Among the headlines on the home front, we’ve celebrated the release of Onannon’s single-vineyard wines and a big win for their cool-climate Victorian stablemates Shadowfax. On the bright white side TWR of Marlborough has been fêted once more, plus we have a new vintage of Corymbia's Swan Valley Chenin Blanc. If it’s something skinsy you’re after, Airlie Bank‘s 2020 Pinot Gris is out now. And we bid farewell to the great Pete Bissell of Balnaves, who bows out after a glorious 25-year reign at the Coonawarra estate, handing…

The latest vintages from the Farr family are always eagerly awaited and the 2019 whites and 2018 reds justify the anticipation. They are all lovely, and the By Farr Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Shiraz continue to be Australian benchmarks for these varieties. Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Real Review Much as the layperson likes to imagine the wine critic’s life a charmed one, in truth it’s often a repetitious slog through a seemingly unceasing conveyor belt of samples. Even the most jaded scribe is, however, open to…

The 2018 vintage marked 10 years since the vines for Mount Mary’s “Rhône Project” – whence RP1 and 2 get their name – went into the hallowed turf of this Yarra Valley icon. It was a relatively warm and dry vintage that provided the perfect endorsement of the Middleton family’s decision to embark on this endeavour in the first place. The seven Rhône varieties – Marsanne, Roussanne and Clairette for the white, Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Cinsault for the red – were selected for their…

Three’s the magic number at Onannon. Of course, this is the number of friends that make up this enterprise, and now we have a third single-site wine added to the top of the Onannon tree. Will Byron, Kaspar Hermann and Sam Middleton released their first single-site Pinot Noir wines from the 2016 vintage. Named Leongatha and Red Hill, they show off an excellent pair of vineyards in, respectively, Gippsland and the Mornington Peninsula. In this offer we bring you the third incarnation of these, from…

“It’s a beautiful thing. 96 points.” Gary Walsh, The Wine Front on ’18 Smart “What a wine! 96 points.” Gary Walsh, The Wine Front on ’18 Old McDonald I’ve told the story of moving to McLaren Vale in the mid ‘90s and discovering the medium-bodied  nature of Grenache countless times. My love for the variety has not diminished, nor has my belief in McLaren Vale Grenache’s place in the line-up of the world’s great varietal wines. Further, I believe it is the variety that best…

Biodynamically farmed for 22 years now, Domaine Ostertag is one of those places whose virtues are so simple, strong and enduring that you kind of forget to mention them. Conviction and constancy hold sway in the family’s farming. They follow the season, follow the vine, follow nature - and thus the spirit and the vital wines flow. We're due a recap on what this looks like. With André taking a step back to heal from Parkinson's - a disease that’s afflicted him for more than…

“Ooh la de da. It’s now a Syrah,” quipped Gary Walsh on tasting the latest edition. The 2017 Isolation Ridge- back when it was plain old Shiraz – cleaned up at the 2019 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards, you’ll recall, picking up three trophies including Best Shiraz. The Wine Front critic’s tongue-in-cheek remark doesn’t detract from his reverence for this “very impressive wine” which is “sweetly fruited and fragrant, but savoury and packed with stony tannin, cool acidity and fresh, juicy raspberry length”. Yep, that’s the…

I was thoroughly impressed with the wines I tasted with proprietor Giorgio Rivetti on my last trip to La Spinetta. Longer macerations and a reduction in oak influence are giving the Barbarescos a bit more fruit purity and energy than they had in the past, which is terrific news. The 2016s are, in my view, the best wines Rivetti has made here.  Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media THE WINES WHITE 2019 La Spinetta Vermentino RRP $43 100% Vermentino grown on soils of clay and sand on…

“A couple of days ago we tasted through the range at Vajra, and what a great morning it was. Even for the slightly jaded, big smiles and excitement.” Gary Walsh, The Wine Front We made no secret of our rapture at gaining a chance to work with the Vaira family as importer of their fantastic wines into Australia. Since our first shipment almost two years ago, both Giuseppe Vaira and winemaker Eugene Qiao have made it over to these shores more than once, revelling in…

Last year’s label change freshened up the face of Chalmers to reflect the bright personality and vibrancy of the family, their wines and their approach to grape-growing. The first two of these new-look wines to roll vintage are the Vermentino and Rosato, both skipping gaily onto 2019 at the same time. As climate-change awareness grows and curiosity draws more and more people towards these lesser-known varieties, Chalmers becomes as important a name on the wine scene as it has long been in the real of…

A striking wine that has such intensity, length and complexity, yet somehow manages to deliver a very elegant, pure and focused style… Impressive in every respect.” Nick Stock on ‘18 Kellerberg Riesling RIESLING 2016 F.X. Pichler Riesling Burgstall Federspiel RRP $64 The single vineyard Burgstall stretches on a high plateau featuring pure gneiss and granite soils with blown-in sands on top. The name comes from a small fortification built in the Middle Ages to defend the farm animals against raiders. It was mentioned in the…

The glass was great to use – more silk pyjamas than business suit. Wine in the Jancis Robinson glass tasted as good or better than the range of wines tasted in alternative glasses, although my judgement may have been influenced by the glasses’ lightness and almost sensual delicacy. Huon Hooke We had a fantastic time with Jancis Robinson when she came out to Australia last November to launch her glassware in Sydney and Melbourne. So good was it, in fact that the whole lot got…

So, this bastard Coronavirus also got Eurovision cancelled. While a fashion faux pas parade and its silly songs are one of the less lamentable losses from this, there will be people out there who want to get their stay-at-home fix of European exoticism. Enter the CellarHand import quaffer offer. This is a list of super-value wines from family-owned estates across France, Germany and Austria that are great to drink and offer a clear sense of place – all under RRP $33, and every single one…

Ben Glaetzer loved it from the word go. As was the case with ’16 – another harvest whose class wasn’t trumpeted across Australia but which had Ben smiling like a Cheshire cat from the moment it came of the vine – 2018 felt good, looked super in the cellar and was delightful from the first sip out of the bottle. The growing season started well with above-average winter rainfall but was followed by well below-average spring and summer rainfall, coupled with warm temperatures. Fortunately the…

I suppose it’s just the way with old farms. On the face of it, a calm timelessness. Behind that, industriousness and constant renewal through breeding seasons and growth cycles. So it goes with Yeringberg. After more than 150 years, the past and present blend comfortably together. Fourth generation Sandra and David de Pury are working to maintain the land and the environment: planting trees, deterring weeds and pests, protecting the soil to grow grass for healthy lambs and calves.And tending the vines to bring forth…