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Doing the hard work in the Côte de Nuits (and saved by a bogan Aussie)
Rarely have I been so glad to hear an Aussie accent. There I was on day 2 of last month’s Grand Jours de Bourgogne 2026, feeling a little bogged down. It…
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A Clos de Vougeot 2016 horizontal + elbowing through the cream of Vosne-Romanée
French wine tastes better in a château. Sure, I’m being glib, but you try not to feel the gravitas when you’re lining up for a tasting of storied Pinot Noir inside…
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The Australian wines I admired in March (with plenty $50 or less)
Last week in Burgundy, I kept thinking about the Oakridge Henk Pinot Noir below. I cracked the bottle just days before I got on a plane, and it was so interesting…
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How much Chablis can I taste in one day at Grand Jours de Bourgogne 2026?
I’m a long way from a professional cricketer, but as I walked into the makeshift tasting area at the Le Kimmérdgien function centre in Chablis last Monday, it felt like the…
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Overwhelmed by great Pinot + Chardonnay at Grand Jours de Bourgogne
It was a pinch-me moment. Yesterday, as I stood in a quiet, regal, artwork-lined room on the first floor of the Château du Clos de Vougeot, I had one of those…
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Falling in love with Ribera del Duero (again)
About fifteen years ago, a good mate of mine came into a stash of iconic wine. It was an odd situation, where he was given the run of a top-end heavy…
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Rueda – a very brief (but quality) Verdejo dive
Some wine regions feel special. Places where lush vines should thrive naturally (like the rolling hills of Burgundy) or where it’s ridiculous that vines grow there at all, let alone flourish…
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Alll the ridicously great wines I loved at Barcelona Wine Week 2026
Spain = good value Tempranillo. Just as Australia gets typecast as the land of Shiraz and big reds, Spain suffers the same fate, often consigned as the country of budget Tempranillo/Garnacha…
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Let’s do this 2026 thing: more Windows Estate glory + 25 more quality white wines
Last week in Burgundy, I kept thinking about the Oakridge Henk Pinot Noir below. I cracked the bottle just days before I got on a plane, and it was so interesting…
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The wines of Christmas ’25 Part 2: sublime Barbaresco, Mornington Pinot + more
In part one of this post, I detailed some of the white and sparkling highlights of a Graham Christmas. Today, it’s all about red wines (and a few sweet things and…
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The Margaret River Chardonnay that topped my 2025 Xmas drinks (plus 15 other whites and sparkling)
The tree is still up, but the Christmas plates are long gone. We’re now in the first days of 2026, and as I take the recycling bin out, it’s a perfect…
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What are you going to drink for Christmas 2025? This is where I’ll start
It’s time to get serious about festive season drinking. With just one week to go until Christmas, now is the time to bring out the good stuff. Nothing but net. Which…
