“Vintage was quick this year,” says Josh Pfeiffer from Whistler Wines in the Barossa Valley. “We kicked off on the 12th of Feb and were all done by the 5th of March. All seven varieties were picked within twenty one days, and it all looked awesome.” Josh Pfeiffer is the young winegrower for his family’s business, Whistler Wines, which … Continue reading ‘New Beginnings’ – Whistler Wines, Barossa Valley, S.A.
Brash Higgins, the man, doesn’t exist. In 2007, he was an idea, used to harbor and conceal an illegal alien from the prying eyes of the Australian authorities. An alias, an alter-ego, conceived in the mind of a man from New York City, so that he could buy himself more time amongst the grapevines of South Australia. … Continue reading Who Is Brad Hickey? – Brash Higgins, McLaren Vale, SA
Two years ago I attended the first Real Wine Fair as a nervous wine novice. I went to taste some wine to, perhaps, include on the list of a West London wine bar I worked in. That experience changed my perception of Australian wine forever. Two years later, I’ve been given the opportunity to go to the Real Wine Fair again, … Continue reading Advance Australia and New Zealand Real Wine Fair – 2014
1978, and a young Morgon winemaker named Marcel Lapierre is experimenting in Beaujolais with no-sulphur winemaking, from grapes grown organically. In doing so, Lapierre along with a few local cohorts, had unwittingly caused the modern genesis of vin naturel… or natural wine. Of course this didn’t happen overnight, but soon enough, with the help of some Parisian sommeliers, … Continue reading Avril Lavigne et Le Vin Naturel – Is Natural Wine a Fad?
The Kalleske family arrived in South Australia in 1838, four years after the state was established by the creation of the Foundation Act of 1834. Fifteen years later, in 1853, the family set down their roots in the village of Greenock, in the Barossa Valley, and established a mixed farm consisting of sheep, pigs cattle, … Continue reading Innovative Pioneers – Kalleske Wines, Barossa Valley S.A.
Bloody good, if you ask me. In 2013 I had the distinct privilege of speaking to so many passionate winegrowers and makers throughout Australia (and New Zealand) all because I wanted to find out if more bottles like Castagna’s Genesis Syrah existed across this wide brown land. What I found was not only are there … Continue reading Happy 2014! – How Good is the Aussie Wine Scene?
“The first batch of wine we made was just so that we had something to drink…”, says winegrower Wayne Ahrens, from his family home in the Barossa Valley, “It was a small barrel of cabernet which we made at home”. Wayne is a fifth generation grape farmer in Australia’s pre-eminent winegrowing region, the Barossa Valley, where … Continue reading ‘Get Out Of The Bloody Way!’ – Small Fry Wines, Barossa SA.
It’s been said by those who have met Fraser McKinley, of Sami-Odi wines in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, that he is very generous with his time, and that his passion and enthusiasm for wine is as infectious as it is knowledgeable. But when I spoke with Fraser, he was quick to assure me that … Continue reading Transparency in the Barossa – The Story of Sami-Odi
Abel Gibson grew up surrounded by wine but was never really interested in it. His father, Rob Gibson, was senior viticulturist and winemaker at Penfolds, where Abel spent his days running through cobweb riddled cellars and riding in the grower’s trucks from the weigh-bridge around to the crusher. But, the bottom line style of winemaking at … Continue reading The Rugged Beauty of The Barossa Valley – Ruggabellus Wines
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