by Ed Merrison Grenache has filled a Pinot-shaped void for Steve Pannell. I know, sounds an unlikely substitution: a sun-worshipping, late-ripening, oft-blended also-ran for the crown prince of the Côte de Nuits? But over recent years people like Pannell have steadily recast Grenache as the Burgundy of South Australia. As a junior winemaker he was…
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The Eclectic Cool-Mum Acid Hound
by Ed Merrison Anna Flowerday says ‘cool’ a lot. Not ‘cool’ as in climate – though her journey from fifth-generation Shiraz-swilling McLaren Vale lass to South Island NZ is a big part of the story. Nor ‘cool’ meaning on-trend – in fact some of the best moves she’s made run counter to fashion (and received…
S.C. Pannell Adelaide Hills Syrah Wins Jimmy Watson
by Ed Merrison McLaren Vale winemaker Stephen Pannell has won the highest prize in Australian wine for his 2013 Adelaide Hills Syrah. It’s the second time he’s taken out the prestigious Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards, which he first snagged 18 years ago with the 1995 Eileen Hardy Shiraz. His is the…
CellarHand Newsletter June 2016
Plenty of flattering accolades flying around this month, with Stefano Lubiana – a brand-new addition to our NSW portfolio, by the way – winning Best Tassie Pinot in London while a Champagne guru goes gaga over the estate’s fizz. Punt Road also sparkles in the same bubbly bulletin, while clos Clare and Heartland are fêted by…
CellarHand Newsletter July 2016
Lots happening in July, both on the home front and internationally. The 2014 vintage steps up the sibling rivalry between Nick Farr‘s superb Sangreal and Farrside Pinots, and the 2015 Chardonnay is exactly what you’d wish for if you had the imagination. Speaking of Chardonnay, Vanya Cullen takes the grape into a whole new realm with her Kevin John…
CellarHand Newsletter September 2016
So much happening this September to put a spring in your step. Where to start? How about 2015 – that seems like a theme. Absolutely fantastic vintage, this is shaping up to be. Onannon’s Pinot and Chardonnay from Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland are out and awesome, as is Pip Farr’s Gippsland Pinot, while Matt Harrop…
Sublime Syrah: Return Of Pannell’s Poster Child
Remember how James Halliday called the Jimmy Watson-winning 2013 S.C. Pannell Adelaide Hills Syrah the “poster child of savoury-accented Australian red wine”? Well – emblematic, charismatic and extremely addictive – the poster child is back. We’re really pleased to present the latest release of this modern classic from Stephen Pannell, from the exceptional 2015…
Koomilya: Pannell’s Proudest Accomplishment
When Stephen Pannell was a boy of 15 he found an old ship’s bell while diving off the end of Busselton jetty in Western Australia. It was the bell for the SS Koomilya, a ship carrying hardwood from Western Australia to Adelaide. The word Koomilya means “woman” in Port Lincoln Aboriginal dialect. This wine is…
CellarHand Newsletter October 2016
A little more noise on the imports side than the home front this month. Top story, though, is the long-awaited release of Koomilya. The culmination of a spiritual journey by Stephen Pannell, ending up with his own piece of viticultural paradise – a McLaren Vale vineyard he fell in love with decades ago as a young winemaker….
The Complete Rosé Round-Up
2016 Airlie Bank Gris On Skins Yarra Valley RRP $20 Tim Shand’s blend comprises a 60% whole-bunch ferment, with the balance destemmed fruit that spent two weeks on skins. It spent three months in old oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. It’s a teasingly versatile number. Food friendly as well as super slurpable, especially…
CellarHand Newsletter February 2017
Lots of news this month, with domestic goings-on stealing the headlines. We’ve had Frankland Estate, one of Australia’s undisputed kings of Riesling, unveil its regal 2016 releases from the Isolation Ridge and Poison Hill vineyards. From the same vintage and from another great Riesling family and vineyard – the Barrys of Florita fame – comes the…
Pourable Varietals From Non-Mainstream Grapes
Vive la différence! Part of wine’s magic is the way it takes you places. Often we long for a glass of something familiar and head home to our personal haven. But sometimes what we seek is that thrill of discovery – to go somewhere new and exciting. A foreign accent, an alien landscape, a taste…
CellarHand Newsletter April 2017
Loads happening at home this month. Among high-profile releases, we’ve had Vanya Cullen’s Kevin John Chardonnay from 2015, Ben Glaetzer‘s top Barossa reds from the same vintage and Yeringberg‘s suite of 2014s. That lovely Balnaves family of Coonawarra have also rolled onto new vintages for most of their wines, while the equally lovely Smith Cullam…
CellarHand Newsletter June 2017
A heck of a lot happening on the home front this month, with Nick Farr’s inauguaral Irrewarra wines being the prominent new release. Chardonnay-swilling Will Byron of Onannon has been named as a finalist in Gourmet Traveller WINE‘s Winemaker of the Year, at the same time as Matthew Jukes placed this Gippsland beauty in his…
CellarHand Newsletter September 2017
We start the spring bulletin with a lookahead to the summer of Riesling. The freshly revamped website forRiesling Downunder now has full details on the program in Melbourne and Sydney, for wine professionals and amateurs alike. Also on the events front, we have our spring joint-portfolio tasting for Sydney wine trade coming up shortly. On the release…