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Swinney has never been less than awesome, creating new benchmarks and pushing boundaries. The 2021 vintage reds are the best since 2019 and the most charming and delicious. The vintage was cool, hence the harvest was late, creating ideal conditions for wines of...

Vintage 2016 was a watershed moment in Piedmont. Universally acclaimed as a great vintage, many producers crafted their best ever wines. Standards across the region's varietals and styles were all successful and it seemed that no one had failed to make at the very...

This is not Burgundy. There, I said it. Is our love of Burgundy a love of Pinot Noir, or are we that obsessed with Burgundy we can't see past it? Pinot Noir is known as Spatburgunder in Germany and, like everywhere else, style and taste is as much to do with the...

CRFT Wines (pronounced croft) was founded in 2012 by winemakers Candice Helbig and Frewin Ries. Sourcing fruit from 10 single vineyards across the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley, they make wines from established varietals and relative newcomers. Indeed CRFT are...

Vintage reports aside, 2021 is an exceptional vintage for A Rodda. Only one Chardonnay was produced in 2020, due to the bushfires, so it's a delightful relief to taste through the suite of 2021's. These wines are compact and coiled, packed with dense tangy citrus,...

It’s not every day you’re lucky enough to taste a revelation, wines that alter parameters, perceptions and challenge beliefs. All tastings are worthwhile, and in a sense revelatory, but few illicit strong responses one way or the other. I still remember my first...

Something my dad used to tell me often, and advice I did not heed until middle age, was to 'know thyself'. Happily, absorbing wisdom came much sooner for John Hughes, who was called Riesling Freak by his friends as he always brought around a bottle of Riesling or two....

Stargazer, in a very short space of time, has become one of the most exciting prospects in Tasmania. Passion and true grit Founder/owner/winemaker and grape grower, Samantha Connew, released her first Stargazer wines in 2012, after previously working with Wirra Wirra...

Domaine Douhairet-Porcheret is a small domaine of 6.5 ha. Mademoiselle Armande Douhairet owned and ran the estate until her death in 2004. She bequeathed the property to her winemaker and great friend Andre Porcheret, former manager at Hospices de Beaune and Domaine...

Can a wine taste historic, or old fashioned? Not old or dated, but from another era. Probably not, but that was my first impression when tasting the 2017 Craiglee Shiraz from Sunbury. It smells, tastes and feels savoury with seams of natural acidity, firm fruit and...

Grenache has got to be one of the most versatile of grapes. One of the first genuinely aged wines I ever had was a 60s vintage Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape in about 2002. I wasn't entirely impressed. Impeccably cellared, but alas dried out and tertiary. Even...

There was a time when the wines of Alsace were all chisel and sinew, so plain under the clothes. Described as elegant, restrained, aristocratic and mineral, they often displayed shrill structures, hard textures and empty fruit profiles. They were Alsace's answer and...

CRFT's stunning wines are the work of Candice Helbig and Frewin Ries from their serene property, tucked away in the Piccadilly Valley. Their certified organic Arranmore Vineyard is almost other-worldly, with 150 year old trees lining the driveway, old fruit trees with...

If there is one producer that embodies what most of us would come to expect from the Barossa Valley, then Greenock Creek is it. That is not to say that there aren't other styles and regional interpretations, but for wines of scale, this has to be the benchmark...

Rioja hosts many international winemakers including Bryan MacRobert of MacRobert & Canals, Tom Puyaubert of Bodegas Exopto and of course Olivier Riviere. Rioja is vast, and with multiple red and white varietals, microclimates and soils, allowing winemakers to...

Cosecha literally means harvest and, in the context of Rioja, is made without extended ageing in cask. Designed to be consumed young, usually described as fresh, vibrant, fruit driven - these are taverna wines. Like all classifications, it's important to look past...

A tip of the hat to McLaren Vale's historic blending of Grenache and Shiraz, Paralian's beautiful rendition poses the question - are blends better than the sum of their parts? I don't know for certain, but this is a thoroughly complete wine, gourmand and versatile....

Knowing we were to taste some of the new releases from La Soufrandiere, we dusted off a bottle of Bret Brothers (the original La Soufrandiere) Terroirs du Maconnais 2016. And what a lovely bottle of wine it was too. Vintage 2016 in Burgundy is a favourite of mine....

For descriptive and conceptual purposes, we tend to discuss and taste wines from a huge area and call them Burgundy. Varietals aside, the wines of Irancy for instance, at the northwestern tip of Burgundy bear little resemblance to those of the Cote d'Or. Their taste,...

With its long and often tragic history, South Africa has developed a unique vinous character, markedly different from anywhere else in the 'New World' or in Europe. Grapes arrived with the first Dutch settlers, but much needed expertise would only arrive in the colony...

It is ironic that this year Pooley were awarded Australia's best winery in the 2023 James Halliday Wine Companion, an award that may need to be followed up in 2024 as the (yet to be reviewed) 2021 wines are some of the best yet! All great vintages express an element...

I first came across Douro reds in the UK, around the early 2000's. Quinta do Crasto comes to mind, and they were excellent. Full bodied and round, they wore the sun on their shoulders. Not the scorching stab of mid afternoon Australian sun, but a warm, cosy coat of...

Pinot Noir outside Burgundy has never been more diverse, exciting and rich in expression. Rippon, from New Zealand’s Central Otago region, crafts structured, tense, ethereal and decadent pinots to rival the finest of the Cote d’Or. And the white's are pretty...

Spatlese is a term that denotes ripeness, not sweetness. Hofgut Falkenstein's Altenberg Riesling Spatlese is dry. Very dry, intense and flavourful. I often write about 'traditional' wines but Hofgut Falkenstein, more than any other producer, encapsulates the roots of...

I have a love of sleek, bright, intense reds. Lip smacking, long on the palate, full flavoured, savoury tannins, medium bodied and angular frames. The sort of red that will match most budgets, foods, seasons and company. Such is Albino Rocca's 2019 Barbera d'Alba....

The Yarra Valley is on the cusp, or possibly over it, of defining a regional style. Cool, high toned citrus and orchard fruits, coupled with sinewed flesh, linear shape, a boney structure and high, piquant acidity. Of course, there are variations on the theme, but I...

First a little history. Founded in 1948, in the village of Tre Stelle Barbaresco, the estate comprises 5 hectares, 3.5 are vines. Tiny? Certainly. I find it hard to imagine such a small scale enterprise can support a family of four: Giovanna Rizzolio and Italo Sobrino...

Two of our favourite white Burgundy producers are Goisot and Guffens-Heynen. Ironically they are of opposing styles and one is from the northern reaches of Burgundy - Goisot, while Guffens-Heyen the south in the Maconnais. Goisot's wines are sleek, chiselled and...

Coming off the universally acknowledged 'great' vintage of 2019, 2020 would always be a vintage looking over its shoulder. But considering the silky lusciousness and richness of recent vintages, 2020 is a welcome return to Mosel classicism. Shimmering purity, intense...

Of all Australian wine regions, Tasmania (if we are still able to lump the state together), is touted as the most exciting. It's certainly popular and the price of grapes is the most expensive in the country. New regions present a new hope and enthusiasm, but great...

Just for the heck of it, we recently decided to open a bottle of Yangarra's 2018 Ironheart Shiraz a year or so after its release. The 1.8Ha Ironheart vineyard is set high in McLaren Vale, and consists of sandy ironstone soil, and in these exposed almost arid...

The Barossa Valley is Australia's most important fine wine region, owing to its history, size, commercial and qualitative success. When I first started drinking wine the Barossa Valley, as with all Australian wine regions, was thought of in the singular. A big region,...

Bandol is synonymous with rose and despite the high price, demand outstrips supply of Domaine Tempier rose every year. Their red, however, is another story, yet I can't help think wine drinkers are missing a trick by not taking their southern French odyssey a little...

Chianti Classico is one of the least understood wine denominations. Most of us, if asked where and what it is, would say something like 'it's the original part of Chianti', or 'the best Chianti's are Classicos'. Although these statements may be true, it doesn't really...

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde would have loved Brunello di Montalcino. There isn't a wine region anywhere else in the world that encompasses so many personalities and styles, and at their best, perhaps conveys them all. Full bodied, or not, tannic, chewy, rugged, savoury,...

Autumn is the best season to drink the wines of La Rioja Alta. The first smoky wisps of winter, scents of fading flowers and the irrevocable sweetness of summer are glimpsed in these, most delicious bottles. The fruit is brighter than when I first drunk these wines 20...

I think it was Tolstoy who said that you will never be content if you look for perfection. I believe wine lovers are absorbed by the twin concepts of greatness and perfection, and thus narrow their drinking habits to fewer varieties. Varieties such as Chardonnay,...

Do you remember when you were young, thinking and acting like your parents were idiots? You might have even thought that they didn't understand you, that nowhere within their combined realms of experience, were circumstances that resembled yours. I thought like this,...

You can't call an Australian wine Burgundy anymore, and fair enough too. Burgundy and Bordeaux are the most imitated wine regions on earth, setting benchmarks for their varietals and styles, which at their best, have no equal in the world. So, in Australia,...

There are very few genuinely exciting wines. Light bulb moments might only happen a couple of times a year, if you're lucky. Great wines are not necessarily crowd pleasers either. Indeed, many of the world's great wines do poorly in blind wine tastings, struggling to...

Sometimes I wonder what people get out of fine wine. The cheaper stuff, fault free and full of pleasant flavour, will do for most of us, most of the time. Wonderful wines are like wonderful books. They are thought-provoking and evocative, sentimental and familiar. I...

Despite losing close to half of their crop due to late frosts, the Defaix's still count themselves lucky. Numbers are terrible for much of France; most Chablis producers being hit with losses in the vicinity of 80%. So, volumes are down, prices are relatively stable...

Our first trip to the Mornington was an excercise in tasting very light coloured reds and frisky, early picked whites. So much so, that I wasn't sure (still not sure), if it was the nature of the place or the wine producers. Crunchy red fruits and green apple flavours...

Chablis' surge in popularity has come as a bit of surprise. Recently, a Sommelier told me that “it’s the new sav blanc”, and she seemed gratified with this, commenting that it was more versatile and food friendly than the famed Marlborough white. True, I thought, but...

Sweet vibrancy is such a hard combination to achieve. I would normally associate wines made from healthy ripe grapes that are also refreshing and cleansing with Sangiovese from Chianti, Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley or the reds of Valpolicella. But regional...

Great producers define their wine regions and grand vineyards or no, they make the best of what they have. Goisot is always lumped into the broader paradigm of Burgundy, which is of course true, but what's the point in trying to compare wines as far afield as Chablis...

Great things are happening at Bannockburn under the stewardship of Matt Holmes. All their organically managed, close-planted vineyards will be fully certified this year. Holmes believes that as soon as they had started the process of stimulating vine health years...

I first tasted Eva Fricke's wines almost 20 years ago, in the good old days when anything from Germany was cheap (save the cars). So cheap in fact, that the quality to price ratio was common talk in the UK wine trade. It's been twenty years since, and has taken this...

Our most read blog is Understanding Grosses Gewachs, but if I were to write a follow up, I would add a section called Giant Killers. Clearly there is good reason as to why most vineyards attract a grand classification, but it's also true that every year, wines are...

Gelmino and Cristina Dal Bosco farm 9 hectares dotted around the hamlet of Brognoligo. Small parcels are planted to Garganega. The soil here is volcanic, and the best vineyards are ideally situated on south facing slopes, the steepest of which are the Cru of Roccolo...

Styles of wine are in a constant state of flux and the idea that a wine is 'typical' or true to its origin is becoming harder to pin down. When we were buying our first bottles of red in the early 2000's, thick textures, prominent oak and extracted flavours were...

One of the highlights of any year is a Tyrrell's Vat release. Essentially a museum release, as the whites at least have already been offered to their Private Bin membership about 10 months after vintage. Bottle age is always an advantage however, for either red or...

Brilliant wines, impeccably cellared and at the same price as current releases are very rare. We have five wines from one of Australia's best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers, Clyde Park. All wines have been aged at the estate and are just entering their long...

Soave was trendy for a time, particularly when for some pocket change you could purchase a relatively bland, perfectly drinkable dry white wine. There was no need for tasting notes or serious critiquing. These supermarket wines were designed for serious economy...

The best Champagnes are wonderful. Made from fully ripe grapes and a judicious dosage, if any at all. They are however, incredibly intense, concentrated and deep in flavour, so much so that it's hard to knock it back in 40 degree heat, or drink more than a glass...

It is a truism that dog owners look like their dogs. The breed is etched into the fabric of the owner. Winemakers are no different. Their personalities, philosophy, politics, dress, you name it are etched into the liquid they produce. This is not meant to imply...

Pinot Noir outside Burgundy has never been more diverse, exciting and rich in expression. Rippon, from New Zealand's Central Otago region, crafts structured, tense, ethereal and decadent pinots to rival the finest of the Cote d'Or. The estate's DNA  is to be found in...

Chardonnay is made everywhere in Australia, and to a very high standard. Very few regions however are able to boast genuinely unique styles, or at least a regional typicity. The same can be said of Burgundy, where warm, early vintages have increased the diversity...

Traditions and typicity are key to our understanding of classic wine regions. Style, flavours, textures and classifications are signposts and, to a degree, a generalisation of what may be in the bottle. The acceptance of the VDP by the German wine fraternity and wine...

"In every genuine man, a child is hidden that wants to play". Ain't that the truth. Nietshke it seems, understood a part of our pscyche (genuine man, or woman that is), that clutched and thrashed for the playful in our stiff, structured and serious lives. Serious...

Some wines and their makers are entire unto themselves. They may be varietal, classic even and will no doubt share many characteristics with their neighbours. You may be able pick the region, vintage and winemaking, and yet, they are not like their neighbours. These...

Italy's greatest grape? One way or the other, Nebbiolo makes much of the country's greatest, most sought after and most delicious wines. Consistency of quality, an iron rule for this wine lover, has never been better. Sangiovese for example can be priced from almost...

Whisson Lake was recommended to me by Matt Herod, Sommelier at the Shangri La Hotel in Sydney and who also acts as a trade representative for Tyrrells wines. A man as passionate for wine as he, had much to say of Whisson Lake. So I listened. If Ashton Hills pioneered...

Twenty years ago, and no doubt for many years prior, producers in the Langhe were invariably described as modern, traditional or a combination of the two. Nicholas Belfrage's seminal work, Barolo to Valpolicella would categorise every producer according to their...

The Australian importer of Joh. Jos. Prum once described wine as "bottled energy", reminding me of Kenneth Clark's description of a William Blake engraving, Glad Day. He writes "nothing could be more paradoxical than that he should have found in this attempt to...

With just 5 hectares of vines and making around 2000 cases of wine a year, Antoine Jobard is a tiny producer of some of the finest Meursault. Francois, Antoine's son is now making the wines, and the changes have been subtle. Change is often abhorred, particularly when...

Newness in wine is highly prized. New producers, styles, vintages and reviews focus the wallet, and it is a special pleasure to drink the latest releases of a treasured favourite. This is only the second release of Swinney's wine we have been a part of and considering...

Put simply, great producers make great wine. So when offered a taste of Tyrrell's new single vineyard releases, I was excited. I have tasted releases of these wines many times, and they have all been delicious, but a taste of these seven wines left me convinced that...

'Classic' is an epithet to be found in vintage reports, tasting notes and producer profiles. European producers and wine regions in particular are more likely to be described as classic. The truth is, and Beaujolais is no exception, that the idea of what is typical,...

Before even tasting a wine, all of us bring some fixed assumptions of what it will taste like. Generally, we've chosen the wine because of these assumptions - for pairing with food or because we feel like a certain wine. So when we opened two bottles of Jurancon Sec...

The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...

Recently, as I was about to pour a glass of Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay, a friend gripped my hand and said "I don't like Chardonnay". No problem, I've got some Chablis in the fridge. Do you like Chablis? "I love Chablis". Great. So do I. The Scarborough went...

It's that special time of the year when you want everything to be perfect. We've put together this handy guide to help you match the perfect wine to your festive feast. Whether you're having turkey and all the trimmings or a seafood spread, pick one of our suggested...

The most discussed subject in the wine industry is climate change, and not the story of what's in your glass. People are gifted with senses and the ability of expression and yet we have become obsessed with what can only be described as an existential threat. As if a...

The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...

A friend of mine once said that rosé is rosé, and they're all crap until you find a good one; and when you do, that’s the one you drink! According to him, no matter the grape, style, price or country of origin, they couldn’t be judged like other wines because they...

There is no escaping the commentary surrounding vintages. Knowing a bit often makes you feel like you know a lot, and enough to draw foregone conclusions. After reading various comments and articles about the 2018's from Joh Jos Prum, I feel compelled to add to the...

Orange has never lived up to expectations. We visited recently, confirming for ourselves its status as a region full of potential, but one yet to truly define itself. Our visit to Rikard Wines was a bit of a light-bulb moment - delighting in the discovery of a...

Wine assessment and tasting is by its nature opaque. Countless factors will affect a wine at any showing, and if you were to re-taste the wine, in another context, your conclusions might be very different. To avoid discrepancy and possible misrepresentation, process...

Atypical vintages and atypical work conditions present challenges and opportunities for the vigneron. Discussion of vintages, their characteristics, merits and downsides are analysed and agonised over by wine lovers. However, it is always what's in the bottle that...

All wine lovers, all humans, love to get their money's worth. There are producers, regions, vintages, styles and countries with whom value is synonymous. I have long believed that, typically, you are more likely to find good value in whites than reds. Regions that are...

I have wanted to taste the wines of Julian Haart for several years. Flicking through a newsletter from Mosel Fine Wines is always an informative experience, but it can be hard to tear yourself away from the familiar and famous names. I now have a rule that I rigidly...

The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...

Passetoutgrain (pronounced Passe-too-grarn) is a regional Burgundian appellation created in 1937 for the production of red or rose wine. Passetoutgrain can be produced within the entire region of Burgundy, covering the Cote d'Or, Yonne, Saône-et-Loire and Beaujolais,...

The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...

I first came across the wines of Verget, working at Oddbins in Colchester. It was the early to mid 2000's, and I had moved to Colchester to be with my girlfriend. Colchester, once the capital of Roman Britain, is one of the oldest settlements in the UK. Colchester is...

Dewey Station Wines is the work of husband and wife team Stefan and Eleanor Dewey. When we tasted the Dewey Station wines, we were struck by the vivid colours, floral lift and high toned fruit. They did however, still transmit the essence of rich full bodied Barossan...

Even James Bond, a man partial to fine wine and rich food recognised the debilitating effect of over indulgence. In the fictional town of Royale les Eaux, the backdrop for Casino Royale, Bond surveying the scene is fed up with the "lip-smacking rituals of winemanship...

Avant garde wines are less about tradition and vineyard/varietal definition. Minimal intervention, natural ferments, little or no sulphur additions, early picking,experimental winemaking and a keen eye on the environment are the shared attributes of Australian avant...

This month I caught up with Ben Mullen – the winemaker half of Mulline Vintners from Geelong. Mulline are making headlines of late with their high scoring Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot.   Q. There are plenty of good wine regions in Victoria, why did you choose...

Whenever I think of being brave, I imagine charging a machine gun nest. Or more realistically, Sir Humphrey Appleby describing a decision as "courageous Minister", in order to change his mind. I did ponder the name as I'm not sure I wanted to need to be brave to drink...

I've never believed that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but add a splash of wine and I'm not so sure...Chocolate and cheese are notoriously difficult to match with wine. Cheese in particular usually requires specific wines and hosts tend to offer up cheese boards, with...

"Grosses Gewachs! We are marching again!" Thus spake Ernst Loosen of the grand estate Dr Loosen. Grosses Gewachs, or GG, refers to wines made from Grosse Lage or Grand cru vineyards. Unlike their French counterparts, the term does not exist within any part of wine...

Choosing a wine from a wine list can be difficult and I'm not just talking about what to match with what you're eating. Is there such a thing as good value from a wine list and, if so, how do you get it? Can house wines be trusted? Should I stick to the brands I...

"There was no cloud now; the heat was easing, but at every stop the merciless obbligato of the cicadas, rising clamorously as the sunset drew down, made the sudden human voices in that still seem false and unreal..." I am a born and bred Sydney boy and, alas, have had...

Egon Muller - star of the Saar. Don't miss your chance to secure some of the world's greatest wines at special pre-release pricing.   Egon Muller Scharzhof Qualitats Riesling 2018 - $80 (RRP $100) Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2018 - $155 (RRP...

The Sadie Family Wines are our first South African producer. I am ashamed to say my knowledge of South African history is scant, save for a boyhood interest in the Anglo-Zulu Wars of 1879. I have a first edition of the tragic masterpiece, The Washing of the Spears, by...

It is the greatest pleasure of any wine lover to taste a wine, and for it to be better than expected. Perhaps the single greatest crime of a wine taster is to have any expectations at all. To keep an open mind, and to not be influenced by what you have read or heard,...

My wife's sister Kate and her partner Sarah, have just arrived back from England. Their suitcases contained, as always, a small cache of wine bottles. The trade goes the other way too. From Australia, with love, we sent two bottles of JC's Own. The Bluebird 2018 and a...

Matching seafood and wine can be problematic. Some seafood flavours are delicate and you need a wine that will complement and not overpower the subtle flavours. Other seafood dishes are more robust, maybe with rich creamy sauces or tomato or spice. These foods need...