Want to know what the best part about wine show judging is? The judge's dinner. That's because the judging is less glamorous than you'd think. Often, it's a mouth-destroying slog, with …
Did someone say a vertical of Barolo? At a wine dinner? In Australia? Such an occasion is like finding a unicorn shitting rainbows, so when the invite came through from the …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here is a selection of wine that almost made it in December 2021 & January …
Welcome to 2022! Taking out the recycling over the past few days reminded me that a) I drink plenty of beer b) there were some seriously fine wines opened over the …
Love the new packaging on all the new Pizzini wines. Character and class. This Pizzini La Volpe Nebbiolo 2019 is, as ever, good drinking Nebbiolo at a very fair price. …
Few Australian Nebbiolo producers have invested as much effort, for as long, as Pizzini. Indeed, that history now spans three decades - there's a great yarn about Pizzini's first Nebbiolo, from …
I aimed high, I really did. I wanted a snapshot of good new release rosé for your spring drinking pleasure. But, there were so many big misses that I couldn't …
The continuing refinement of Longview's Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo has been very welcome. This new Longview Saturnus Nebbiolo 2019 is an even more Pinot-like example (and it's delicious). Correct colour - washed-out …
This is the first Nebbiolo I've seen from the Ellis family's dry-grown Gippsland vineyard (which can deliver great Pinot Noir & Chardonnay), with plenty of future Neb promise for the …
This is where I was for the past week: Well, not right there, but just a few clicks off to the right on the beautiful NSW South Coast. Would you look …
This is great dry Australian rosé. More importantly, it's delicious. Apparently the key here is the clone, with 1-11 tagged as the rosato clone. Early ripening, nice aromatics. Fits the bill. This …
This didn't feel like a normal NYE. But with a toddler, what counts a 'normal' NYE anyway? More importantly, who cares about New Years? Regardless, I opened plenty of tasty drinks …
Another wine from the Malakoff Vineyard, and fascinating to see the results in context of the other Malakoff-sourced wines recently. Classy wine this Vino Intrepido Spanna in the Works Nebbiolo …
Fascinating wines in this Susuro range. They don't always work, but modern style and swagger. This is Pyrenees Nebbiolo from the Malakoff Vineyard, with plenty of glacé cherry varietal charisma, …
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. But then, I fell in love with wine and craft beer, and it took over my life.
Twenty three years later and I spend my days wearing many beverage hats and judge at wine shows around the world...Read more