Today I launch my English Sparkling Wine Report 2017. There’s been a lot of interest in the progress of English sparkling wine over recent years, and I have been busy…
Celebrating the Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year awards in Adelaide
Twenty years ago, Clare Valley Riesling genius Jeffrey Grosset was the first recipient of the Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year award. That was back in 1998. And on…
Visiting Wirra Wirra, McLaren Vale
Wirra Wirra is one of those wineries that we sometimes take for granted. They’ve been there for (seemingly) ever, making good wines in reasonable quantities, but don’t often get the…
D’Arenberg, with Chester and his Cube
On Wednesday I visited D’Arenberg, an important producer in Australia’s McLaren Vale region. I remember when I was first getting into wine in the mid-1990s and being seduced by the…
Koomilya, the ‘new Wendouree’
Komilya is the exciting new vineyard-based project from one of the McLaren Vale’s stars, SC Pannell. I don’t like to hype wines, but this is one of the most exciting discoveries…
A day in Adelaide: Big Table, Lady Burra, Shobosho, Pink Moon
It’s nice to be back in Adelaide. I spent a few days here last July, and it’s a very liveable place, a little scruffy around the edges, but a great…
Niagara Riesling: some treats from Cave Spring, Flat Rock and Vineland
On my mini-trip to Niagara last week I got to try a few very nice Rieslings that served to remind me just how well this grape variety does in Niagara….
What’s the role of emotion in the perception of wine?
One of the aspects I didn’t cover much in my discussions of perception in I Taste Red, is how emotion affects the perception of the world around us. When we…
Champagne Piper-Heidiseck’s new Cuvée Essentiel Extra Brut, and a review of their Vintage 2008
Last night I drank (with help, of course) two Champagnes. One was the impressive new Cuvée Essentiel, and the other the 2008 vintage, from Piper-Heidsieck. It’s a house I associate…