I'm steadily making a dent in the sample pile at the moment, after getting massively behind after my little one was born. She's 8 weeks old now (and beautiful, in my completely unbiased opinion), so things …
With the official Graham HQ Chief Chardonnay Drinker 34 weeks pregnant, I'm not opening up as much Chardonnay as normal (outside of tasting lineups). The flip side is that I'm probably drinking more beer than ever …
Christmas is my favourite time of year. The smell of gardenias. The sun. The green grass. The promise of holidays. It's so good. This time of year is also perfect for opening lots of wines. I …
Tucks Ridge Estate Pinot Noir 2016 Things are changing at Tucks Ridge, and this is the last of the old, pre-Montalto era. Fruit primarily from Red Hill up the top of the Peninsula. Wild fermented, it …
This edition of the Almost Club is a few days late as I was busily not doing much in Noosa (photo attached. We love Noosa). Here than are 20 wines that almost hit the mark in …
Tucks Ridge now has new owners, with Montalto taking over. This Tucks Ridge Turramurra Chardonnay 2016 is one of the single vineyard releases from Tucks, from the Tuerong/Dromana area. There's a fullness and a broad edge …
Wine shows cop a lot of flack. You need only read the feedback to my post on the 2018 Sydney Royal Wine Show exhibitors tasting to see that. But is it justified? And indeed do …
A self explanatory title, here are 12 of the best 12 Chardonnay to pass the desk in July 2018. If anything, this list just highlights the high standard of Chardonnay in Australia. Still our most planted white …
Main Ridge Half Acre Pinot Noir 2015 What will happen at Main Ridge? That's the question looming large when you pour this Pinot. Actually, there's many questions. Will the Sexton family, who bought the estate in 2015 do 'the …
Montalto Pennon Hill Shiraz 2016 I was sceptical. Broadly generalising, I can't think of a single Mornington Shiraz that I've really wanted to buy. Sure, some of the Paringa 'The Paringa' releases can be impressively concentrated wines. …
I can easily see why you'd want to make wines on the Mornington Peninsula. Close enough to Melbourne but still far enough away. Great beaches. A healthy local wine community. Distinctive terroir. In fact, the only …
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 big disappointments of note: The …
Following on from the Chardonnay and Riesling hits of the summer, it's only fair that the other most popular grape at Graham HQ get's a post too. Below then is a list of the 22 Pinot …
After last week's feedback I'm going to be sticking to just one roundup a month on site going forward (thanks everyone for the feedback). This roundup features a kaleidoscope of Australian Shiraz to have passed the …
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Kooyong are one of the top new generation wine producers on the Mornington Peninsula. Principally known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this is an estate marked by thoughtfully made wines …
While I struggle through the man flu and can't smell anything, here are a few Shiraz/Syrah to pass the desk recently. Leeuwin Estate Art Series Margaret River Shiraz 2014 This is the best Art Series Shiraz I've …
Following on from my post about 2015 vintage generalisations, here is a roundup of a swag of 2015 reds from Victoria and South Australia that have passed the desk recently. Mornington and Yarra the winners here, …
Even Keel Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2015 Even Keel is the second label of Mornington producer Polperro, which apparently has cellar door yoga classes. Diverse. Sam Coverdale's wines are pretty handy too. Wild fermented, and bottled without …
Xanadu Reserve Margaret River Chardonnay 2014 Xanadu's run of great Chardonnay continues. This is superb modern Margaret River Chardonnay, of the type that makes people wax lyrical about Chardonnay from the region. There's a depth of …
The Story Grampians Shiraz 2014 Rory Lane's latest Shiraz and it's a beauty - if in need of another 2 years minimum to show it's best. Sourced from three Grampians Shiraz vineyards - Rice's Vineyard, Hyde …
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.