Become a wine buff in Iso

Across the month of May, Young Gun of Wine (YGOW) will host a series of online events to replace its annual Top 50 tasting events. YGOW will host the virtual tastings with the top 50 winemakers of 2020 along with other experts in the field. Most of the events will run for about an hour…

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Beluga Vodka Enjoy it Neat

Remember the days when vodka was everywhere? Seems eons ago. Then along came the gin tsunami and vodka seemed all washed up. Vodka still does okay, though, especially in cocktails.  Great vodka is more than worthy of your attention as a sipping spirit. For me, a small glass (it becomes too easy to knock off…

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Our Wine of the Week: Bollinger 2012 Grand Année

The House of Bollinger, as famous as it is, may never have seen quite such a golden period as it has enjoyed in recent years. Their Special Cuvee has looked as good as ever. The latest releases have been their flagship RD (Recently Disgorged) from the 2004 vintage, the spectacular 2008 Grand Année and now,…

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A must try wine: Grosset Nereus 2017

It would be the easiest thing in the world to tell everyone how good the latest releases from Grosset are (and, of course, they are). I doubt there is a half-serious wine lover in Australia not fully aware that the Grosset Rieslings are world-class. The Gaia and Chardonnay might sneak under the radar to a…

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Add this wine to your radar: Radenti

Few categories of Aussie wine have seen the extraordinary advances which have been enjoyed by our sparklings. From sickly sweet, bog average wedding guzzlers, made from second rate grapes in third rate methods, we now boast some of the finest fizz on the planet. No one is suggesting that we have topped the great wines…

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Our wine pick of the week: Taittinger ‘Comtes de Champagne’ 2007

One of the earliest of all prestige champagnes is Taittinger’s, ‘Comtes de Champagne’ a superb blanc des blancs, and easily recognisable in its squat bottle. The first vintage was 1952. A Rosé was added years later.  The story of this legendary champagne dates back to the days of Count Thibaud IV, King of Navarre, from 1222…

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explore with us – Main Ridge Estate 2018 Wines

The dollhouse-sized winery, Main Ridge Estate, which kicked things off on the Mornington Peninsula when Nat White planted his first vines in 1975 (Baillieu Myer beat him to a vineyard, planting in 1972, but Nat had the first commercial winery), changed hands a few years ago. It seems that the transition has been seamless and…

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Alcohol Purchases Restricted in Australia

By Ash Pini This morning Australians are waking up to the news that the purchase of alcohol has been limited in all states except Western Australia. Today, March 31, new alcohol purchasing limits came into force across the country, with the exception of Western Australia, through participating retailers: including Dan Murphys, Coles Liquor, Cellarbrations, Liquor…

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Our wine pick of the week: Champagne Pommery Louise

The House of Pommery has not always seen plain sailing.  Founded in the 1850s, when Alexandre-Louis Pommery left an early retirement from the textile industry to join with Narcisse Greno. It seems his wife’s unexpected pregnancy had convinced Alexandre-Louis that the family coffers needed restocking. Sadly, he would not have much of a chance, passing away…

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What you need to know about Ron Zacapa

While Bundy still owns the dark rum market in Australia, an iconic rum from the Central American nation of Guatemala, Zacapa, has done exceptionally well at the premium end of the market. Indeed, they have convinced many that rum is more than just a transfer system for alcohol, something lost without a hefty accompanying dose…

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The ‘best dram’ – Glenfiddich Grand Cru

Glenfiddich is one of the most beloved of all Scottish malts. They began more than 150 years ago with William Grant, a bookkeeper at the Mortlach Distillery with a dream of making the “best dram in the valley.” At 47, Grant quit his job and purchased a copper pot still and associated equipment. He, his…

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A toast to ‘The Caley’

Here we all are, locked down, isolated and in a completely unfamiliar world. The only thing about that which might be familiar to Fred Caley Smith is the unfamiliar world.  Fred was an adventurer. First, though, he was the grandson of Samuel Smith, the founder of Australia’s oldest family wine company, Yalumba, back in 1849….

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