I’ve always had tremendous respect for Mitchell Taylor and the wine-making team at the family-owned Taylors Wines in South Australia’s Clare Valley, but with a St Andrews Reserve Cabernet pitched at around $55, I struggle to understand the reason for recently releasing a “Reserve Parcel” Cabernet at its $25 price point! Perhaps it’s just the…
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Stand aside nerds, there’s a new kid on the Margaret River Cabernet block, and with her oenological charm, she seems destined to fit right in with the popular crowd. Devil’s Lair have recently released a new “on premise” Cabernet, the Dance with the Devil which sells at around $25 a bottle and is crafted to…
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The $15 to $20 price point is a crowded and competitive space amongst Australian wines. And our iconic Aussie varietal, Shiraz, is no exception. At least in my house, it is normally the Barossa and McLaren Vale Shiraz that dominate the quaffing space in the cellar, but having recently sampled the Heartland 2012 Shiraz, all…
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Australia’s most widely recognized wine brand, Penfolds, have generally made their wines in three different styles. There’s the single vineyard approach (like the Magill Estate Shiraz), the single region (aka Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz) and the multi-region blends such as their iconic Grange and Bin 707. But since 2008, winemaker Peter Gago has also been…
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Riesling from South Australia’s Clare Valley has been putting the area on the viticultural map for years, but it wasn’t until I recently took a field trip to the region that I realised the emphasis that local winemakers place on their red wines as well. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz do very well in the Clare,…
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The Barossa Valley is synonymous with Shiraz and while there are any number of sub-regions around the townships of Lyndoch, Tanunda, Williamstown and Nuriootpa, it’s impossible to fault any of them for the quality of their vineous produce. So, when I recently visited the Langmeil Estate near Tanunda, the reasoning behind the creation of the…
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You’ve got to love Australian wine regions and more so, their diversity. From the gravelly loam soils of the Margaret River to the cool windy climate of Tasmania and the temperate Mediterranean feel of South Australia’s McLaren Vale. The regional traits of the wines our country produces are remarkably varied, but their wildly different character…
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Pinot Noir is probably my favourite red varietal, but my penchant for the style is tempered somewhat by the price point of most good examples of the style. So, when I recently cracked a bottle of the Sticks Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2011 that a friend had left after a Sunday lunch, I assumed, given…
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Despite being one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world, Lebanon’s wine industry is somewhat underdeveloped. And it’s hard not to smirk at the irony given that it was the ancient Venetians from the same region who, according to ancient history, were largely responsible for spreading viticulture across Europe. I had never had…
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It’s been years since I last braved the cool westerly winds and Dagwood Dog fuelled crowds of the Brisbane “Ekka”, but this year I’ll be there with bells on! And not because of sideshow alley, the 350 different show bags on offer, or the fashion and farm animals, but rather, simply to indulge my love…
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