Wine Industry Tourism is big business in Australia, and for good reason. We live in a country which is rich in viticultural offerings and blessed with diversity of micro-climates and terroir. While we may be regarded as “new world” by the elitist “old world” producers, the juvenile tag given to our winemakers doesn’t stop them…
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Hahndorf Hill blend impresses They are a producer best known for their successful introduction of Gruner Veltliner to the Australian Wine Consumer and now the team at Hahndorf Hill are pioneering other Austrian styles like Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt and St Laurent and now, it seems, Trollinger as well. They may not be house hold names, but…
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2016 Nebbiolo is truly exceptional When it comes to red wine, it is often said that patience is a virtue, but if Nebbiolo is your preferred drop, then you probably need to be a Saint! It’s a style which hails from the Piedmont Region in North-Western Italy and is thought to have earned its moniker…
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The Yarra Valley is considered a cold climate – but is it really? As I poured a glass of the 2008 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir to take the edge off last Sunday’s mustard crusted lamb racks (which, I admit, were worthy of a Master Chef elimination), I pondered the “cool climate” regionality claimed by the…
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South American product often overlooked Tainted brand, unsophisticated marketing or perhaps just snobbery and bias, but the lack of Australian support for the Argentinian Wine industry is just plain bizarre. And I am not for one moment suggesting that we should unpatriotically turn our backs on our own wine industry, but when an international flavour…
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Chinese demand for Australian minerals may have saved our economy from the brunt of last decade’s GFC, and now, it seems, burgeoning demand for Aussie wine is providing an emboldened sense of optimism to the industry. Figures released by Wine Australia last month, reveal an increase of 13% on total Australian wine exports for the…
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A new breed of winemaker is changing the face of the globally renowned region, challenging the conventional approach to winemaking. The strength of South Australia’s Barossa Valley as a Shiraz producing district is globally recognized, but a new breed of winemaker is emerging in the region and subtly shifting emphasis away from Shiraz and traditional…
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Founders of Pyramids Road Winery, Warren and Sue Smith are certainly not your average school teachers. Having left their calling to plant a vineyard in 1999, these educators are far from stereotypical vignerons and some might suggest, perhaps might harbour just a touch of inner hippie! Though both Warren and Sue work the vineyard, these…
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We’ve all been there. You’re in new company, at a flash restaurant and suddenly the wine list is thrust at you and you’re told that you’re in charge of ordering the wine for the table. You squirm nervously in your seat, wipe away the sweat line that has unexpectedly appeared on your upper brow and…
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They produce Grenache wines of complexity The Grenache varietal is thought to have originated in Spain, where the hot dry climate is ideal. PARADOXICAL it may be but, despite Australia being a “New World” wine producer, we are also home to some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world! While European vineyards suffered at…
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