The Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France has long been the poor cousin of the French wine industry. Grape growing in the area dates back to the Pliocene period yet despite being one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Europe, the district has never been highly regarded by the French as a premier wine-producing region. Such…
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Australia’s take on a French classic is best found in the South It may seem counter-intuitive to many of us, but the famous French red blend Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the Northern Rhone region is not made entirely from red fruits; it, in fact, has six white varietals which may be used by winemakers to craft their…
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Whether you think it’s marketing hoo-hah or just agronomist hocus-pocus, the rise of biodynamic and organic viticulture in winemaking has been as rapid as it is profound. Just scan the shelves of your local bottle shop and it will be difficult to miss the proud declarations of each club member winery to the biodynamic farming…
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Maverick Wines are probably best known for their winemaker, Ron Brown, and his elegant Barossa Valley Shiraz, but you know the winery is genuinely “five star” when the “house white” is as good as the 2011 Maverick Breechens. Squarely aimed at the “everyday tipple” end of the market, the Breechens is a white blend primarily…
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Buying wine at the value end of the spectrum can be a little hit and miss, but you can vastly improve your prospects of scoring runs by buying a type of wine that is the strength of its region of origin. Like the Valley of the Giants Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2013. It’s an example of…
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I’m not sure why Vasse Felix brand it their “Classic Dry White” as the 2008 version of their Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (S.S.B.) is such a fruit driven and aromatic style that you’d swear it was more Sauvignon Blanc than Semillon! The Margaret River region of W.A. consistently produces great S.S.B., but the 2008 vintage was…
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Bob Oatley has made some great calls in his time. Firstly, in 2003 there was the sale of his Rosemount Estate empire to Southcorp for $1.5 billion; then there was his Wild Oats II yachting team which won five line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Race and remain race record holder to this day;…
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The west of this great land may best be renowned for its mineral riches, the Kimberleys and wildflowers, but in years to come, I suspect that its SSB (Semillon Sauvignon Blanc) will become just as well known. The Margaret River region is perhaps the State’s premier wine district and along with its Cabernet, the SSB…
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