Modern Yarra Pinot be damned, this Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2019 is smoky, smouldering, meaty and tangy, the style lifted by acidity and morello cherry with a little bacon on …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Getting skin contact/orange wines right is harder than you think. Phenolics, minimal filtration, minimal additions. Many things that can go wrong, and then you need someone to understand the style. …
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 …
Like all of the Steels Gate wines, this Steels Gate Home Block Blanc de Blancs 2016 is a model of delicacy. Pure and vital, it's all white flowers and marzipan, the …
Pure class. This Oakridge Original Vineyard Cabernet 2018 is a somewhat shy - but deadly correct - Yarra Cabernet. Bright, leafy and relatively high acid style. Cool and pencily, the palate …
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 …
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 …
Burton McMahon George’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018The latest release from Matt Burton & Dylan McMahon's Yarra project. Sometimes these wines have looked a little too lean, but this release looks …
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here then is a selection of wines that almost made it over the past few …
There are relatively few Australian wineries that can boast consistent high level quality like Oakridge. More to the point, these are wines I want to drink. On a normal day …
Immediately attractive Yarra Pinot from Brad Atkins & Matthew Davis' Dixon's Creek vineyard. All the Steels Gate wines are sapid and vital but this is a step up in weight. Sappy, …
First came the Gamay, now meet the Rising Pinot Noir 2019. This release comes from the rocky soils of the Rising Vineyard, and from the outset it aims high. 33% whole …
Rising is an offshoot from the Sticks winery, centred around a vineyard in the Christmas Hills subregion of the Yarra Valley. As an aside, what a great name for an (unofficial) …
Entry level Yarra Cabernet from Soumah and it's an easy drink. Proudly leafy, yet not unripe at all. it's light, lithe, tannic and well made, the alcohol a little noticeable, …
Classy Yarra Valley claret mode in an arch-traditional, mid-weight style. Pencil shavings, understated fruit, balanced acidity. It’s perhaps lacking the killer blow - and the fruit is light and leaning …
Nailing the ripeness in early picked reds is hard. Go too early and you get thin, lean, sometimes green wines. Go too late and it's not early picked anymore, and …
It's always daunting/exciting when the first barrel-aged reds from last year start rolling in. It's a sign that the year is getting on... and holy fuck it's April already! Luckily this …
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