Leclerc Briant Millesime 2007 Here's a prime example of a good Champagne that could be sublime, but just lacks some vitality. Disgorged in December 2015 and I wonder if sitting around in warehouses and shops since …
Welcome to tranche 2 of the #MonthofAndrew wines. I probably haven't hit the cellar as hard this birthday with the imminent baby arrival (just over two weeks until due date), but this collection - opened at …
Daosa Natural Reserve NV Enter the new sparkling wine from Xavier Bizot and Lucy Croser. While I'm not sure about the 'Natural Reserve' tagline - it feels more like a stab at the natural wine movement than …
Terre à Terre Rosè 2017 Sparkling wine without the bubbles. That's the mode here, with this Piccadilly Valley pink from Xavier Bizot & Lucy Croser. A blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay fruit handpicked …
Mitchell Harris Sabre Rosè 2012 I still haven't been to the Mitchell Harris bar/cellar door in Ballarat and I need to go. There are many places I need to go really, and with a new baby …
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 …
Oh yes, this is a big edition! As the name suggests, these are the 34 wines that almost made the Australian Wine Review top grade (of 17/20 or 90/100+) this month. Some missed the mark by a …
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 miss the mark completely. Why post …
I'm more in the Krug camp than Dom Perignon (give me richness any day). But still, I wasn't going to turn down a glass of the Dom Perignon P2 1998 when winemaker Vincent Chaperon came to …
I've been engrossed in moving house this month so less wine than usual. Will be rectifying that this week. Eden Road The Long Road Canberra Pinot Gris 2016 A 'ramato' style skin contact Pinot Gris from Team Eden …
Taste Champagne Prestige Masterclass Tyson Stelzer's Taste Champagne tastings kicked off in Sydney today, with a large contingent of Champagne producers opening their wares at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel (Melbourne and Brisbane are still to come. Go to …
Curiously, I had just one glass of fizz on NYE, even though 3 bottles of Krug were in the fridge. New Years Eve does that sometimes... Anyway, for this fizz roundup I pulled in a collection of …
Sabre by Mitchell Harris 2011 Happy (Australian) Mother's Day! This fizz from Mitchell Harris went down quite well today, though my Mum still thinks most Aussie bubbles are inferior to Champagne. Such is life for Australian sparkling …
Heemskerk Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2009 (Tasmania) 12%, cork, $60 This comes in one of the most eye-catching bottles around. What do you think - brilliance or novelty (especially given that it looks a lot like the Crown Ambassador …
Mitchell Harris Sabre 2010 (Macedon and Pyrenees, Vic) 12.5%, Diam, $40 A more delicate and demure wine compared to the 2008, again spending 2 years on lees before disgorgement Oct 13. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir …
Yellowglen Exceptional Vintage XV Piccadilly Valley 2002 (Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, SA) 12%, Cork, $49.99 Source: Sample www.yellowglen.com A rather more evolved beast than its younger brother, I applaud the winemaking merit here, though think this might have been …
Talking 'interesting wines' on the Food in Focus radio show It can seem a bit silly sometimes to single-out wines that could be called 'interesting', purely as it's such a subjective notion - that is, what …
Yellowglen Exceptional Vintage XV Piccadilly Valley 2004 (Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, SA)12%, Cork, $49.95Source: Samplewww.yellowglen.com Welcome back Yellowglen. After nigh on a decade in the premium wine wilderness, Yellowglen has reentered the quality wine market, releasing a …
Charles Heidsieck - my new favourite NV Champagne That title is a bit of a misnomer actually. The Charles Heidsieck 'standard' NV is not actually all that new to me. Indeed, 10 years ago the Charles …
Clover Hill Brut 2008 (Tasmania) $47, Diam, 12.5% Source: Sample www.cloverhillwines.com.au Each of the past few vintages this Clover Hill has looked a little more serious, a little more definitive and a little more age-worthy. Nature hasn't always helped, …
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.