I didn't expect to like the Thorn-Clarke single vineyard wines so much. But they work. Old school weight, delivered with polish and a deft hand. From the Canyon Block at Thorn-Clarke’s …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here then is a selection of wines that almost made it over the past few …
Dalwood Estate is the longest running commercial vineyard in Australia, with a history that dates back to 1828 when it was first established by George Wyndham. But for years now Dalwood …
It's time to get serious. Serious, about Barossa Shiraz. Typically we don't drink much Barossa Shiraz in this house, purely because fighting through some of the oak and alcohol excesses isn't …
Wirra's Scrubby Rise are now all regional releases, which is impressive for a sub $20 Shiraz. I'm less of a fan of the Scrubby Rise white, but this goes well. …
Grenache is the hero at Yangarra, but the Shiraz gets all the airtime. The previous iteration of this Yangarra Shiraz 2018 was wildly popular for a reason, and I can …
Tricky to get Shiraz ripe consistently in Pemberton. Or at least that's the perception based on wines like this. Hard to pick what is the hero variety for the region …
No. No, I can't see the joy in this Dead Arm. Conceptually, it's easy to appreciate the appeal of a handpicked, basket-pressed, foot trodden, super-premium McLaren Vale Shiraz in this mode. …
While Jason Schwarz's most recent releases are very much nouveau Barossan in style - vital, mid weight wines - there are still a few arch-traditional winners in the Schwarz range, …
Following closely on the Top 20 Chardonnay comes the Top 20 Shiraz of February 2020. For this lineup I dug deeper into the sample pile, searching - perhaps blindly - for …
Line 'em up, these two full bodied reds pack in an awful lot of flavour for $30 or less. Strictly speaking these aren't quite what I'd go for on a …
Sunshine Creek is Yarra based, and this Sunshine Creek Heathcote Shiraz 2017 is an outlier in the range. It's always ripe, in the mid 2000s Jasper Hill mode, but typically …
Meta: An abstraction from a well-known concept It's easy to get jaded about Shiraz, and particularly Barossa Shiraz, when you're exposed to a lot of it. The singularity of 'plums, alcohol, …
Torzi Matthews Schist Rock Shiraz 2018 The second label to the glorious '18 Frost Dodger and is basically the non dried fruit portion and aged in ex-Frost Dodger barrels. What a $25 …
Why stop at just 10 great Shiraz for the month? Here is the follow on list of the best 11-34 Shiraz to pass the desk in October 2019. Terre à Terre …
As it says on the tin, here are ten of the best Shiraz to pass the tasting bench this October. A special note to the breadth of Hunter Shiraz from …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here’s a selection of wines that almost made it in October 2019. I like plenty …
'How much is it?'. Peter Lehmann winemaker Nigel Westblade chimes in. 'It's $2,000 a magnum.' Silence. Followed by the sound of furious scribbling. It's rare to completely quieten a pack of typically loud (and …
Eldorado Road Perseverance Old Vine Shiraz 2016 'Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.' John Quincy Adams To be honest, John Quincy Adams isn't the first …
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. Needless to say, I discovered wine, and my life evolved with a unique dual focus - wine and environment.
Twenty years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
I now judge at wine shows around the world, sit on the Australian Wine List of the Year awards panel and was once a Wine Journalism Young Gun (but baby that was years ago).
Currently, I write features for a variety of publications including National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS, plus I'm a former Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert.
In 2019 and 2020 I was voted in the Top 30 Best Wine Critics in The World, and in my spare time, I'm a sucker for punishment and run trail ultra marathons, much to the delight of my long-suffering family. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here