Wine Reviews, Articles, Blogs & Other Resources

[qaz]

primary sources

• Gourmet Traveller Wine (incognito/private browsing)
• The Wine Front (subscription required)
• Jeremy Oliver (free trial)
• The Real Review (ratings @ Corkscore)

new releases

• Australian Wine Review (Andrew Graham)
• Vino Notebook (Regan Drew)
• Winepilot (reviews)
• The Vinsomniac (Stuart Robinson)
• Wine Reviewer (Patrick Eckel)
• Wine Worth Writing About (Marc Malouf)
• Q Wine Reviews (Steve Leszczynski)
• Winsor Dobbin
  • Wine of the Week
  • Winsor's Choice
  • Tasmanian Wine Online

reviews, articles, musings

• Thomas Girgensohn's Australian Wine Reviews - and Beyond
• James Halliday (via Cellardoor Challenge)
• Grape Observer (Sean Mitchell)
• Wino Sapien (Edward Lee)
• Erin Larkin
• Ken Gargett (via Quill & Pad)
• Best Wines Under $20 (Kim Brebach)
• Winepilot (stories)

 

[qaz]

new releases

• Australian Wine Review (Andrew Graham)
• Vino Notebook (Regan Drew)
• Winepilot (reviews)
• The Vinsomniac (Stuart Robinson)
• Wine Reviewer (Patrick Eckel)
• Wine Worth Writing About (Marc Malouf)
• Q Wine Reviews (Steve Leszczynski)
• Winsor Dobbin
  • Wine of the Week
  • Winsor's Choice
  • Tasmanian Wine Online

also:

• Fine Wine Club - Wine Reviews by Barry Weinman

 

[qaz]

Wine websites: which are worth paying for?

They are some of the best-known names in wine, but none of them give away their premium content and wine reviews. Adam Lechmere takes a look behind the paywalls.

cluboenologique.com

 

[qaz]

The ‘cheaper’ wine that will set you back $105

Yarra Yering, the Victorian winery that once caused a stir with its one-ton merlot, is doing it again.

www.afr.com

Yarra Yering’s new 2019 merlot: The ‘cheaper’ wine that costs $105
I’m particularly impressed by the viognier and shiraz released under the top Carrodus label from 2019.
But I keep coming back to Crowe’s 2019 merlot – It’s a fantastic example of the grape, a testament to the quality of the vineyard, a benchmark for the variety in Australia.

Meerea Park vs the world. A proper wine 30th birthday bash

To celebrate 30 years of Meerea Park Wines, Garth & Rhys Eather went out to lunch. Except they spent this milestone meal with about 15 other wine media types, and repeated it across two different cities, and largely tasted other […]

www.ozwinereview.com

AG96:

• Blain Gagnard Batard Montrachet 2018
• Delas Fereres ‘Les Bessards’ Hermitage 2018

AG95:

• Brokenwood ILR Semillon 2011
• Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2011
• Tolpuddle Chardonnay 2019
• Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2018
• Bests Bin O Shiraz 2017

Hawke's Bay Premium Tasting

Hawke's Bay is the oldest NZ wine region, yet it is not nearly as prominent as Central Otago, Marlborough or Martinborough. A recent tastin...

australianwinereviews.blogspot.com

TG96:

• 2018 Tony Bish Zen Chardonnay
• 2010 Craggy Range 'Le Sol'

(2019 Te Mata Coleraine - TG94)

May 2021

A trio of old(ish) bottles. 2008 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Clare Riesling . 12.5%. Screw. This has summered poorly, unloved and forgotten, des...

wino-sapien.blogspot.com

• 2008 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Clare Riesling
• Penfolds Bin 389 1998

Barolo 2000-2020 vintage chart by Giuseppe Vajra via Winefront:

Walter Speller's classification of Chianti Classico

Walter's classification of Chianti Classico

www.jancisrobinson.com

Blue Poles Vineyard - April 2021 Newsletter - Mark Gifford
If you are to cellar some wines, I feel you should set yourself some ground rules:

1. Only buy what you can afford. Do not max out a credit card on a couple of wines that seem vitally important – forget about it – wait 2-4-6 months and it is likely just as awesome wines will be on offer.
2. Get yourself a wine cellar. Be that a wine fridge if you do not have access to a cellar/ storage. Just makes sense to take care of a product that goes to custard in the heat (and also the cold!)
3. Buy multiples – 3 if you are not sure (but excited), 6 if you are confident or the price is stretching you, and 12 for the full experience. Trust me, when you buy a dozen of a wine the first time you think “I’m bonkers” – but you are not, you are a dead set genius.
4. Remember to drink them. This is the biggest failing of nearly everyone who owns a cellar – you just avoid enjoying the product you actually bought to consume.

How Well Do Wines Age an Update - David Farmer (Glug)
I am regularly asked to comment about aging wines and cellaring and the following update was in response to a customer looking to cellar wines to open at stages with his daughters.

https://www.facebook.com/glugbook/posts/2054264051382634

Whites – to age or drink?

www.jancisrobinson.com

In pre-premox days I would happily have suggested that a top-quality white burgundy could be kept for up to 20 years. Nowadays I feel I may be risking it to suggest ten. And I would argue that the qualitative difference between a five- and 10-year-old white burgundy is less than the Riesling equivalent would be; Chardonnays seem to gain less complexity with time in bottle (wild generalisation alert). Although I much enjoyed the 2017 vintage of the most unusual Tuscan Chardonnay Querciabella Batàr the other day.
The classic exception to this is Chablis, the far northern outpost of Burgundy, whose wines, all made from Chardonnay, have traditionally relied less on oak than on acidity and really can evolve enormously and beneficially in bottle. I have enjoyed 40-year-old examples.

 

[qaz]

Mount Mary wines, Yarra Valley - Cellardoor Challenge

Facebook0LinkedIn0Tweet0 The Yarra Valley’s Mount Mary was born of the vision of the late Dr John Middleton and shaped by his relentless drive for perfection. He had made experimental wines in the 1960s, and didn’t let his busy medical practice impede his search for a perfect site for his...

cellardoorchallenge.com

JH98:

• 2019 Mount Mary Yarra Valley Quintet

JH97:

• 2019 Mount Mary Yarra Valley Chardonnay
• 2019 Mount Mary Yarra Valley Pinot Noir

The Standish 2019 Release, ERIN LARKIN

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erinlarkin.com.au

EL98:

• 2019 Standish Lamella Shiraz
• 2016 Standish Lamella Shiraz

EL97:

• 2019 Standish The Relic Shiraz Viognier
• 2019 Standish The Standish Shiraz
• 2019 Standish Schubert’s Theorem Shiraz

A few birthday wines (and beers) 2021 edition

Apparently, 40 is the new 30. Or such. I hit the big 40 on Friday and to celebrate; I’ve been digging deep into the cellar (and beyond) and using it as an excuse to drink The Good cough. Here then […]

www.ozwinereview.com

AG95:

• Jacques Selosse ‘Initial’ Blanc de Blancs NV
• Meerea Park Alexander Munro Semillon 2004
• Alice and Olivier de Moor Chablis Coteau de Rosette 2018

 

[qaz]

Three New Zealand wines to savour

Sauvignon blanc accounts for about 80 per cent of all wine produced in New Zealand, but there's much more to the story.

www.goodfood.com.au

• Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2018 - HH95
• Auntsfield Cob Cottage Chardonnay 2018 - HH95
• Radburnd Merlot Cabernet 2018 - HH96

10 delicious drinks to banish your COVID-19 blues

Melbourne’s latest lockdown ruined drinks writer Max Allen’s plans. Luckily, the wines kept arriving at his door. Here are his recommendations.

www.afr.com

• 2007 Bollinger R.D. [Aÿ, France]
• 2019 Otherness Urth Riesling [Clare Valley]
• 2018 Box Grove Off-Piste Roussanne [Nagambie Lakes]
• 2019 Millstream Chardonnay [Gippsland]
• 2020 Delinquente Hell Arinto [Riverland]
• 2019 Oakridge 864 Henk Aqueduct Pinot Noir [Yarra Valley]
• 2019 Ostal Levant Un Coeur Simple [Cahors, France]
• 2019 Seppelt Arrawatta Hill Shiraz [Great Western]
• Glen Scotia 15-Year-Old Single Malt [Campbelltown, Scotland]
• Koko Black X Modus Operandi Hazelnut and Chocolate Belgian Stout [Sydney]

 

[qaz]

Henschke’s Back-to-Back Perfection – 2016 Hill of Grace - JamesSuckling.com

Wine reports from the internationally acclaimed wine critic and journalist

www.jamessuckling.com

Chianti Classico: 46 top wines tasted and rated – wineanorak.com

This Summer, Make It Chianti Classico (Published 2021)

Even in warmer weather, some occasions cry out for a red. This Tuscan wine is a gorgeous expression of sangiovese, with many excellent producers.

www.nytimes.com

 

[qaz]

Wine Review Online - Who Should You Trust for Wine Buying Advice?

Variety Spotlight: Take a Bow, Sangiovese

The Italian grape is best known for its role in wines from Tuscany, but Australian winemakers are finding ways to make it a star on these shores.

app.gourmettravellerwine.com

Wine Review Online - Terroir is Alive and Well in Barolo

Wine Review Online - 2016 Brunello di Montalcino: Don't Miss Them

Wine Review Online - Best of the Best from Barbaresco's 2016 Vintage

Wine Review Online - Breathtakingly Beautiful Barolo: 37 Fantastic Wines from the 2016 Vintage

 

[qaz]

The Magic of Alsace Grand Crus: Our Top 10 - JamesSuckling.com

Wine reports from the internationally acclaimed wine critic and journalist

www.jamessuckling.com

Pio Cesare: 140 years of benchmark Barolo and Barbaresco – wineanorak.com

Great Value Wines: 10 Barolos Under $50 - JamesSuckling.com

Wine reports from the internationally acclaimed wine critic and journalist

www.jamessuckling.com

 

[qaz]

Why on earth do we persist with this 100-point scale, given that practically everything is scored between 90 and 100?

10 - or 20 at most - should suffice.

You mean like the 20 point scale....where everything is scored between 12-20. Maybe we need an 8 point scale

I quite like the Robert Parker rating system/scale

Robert Parker Wine Advocate - Unbiased Wine Reviews

The ultimate guide for exploring the world of fine wines. The Wine Advocate offers valuable insights, practical recommendations and expert knowledge through the fascinating world of wines.

www.robertparker.com

+ 1, I can't recall ever seeing Aussie reviews lower than 80 and yet too many wines I've tried and thought "OK but so what?"

Wine critics

The movers and shakers in the wine rating business

bestofwines.com

 

[JohnM]

Wine critics

The movers and shakers in the wine rating business

bestofwines.com

I still find it bizarre that so-called 100-point and 20-point scales only use the top half of their range (ie. 50-100; 10-20).

Therefore why not just have a 50-point scale or a 10-point scale?

 

[qaz]

I still find it bizarre that so-called 100-point and 20-point scales only use the top half of their range (ie. 50-100; 10-20).

Therefore why not just have a 50-point scale or a 10-point scale?

• could depend upon if one starts from 0 and then adds points for positive attributes, or from 100/20 and subtracts for negative/missing ones
• critics don't publish reviews for all the wines that they taste
• one would hope that wineries wouldn't release failures

this chart by De Long is perhaps the best explanation of ratings that i've seen, and David Morrison (The Wine Gourd) has also posted about scales at least twice

personally for me, i think that:

a review should answer two questions, and so be accompanied by two scores:

• is it a good wine?
• is it a good example of the intended style?

for example, if a pinot noir tastes like Petrus rather than Ponsot, then it could score 100% for being a good wine, but 0% for being a bad example of a pinot noir

such a system is used by RateBeer

 

[qaz]

Koerner: a new producer from the Clare Valley now making some of Australia’s most exciting wines – wineanorak.com

 

[boomy]

An interesting take on Halliday Wine of the year awards 2022 by the WineAway team:

I don’t get it. The 2022 Halliday Wine of the Year Awardshave come and gone and the wines that scored the highest didn’t take home first prize… how does that work?

​

• The top two Pinots (both 98pts) didn’t win Pinot of the Year and Halliday’s top Rosé (Dominique Portet) didn’t win Rosé of the Year!
• Vanya Cullen’s 99pt Cab Sauv didn’t win Cab Sauv of the Year and another 99pt Cab Shiraz didn’t win anything in the Cab Blends either!
• And the three 99pt Shiraz and eight 98pt Shiraz were not good enough to take Australia’s best Shiraz – this went to a 97pt wine.

Not much changed with the whites either… the top four 98pt Rieslings (including Duke’s Magpie Hill) missed out on the jellybeans. Chardonnay of the Year was fascinating… like a good Olympic High Jump there were multiple winners (3 in fact). However, the 2018 Giaconda Chardonnay (99pts from James Halliday himself) didn’t get a look in, with the 99pt newly released Penfolds Yattarna, the 98pt Leeuwin Art and the 97pt Oakridge 864 taking joint gold. The story I’ve heard is that the 3 Chardies could not be separated hence all shared the prize… but how on earth was Giaconda separated from the pack… was 99pts not good enough? Is it because of lack of availability? Do the big corporate sponsors backing the Awards rely on the wines being available in commercial quantities? I know there’s probably some fine print regarding the judging methodology but does anyone read that stuff?



As the Wine Companion morphs into a new era (we now have to gauge and calibrate ourselves to the palates of 7 different critics) it’s worth noting that James Halliday does not seem to be tasting as much these days, but he still offers that consistency and reliability that serious wine connoisseurs rely on. We’ve brought out the magnifying glass and taken a real look at the ‘Halliday’ scores and narrowed down the field to what we think should have been Halliday’s Winery of the Year.



Enter Dominique Portet, the man who grew up running around the grounds of Chateau Lafite whilst his father was at the helm of this illustrious maker. When you delve deeper into the 2022 Halliday Wine Awards (and study the scores from James Halliday himself) Dominique Portet’s recognition comes in many forms including Halliday’s #1 Rose, and the finest value Chardonnay/Cabernet combo in the Fontaine/Origine range, including a $22 Cabernet (95pts) that made it into Halliday’s Top 100. Ironically Huon Hooke rates the sub-$70 flagship 2018 Dom Portet Cabernet Sauvignon as his #1 2018 Cab Sauv from Victoria, relegating the finest Cab Sauv of the official 2022 Winery of the Year (Yarra Yering) into a close 2nd place.​

 

[burmans]

Whoever pays the most?

 

[billbro]

I don’t get it. The 2022 Halliday Wine of the Year Awardshave come and gone and the wines that scored the highest didn’t take home first prize… how does that work?

Speculation on another forum that the winner is based on consensus given the new regional split and multi-reviewers?

Seems to make sense I guess, otherwise not sure how they calibrate between the reviewers.

 

[Rug]

Speculation on another forum that the winner is based on consensus given the new regional split and multi-reviewers?

Seems to make sense I guess, otherwise not sure how they calibrate between the reviewers.

You are correct. As per Halliday monthly magazine wines are rated by the person delegated for that region. For the awards the top wines in contention are tasted and judged by all of the Halliday team and voted on. That is why there is confusion with the results.

 

[qaz]

The Basics of Wine | For Beginners

Begin your wine tasting journey here and explore the various types that exist and how growing conditions affect all of the wine's final attributes.

alkypal.com.au

this chart by De Long is perhaps the best explanation of ratings that i've seen, and David Morrison (The Wine Gourd) has also posted about scales at least twice

Responsible Wine Reviewing – TerroirSense Wine Review

terroirsense.com

Bruce Sanderson (the Wine Spectator), Ian D’Agata, Steve Tanzer and Allen Meadows (Burghound) are four who reserved scores of 95 and above for the true elite.​

You are correct. As per Halliday monthly magazine wines are rated by the person delegated for that region. For the awards the top wines in contention are tasted and judged by all of the Halliday team and voted on. That is why there is confusion with the results.

i wonder how the post-awards webinar with wineries went?

 

[qaz]

La Place de Bordeaux September releases – New World icons

Every autumn, La Place de Bordeaux releases a series of spectacular New World wines. Jane Anson delivers her verdict having tasted them all.

cluboenologique.com

Gaja 1985–2018

It’s Piedmont’s most august producer – so how do its Barolos, Barbarescos and non-Piedmont wines stand up? We tasted across its entire output, tasting back to 1985, to find out

cluboenologique.com

The rise of Nebbiolo

For devotees, it is Italy’s most profound grape. Now, the love affair with Burgundy is putting Nebbiolo in the spotlight, says Walter Speller

cluboenologique.com

Top wine critics voted in the BWW 2022

BWW2020 - BEST WINE CRITICS OF THE WORLD COMPETITION

WINNERS

tastingbook.com

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Virtual Tasting with Viñado Seña, Chile - Facebook

Seña | Buy Seña Wines Online | The Wine Collective

Discover the rich and delicious wines from Seña available to order online with delivery direct to your door. Enjoy reds and whites from this premium producer.

www.thewinecollective.com.au

Building a fine wine brand: the story of Chile's Seña

A quarter of a century ago Eduardo Chadwick joined forces with Robert Mondavi with the aim of putting Chile on the fine wine map. The project was a success, and Seña is now a sought-after favourite worldwide.

www.thedrinksbusiness.com

Eduardo Chadwick’s Seña, Chile's First Icon Wine

Thirty years ago this year, Chilean winemaker Eduardo Chadwick teamed up with California’s Robert Mondavi to make a world-class wine in Chile.

nuvomagazine.com

[Video] James Suckling and Eduardo Chadwick discuss Sena's 'perfect' 2018 release - JamesSuckling.com

Wine reports from the internationally acclaimed wine critic and journalist

www.jamessuckling.com

Seña 25th Anniversary Vertical – TerroirSense Wine Review

terroirsense.com

 

[qaz]

How to Buy Wine: Five Questions to Ask (Published 2020)

You don’t have to be an expert to drink well. But it helps to be honest with yourself about goals, taste and budget, and to know how to ask for help.

www.nytimes.com

How to Drink Wine

Wine is pleasure and conviviality, it is culture and it makes food taste better. But wine can also be intimidating. This guide takes the anxiety out of shopping, buying and drinking wine. You will learn the basics, from how to open a bottle to pairing it with food, along with the best language...

cooking.nytimes.com

Through 3 Whites, the Art of Blending Wines (Published 2021)

Different grape varieties are not the only things that winemakers put together. In some form or other, most wines are compositions.

www.nytimes.com

Love Wine? Here Are 10 Ways to Appreciate It Even More. (Published 2021)

For seven years, Wine School has examined wines from all sides to help readers learn to talk and think about them. Here are some key takeaways.

www.nytimes.com

• Don’t Be Afraid to Explore
• Find the Best Value for the Price
• Learn From Mass-Market Wines
• Pair Wine With Food
• Examine Your Biases
• Defy Conventional Wisdom
• Consider the Place of Origin
• Value Simplicity
• Appreciate the Beauty of Nuance
• Return to the Classics

67 Pall Mall are starting to put together quite a substantial database of past wine events for replay:

Virtual Events

www.67pallmall.com

Revolutionising wine tasting at home: behind the scenes with 67 Pall Mall

In the face of crisis, the worlds only members club for wine lovers has revolutionised virtual wine tasting. Ronan Sayburn of 67 Pall Mall tells me how.

wordonthegrapevine.co.uk