Matt East from Rouleur normally comes and visits at this time of year with all of his new releases in tow. We talk about wine, a bit of cycling, the …
Mark this Forty Paces Pinot Noir 2017 on the 'try me ' sheet. Setup by Jason Peasley in 2001, Forty Paces is a 1.5ha plot at Pipers Creek in the Macedon …
This Hickinbotham The Nest Cabernet Franc 2018 or the regal Cab Sauv? It’s a toss-up on first glance as both wines are so impressive. The straight Cabernet ultimate rises above, …
Today is Cabernet Day, which, like all the other days, no one cares about bar a handful of marketers. But you know that already. Rather than stew on why we need …
Stylistically akin to the best Hunter Semillon, this Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne 2014 is a fascinating piece. Sourced from a patch of Marsanne vines that dates back to 1927 (who knew!) …
This is now the third bottle of Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2018 and each time it gets better. Now officially at 'phwoar' level. For a little context about Tiers, you need to …
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 …
This year, Xavier Bizot & Lucy Croser have made the decision to rationalise the Terre à Terre range to a trio of red blends (and a Sauvignon Blanc). This Terre …
This Hickinbotham Vineyard Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is irrepressibly fine wine. The Porsche 911 of the McLaren Vale Cabernet world. And not just 4S - this is Turbo level. Actually, I …
It's only the 16th August but this has been one glorious month for Pinot Noir. Each and every one of these wines went down well at Australian Wine Review HQ, with …
Caroline Mooney's latest Bird on a Wire Chardonnay 2017 is a masterful wine. Sourced from the Willowlake vineyard, it's whole bunch pressed, wild fermented and 30% of the blend goes …
I long for the days when Taltarni of the modern era starts tasting like Taltarni of yesteryear. Obviously that's the past and with climate change likely impossible to replicate the …
Every time. Every wine. There's a detail in all of the Levantine Hill 'Paddock' wines that is hard to ignore. It's a nod to winemaking skill (hat tip Paul Bridgeman), to …
Somehow this slipped through the net. A ball that went through to the keeper, when it should have been slotted through cover for an easy boundary. This Juxtaposed Old Vine …
If I had to pick just one weakness in the Shaw + Smith portfolio it is the Pinot Noir. Stylistically, this is a wine that has moved from bold and …
Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 Somehow this slipped through the cracks when it first landed, and what a wine to fall through the cracks - a true benchmark for Australian Chardonnay. It spends …
I'll save you some scrolling right now. The 2018 Curly Flat Pinot range is very very good. Things are different this year, however, as normally Curly Flat Pinot Noir is an assemblage …
Cath Oates' Margaret River wines continue to impress. Ever since the original releases using fruit nabbed from a Treasury contracted block, these wines have shone. And this Oates Ends Cabernet …
Enter another satisfyingly Barossan red. This stubby bottle of Schild Estate Narrow Road Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet 2017 lobs up an unending decadence that is undeniably attractive. It's not subtle, oak plays a …
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 …
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