Each Christmas The Sampler puts some rather special wines on its sampling machines, and this year is no exception. I popped into the South Kensington shop to try them; Islington…
Jamsheed Garden Gully Riesling
I love Jamsheed. One of my favourite Australian producers. This Riesling has just a hint of sweetness but it finishes quite dry. It’s a serious effort, and a good bet…
The remarkable Penfolds recorking clinic comes to London
Since 1991, celebrated Australian producer Penfolds have been running a series of recorking clinics for owners of bottles of their wines that are over 15 years old. ‘We’ve recorked/certified over…
Cullen Mangan East Block
This is pretty special. It’s a biodynamic red from Western Australia that weighs in at just 12.5% alcohol, but has no lack of flavour at all. There’s currently a bit…
Impressive new wines from Tasmania’s Tolpuddle Vineyard
Very excited to be able to try these two new wines. They are a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay from Tasmania’s Tolpuddle vineyard, and represent the first vintage to be…
A big night out at the chief’s!
Feeling a little tired after a wonderful evening at the chief’s last night. The chief is Harpers editor Richard Siddle, who convened a gathering of chums to eat and drink…
Two super Australian Chardonnays: Oakridge and Yalumba
Australian Chardonnay is probably the wine style that has changed most in the last decade. The best examples are totally brilliant, and while I still have a nostalgic fondness for…
Two summery sweet wines worth checking out
Sometimes you just want something fun and summery to drink. Here are a couple of really fun, sweet, fizzy wines with real points of interest. Innocent Bystander Moscato 2013 Victoria,…
Video: time to taste some Riesling
So, here I taste, on camera, two different Rieslings. One from Australia’s Eden Valley; one from Alsace. I like them both.