 14.5%, Screwcap, $50Source: Samplewww.penfolds.com.au Penfolds Cellar Reserve Merlot + Mataro I was rather moved by this Merlot. I don't say that lightly, …
Esperanza Monastrell 2010 (McLaren Vale, SA) 14%, Screwcap, $35 Source: Sample www.esparanza-wine.com Esperanza means 'hope' in Spanish. It's also a Spanish D.O focused on Verdejo, though that doesn't really matter here (can confuse if you type in the wrong …
At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.
Almost twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.