When I heard that Golden Grove’s 2018 Barbera won champion wine, and their 2019 Vermentino a gold medal, at the Courier Mail Queensland Wine Awards earlier this year, I couldn’t help but make a beeline for my laptop to get online and order a few bottles. After all, there’s nothing better than discovering a new…
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Ask any sommelier what styles and varietals of wines are seeing sales growth, and you’ll normally be told that it’s all about rosé, Mediterranean varietals and organics. Some venues have seen rosé sales increase by as much as 40% while orders for sauvignon blanc (especially the highly aromatic styles) have declined as consumers are developing…
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Head winemaker at Peppertree wines in the Hunter Valley produces a drop arguably more art than oenology….. There’s a place for tradition and respect for time-honoured winemaking practices, but in this day and age, consumers increasingly expect something fresh, different and cool before they will part with their hard-earned. And this drift towards wines that…
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I’ve always found the wines of the Rhone region fascinating, if not charming. And particularly those of the Southern Rhone where the winemakers of the Côtes du Rhône villages set an exacting standard using Châteauneuf-du-Pape as their role model. In the region, the wines are typically richer, spicier and higher in alcohol than other parts…
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The Australian wine industry is increasingly focusing its attention on overseas markets, and for good reason. A low Aussie dollar, improving economic conditions abroad and a perception that Australian wines are of high quality makes it almost inevitable that domestic wineries are looking abroad to market their wares. And amongst our most important trading partners…
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Australians love their fizz; so much so that according to the 2018 data, we are the seventh-largest market for Champagne in the world. And at 8.38 million bottles imported in the year, that’s the second-highest amount of champenoise that we’ve ever consumed. And while the global market for French bubbles has only inched forward in…
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As the days lengthen and Spring takes grip, red wine drinkers often find themselves shelving the heavy cabernet and shiraz that added warmth over winter in favour of lighter styles like gamay, chianti and pinot noir. At my place, any red with a degree of translucence takes priority as the mercury climbs and the humidity…
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Global warming has been prominent in the headlines and a topic of dinner table conversation for the last few years and I suspect that it won’t be long before those with pulling power in the wine industry confront the reality of climate change for viticulture and winemaking practices. With temperatures across the globe forecast to…
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Known for it’s long term cellaring potential, Cabernet Sauvignon has once again become the world’s most widely planted grape varietal. As of 2015, the grape accounted for about 314,000 hectares under vines around the globe and that number is only increasing! The success of the grape is perhaps due to its adaptability and versatility. While…
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When a good mate of mine emailed me to let me know that our 2020 boys wine appreciation trip was a visit to Hahndorf in South Australia, I smiled from ear to ear. I’ve visited the German hamlet in the Adelaide Hills a few times before and I’ve always thought that it’s up there with…
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