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I was lucky enough to head off to Prowein again this year, then to Champagne and Italy. As usual Prowein was nuts, with 6800 wineries showing off their goodies from 64 countries spread out over 71000 square meters... I racked up as much as 14ks a day scooting around to meetings. Plenty of time in Champagne too, catching up with Bernard Remy, Champagne Bouche, Le Mesnil and Roger Brun. Found a spectacular producer in Grand Cru Ambonnay too... stay tuned for more on that front. The big news out of Champagne is the deeply held fear within the region that within 20 years there will be hardly any small producers left... and that perhaps this will also bear out in the Bordeaux, what with the big companies paying up to 7 euros for a kilo of grapes, vineyards now fetching 1-2 million Euros per hectare and recent changes to succession taxes. Now is a very good time to buy small producer champagne...

The annual cycle of a winemaker is certainly a curious one. There's no denying though, that vintage is one of the most exciting times of the year. Organisation of machinery, pickers, transport, staff, barrels, storage, tanks, meals, sleep is key but nothing comes close to the final hours of checking Baumé levels and waiting for the final breath from Mother Nature signalling removal of the wonderful juicy fruit from the vines, often under the cover of darkness. There are those who irrigate and those who don't; those who spray and those who won't, old oak, new oak, French oak, American oak, timing and terroir - and for all of these exciting reasons, each glorious bottle of wine you encounter is different to the one even 100 metres down the road. Where years ago growers would leave the grapes on the vines as long as possible as to yield maximum alcohol and natural sugars from our Australian sun, winemakers are leaning towards fresher, more aromatic blends meaning grapes are lifted

I’ve been a card-carrying member of the aged white cult my entire career. There’s not many of us but we’re there, lurking amongst the shadows at auctions snapping up aged rieslings and semillons well below what they’re worth or fumbling around in quit barrels at independent wine shops or bottloes attached to country pubs. What on Earth drives us? I can’t speak for my brothers and sisters in this bizarre cult except to tell my own story which thankfully started early in my career as a wine merchant in the United Kingdom. On this occasion, I was in Bordeaux for Vin Expo ’93, at the time the world’s biggest gathering of wine producers showing their wares to would be buyers. On the second night, my desperate posse descended on a restaurant at 10pm and I was sent away to the wine shop to nd something “interesting, white, not too expensive but make sure it’s the best thing since...” Yeah, okay, we’ve all had that brief before!

When I first started working at winedirect.com.au, I thought I had a pretty broad knowledge of wine.  I had bounced around working in bars and restaurants, enjoyed many great bottles with friends and family.  But it took being introduced to new and amazing varietals and almost at a rate of one a week for the first half a year for me to realize just how diverse wine really is.  The wine world does not begin and end with Shiraz. As with most things, when I become fascinated, I do research.  I found that there are over 10,000 different varieties of grape in existence that you can make wine from.  Some have been around for longer than others, some have been grafted from two different parent vines to make a hybrid.  The most famous of which, is Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.  I feel “Franc Blanc” would have been a funnier name to go with, but it wasn’t my choice.   The most

It's time to get your roasting game seriously sharpened up! This roast chook recipe is quite simple and will really help lift the flavour ratings on Christmas Day. Ingredients: 1 chook for roasting Olive oil Butter, cold and cut into two finger size pieces 4 anchovies, chopped 1 lemon, quartered 2 garlic cloves, crushed Sage, thyme and parsley, chopped roughly 4 Tblspn Verjuice or white wine Salt and pepper [caption id="attachment_1982" align="alignnone" width="300"] Festive Roast Chook. Get your roasting game on..[/caption] Method: Sit your chook on the bench and make a small slit just under the skin at the base of each breast. Place a finger of butter inside the skin. This will help retain moisture inside

Sweet, sour, spicy, fresh. There are countless cuisines around the globe that have this idea together. Often we think of Asian recipes (Tom Yum Soup, Vietnamese/Thai Salads to name a few), however my favourite iteration of this is more in the Cuban/South American department. This salsa idea pays homage to the Cuban 'Mojo' sauce, but combining a few elements from something Mexican like a Pico de Gallo. It's great for any sort of BBQ'd meat or seafood for some added zing upon serving. [caption id="attachment_1977" align="alignnone" width="255"] You'll be putting this salsa on your brekky in no time..[/caption] Ingredients: 1 clove of garlic, crushed and chopped Juice of one orange Juice of two limes Oregano (flakes or fresh - fresh is

Santiago, Chile. It's exciting, textural and mysteriously sexy. Distinctly European, with heavy Northern American influence, it's one of those big cities that can be compacted into a CBD with a number of different and interesting 'barrios' or neighbourhoods.

Barrio Italia spawns off 'Avenida Italia' (Italy Avenue), where one can find designer furniture shops, craft and garden stores and cheeky boutiques with architecture to match - for example. Around the corner from Santiago's ritzy 'The Singular' hotel and the Centre for Contemporary Art, you'll find artists and jewellers sporting their wares and a smattering of people looking for somewhere to satisfy their desires. Our destination was Bocanariz, Santiago's most awarded wine bar. [caption id="attachment_1913" align="aligncenter" width="499"] Barrio La

In 1977, an Italian restaurateur and his Australian wife purchased a vineyard in the hopes of establishing an early retirement. Instead, they continued to build it into an impressive piece that the Victorian Tourism industry proudly hangs its hat on.

Away in Ballarat for a week of work whilst my other half was adjudicating the famed South Street Eisteddfod, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get out and explore the Pyrenees wine region. With nearly thirty wineries in the vicinity of Avoca (approx. 1 hour from Ballarat), there are a handful that are considered authoritative stalwarts of the area; one of these is Warrenmang Vineyard & Resort. More than just a humble cellar door, Warrenmang boasts 60 year old vines, an award winning restaurant, conference centre, a plethora of accommodation options, tennis court and lets not forget, an impressive array of red and white wines all encompassed in this Victorian hideaway. Luigi Bazzani (OAM) and his wife