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 …
Happy New Year! I'm celebrating the start of 2019 with a little tasting note house cleaning, how about you? Actually I'm mainly at the beach. Before we crack out the towels for today, here are 15 …
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 and New Year where life …
After posting Wednesday's list of the 10 best Shiraz to pass the desk in August 2018 I had a closer look and realised that there is a whole lot of great wines in the next …
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 …
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 …
It feels like I've had a lot of premium Cabernet over the past few weeks, especially after the Voyager extravaganza and the Margaret River 50th Anniversary tastings. But no point in stopping now is there? This collection …
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 …
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 …
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 longer than usual… Bremerton Langhorne Creek …
This is my favourite time of year for drinking current vintage dry Australian Riesling. Sure, plenty of the best wines are nowhere near ready, but that 'just picked' freshness is addictive. This dozen is a selection …
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% new French oak. Unfined and …
If you want an example of substance over style, look no further than these three Tahbilk reds. That may sound harsh, but I think the hearty depth of this trio is a big part of the …
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 the boredom factor... Ninth Island Tasmanian …
On the back of a week of Victorian Shiraz (including top wines from Lethbridge and Willow Creek), I thought it only natural that we carry on the theme this week, with a collection of Victorian …
I'm fighting through one of those nasty hangovers that just attacks your stomach today, the sort of morning after where you just feel like someone has punched you in the guts. How does one slay such …
Tahbilk Nagambie Lakes Roussanne Marsanne Viognier 2013 Middling. It lacks the crunch and vitality to be refreshing, or the texture and weight to be generous, the nose already quite forward with the flash of sunburnt fruit …
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 sprightly acidity, the edges honeyed …
Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz 2008 (Nagambie Lakes, Goulburn Valley, Vic)14.5%, Screwcap, $69.50 Interesting to see this in a (blind) lineup of younger wines. Looked more like a 10 year old red than six. Still, there …
Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Nagambie, Goulburn Valley, Vic)14.5%, Screwcap, $69.50 Curiously, of all the Tahbilk wines this one seems the most wobbly - it just can't nail the balance between savoury rusticity and …
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.