For this week's entertainment, I thought I'd pull out all the Shiraz dominant blends that aren't your usual suspects and ended up with these six wines. Some are just slightly unconventional (like non GSM from Grant …
Mitchell Harris Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Ever had one of the old Taltarni reds (like these)? They're Aussie classics, showing just how delicious low alcohol Australian reds can be. Pity the (often warm and hard) modern Taltarni …
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 …
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 …
The title says it all, these are 10 of the best Shiraz to pass the desk this month. This isn't a comprehensive last, as I probably taste somewhere between 6000-7000 wines a year (average 16-19 wines …
Following on from my Cabernet compilation on Monday, let me introduce you to the Shiraz/Syrah selection. Twenty of the better Shiraz to pass the desk in April, all in one handy place. I particularly like the diversity …
As close followers would have noticed, I've been on a mission this month, trying to get the sample pile back into shape. Now we're nearing the end of April and I'm still behind, so it's time …
Here are a few wines that almost made it in February (and a day late I know). A few serious disappointments here, and a few solid, simple wines. That Ferngrove was notably unbalanced - what's happening …
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 …
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 …
Based purely on subjective gut feel, I've presumed that Sauvignon Blanc sales in Australia have peaked and over the past year or so are on the downward slope. Turns out that I'm wrong. According to 2017 IRI …
A few of the wines to have passed the tasting bench this month that didn't quite make it onto the full site. La Bise Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2016 From the Kozned Vineyard in Gumeracha. Light pear …
Not many Australian wine producers take Sauvignon Blanc seriously. That sounds like a broad, lazy generalisation, but I still challenge you to name more than a handful of producers who really focus on Sauvignon Blanc. There …
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 always a pleasure when you spot a little inkling of greatness in a young wine. That point when it all clicks and you step back and think 'wine is amazing'. That's how I felt when …
It's that time again - time to roundup a selection of wines that didn't quite make it onto the site. Some because of time and space, others because they failed the grade, this January 2017 …
Back Block is the more premium label for Mount Avoca, using fruit from the estate and local growers. Or at least that's the spiel. For one thing this definitely tastes like Pyrenees Shiraz. Black pastille fruit, …
I've been lucky to have tasted the Mitchell Harris wines since the start, way back in 2010 when Johnno Harris was still a winemaker at Mount Avoca and the Mitchell Harris label was a side …
That title is a bit misleading actually - I don't mind tasting Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio category, even though the category has become something of an abomination. Indeed much of the challenge with Australian (and …
After a week of tasting light duties (thanks to the man-flu), I'm happy to be back with much less impairment today. Best to get stuck into the tasting pile again! The focus today is on Chardonnay, which …
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.