If my recent straw poll of white wine drinkers is any guide, so-called Savolanche – Australia’s fascination with sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region in the north of the Shaky-Isles – seems to have finally begun to decline. And that would be to the collective sigh of hundreds, if not thousands, of winemakers around the…
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When it comes to organic labelling of products, Australian consumers have become accustomed to paying a premium for the ecolabel on the packaging but somewhat ironically, it has been quite the contrary with bottled wine. Whether it’s because of a perceived trade-off of quality for ecologically focused practices in the vineyard, or just that the…
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The increasing sophistication of the wine drinker is evident across the marketplace, but the explosion of the consumer’s savvy suaveness is perhaps most pronounced when it comes to fizz. After all, are there any wine buffs and connoisseurs that don’t profess to be able to capably discern between French fizz and local sparkling white; or…
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Pompous, arrogant and downright pretentious, the once disparaging term “wine wanker” is seemingly worn as a badge of honour these days by some industry insiders and self-proclaimed experts who take great delight in beguiling the readership with their use of technical terms and oenological lingo. What better way to show how clever you are by…
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They say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, but when you’re an oenophile in Japan, it’s unlikely that you’ll succumb to the wiles of the local sake, but can one take the local wines seriously? The Land of the Rising Sun is highly regarded for its local beer (especially Sapporo and Asahi) and…
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In a modern world in which economies of scale, efficiency in production, and maximisation of yield are so often the underlying aims of the corporate wineries, it’s refreshing to hear stories of success amongst the smaller scale battlers like Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice of Sinapius. They’re a bold new breed of winemaker who defy…
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Josef Chromy When a wine wins a major award, I’m like a moth drawn to a flouro light and in what must be a form of FOMO, I find myself compelled to track down a bottle to find out what all the fuss is about. So, when I found out that the Josef Chromy 2017…
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It’s an Australian icon and a household name around the world, but just when you start to think that Penfolds Grange just can’t get any more expensive, another auction closes and yet another record is set. On 15 December 2019, the annual Langton’s Rewards of Patience Auction closed and a set of Penfolds Grange from…
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It’s an ironic if not cruel twist of fate, but when our viticulturists do it tough through the drought, it’s the consumers who benefit from the struggles in the vineyard. In drought-stricken regions when a lack of water smashes the crop, the lower yields and stressed vines can mean a higher quality of fruit as…
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Riesling may be the rockstar varietal of the Clare Valley, but if you ask me, their shiraz is a well above average support act. Blessed with a moderate continental climate, the region enjoys warm days which are generally followed by afternoon breezes and cooler nights. And it’s this wide diurnal temperature range that makes for…
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