An unlikely partnership in the wine world, the cabernet shiraz duo first found its place in Australia in the late 1880s as generic “claret.” Its revival in the 1960s defined it as Australia’s most definitive and most unique red wine.
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Fortified wines remain a tough sell, but there are remarkable treasures to be discovered among the Barossa’s most historic barrel halls, glorious remnants of those heady days of old.
readIt’s always perplexed me that the world has never fallen in love with Barossa sparkling red. Is Lambrusco to blame for scarring another generation? “I don’t like sparkling red,” is the typical response when I offer a sparkling shiraz. One sip and that changes forever.
readThe first cask wine ever to hit the Wine Taste Weekly hall of honour! After opening 70 casks this week, this is the one I’d most like to drink. It’s great to see both vintage and variety declared on the box, which puts it ahead of most, even before you open the, well, goon bag. […]
readPizzini holds life membership to the most reliable grigios under $20 club. A low alcohol style that celebrates the zippy acid line of the heights of the King Valley, this is a true grigio style, and 2012 is one of its great renditions. It’s zesty and lively, with lemon and nashi pear fruit lingering on […]
readThis wine plays a star role at many of my corporate events and masterclasses because it effortlessly communicates the shape and style of Piedmont (northern Italy) without an assault of tannins or a daunting price tag. Instead, it’s lively and fruit-driven, dancing with violet perfume, red cherry and blackberry fruit, notes of liquorice and a […]
readInsightful Cloudy Bay winemaker Nick Lane admits that Marlborough has fruit in spades, so his challenge is to create tension in this wine. He’s nailed it here more confidently than I remember in Pelorus, uniting the layered, biscuity complexity of a little old barrel fermentation, up to two years on lees and a deep resource […]
readWith a name that any cartoon superhero would be proud of, Zamberlan is an impacting McLaren Vale cabernet that this year could confidently masquerade for something at a significantly higher price. The recipe here is unusual, because newly fermented cabernet is passed over the skins of Moda (its big brother) to “juice it up”. 2010 […]
readI’m told the great value Armchair Critic wines went gangbusters after I announced them to the world, way back in Wine Taste Weekly Edition 18. There’s now an all-new big brother in the family, and it’s set to cause an equal stir. This is a tightly coiled Heathcote wine of considerable class and long-ageing potential. […]
readVoyager Chardonnay is a legend of the west, a perpetual benchmark at the more affordable end of Margaret River’s flagships. This is a brilliant vintage that unites laser-focused white peach, lemon and fig fruit with a lifted air of white floral blossoms. It’s delightfully restrained and elegant, yet at the same time concealing a core […]
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