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 …
Calabria Private Bin Montepulciano 2016 While most of the Calabria Private Bin wines are just easy drinks, this has some substance to it - and for very few dollars. Dark deep and inky purple. Great colour! So …
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 …
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'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 …
Centenary of Griffith Durif 2015 Durif doesn't get much love. Or at least enough love. Certainly not enough given just how much flavour good Durif packs in - and often at a very fair price. This Durif …
A few alternate reds from the week. Lino Ramble Tom Bowler McLaren Vale Nero d'Avola 2014 Another smart wine under this label. Handpicked, biodynamically farmed grapes that were wild fermented, basket pressed and then bottled unfined with …
While I am slowly wearing down the mountain of samples that have arrived at Graham HQ over the past few weeks, it has still required frequent raiding, and today's target was alternate reds. As ever when …
Calabria Three Bridges Durif 2013 Want red wine you can chew on, for a very fair price? Then Bill Calabria is your man. Bill's 'Calabria Wines' (nee Westend) are constant overachievers in the weight-per-dollar equation, with …
De Bortoli Deen Riverina Bortrytis Semillon 2009 For my money this is the best value sweet wine in the country. No question. In fact, I'd probably choose this over De Bortoli's more favoured Noble One most …
Westend 3 Bridges RIverina Botrytis Semillon 2011 Am I the only one who finds actually drinking most Australian botrytis styles hard work? All that sugar. So little refreshment. The better wines, however, at least counter the marmalade unctuousness …
I'm back at university this week in sunny Dookie, completing my residential block for this semester's Managing Grapevine Physiology subject. It's always a pleasurable change of pace to slip back into student life and when the …
Richland Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (Riverina, NSW)14%, Screwcap, $12 Richland is one of the brands to come out of the Westend winery, which itself has recently been renamed as Calabria Family Wines, a nod to the founding …
Westend 'Three Bridges' Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (Riverina, NSW) 14%, Screwcap, $25Source: Samplewww.westendestate.com This was the winner of the 2012 Stodart trophy, which is effectively the QLD wine show's version of the Melbourne Wine Show's Jimmy Watson trophy, …
De Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon 2008 (Riverina, NSW) 10.5%, Screwcap, $14Source: Samplewww.debortoli.com.au See the gold medal on the label? Utterly deserved. Simply put, this is stupendous value. In fact, you could double the price of …
De Bortoli Old Boys Show Reserve Tawny 21yo (Riverina, NSW) 19%, Screwcap, $40 for 500ml Source: Sample www.debortoli.com.au Sadly, tawny ports like this one are so desperately uncool in the modern scheme of things, their image tainted by cheap, …
Westend Durif - even better than you think Westend 3 Bridges Durif 2010 14.5%, Screwcap, $25 Source: Sample www.westendestate.com It often surprises me how many well-known wine industry folk are teetotallers. It seems such a juxtaposition to be working around …
Rustic label too. Cool. Calabria Private Bin Aglianico 2009 (Riverina, NSW) 14%, Screwcap, $14.95 Source: Sample www.westendestate.com.au I was genuinely happy to see this wine turn up in amongst some recent samples. Happy as there is an air of genuineness …
3 Bridges Durif 2009 (Riverina, NSW) 14.5%, Screwcap, $22 Source: Sample www.westendestate.com.au DurifSorta sounds like Dew Woof Do people actually buy Durif? I mean, surely someone must because wineries keep producing them, but do people genuinely go out with a …
Gramps Botrytis Semillon (Riverina, NSW) Screwcap, $20Gramps is another quiet achiever from the Orlando stable - the reds are almost uniformly fine value for money and can pull off some great awards from time to …
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.