Autumn is a beautiful in-between season and a time of great transition.
It’s amidst the hottest and coldest seasons, but neither hot nor cold; it’s part of the viticultural cycle but no longer flourishing and not yet dormant. It is the change when nature prepares to shut down for the long slumber of winter. … more
Well, here we are.
My book, Through a Sparkling Glass, An A-Z of the Wonderland of Wine, is now available. … more
Frontiers come in many forms: literal, metaphorical, geographical, philosophical, technical and even personal. In winemaking, they include some very real and non-negotiable frontiers such as geology and geography, as well as some frontiers that, with the help of technology, experience … … more
Over the past six or so months, people often asked how the book was coming along. I always said it was coming along fine, just fine thanks. But the truth was, it didn’t always feel fine. I just didn’t really know how to explain it.
Upon reflection, writing the book reminded me of a freight train speeding along the tracks with a caboose full of chaos. … more
Clones, hills and volcanoes, oh my. A cluster of wines to ease you into warmer days of Spring. … more
Tradition and invention; From epic backstories and weather-beating miracles, to wines crafted in the Inventing Room, more wine reviews showcasing the magic and wonder of wine. … more
Australian Chardonnay continues its flight skyward in terms of quality and style. Much of this success comes from wines from the cooler regions of Victoria and Tasmania and is the culmination of experience, experimentation and increased knowledge of place. … more
It was 1999 and – for various reasons that I now understand to be a lifelong curiosity with things in general – I had just swapped from writing about surfing to writing about food and wine. A friend knew a winemaker called who had a winery about an hour out of Melbourne, if I wanted to have a look around. It was good timing because vintage had started and, if I was game, I could go up for a weekend and help out. Just wear something old, he said, and don’t worry, they’d show me what to do. … more
I have never been very good with secrets.
They make me feel nervous and a bit guilty which means my mind freezes and I say awkward things when the conversation strays anywhere near the topic.
I’m like one of those fainting goats that – when excited or scared – freeze, stiffen and collapse for a few seconds. Cute, but a little inconvenient.
When I was younger, it was worse … … more
Wow, that was quite a party.
Somewhat belated but delighted none the less, I am writing to let you know that New Ruby Press won Best Editorial Wine Writing award at the recent Born Digital Awards. … more
She reminded me of a request she made in a bar in London last year, after I returned invigorated by wine and life from France – to give her a mini lesson on wine.
“Just a quick one,” she said looking at her glass of Grüner Veltliner, a variety she now loved, I suspect for its flavour but also because she just experienced a little more of the magic of wine discovery.
“Really? Here?”
“Oh I just want to know more about it.”
“Darl, asking for a quick lesson on wine is like asking for a quick lesson on life.”
“Perfect, I’ll take both.”
We laughed. And then I got to thinking, if I had to give a quick lesson on wine… … more
The wine was presented at dinner with all the ceremony as if it were a new child. Its arrival was announced to guests while it was carried in two hands as though its preciousness were fragile enough to crush. On the table it was centred and adored and as I admired my hosts’ generosity and offering of a very old wine, I thought how readily we accept ageing as a notion of superiority in wine yet not of ourselves. … more
God was sitting on one side of the boardroom table with his back against the window. A man walked in and introduced himself as Kevin from the Innovation Department.
“Very well, let’s get on with this. I still need to hear presentations from several other departments,” said God who’d been listening to pitches on how best to allocate his resources when he launched Earth in a few months’ time. “So,” he said, looking down at his notes, “your idea is something called wine? Righto Kev, let’s hear it,” he said, leaning back into his chair, but not before grabbing a couple of mints from the bowl in the middle of the boardroom table…
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For many years I was of the belief that putting on a façade was as great a sin as telling a lie, but in the fullness of time, and with the richness of experience, I have come to learn that sometimes putting on a brighter face is simply showing the world that you have a greater capacity for life than it does for dishing out hardship.
I think everyone has a mask. Freud certainly thought so, most people I know have something they smile in spite of and as I was driving away from Champagne, I wondered if it was possible for a place to have one too. … more
Champagne is one of those things that everyone seems to know what their favourite is and it wasn’t until and because I was nearing my trip to Champagne that someone asked what my favourite style was.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Oh, controversial”.
Really?
I wasn’t trying to be; but I did begin to wonder how it was that I got to this point in life with so many other achievements and failed to know my favourite Champagne style. … more
It was a breakthrough moment not only for its simplicity but because it was one of those times when you finally understand the series of small and surprising events, some of which must have seemed quite unfortunate, that help to make big things seriously wonderful. … more
It is both the appeal and the burden of wine that, in order to enjoy it, we believe we need to know something about it. Too often it feels as though we’re not able to profess our love for a drink quite as breezily as we do a bunch of flowers, a pair of boots or our new favourite song. We can’t just love it and tell others that this is so. … more
