June 19, 2019
GRAPEVINE – TAMING THE TANNINS: after a lost decade, Cabernet comes in from the cold
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world, and yet its popularity is waning as other varieties are...
June 12, 2019
GRAPEVINE: HUNT FOR BIG, BOLD SHIRAZ GETS HARDER AS TIDE GOES OUT
The pendulum has certainly swung in Shiraz from big, bold styles lavished with new oak and picked very late in the season to early-picking,...
June 5, 2019
GRAPEVINE: The great drying leads to new grape variety thoughts
It seemed like we might not see a winter with temperatures still hovering around 20 degrees into late May. Luckily the season is finally turning,...
May 29, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Moving along the Sherry spectrum to richer, fuller-bodied expressions
Last week we looked at the South of Spain, in particular the region around Jerez which is famous for, and the benchmark of, Sherry...
May 22, 2019
GRAPEVINE: BONE-DRY SHERRY STYLES A GOOD PLACE TO START
Many of the world’s great and unique wine regions continue to move out of reach for most wine drinkers. Their unique characters are not easily...
May 16, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Wine has long history in Geelong
The Geelong wine region has a history that dates back further than most people probably imagine. While most of us who live within the region...
May 8, 2019
GRAPEVINE: White wine world in state of flux
The world of white wine is in a state of flux. Over the last 20 or so years we have seen a couple of big...
May 1, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Why don’t more people drink Riesling?
A recent exchange among wine professionals lamented both the lack of Riesling on most wine store shelves, and the sea of Sauvignon Blanc. It is...
April 24, 2019
GRAPEVINE: GSM – A CLASSIC BLEND
We have written on a number of occasions about wine blends and the virtues of combining different grape varieties in a single wine to...
April 18, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Malbec and the Goldilocks effect
If you find Merlot a little too thin and weedy or Cabernet too big and structured, then Malbec might be the happy middle ground. From...
April 11, 2019
GRAPEVINE: New wines PROVIDE A TASTE OF THE 2018 VINTAGE
The quality and potential of a vintage can mean very different things to different people. For the growers, it is often about how easy or...
April 4, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Inspired by history
While technical factors have played their role, the background of Australian wine families has no doubt played its role too as previous and existing...
March 27, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Striking it lucky with Chardonnay
For those who are new to wine, or just getting a little further into the subject by trying to decipher and discern what makes...
March 20, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Sicilian Grillo offers great value
Italian white grape varieties continue to grow in popularity as wine drinkers begin to explore the diversity on offer. There are plenty of factors that...
February 28, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Alcohol not anonymous in wine
We all know that wine is an alcoholic beverage, but what does alcohol contribute to a wine aside from the obvious intoxicating effects. Unless...
February 13, 2019
Good times with old vines
Old vine, Vielles Vignes, Viñas Viejas. These terms are displayed on bottles of wine as an indicator of the higher quality wine that is often...
January 31, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Low-alcohol wines pose Challenges
Low alcohol wines are a challenge. Difficult to make, difficult to find and often difficult to understand the appeal without trying the very best...
January 24, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Australian style in the world of wine
New World wine countries such as Australia, USA, New Zealand have a hard time in the world of fine wine when competing with the...
January 16, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Red hot Rioja evolves over time
How do you assess quality from just looking at a bottle of wine? Like any product, the brand of the producer will stand for...
January 3, 2019
GRAPEVINE: Finding a great Pinot Noir priced below the threshold
Pinot Noir is difficult, expensive to grow. They say you can’t possibly buy a decent Pinot under $20 or $30. Once that was certainly true....
December 20, 2018
GRAPEVINE: Any Port in a Christmas storm
IT’S the time of year when fortified wine sales see one of their biggest spikes, Father’s Day being the other big one each year. For...
December 12, 2018
GRAPEVINE: Aussie Christmas has a red glow
Sparkling red has become synonymous with the Australian Christmas. Typically made from Shiraz, we are just as likely to see it made from Merlot (particularly...
December 6, 2018
GRAPEVINE: Christmas is the time to sparkle
December is the time of year when almost everyone will have a glass of sparkling wine at one point or another. The prerequisite to this...
November 29, 2018
GRAPEVINE: Right approach can lead to wines of great quality
Sauvignon Blanc may seem a bit of a dull topic after exploring some of the unique whites from Italy over the past few weeks. It...
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