Whether we care to admit it or not, the Australian mainland doesn’t have too many wine-producing regions that are ideally suited to making the Burgundian classic Pinot Noir. After all, it’s a finicky grape that is highly susceptible to rot and disease and doesn’t do well in warm or wet climates. For this reason, many…
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For a country that produces over 45 million hectolitres of wine each year, we don’t really see a lot of Italian wine in Australia. Perhaps that’s because we’re a parochial bunch – as over 80% of wine consumed by Australians is Aussie made. Italy is still the world’s biggest wine-producing nation with daylight – to…
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In an industry dominated by the corporates, there are hundreds, if not thousands of small winemakers across Australia seeking to establish their brands and carve out a living. Most are dreaming of hitting the oenological paydirt that will establish them both reputationally and financially for life. But as in elite sports, it’s often the “one-percenters”…
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Chardonnay is Australia’s most widely planted white wine varietal but to this day, remains divisive amongst consumers. There are many, like me, who regard it as the most regal of white wine varietals. But there are plenty of rather vocal haters – like my friend Jenny, who swears that she wouldn’t ruin her risotto by pouring…
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If not for the Patagonian wine region in Argentina, Central Otago could lay claim to being the world’s southern-most wine region. Those who’ve visited Queenstown and it’s surrounds on the Shaky Isle’s South Island, will know of the raw beauty of the craggy ranges and glacier-carved canyons that attract hundreds of thousands of tourists each…
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Big, ripe, and juicy Australian shiraz are wines that are as popular abroad as our famous native marsupials like the koala and kangaroo. In the United Kingdom, South Australian shiraz is the biggest selling Australian varietal, while in the United States, they buy the low end sweet and sugary shiraz from “south-eastern Australia” like it’s…
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I’m sure it’s not just me and that there are other “oenological bowerbirds” out there; wine lovers that are easily distracted by the shiny new object and constantly on the lookout for something different, intriguing, and experimental. After all, variety is the spice of life, right? Well, if you’re a Bowerbird of the vinous type,…
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It’s all New Zealand’s fault. And their day of reckoning will come. Why is it that a grape as popular, pretty and racy as sauvignon blanc became indistinguishable from Cottees fruit cordials? Fruit forward and sweet, these new-age versions of the Loire Valley classic are as perfumed as they are pungent; structure free zones that…
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It was during a 2006 visit it Italy that I first fell in love with Brunello. It was a wine that was as fleshy, and it was seductive; and as medium to full bodied as it was balanced. At the time I couldn’t believe that it was made entirely from the Sangiovese grape – a…
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Chardonnay may be the most regal of white varietals, but it’s probably also the most divisive. When it comes to wine, we’ve all got opinions, but when it comes to chardonnay, those I talk to either love it or hate it. Seldom is there middle ground. And I understand the repugnance of the over-oaked and…
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