Last night’s Halliday Wine Companion Awards saw Vanya Cullen of Cullen Wines announced Winemaker of the Year for 2020. Every year, James Halliday and his tasting panel pinpoint the best Australian wines, winemakers and wineries from a pool of several thousand featured in the annual Halliday Wine Companion guide. James and his team cherry pick the […]
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CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF WINE SHAW + SMITH
What began as a thought bubble over lunch at Willi’s Wine Bar in Paris in 1988, has resulted in one of Australia’s most successful wine partnerships now celebrating it’s 30th vintage. As children, first cousins Michael Hill-Smith and Martin Shaw spent a great deal of time together at Yalumba where Michael grew up, resulting in […]
Understanding Italian Wines
History of Italian Wine With a wine history dating back more than 4,000 years and a climate ideally suited to viticulture, Italy is one of the most diverse winemaking countries in the world. By the time the Greeks first came to southern Italy, wine had long been a part of everyday life. Grapes were so […]
Tasting Penfold’s 2018 Range of Wines
The annual unveiling of the Penfold’s Annual Wine Collection is one of the biggest days on the Australian wine calendar. Not only do we see a plethora of excellent wines from across a range of vintages – this year, five vintages, seven varieties and fifteen different regions form the Collection – but there is the […]
Henschke 2018 New Release Wines
This year is Henschke Wines 150th anniversary. Think about that. When this family estate was established back in 1868, the American Civil War had only just concluded and President Lincoln had made the regrettable decision to spend an evening at the theatre. We were still the best part of half a century from Federation. Stephen and […]
Vermouth Who Cares?
Well anyone who makes a cocktail should care. Vermouth is an essential cocktail ingredient, underpinning the Martini, Manhattan and Negroni. But actually Vermouth can be a great Aperitif or pre-dinner drink. Vermouth is actually a fortified wine with an ABV that can range from a minimum of 14.5 per cent to a maximum of 22 per cent, and a wine […]
Do you Know the Difference Between Tawny and Vintage Port?
Grown from the grapes around the world, Port offers a fuller, more flavourful wine. This rich red wine works well with desserts, but some drinkers are deterred simply by its sheer number of styles. You aren’t required to know every style to enjoy port, but it will benefit you to understand the difference between its two major styles: […]