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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The Bordeaux blend style of red is up there with the bestselling in the world, and for good reason. The blend benefits from the best attributes of each of the different varietals and is also capable of ageing gracefully, making it a wine of many dimensions. And it’s also widely available thanks to the enormous…
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Right up there on the list of discredited old wives’ tales (is that a politically incorrect term these days?) is the one I occasionally hear from friends at dinner parties, that they prefer to drink organic wines because “they don’t give me a hangover”. It’s a furphy of the ilk of the other famous dinner…
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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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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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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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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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The emerging Orange wine district in the Central Ranges of New South Wales has developed quite a name for itself as a producer of whites like chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, but it seems that there’s hope for the region as an able producer of reds, if my recent Angullong experience is any guide. The Orange…
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