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What do expanding boundaries, rising yields and an antiquated cru classification mean for the future of Champagne?

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If you believed all the commentary, you’d have to conclude that the Champagne that we know and love is all but doomed.

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To contemporary France, the answer to the industrialisation and increasingly brand-driven mentality of the modern wine world is to work to express every nuance of terroir in its full detail. In this France, Champagne is the precise antithesis.

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By some miracle the drab hillsides of Champagne produce fruits that thousands of winegrowers around the globe strive to emulate yet none has equalled.

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After this year, I won’t be buying sparkling wine in quite the same way again. I’ve always said there’s a very simple rule for choosing a bottle of bubbles in Australia. If you’re spending under $50, buy Australian fizz every time. If you’re shelling out more, always buy champagne. Not any more.

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There has been a frenzy of discussion on Twitter today as to why the four winners of trophies and gold medals in The Great Australian Red 2010 were from three big companies: Jacob’s Creek, Penfolds and Yalumba. Chance? Or is there something more in this?

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The judging of The Great Australian Red this week saw a higher proportion of gold and silver medals awarded than in any other year in the five year history of the competition. The calibre of entries as a whole was the highest that we have ever seen. This confirms the rising quality of Australia’s cabernet shiraz blend, all the more noteworthy in a year when three-quarters of the entries came from the challenging 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons.

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There’s a cracking new name in the Adelaide Hills. Is Mayhem & Co one of Australia’s best new bargain boutiques?

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This is not the wine show overview that you’ll read anywhere else. Here’s an unofficial perspective and a behind-the-scenes peek at the standouts at one of Australia’s best regional wine shows.

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A brand new riesling lands in the wine world this week and it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen from Jeffrey Grosset. Is this the sweet surrender of Australia’s icon riesling man to the tide of popular preference? Or does it mark the dawning of a dynamic new era for Grosset Riesling?

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