It’s my great pleasure to invite you to join me and Tasmania’s top fifteen sparkling makers to share their best cuvées and their stories over dinner at Josef Chromy Wines Restaurant in Launceston on Friday 5 February 2021. Tasmania has again shone as Australia’s hero sparkling state in my tastings, topping the charts by every […]

Why a champagne stopper? A reliable champagne stopper isn’t just a way of conserving leftover champagne (‘what is leftover champagne?’ I hear you ask!) but rather a key to taking your champagne journey to the next level. I never open just one bottle of champagne at my tastings, dinners and tours. Comparing multiple bottles at […]

I first met Mike and Judy Press in their kitchen overlooking their young vineyard near Lobethal, high in the Adelaide Hills in 2006. They didn’t have a cellar door back then. Still don’t. Didn’t even have a label.  I’d heard the buzz on the grapevine that an unknown cleanskin had just won three trophies and seven gold medals in the […]

Dear friends, I have a big announcement to share with you! Today I commence a new role as Chief Editor of the Halliday Australian Wine Companion. For all of us who have grown to deeply love Australian wine and its resilient people and remarkable places, chances are James Halliday and his Australian Wine Companion have […]

My Australian Sparkling Report 2020 features in-depth reviews of the top 240 Australian sparklings of the year at every price and style. 2020 will go down in history for many reasons in Australian wine, not least drought, bushfires and Covid – and the year of the finest sparkling cuvées ever unleashed in this country! The […]

Whatever your opinion of big brands, far-flung blends, controlled allocations and upwardly spiraling prices, this is one of the most outstanding and important Australian wine releases of the year – not only for South Australian shiraz and cabernet, but now for a more than respectable pinot, and one of the finest chardonnays ever conceived in […]

By popular demand, it’s my great pleasure to announce the release of my Champagne and Sparkling Webinar Recordings! We’ve been privileged to enjoy the company of Champagne’s top chef de caves, principals and growers over recent months. The depth of insights, frank discussion and compelling stories that we have experienced deserve to be preserved and […]

Introducing the most comprehensive champagne market report this century. The story of champagne is more than vineyards, cellars and families – its evolution across the vast sweep of history has always been inextricably tied to its acceptance and adoration across its diverse markets. More than any other region, champagne production is linked to its sales. […]

I have awaited the release of Hill of Grace 2015 with great anticipation, ever since arriving at the vineyard half an hour before dawn, amidst gentle mist and the soft light of the full moon on the day of harvest, a week before Easter, just over five years ago. The fruit tasted textbook perfect that […]

Dear friends, As a luxury product and the universal symbol of celebration, the impact of Coronavirus on champagne sales is particularly acute, and some houses are already predicting an annual downturn of 50% of sales. This has huge repercussions on the livelihood and feasibility not only of the houses and growers themselves, but also of […]