The Top 20 Shiraz of August 2020
August 28, 2020
As the name suggests, these are the Top 20 Shiraz of August 2020. There was more Shiraz this month, there always is. But these are the wines I want to …
The Almost Club Lockdown edition: 68 wines that almost made it over the past 3 months
July 8, 2020
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 …
Review: Mérite Shiraz Malbec 2016
May 25, 2020
Mike & Colleen from Mérite are probably better known for their dead-serious approach to Merlot, but I don't mind this Malbec blend too. It's a ripe, plushly oaked Wrattonbully red, …
The original and still the best: d’Arenberg d’Arry’s + 4 other Shiraz Grenache blends
April 14, 2020
We love Grenache Shiraz blends at Graham HQ. It's a formula that satisfies often and typically at affordable prices, this quintet of Shiraz/Grenache-based blends can be evidence. They're not superstars, …
d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz Grenache 2016
January 13, 2020
d'Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz Grenache 2016 A bargain. The original d'Arenberg red and in classic form. Career-best form. Labuschagne form. Red fruits aplenty, as usual, and carries plenty of that tilled …
Almost Club October 2019 edition – more than 45 wines that almost made it this month.
October 16, 2019
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 …
Pikes Los Campeneros Shiraz Tempranillo 2016
September 17, 2019
Pikes Los Campeneros Shiraz Tempranillo 2016 Clare Valley red blend that manages to be easily delicious (much like the Tempranillo). Exuberant and bright red fruited style that doesn’t feel forced. The …
Lou Miranda Shiraz Centarian Mataro 2015
July 9, 2019
Lou Miranda Shiraz Centarian Mataro 2015 Old vine Shiraz Mataro, with the Mataro component in particular over 100 year old. For all that old vine fruit it seems to have been …
More on blends: 12 quality wines from Latta, Soumah, Yangarra and more
March 20, 2019
Following on from Monday's article on blends, I thought it only fair to back it up with a selection of the better white and red blends to pass the desk …
Almost Club February 2019 edition – 13 wines that almost made it this month
March 2, 2019
Let's not bullshit, the vast majority of wines made aren't compelling. They're not. There's a tiny quantity that are compelling, but most are are pleasant, well made, if unexciting. And …
Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
January 27, 2019
I missed December's Almost Club edition (holidays), so this is a huge crop of almostness... As the name suggests, here are the wines that almost hit the mark for me in …
Six offbeat Shiraz Blends (and not just from South Australia)
November 8, 2018
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 …
A Hunter Gathering: Lots of (quality) new Hunter Valley releases
November 6, 2018
On Thursday, a squad of Hunter Valley winemakers came to Sydney to show off some new releases at the new Brix Distillery. While I couldn't hang around and drink beer with …
Almost Club August 2018 edition – 22 wines that almost killed it. Or missed the mark completely…
August 27, 2018
From solid drinks to faulty train wrecks (and everything in between), the Almost Club is for wines that didn't hit the Australian Wine Review 'recommended' mark (17/20, 90/100) in August …
13 of the better red blends to pass the desk in May
May 21, 2018
Following on from last month's focus on other reds and Shiraz, this May I'm all about red blends. It's always frustrating that we seem so singularly focused on mono-varietal wines in Australia, as …
Hither & Yon Old Jarvie The Enforcer Shiraz Mataro Malbec 2016
April 5, 2018
Hither & Yon Old Jarvie The Enforcer Shiraz Mataro Malbec 2016 From Hither & Yon's newish label that pays homage to Admiral John Jervis. There's character about the wines too. This is …
The Almost Club: October 2017 edition, feat. 37 wines that are almost really good (or not)
October 25, 2017
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 …
Two very different Granges: Penfolds Grange 2005 vs Grange des Pères 2013
August 24, 2017
I feel like I'm on an 'icon wine' streak after yesterday's Dom Perignon note. So heck, why not carry that forward. Here are two very different wines that both have Grange …
2014 Yarra Yering releases: Classic style from a mixed season
February 13, 2017
2014 Yarra Yering releases Although things are about to pause for vintage (which is half over in the Hunter), a few winemakers have been in town recently, and Yarra Yering's Sarah …
January 2017 tasting notes roundup
January 30, 2017
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 …
About me – Andrew Graham
.
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
