As the Australian daytimes get longer and the summer storms begin to roll in, most of us tend to eschew the bigger reds and instead reach for something cool and white for a pre-dinner tipple. And we’ve plenty of varietals to choose from with high quality chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris being made by…
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The chardonnay grape is undeniably Australia’s most important white wine varietal. According to the 2020 Wine Australia report, it’s the second most widely planted grape (after shiraz) and the most widely grown. With 285,000 tonnes crushed, it accounts for some 19% of the total crop in Australia and (at least in my opinion) remains the…
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If you’ve ever been to a wine appreciation night or wine club meeting, you’d be well familiar with the “blind wine” or “wine options” challenges that entertain, beguile and often confuse those sampling the vino on offer. These games, in which a bottle of wine is wrapped in alfoil to conceal its identity and then…
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Chardonnay was one of the varietals to arrive in the James Busby collection in 1832 but initially the grape was mostly cultivated in the Mudgee region in New South Wales before it eventually spread across the wine producing regions of Australia. And despite being a long time favourite in the Burgundy Region of France, it…
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The Orange region in the Central Ranges of New South Wales is undoubtedly one of the up and coming vinicultural districts of the Australian mainland. Blessed with the ideal geology of Mount Canabolas, a coolish climate and 600 plus metres of elevation, the area surrounding the township of Orange has blossomed since vines were first…
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For reasons that I struggle to understand, the Marlborough wine region has become synonymous with sauvignon blanc. The region dominates in sales of the varietal not just in New Zealand but in Australasia for that matter. Since about 2009, the Kiwis’ sauvignon blanc has been the biggest selling wine in Australia; at one point accounting…
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The Mornington Peninsula was once a fertile agricultural and grazing region, but in more recent years has become a playground for Melbourne’s bizzoids and socialites. It’s as picturesque as it is conveniently located – being only an hour and a half from the city centre. There are literally hundreds of boutique wineries on the promontory…
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For as long as I can remember, Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has been revered for its stunning coastline, pristine beaches, rugged clifftops and golf courses – but not least of all, its pinot noir. If you’re a lover of wine, the district would be well and truly on your radar when searching for an affordable alternative…
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“Gee that’s nice, what is it” – the first words spoken by the lady of the house as she took her first sip of the glass I poured then handed to her after a Saturday afternoon of chores being diligently completed. “Grüner Veltliner”, I said. “Never heard of it”, the reply without lifting her gaze…
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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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