More birthday wines (2021 edition)
February 17, 2021
This is where I was for the past week: Well, not right there, but just a few clicks off to the right on the beautiful NSW South Coast. Would you look …
Review: Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Blanc de Blancs 2015
February 4, 2021
Serious Yarra fizz is this Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Blanc de Blancs 2015. Spends 52 months on lees, the juice wild fermented in tank and cask. Classy, full-tilt, table-wine-with-bubbles style (which …
Review: Gundog Estate Riesling 2020
February 3, 2021
No Canberra Riesling for Gundog in '20 (thanks asshole bushfires), so this Gundog Estate Riesling 2020 comes from De Bortoli's Yarra Valley vineyard. Tangy, pristine white with bright lime fruit and …
The 20 Best Shiraz of January 2021
February 2, 2021
January is a little slower for wine deliveries to the Australian Wine Review PO Box, as most local vignerons are either on holidays, preparing for vintage, or picking grapes. That means …
Review: Seville Estate Blanc de Blancs 2017
January 20, 2021
Woah. Deadly serious Yarra sparkling is this Seville Estate Blanc de Blancs 2017. Wild fermented, barrel matured, spends 10 months in old barrels, 30 months on lees and zero dosage. …
Almost Club December 2020 Edition – 50 wines covered
December 30, 2020
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 to a pass mark …
A few Christmas Wines, Beers (2020 Edition)
December 27, 2020
Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Joyous Festivus (take your pick of chosen intro). This has been a very weird Christmas for us. Here, situated in the only part of Australia in lockdown, Christmas …
Review: Zonzo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
December 21, 2020
Yarra Valley in full luncheon claret mode. That's the pitch with this Zonzo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 in all its leafy, elegant glory. It's understated, driven by acidity, elegance and …
Review: Soumah Equilibrio Chardonnay 2018
December 15, 2020
Trophy winning wine, vindicated. This Soumah Equilibrio Chardonnay 2018 took out the award for Chardonnay 'Best In Show' at the Decanter Wine Awards. Now I'm always sceptical about any wine that wins …
Top 20 best Shiraz of November 2020
December 3, 2020
Fun fact: Shiraz makes up over 25% of all winegrapes crushed in Australia, and South Australia has the largest vineyard area with 76,292ha (Wine Australia figures 19/20). But what I want …
16 Best Chardonnay of November 2020
November 12, 2020
Australian Chardonnay is in the midst of a purple patch, with quality - and value - as good as it has ever been, as this collection of the 16 best …
Review: Oakridge 864 Henk Chardonnay 2018. Magnificent.
November 2, 2020
Corton or Yarra Valley? Yes, those Burgundy comparisons are cliché and boring, but the quality analogue isn't. This Oakridge 864 Henk Chardonnay 2018 is absolute top flight Chardonnay at a …
Review: Levantine Hill Chardonnay 2017
October 30, 2020
Always sexy oak on these Levantine wines. Another fine release is this Levantine Hill Chardonnay 2017 is too, lightly mealy with lemon butter, a coiffed palate of perfectly even fruit …
The Top 12 Rosé of Spring 2020
October 20, 2020
It's halfway through spring. Already. That escalated quickly... As the name suggests, these are the best pink/blush/salmon orange/reddish coloured Australian rosé to pass the Australian Wine Review tasting bench this springtime. …
Review: Seville Estate Pinot Noir 2019
September 16, 2020
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 …
Review: In Dreams Chardonnay 2019. $25 Chardonnay steal.
September 5, 2020
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 …
Cabernet Day: Four flagships from Levantine Hill, Maverick, Blue Pyrenees & Terre à Terre
September 3, 2020
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 …
The Top 20 Shiraz of August 2020
August 28, 2020
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 …
Review: Alkimi Whole Bunched Marsanne 2019
August 27, 2020
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. …
All Pinot, no filler. Top 10 Pinot Noir of August 2020
August 16, 2020
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 …
About me – Andrew Graham
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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
