I am both excited and delighted to be part of this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival. The line up includes literary luminaries and wunderkinds such as Sir Salman Rushdie, Dave Eggers, Ruth Reichl, Emily Nussbaum and Helen Garner. … more
New Ruby Press
Recent Articles
Profile: Fred Dame
“If you’re looking for a teacher to hug and kiss you and tell you you’re wonderful, I am the wrong guy. But if you want to succeed, then we have something to talk about.” … more
Explorers and Dreamers
The world of wine exists because of the many viticultural adventurers, explorers, innovators and dreamers; those men and women who were courageous enough to grow where others feared to plant. … more
Through A Sparkling Glass … in America
I am delighted to announce that Through A Sparkling Glass An A-Z to the Wonderland of Wine, is now available in America. … more
Autumnal Reds
Too often we think of red wines as being heady and heavy with depths like the abyss … … more
Everything’s coming up Rosés
Rosé, that pink wine made from red grapes, is one the vinous worlds most thirst slaking and refreshing wines. … more
Tasmanian Wine
It is not easy to pinpoint when Tasmania’s wine industry started. Of course there were the explorers who brought European ideas of agriculture and ownership, and in so doing, irrevocably changing the life and landscape of Tasmania forever. … more
Wine Communicators of Australia Awards
Hello. I am very pleased to announce that my book, Through A Sparkling Glass, An A-Z of the Wonderland of Wine, was awarded Best Wine Publication at the Wine Communicators of Australia awards. In addition, I was awarded the overall accolade of Wine Communicator of the Year. … more
Meeting Your Heroes
They say you should never meet your heroes. They’re human. They have moods. They’re not the character in the movie. They’re just people too, you know. … more
Drinking Well
In wine circles, we talk a lot about what qualities make a good wine. More recently, I have wondered what qualities make a good wine drinker? Writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Tis the good reader that makes the good book,” referring to those personal traits we bring to the object in order to better appreciate it. … more
Drink to Me Only at the Bendigo Writers Festival
Please join Max Allen and me on Sunday 11th August as part of the Bendigo Writers Festival. In our session, Drink To Me Only, Max and I will discuss my new book, wine, writing and other ideas. Presented in a Q+A format, I’m guessing it will be a bit like Parkinson or Oprah. At least that’s what I’m preparing for. … more
Autumnal Drinking
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
We’re live on air
Well, here we are.
My book, Through a Sparkling Glass, An A-Z of the Wonderland of Wine, is now available. … more
Wine Frontiers
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
Through A Sparkling Glass
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
Wine Reviews
Clones, hills and volcanoes, oh my. A cluster of wines to ease you into warmer days of Spring. … more
Wine Reviews
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
