– With Peter Bourne – The roots of Kyara Wines dates back to 1847 when a young Silesian refugee — Heinrich Fiebiger — arrived from Prussia and settled with his family in Hahndorf. In 1861 Fiebiger moved to the Flaxman Valley and went on to  become a pioneer in the establishment of the Eden Valley […]

– With Peter Bourne – The Margaret River wine region is a unique one – being coastal, warm climate and having porous sub-terrain soils (due to limestone caves along the coastline). Marked by some of Australia’s biggest industry names like Leeuwin Estate, Cullen Wines, Moss Wood, Vasse Felix and many more premium labels, the region […]

– By Peter Bourne To say this pair are ‘chalk & cheese’ is perhaps an overstatement, for both are high quality and distinctly varietal examples of cabernet sauvignon, considered the most aristocratic of all red grape varieties. Two vintages and 800 kilometres separate the duo — the distinctions amplified by the winemaking approaches of Peter Dillon at […]

– By Peter Bourne – WINE COMES TO REST IN THE ‘NEST IN THE HILLS’ The New South Wales Central Tablelands town of Mudgee is the historic home of chardonnay, but quite how these Burgundian vines—bought to Australia by James Busby in 1832—found their way 300 kilometres inland remains a mystery. More to the point, […]

Is Cognac just the same as brandy? The literal definition of brandy is: any distilled spirit that is made from fruit juice (apples, pears, grapes). And yes, Cognac is also a distilled spirit made from fruit juice (so it actually is a type of brandy), however its the regulations around the making of the Cognac […]

TEMPRANILLO. [Pronounced: temp-rah-nee-yo] A Spanish grape varietal, generally producing wine with slightly savoury characteristics. While Spanish versions usually reflect more leather, cherries and earthiness, Australian winemaking and terroir tends to product more fruit-driven examples with black cherry and blueberries driving the palate. Medium bodied and with decent (but not usually overwhelming) tannins, it could be […]

Meet the maker… Mike Farmilo, McLaren Vale SA. Mike Farmilo is the un-sung hero behind both Monterra Wines and Colab & Bloom, the funky McLaren Vale brand he and his business partner, Norm Doole established in 2015. Indeed, Mike Farmilo has flown under the vinous radar for four decades despite an extensive career that began at […]

By Peter Bourne. The origins of the Australian wine show system date back to the early 19th century, when they were a small part of the agricultural shows set up to improve the breed – be it cattle, sheep, wheat, wool or wine. The Sydney Royal Wine Show has been running since 1826 and is […]

– With Peter Bourne The warmer weather of our summer months lures us out of our wintery shells into the dazzling sunshine – and the heat. Cool flavours are what we seek – be it food or drinks. When it comes to food, the duo of Australia’s abundance of seafood and our incredible array of […]

The story of the Spritz… If you go pretty much anywhere in Northern Italy in summer, at about 11am you can walk past a cafe and see the splash of vibrant orange Aperol Spritz’s starting to emerge. From lunchtime onwards the splash turns to a sea of spritz filled glasses. The aperitif is being quaffed […]