Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here is a selection of wine that almost made it in October and November 2021. As …
Ahhh, the perpetual love-hate relationship. I love textural white wines so much, with the intoxicating sensuality of a mouthfilling Gewurz or the absorbing contrasts of a classic Bordeaux blend something bloody …
Look at that alcohol. Tricky Yarra vintage, and looks like they went early with the pick. Light, mulchy and autumnal Yarra Pinot, not without vivacity but also a little bitter, …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here is a selection of wines that almost made it in September 2021. Thanks, also, to …
Chardonnay - aka the king of white wines (which makes Riesling the queen) - gets pride of place in the Graham household, regularly jumping the barrier from 'tasting' to 'drinking' …
Yarra Valley Cabernet that has a foot in both camps - this Boat O’Craigo Braveheart Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 isa little Yarra claret, a little more contemporary riper style. Pencil shavings, leafy …
Soumah’s Chardonnay is the star, but this Soumah Equilibrio Pinot Noir 2019 is dead serious stuff. Almost too serious. It's firm, stemmy, meaty and rather hulking Yarra Valley Pinot that pitches …
I always find it fascinating when a brand gets a PR agency. While previously it would just be a winemaker reaching out to say 'want to try my wines?', now …
I wasn't drinking when I opened this Bicknell FC Applecross Pinot Noir 2018 and regretted it. This sort of seduction, this effortless Pinot style is what I want to be …
This Tokar Estate Chardonnay 2019 is a superb rendition of what affordable, classy Yarra Chardonnay can taste like. I'm on the record already about my appreciation for the Tokar recent releases, …
All of Matt East's Rouleur wines are so crisp and refined - more about subtlety than anything outrageous. It works, especially in his super takes on McLaren Vale reds. This …
The top dog Pinot for Oakridge and it's another lovely, ripe, open-hearted wine. This Oakridge 864 Henk Pinot Noir 2019 is a very likeable Yarra Pinot too. The Henk Vineyard is …
I feel like a broken record banging out about how good the recent Tokar Estate releases have been. But you can mark down this Tokar Estate Coldstream Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 …
The tricky, low-yielding 2020 Yarra vintage (low yields, uneven flowering, plenty of rain events, warmer then cooler, with smoke and fire threatening) is writ large in this Mandala Pinot Noir …
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 the environment.
Twenty one years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer. and judge at wine shows around the world...Read more