Oh yes, this is a big edition! As the name suggests, these are the 34 wines that almost made the Australian Wine Review top grade (of 17/20 or 90/100+) this month. Some missed the mark by a …
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 both as symptoms of poor …
'What if we were to tell you this was a new fandangle variety called Ohledrev.' That was on the sticker stuck on the box of this Bremerton Mollie & Merle Verdelho. What a wonderfully provocative statement. …
Tulloch Vineyard Selection Hunter Valley Verdelho 2015 Tulloch celebrated 120 years in 2015. A mighty milestone in anyone's language. This Verdelho comes from three Hunter vineyards (hence the 'vineyard selection' name. Wild times). Green straw coloured, the …
Tower Estate Verdelho 2013 (Hunter Valley, NSW)13%, Screwcap, $22 It is hard to make a wine like this sexy. There is some tropical fruit juiciness, over a dry, phenolic driven palate and finishing with sharp (added?) …
Witches Fall Wild Ferment Verdelho 2012 (Granite Belt, QLD) 12.4%, Screwcap, $30 Source: Sample www.witchesfalls.com.au I wrote a treatise on Verdelho some years ago, largely because I think its a much maligned, better-than-workhorse variety that could do with more …
Tulloch Vineyard Selection Verdelho 2012 (Hunter Valley, NSW) 13%, Screwcap, $20Source: Samplewww.tullochwines.com Produced from grapes sourced from Denman in the Upper Hunter Valley and the JYT home vineyard in Pokolbin. As usual when I try a …
Vinden Estate Verdelho Lots of v's Vinden Estate Verdelho 2011 (Hunter Valley, NSW) 13.5%, Screwcap, $21 Source: Sample www.vindenestate.com.au When is the Verdelho revolution going to take place? I'd really like to see more interesting takes on this beleaguered grape, though …
Bremerton Range I'm actually on holidays in the USA this week, but after noticing that my tasting notebook curiously ended up in my bag, I thought I'd put some jetlag related insomnia to good use and …
Tulloch Verscato NV (Hunter Valley, NSW) $16, Crown SealLike a proverbial Phoenix, the Tulloch name continues its successful family revival, with this very smart, market driven product the perfect example.This wine is, broadly, a low …
These came from the NSW Wine Week Tasting/Wine Fair held on Sunday, March 1st, at Sydney's Hyde Park.The setting was perfect - the sun was out, the birds were tweeting, the wines were good. What …
This article was submitted for this years GT Wine New Wine Writer Award which sadly I did not win. Rereading this again now I think its just too frivolous and not convincing enough....Next time …
Bremerton Verdelho 2008 (Langhorne Creek, SA)Screwcap, $20According to Bremerton, Verdelho is the white wine star of Langhorne Creek, and based on this bottle I can't agree more - this is a delicious fresh white of …
Jansz Rose NV (Tasmania)Cork, $25Sparkling Rose is obviously very hard to get right. Too often these delightful drinks are marred by excessive tannins, unbalanced acidity or worse - both these things, covered up with …
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.