Falling in love with Ribera del Duero (again)
March 5, 2026
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 …
Tempranillo
Alll the ridicously great wines I loved at Barcelona Wine Week 2026
February 13, 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 …
20 wines of August 2025’s better wines under $25
August 13, 2025
Curiously enough, as a wine reviewer, you don't really get to regularly taste many 'value' wines. Yes, some producers send the whole range in for review, but on the whole, …
The Almost Club April 2025 edition – 11 wines that almost made it this month
April 29, 2025
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ‘ok drinks’, and some are just bad… Here are 11 wines that almost made the silver medal, Australian Wine and Drinks Review …
The Almost Club March 2025 edition: 27 wines that almost made it
March 25, 2025
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ‘ok drinks’, and some are just bad… Here are 30 wines that almost made the silver medal grade in March 2025. From …
Review: Paisley Six Strings Tempranillo 2023
March 7, 2025
I like how much flavour all these Paisley wines have for just $25. Maybe I've said this before, but it bears repeating. This Tempranillo is a lightish wine for Paisley …
The easy Juniper Canvas Tempranillo 2022
February 4, 2025
Canvas is the drinkable, easygoing range from Margaret River OG's Juniper (need Juniper Estate). I quite like Margaret Tempranillo FWIW, which has a hatful of Graciano for some Spanish feels. …
The Almost Club September 2024 edition – 30 wines that almost made it this month
September 30, 2024
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ‘ok drinks’, and some are just bad… Here are 30 wines that almost made the silver medal grade in September 2024. From …
The Almost Club March 2024 – 10 wines that almost made it
April 3, 2024
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ‘ok drinks’, and some are just bad… Plenty of the wines in this collection of last month's wines that almost hit the …
Oakridge’s classy new 2021 864 Cabernet + a few big reds (from just $18)
February 16, 2024
Tasting young Cabernet sometimes feels more like crystal-ball gazing than a trip to pleasure town. I know we don't end up emptying many young Cabernet wines over dinner, either. But …
Review: El Toro Macho Reserva 2017
November 20, 2023
This is an $8.99 Aldi bargain. A proper leather Spanish red with terracotta brick dust style and a warm savoury palate of drying flavour and savoury, grainy tannins. There's just …
A final 14 wines that did make it this September/October 2023
October 31, 2023
Last week, it was a flood of reviews on wines that didn’t make the Australian Wine Review grade (which is a silver medal equivalent) over the past eight weeks. But …
