At this time of year everyone tends to look backwards and think about the year gone. What were the good bits? Who made great wines? Who released a dumb, overpriced $180 red? Etc etc. But I'm …
Last month I was pondering why we don't drink more half bottles. If you need an answer about what might be next for wine packaging (that's not half bottles), then look no further than the …
Why don't we drink more half bottles? This is something that has been bugging me for a while now, and came up again when I was in Noosa recently as a solo drinker. 375ml bottles work …
'One good friend, a refugee from the wine trade James Herrick, likes to remind me that I once told him that when I approach the keyboard, 'the milk of human kindness drains out of me'' …
Spring. Time to clean out the garage, wash the doona and keep the flowering plants well watered. Or at least that's what we'll be doing at Graham HQ this spring. Also, I've got a massive backlog …
In a bid to get my tasting notes backlog into order, I'm going to be bulk posting a lot of notes this week in very basic form - ie no pictures etc. It's an April Postalanche. I’m …
What are you buying this July? It's that time again. Following on from this article back in May, I'm keen to know what you're buying (or at least considering buying) this July. My motivation here is simple - …
A few alternate reds from the week. Lino Ramble Tom Bowler McLaren Vale Nero d'Avola 2014 Another smart wine under this label. Handpicked, biodynamically farmed grapes that were wild fermented, basket pressed and then bottled unfined with …
Ah the frustration of the acute accent on the e in rosé! So often missing in action, leaving you to wonder why someone is talking about how delicious it is to drink a flower. I only …
If you've got a few minutes, head on over to Jamie Goode's blog and read this article on the new UK drinking rules. While Australian drinking guidelines aren't quite as stern as those in the UK, …
Curiously, I had just one glass of fizz on NYE, even though 3 bottles of Krug were in the fridge. New Years Eve does that sometimes... Anyway, for this fizz roundup I pulled in a collection of …
It seems like ages ago that I was in Rioja. Ages. A quick look at the calendar, however, and it was just over two and a half months back. Time flies when you've escaped to …
On the back of last night's Malakoff-off, tonight I'm venturing into the rest of the new release Lethbridge range - which this year has a distinctly different (Shiraz) flavour. In 2014, yields at Lethbridge were just …
It seems like every Victorian producer is trying their hand with fruit from the Malakoff vineyard, with this highly respected plot just outside of Landsborough in the Pyrenees now supplying the likes of (just for …
It feels like anything but Riesling weather in Sydney this weekend and I can only feel for the producers at the Wine Island festival who would have endured three days pouring in the wet. Unfun. …
You always know when a wine is made in small quantities as there is no barcode in sight. That's certainly the case with David Lloyd's Eldridge Estate wines, most of which have packaging that hasn't …
I'm just cleaning up the Evernote folder today (love Evernote, helps keep my notes together on all devices) and discovered a few more tidbits from the big Hunter pre-release tasting back in May, plus a …
It's hard to avoid scepticism when a winery launches a brand new wine for $175. Really hard. The only producers who can get away with it probably already have even more expensive wines in their …
Is Grenache on the up? Tony Keys wrote recently about this just recently, noting that Grenache and Grenache-based reds were enjoying increased popularity in the states. Is this the start of a Grenachaissance? If it does, no …
Now this is a fun concept. Austins & Co. have decided to explore just how much impact the 'hand of man' can be, have by inviting two winemakers to do what they want with two identical …
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.