The Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France has long been the poor cousin of the French wine industry. Grape growing in the area dates back to the Pliocene period yet despite being one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Europe, the district has never been highly regarded by the French as a premier wine-producing region. Such…
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Bordeaux blends are among my favourite French styles of wine, but while my palate yearns for their wet gravel nose and balance of juicy fruit and chalky tannins, my wallet resents their lofty price tag. Typically, a good quality Bordeaux wine will set you back upwards of $50 a bottle, and up to $5,000 for…
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Increase your knowledge of wine and sample something out of the box According to the experts, the contemporary wine consumer in Australia has a growing level of confidence in selecting a bottle of wine from the shelves, but ironically, a lower level of knowledge of wines than consumers did a decade ago. While branding remains…
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Turns out a good chardonnay runs in the family genes It could be a case of unconscious bias, but I’ve never been keen on writing about the Dan Murphy’s or BWS stable of highly promoted and often, overhyped reds and whites. Leaving aside the big brands like Tyrells, Penfolds, McGuigan, Taylors and De Bortoli, many…
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Sunshine Coast surfer Sam Coverdale paid his wine-making dues to head up a vineyard of exceptional quality. The Sunshine Coast is hardly a region that is considered synonymous with the wine industry, nor does it have many reasons to claim ties to viticulture or oenology in general. So when a local of the region makes…
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Australia’s take on a French classic is best found in the South It may seem counter-intuitive to many of us, but the famous French red blend Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the Northern Rhone region is not made entirely from red fruits; it, in fact, has six white varietals which may be used by winemakers to craft their…
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At $28,700 a bottle, the burgundy region produces some of the most expensive wine in the world If you’re a fan of Australia’s most iconic red, Penfolds Grange, but balk at the lofty prices, spare a thought for disciples to the Grand Cru pinot noir of Burgundy which have just smashed through the US$20,000 a…
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As Burgundian wines cement themselves as the most sought after collectable wines around the globe, prices continue to climb for the iconic French pinot. The rapid rise in the average sale price for the most popular Grand Cru Burgundy wines is a story in itself, with the Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru now selling at…
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Superstar Argentine a warming winter wine Although it was once known only as being one of the six varietals used in the famed French Bordeaux blends, Malbec has become somewhat of a superstar for the Argentine wine industry. It’s a thick-skinned grape that needs a bit of extra heat and sun to do its best…
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Refresh, reinvent and reinvigorate are terms often thrown around by marketeers and business consultants and we well know that the alcohol sector is not immune from their self-proclaimed wisdom. It may be a statement of the obvious, but it’s probably fair to say that these days, consumers are looking to try something new and different…
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