Semillon hails from the French region of Bordeaux where it is grown alongside the more popular Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Whilst today, in France, it isn’t really fashionable as a single varietal, it commonly plays a minor role blended in dry table wines or, more significantly, is coveted as a dominant contributor to sublime dessert wines.
The Australian Wine industry is recognised and valued globally for the remarkable character of our wines. Here, at home, we also recognise the characters who produce a ‘good drop’; the early pioneers, the industry stalwarts, the entrepreneurial winemakers and the lovable larrikins who ’do it their own way’.
Picture: Wilyabrup Bluff It’s the most planted grape varietal in the world and despite its European origins, Australian cabernet sauvignon is widely regarded as being as good as just about any on the planet. From the white pepper jubiness of the Coonawarra to the more robust styles from Padthaway, the Limestone Coast in south eastern…
Read more
Blessed by a Mediterranean style climate and some of the oldest root-stock in the world, the Barossa Valley is undeniably a world leader when it comes to shiraz production, but there’s a sting in the tail of that enviable reputation. Such is the power of the “Barossa Shiraz” brand that uninformed consumers often miss out…
Read more
“It’s the best chardonnay on the Mornington Peninsula” he decreed as he pressed his thumb into the punt at its base and forcefully thrust a bottle in my direction. “You won’t find better” my mate promised, as if the acceptance of his gift was accompanied by the clatter of a gauntlet hitting the tiled floor.…
Read more
School holidays. Gotta love the break from routine and the chance to travel, relax or just bond with your kids. But we all know that the gap between school terms isn’t all beer and skittles. After all, the traffic can be horrendous, the house looks like a warzone, and all too often “those” relatives want to come and stay.
Arguably the Sunshine Coast’s most likable larrikin, Mix FM host and media personality, Todd Widdicombe is to wine what a bread-roll is to a coeliac. A self – proclaimed “ beer bloke”, Todd denies any knowledge of grape types let alone any enthusiasm for the products of fermented berries. So in my eyes, there’s no…
Read more
Business leader, entrepreneur and “locavore”, Roz White is undeniably one of the movers and shakers of the wider Sunshine Coast community. She wore the badge of Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network outstanding business leader in 2015 and was named regional owner/ entrepreneur leader of the year in 2016 by the Australian Institute of Management. Such…
Read more
With the Spring Racing Carnival just around the corner, it’s only a matter of time before champagne is on almost everyone’s lips. And not just as a topic of conversation. So in that context, my recent catch-up with Australia’s pre-eminent champagne guru, Tyson Stelzer, was rather timely. Although he’s a Brissie boy, this one time…
Read more
She may be renowned for her ability to design recipes that simplify life in the kitchen, but Australian author Kim McCosker’s taste in wine is anything but uncomplicated. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, McCosker’s career didn’t start out in either the restaurant industry or as a wordsmith. Initially studying a Bachelor of International Finance at Griffith University,…
Read more