Dessert wines may not be a regular feature of Australian entertaining, but with the festive season upon us, there’s no better excuse for cracking the screwcap or pulling the cork off a “sticky” dessert wine after the mains are done. My mum’s pavlova or sticky date pudding never tasted so good as when it was…
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Like most consumer-facing retail industries, the wine sector is no stranger to adaption and accommodating change. Over the years, customer preferences and prejudices have resulted in savvy winemakers adjusting their style, experimenting with varietals and refreshing strategies to market their product to new and emerging markets. We’ve seen the wax and wane of biodynamic winemaking,…
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Shiraz has long been Australia’s biggest selling red wine with the vineyards of South Australia being the biggest contributor to the annual national Shiraz crop. In recent decades, the world has fallen in love with our voluptuous, ripe and jammy Shiraz that is undeniably mouth-filling, palate-pleasing and popular with wine drinkers both domestically and internationally.…
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Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted red varietal in the world – and the most popular. From the tannic styles from Rioja in Spain, to the concentrated examples from Bordeaux, to the ripe Barossa wines or the mint-laced versions from the Coonawarra, there’s a Cabernet for virtually every palate. In Australia, the floral styles from…
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There are plenty of Australian wineries that excel at creating high-quality reserve level wines, and many that hit the mark with their consumer-friendly entry-level offerings, but rarely do wineries seem to be capable of hitting the proverbial bullseye across the spectrum of price points in their range. But the family-run Bird in Hand team in…
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds are one of those wines that are described as “intoxicating” as much for their delightful perfumed plummy nose as their high alcohol content. If these famous red blends from the southern Rhone region don’t make you a disciple to French wine, then I suspect that nothing will. They were undoubtedly the magic potion that turned…
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The wine store shelves displaying Australian Shiraz are a notoriously busy space. After all, Shiraz remains the biggest selling red varietal in Australia, and for years has been the workhorse in driving sales for many domestic vigneron vintners. It’s a grape that produces regionally distinct styles of wine depending on the climate, terroir and elevation…
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Australians love their wine; indeed, we are the tenth largest wine consuming country in the world with 98% of bottled wine consumed within 24 hours of purchase. Obviously, the lure of ‘instant gratification’ overrides the hidden pleasure of laying down a bottle of wine to savour the alchemy of maturity at a later date. Is…
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For reasons I’ve never really understood, Grenache has long been the Nutribullet of grape varietals; not really a headline act itself, but considered really useful for blending. But in recent years, the style seems to be gaining momentum as a single varietal of note and one worthy of occupying space in the cellar. And if…
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As the mercury drops, the days shorten and the winter westerlies begin to bite, it’s time to push the white wines aside and reach for the big brooding reds that match the cold season cuisine and warm you on the inside. And typically, at least in my house, the go-to drop is normally either Cabernet…
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