About Me – Andrew Graham

At 18, I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, primarily to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, slogging through physics and chemistry, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. But then I fell in love with wine and craft beer, and it took over my life.

What’s more, I ended up finishing two uni degrees, and they both help shape my world, as I ended up with a Masters in Wine Technology & Viticulture (Melbourne University) and a Bachelor of Resource & Environmental Management (Macquarie University).

It’s now 25 years since I first stepped into the bottleshop and drinks has been my world ever since – as a buyer, communicator, marketer, journalist, educator and consultant, all of which give me an excuse to talk about booze day and night.

An international judge and Panel Chairman at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, you’ll also see me wearing my judges coat at the Winewise Championships, NSW Wine Awards & ANZ Boutique Wine Show. Because I don’t know how to do slow down, I’m a judge for both the Australian Wine List of The Year Awards and the China Wine List of the Year Awards, and adjudicated in the GT WINE Cellar Door Awards & SkyScanner Airline Wine List Awards.

In 2009, I was crowned as the WCA Wine Journalism Young Gun (which now makes me just old) and was voted in the Top 30 Best Wine Critics in The World for 2019 and 2020.

I’ve pulled back on my print journalism now (as the pay is abominable, if you ever get your invoices paid), but I was a regular columnist in GT Wine, Breathe Hunter Valley, National Liquor News and even The Seniors Magazine (because every magazine needs a resident wine writer), not forgetting my time as a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert.

Beyond drinks, my spare time is focused on a foolish desire to torture myself on trail ultra marathons, much to the delight of my long-suffering family.

This site (Australian Wine and Drinks Review or ozwinereview for short) is dedicated to talking about wine, beer and other good (drinks) things. Largely focused on Australian beverages, but with an interest in anything great from all points of the globe.

Follow me also at x.com/ozwinereview or facebook.com/AustralianWineDrinksReview, or instagram.com/ozwinedrinksreview.