Wine & Musings

Come and share my passion for wine and food.

Travis Schultz at Pimpernel Winery

Pimpernel Vineyard

In what was more a stroke of luck during my recent sojourn across the wet and dreary Yarra Valley wine district in winter, I stumbled across a boutique winery whose wares are rarely seen in Queensland but seem destined for oenological stardom – at least if my palate is any judge! It was somewhat of…
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Clonakilla Winery

Finesse and Elegance – Clonakilla’s O’Riada Shiraz

Australian primary producers are a resilient bunch who are well accustomed to the vagaries of their trade and the wrath of mother nature. From drought to bushfires and sometimes even floods, our sunburnt country throws just about every imaginable challenge at our vignerons. Add to that lot the impact of a global pandemic and the…
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Taylors Wines’ very first Eco-Bottle range

Taylors “One Small Step Eco-bottle” 

The launch of Taylors so called “eco-bottle” seems certain to ignite the glass v plastic debate. It’s an argument that consumer health advocates, scientists and environmentalists have been having for years, but the launch of a range of consumer focussed wines in a “freight-friendly” plastic bottle might just be the spark needed to light the…
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Investigating the art of glassware with Riedel

In this data-rich world we live in, science tends to dominate contemporary thinking. And for all of its custom and traditions, the wine industry is no stranger to the fingerprints of research, artificial intelligence and technology. Modern winemaking is a calling that involves as much science as it does, art. Even the artisan and traditionalist…
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Travis Schultz & Ben Portet

Dominique Portet Cabernet

With all that’s going on in the world at the moment, it would be easy to throw away the rose-coloured glasses and ruminate over the headwinds now facing the Australian wine industry. Quite apart from a lingering spat with our once largest export market, bushfires, and more recently, droughts, the wine industry is now also…
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Reid Bosward and Travis Schultz

Kaesler Avignon

Maybe it’s human nature, or just the Aussie way, but we seem to be a bunch who like to seek the “good oil” in our quest for the proverbial holy grail.  Whether it’s investing in the shares our stockbrokers are buying, following the lead of the racehorse trainer having a bet on their pick of the…
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Somerled Shiraz

Cracking the Stelvin on Somerled Shiraz

As a self-confessed wine-wanker, I get a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I hear or see my friends sharing their excitement about a wine, a wine region or even just a grape varietal.  After all, happiness isn’t real until it’s shared, right? So, when a friend visiting Somerled in South Australia…
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What do winemaking and charity have in common?

Let’s begin with passion, purpose, shared wisdom, mateship, love, fulfilment, enjoyment, and a sense of giving back.  This Friday, 20 May, the 2022 Winemakers Master Class is bringing to life all those experiences as four leading Australian winemakers showcase their winemaking expertise for the benefit of Sunshine Coast SunnyKids. Ten years ago, given my passion…
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Wolf Blass Makers Project Pink Pinot Grigio

Does pinot gris need to be clear?

Maybe it’s just me, but I find that pinot gris is one of those varietals that in a blind tasting or wine options game is harder to pick than a broken nose!  Unlike riesling and semillon, there just aren’t the abundant tell-tale markers that reveal its identity. To add to the pinot gris confusion, you then have…
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Champagne Deutz

Champagne’s up and downs

Like all primary producers, those in the wine industry have their ups and downs from year to year and season to season. There are so many “uncontrollables”; drought, frost, flood and pest infestation being just a few of the more common ones.  Not even the most successful and high profile regions are immune from misfortune…
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