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 …
On recent form, I like everything Anthony Fikkers touches (like the Gamay). and this In Dreams Chardonnay 2019 is compelling wine. From vineyards all over the Yarra with a smorgasbord of …
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 is an awful lot of wine for $20. Harewood's best work is in Riesling and well-priced reds, and this Harewood Estate Shiraz Cabernet 2018 is bang on. It feels a …
This Bellvale Pinot Noir 2019 is one of the best $25 Pinot Noir you'll find in Australia. Period. Crucially, this packs an intensity that isn't normally found in $25 Pinot. Maybe …
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 …
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 …
Torzi Matthews 1903 Old Vines Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2017 Today is Grenache Day, and while I hate grape days (there's now a Lambrusco Day and a Carignan Day FYI), I'm a …
Yangarra Estate Noir 2018 At the end of 2018 I made a wishlist of 3 things I'd like to see more of in 2019. And number 1 on the list was …
Bellvale Pinot Noir 2017 As the old saying goes, you can either have good Pinot or cheap Pinot. But never both. Except for this Bellvale wine. John Ellis' dry-grown Gippsland vineyard can …
I'm finally getting back into some sort of normal programming this week, or whatever that means when you're a new parent. The little one is sleeping, but the days now …
The premise with this collection is very very simple - I've been hitting the sample pile hard over the past week or two, and these 30 wines were not only …
Mylkappa Wines Pinot Noir Rosè 2017 A new name to me but with plenty of interest. Mylkappa is a small Adelaide Hills vineyard at Birdwood that has largely grown fruit for …
Rouleur Pinot Noir 2017 Matt East's superb Shiraz made my Top 10 Shiraz list a few months ago, and now the Yarra Pinot Noir lobs up and it's a beauty. I've …
Bremerton Coulthard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 So much flavour and heart in this serious Langhorne red. $22 well spent. Less lavish oak on the nose this vintage, and better because of it, …
Yangarra Shiraz 2016 Astounding to think this is the 'entry level' Yangarra Shiraz. Pete 'Midas' Fraser is all over it. Wild ferment and matured in 25% new oak, it's a plush and …
Authenticity. It's something we need more of in the wine industry. More authenticity, less made up brands. Less mid-tier reserve wines, more genuine wine labels. More single vineyards, less South Eastern …
Alkoomi White Label Frankland River Shiraz 2016 More than once on this site I've had the criticism that I don't talk enough about widely-available, well-priced wines (and probably fair enough too). Consider …
From great value quaffers to absolute train wrecks, this month's compilation of 'almost' wines is a biggun'. I'm always conscious of my prejudice against overripeness and heavy-handed oak, but I call …
Crabtree Watervale Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Handpicked, open fermented and basket pressed. 14-18 months in barrel. Proper Clare Cabernet this, with lovely soft drying tannins and a real savoury profile. Balance is …
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