About: corkscrew

April 8, 2021

Grapevine: So much variety

Primitivo, Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch have all been covered here in previous weeks and they are just a drop in the ocean of grape varieties we...

April 1, 2021

Grapevine: Finding opportunity

They say never waste a good crisis.

Austrian wine may well have changed anyway, but it was forced to by one of the notable wine...

February 24, 2021

Grapevine: Bourgogne is booming

With the insatiable demand for Pinot Noir from Burgundy continuing to grow, and with it the stratospheric pricing, we are now seeing the ‘humble’...

January 21, 2021

Grapevine: Going dry?

After a year that drove us to drink a little more than normal, it should be no surprise that 2021 has kicked off with...

December 3, 2020

Grapevine: Talking Torbreck

For a brand as strong as Torbreck to only be 20-odd years old is a testament to the core of its vision and philosophy...

October 15, 2020

Grapevine: sparkling into summer

Pet-nat, short for Petillant-Naturel wines seemed to have grown and settled into their niche over the last couple of years, and yet, with summer...

October 1, 2020

Grapevine: Region adapting to environmental changes

The Yarra Valley is a region in flux. With the increasing impact of both climate change which is bringing warmer temperatures across the region...

September 17, 2020

Grapevine: Valpolicella

Italy has proven to be a happy hunting ground when it comes to finding wines that offer plenty of variety and prices that mean...

September 10, 2020

Grapevine: Sancerre

We often feature the wines and regions that sit on the Kimmeridgian chain from Champagne in the North, down through Chablis and along the...

September 3, 2020

Grapevine: Falling victim to fashion

It was refreshing for an older set of eyes to see an answer a well-known wine critic/commentator provided to a leading wine magazine some...

August 27, 2020

Grapevine: Shiraz vs Syrah

What’s the difference?

At the physiological level, Shiraz and Syrah are no different. They are the exact same grape, simply given a different name. Think...

August 20, 2020

Grapevine: We’re going down to La La Land

New wine brands can take seemingly forever to develop, often over decades, from a budding idea to a snowball of momentum that makes you...

July 30, 2020

Grapevine: Sweet, sweet wine

The most famous dessert wines all have their unique ways of developing their flavours, sweetness and concentration.

Concentrating the sugars and flavours in the grape...

July 23, 2020

Grapevine: Flying under the radar

For a region with such a high density of great quality producers, Beechworth still seems to fly under the radar for many wine drinkers.

There...

July 16, 2020

Grapevine: Greek wine

After your mind has jumped to the memories of Retsina, reset your bearings and start afresh with an open mind.

It’s as diverse and quality-focused...

July 9, 2020

Grapevine: From niche to best sellers

One of the surprising things about wine consumption over the past few months is just how varied it has been.

The staples are out, and...

July 2, 2020

Grapevine: A diamond in the rough

How does a winery select the grape varieties to plant on their chosen piece of dirt?

For the most part it comes down to what...

June 25, 2020

Grapevine: A step away from household varietals

The next big thing in wine is... who knows. We’ve all tried to make the big call and almost no-one gets it right.

The problem...

June 18, 2020

Grapevine: The temptations of Tempranillo

If you were asked to name the most successful red variety introduced to Australia over the past 20 years or so, Tempranillo probably would...

June 11, 2020

Grapevine: Finding fame in Spain

Rioja is undoubtedly Spain’s most famous red wine producing region.

Home to Tempranillo at its peak expression and steeped in tradition, producing wines that compete...

May 21, 2020

Grapevine: Blended to perfection

A non/multi-vintage wine - the concept is not a new or unique one.

It is perfectly acceptable in sparkling wine where vintage blends are the...

May 14, 2020

Grapevine: How do you choose?

If you have never seen the producer on a bottle of wine, how do you know whether to buy it or not?

Often the grape...

May 7, 2020

Grapevine: Quality assessment

How do you assess quality from just looking at a bottle of wine?

Like any product, the brand of the producer will stand for something,...

April 23, 2020

Grapevine: Blonde or brunette?

When you think back to the mid-2000s, big bold reds still ruled the day.

Alcohol levels in many a Shiraz or Grenache from South Australia...