It’s amazing how out of favour Chardonnay has fallen in recent years. But in spite of evoking frowns and even dry retching at the mere mention of its name, is this much-maligned grape having a renaissance? Is Chardonnay finding its way back into the good books? I’m always amused at the fashion cycles of wine. … Read more
Wine tours are a lot of fun. But if we’re talking understatements, the tour I went on with San Diego Beer and Wine Tours recently was the best yet! It had the perfect mix of an entertaining guide, incredible Southern Californian scenery and some surprisingly good wines. San Diego is kind of perfect for making … Read more
The first thing I do when I‘m in a restaurant is check the wine list. I usually go straight to the Shiraz section as it’s my favourite grape… but is it the best? There’s a bit of snobbery to single grape wines, but do blends have more to offer? I’m usually a little suspicious of … Read more
With so many great wineries in such a small area, it’s hardly surprising the people of Mudgee are so happy and friendly. For a visitor, the only problem is which wineries to visit first. For a must-see cheat sheet, here are our top 3 cellar doors you must visit. Mudgee is about a 3 ½-hour … Read more
Wineries are trying to make their business more accessible these days. But knowing what to do and say when you visit one can make the whole experience of a trip to the vineyards more enjoyable. October’s Wine of the Month post tackles how to make the most of the cellar door. When I first visited … Read more
Penfolds Grange Hermitage – or just straight ‘Grange’ to its friends – is roundly considered as one of the world’s greatest wines. It’s certainly one of the most expensive. So I was intrigued when I mate Jarrod texted me a picture of the oldest Grange vintage the other day. Here’s the story why. Jarrod is … Read more
As you’d expect from a wine saint, St Peter is very knowledgeable about wine, so if you’re after few tips on how to sound like you know what you’re talking about, read what he’s got to say on Shiraz, memorise it and repeat. That’s what I do! Today, St Peter – one of our revered … Read more
So I like eating. And I like drinking. They’re both great! But together they can become something quite extraordinary. The concept of wine pairing is a very complex and much debated part of this food science, so it is with trepidation that we delve into this arcane and controversial topic. Researching this topic, I found … Read more
Until recently I never bothered decanting my wine. It was a case of how quickly can I get this stuff in my guts?! But since having met my friends the eminent Wine Saints, I’ve become more careful with what I do with my wine. You hear all the time that you’ve got to ‘let the … Read more
Sitting in your favourite pub or café is great, but sometimes everyone wishes they could do all of that at home. These 3 gadgets I use do just that! My mum loves gadgets. A couple of towns over from where my parents live is a shop called Lakeland which sells kitchen gizmos. My mum buys … Read more