Australia’s hard border closure this year sadly precluded all of my tastings and travels in the Champagne region. I am grateful to the houses, growers and chef de caves for the opportunity to discover their latest releases through my webinars and tastings in Brisbane. Here are the 12 best new releases of 2020.   Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand […]

Like my Top 12 Australian Wines of 2020, my Top 12 under $25 is not a curated list, but simply my top-scoring wines of the year under $25. By glorious fortune, it just happens to fall out that this is a wonderfully diverse line up this year, with representation of sauvignon blanc, shiraz, riesling, merlot, rosé, […]

My Top 12 Australian Wines of 2020 is not a curated list, but simply the pinnacle of my top-scoring wines of the year. The final line up provides a fascinating insight into Australia’s benchmark styles on the world stage right now: four cabernet blends, four shiraz, two chardonnay, one riesling and one sparkling shiraz. For the first time this […]

By popular demand, we are pleased to offer gift certificates. Our gift certificates are redeemable on the ticket price of any Tyson Stelzer wine dinner, tasting, masterclass, webinar, tour, book, ebook or any other product on this site. You can nominate any value in AUD, EUR, GBP or USD and you can choose to have […]

It’s my great pleasure to invite you to join me and Tasmania’s top ten sparkling estates to share their best cuvées and their stories over lunch at Lumière Brisbane on Saturday 27 February 2021. Tasmania has again shone as Australia’s hero sparkling state in my tastings, topping the charts by every measure. More than this, […]

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 […]