It’s my great privilege to present my first dedicated Australian Sparkling Wine Report. With all of my writing, travelling and presenting on champagne, I am often asked if I ever choose to drink Australian sparkling wine. The answer is a resounding yes! All the time. Under $40 it’s almost impossible to find a champagne worth […]

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We know about food and wine matching, but what about water and wine matching? Sounds crazy? You’d be amazed at what water can do to wine. The best thing you can do when you’re drinking wine is to stay well hydrated. Alcohol has a natural dehydrating effect, making hydration important not only for your wellbeing, […]

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When Penfolds suddenly and brazenly jacked the price of Grange from $685 to $785 in 2013 in the wake of strong pre-release reviews for the 2008 vintage, the question on everyone’s lips was whether it would drop the price again in a weak vintage. The harrowing, wet 2011 vintage was fresh in all our minds […]

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Australian wines have challenged the views of leading wine experts at Italy’s biggest annual wine fair, Vinitaly in Verona this week, who say screw capped wines are inferior. Australian wine writer and presenter Tyson Stelzer, who was named International Wine & Spirit Communicator of the Year 2015 at a gala dinner to open the fair, […]

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It’s that time of the year when I receive a stream of requests for recommendations for the best wines to buy for Christmas and New Year. Here it is, my list of the top 25 buys precisely a month before Christmas. There’s something here for everyone, from $13 rosé to $70 shiraz – and, of course, […]

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Australian champagne consumption is buoyant, but take a closer look at what we’re drinking and you might get a surprise. We love champagne, but we’re not nearly as adventurous in our tastes as most other champagne markets around the world. Recent patterns of Australian champagne drinking reveal some disturbing trends, and considerable potential for tastes […]

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Penfolds’ longstanding tradition of March “Bin Series” and May “Icon and Luxury Collection” releases has been rolled into a single October 16 launch of “The Penfolds Collection”. It certainly seems prudent to move the date well away from South Australian vintage, not least for Peter Gago’s preservation, and we won’t miss the “Icon and Luxury” […]

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We are proud to announce The Seventh Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification to highlight the importance of New Zealand’s finest pinots.

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In the glow of the superlative 2010 season, my high praise for last year’s Penfold’s release (

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We’ve all been there, staring blankly at a wine list in a far-flung place that we can neither pronounce nor understand. What to order? Fear not, there are some simple principles to ensure you won’t be left sipping a dud. Nothing beats the thrill of exploring local cuisine in an obscure hamlet, and some of […]

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