Reds under Stelvins Riesling under Stelvins has been very successful and has a high acceptance rate by consumers, so why hasn’t there been an...

Tis the season to be jolly and drink lots of good wine Christmas is rapidly approaching and so it might be appropriate to share my thoughts...

A recipe for expensive wine The biggest factors influencing icon Australian wine prices is the strength of the US $ and wealthy American...

They don’t call it the silly season for nothing And this one actually lasts for the best part of six months, so I am not referring to...

Which sounds better to you? The sexual awakening of wine or wine as a competitive Olympic sport! That might sound like a rather bizarre...

Want to know more about finding wine information? This week’s journal is not designed to be good reading but I hope you will find it a...

A tale of the three bears We all remember the tale of Goldilocks and the three bears; well here is what really happened. Once upon a...

An Icon looses it gloss For years I have been saying that Icon wines with no long term record that came out of nowhere and shot to...

Understanding the numbers – part two – the 20 point system and others Last week the pitfalls of the 100 point system were exposed, this week...

Understanding the numbers – part one – the 100 point system There is a multitude of wine rating systems around. The two most common that you...

Everyone has something to sell TCA, which is normally associated with cork taint, can be found in things other than corks. For example if a...

You may remember last weeks article was about McPlonk Wines and it finishes up saying, “thank heavens for the myriad of small producers that turn...

McPlonk versus the boutiques You may remember last weeks article was about McPlonk Wines and it finishes up saying, “thank heavens for the...

YUK! My long time friend, Marion who lives in Sydney decided to visit me last night to celebrate her birthday and say goodbye as she was off...

A better grade of quaffer of industrially produced swill? A couple of months ago I wrote a short Journal article called “Times Change”...

Last Thursday night an unseasonably warm winters night saw sixty people gather at Le Goulue Restaurant in Crows Nest for the inaugural Sydney...

The trend towards high alcohol wines – part one It was only about a decade ago that most Australian red wines came in at about 13 percent...

Using scores medal and stars to flog wine No one would dispute that it is a retailer job to sell wine but some of the practices used by some...

And a bouquet for Southcorp Some time ago in a journal I had a shot at Southcorp about their attitude and procedures in relation to...

Canberra Great Cabernet Dinner After a very successful run of Great Shiraz Dinners the theme changed to the other red bigot’s love, Cabernet...

Journalistic Integrity One of the main reasons that Robert Parker has been so successful in the US is because people believe that as he has...

Time change Once upon a time, not all that long ago I might add, the majority of red wine was made to age for fairly long periods of time....

You can’t make 90 year old wine overnight If you haven’t tried a really old top shelf Oz Muscat or Tokay, you are yet to experience one of...

Never leave home without it And I don’t mean “The Card” but I do mean “glasses” and I am not referring to reading or sunglasses either....

The Law of Diminishing Returns Decided to write this after an email from someone who read my travel story and was asking questions about...
 

A week of bliss and hard work I have just returned from a week in South Australia visiting McLaren Vale, the Barossa and Clare. If you are...

Eating humble pie and the Adelaide Great Shiraz Dinner Readers of last week's journal may remember I discussed the importance of cellar door...

The Importance of Cellar Doors As many readers may know, in the recent rationalisation of Southcorp created by the merger with Rosemount,...

How to win customers - and lose them too (part one) It may surprise some readers to know that approximately one wine bottle in ten consumed...

The influence of the label Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Melbourne Winestar Great Shiraz Dinner at Arc restaurant. On arrival...

Wine Auctions - Part Two – by Ric Einstein © Langton’s are one of most respected wine auction houses in the business and they deserve...

Collecting verticals One of the greatest joys of collecting wine is the ability to have some friends join you to sample a vertical array of...

The price of independence and free speech As most readers of this Journal know I am not in the employ of Winestar and receive the princely...

Chasing a certain eminent persons blessing Beringer Blass have just announced two new Super Premium Wines called “Wolf Blass Platinum,” a...

Wine Auctions Part One Over the years I have experienced a number of trials, tribulations joys and sorrows when buying and selling wine at...

Grange – Hype and overpriced or worth every cent? There has undoubtedly been more written and spoken about Grange than any other wine in...

Short term reaction versus long term thinking In many ways wine companies, especially the larger ones have never had it better. The value of...

“Its better to have been screwed than corked” I wish I could take credit for that great line, but it comes from a NZ Wine Journalist, Sue...

Put yourself in the winemakers shoes This edition I will pose an interesting dilemma to you that I hope makes you think about a real life...

The first of many chickens coming home to roost? Walk into any bottle shop, even the ones that don’t sell many Ultra Premiums and it’s a fair...

Two different approaches to the same business Some months ago Southcorp announced the closures of some cellar door operations, including one...

Terroir versus the advantages of diversity Many of those that prefer olde worlde wines (mainly the Frog Stuff) feel that for a wine to be...

A Bit Of An Eye Opener Last night I had the sort of wine dinner that most people would kill to attend and I wanted to share the experience...

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly in 2001 From my perspective there were many good vinous things in 2001. Without doubt the best of “The Good”...

Wasting Wine Money One of the things that constantly amazes me is when I read or hear wine lovers balk at the cost of education. These same...