This Month
Is this Australia’s best shiraz?
These wine show judges certainly think so: the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge turns 30, and it’s needed now more than ever.
- Max Allen
October
This Australian winemaker has just won a global award for his sparkling
Ed Carr is more than happy to pick up the international awards and bring them home to a smaller, local wine company.
- Max Allen
- Exclusive
- Pubs
Ed Peter’s Duxton Pubs dangles 2025 IPO as it seeks $35m
Some parts of Peter’s South Australian business empire have come under pressure as investors get cold feet.
- Primrose Riordan and Sarah Thompson
A 62ha development site in Tweed Shire hits market with $182m hopes
The family-owned former fruit farm in part of northern NSW that has been rezoned for development is just a 13-minute drive from the Gold Coast.
- Michael Bleby
September
Melbourne dining powerhouse wins award for country’s best wine list
Gimlet’s head sommelier says the key to success is paying the same level of attention to someone drinking by the glass as to a high-roller ordering a $12,000 bottle.
- Gus McCubbing
August
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
How a dinner conversation led to a vineyard purchase
Novice owners are writing the next chapter at a top Mornington Peninsula estate.
- Max Allen
July
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Five top examples of a hot new red-wine grape
For too many years, gamay has been overshadowed by pinot. But that’s changing as growers experiment more to enhance its unique characters.
- Max Allen
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
The six best wines from this year’s Penfolds collection
Wondering what to buy, what to drink and what to stash away? Here are six bottles we especially loved.
- Max Allen
June
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
‘This is an exceptional pinot noir’
John Nagorcky moved to biodynamic viticulture in 1999 and these three wines from his Hochkirch label in southwest Victoria are a testament to his methods.
- Max Allen
McGuigan owner Australian Vintage seeks $20m lifeline to tackle wine glut
The acting CEO says a merger is still logical for the ailing wine group as it battles an industry wine oversupply after being spurned by bigger rival Accolade Wines.
- Simon Evans
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
The new rock stars of the wine industry might surprise you
Marco Simonit and Pierpaolo Sirch, founders of the “gentle pruning” method, are sought after by leading winemakers the world over for their skills and advice.
- Max Allen
May
Max Allen reviews three top drops from a shiraz-obsessed former chef
Syrahmi winemaker Adam Foster has launched the first release from his own close-planted vineyard in Heathcote.
- Max Allen
- Exclusive
- Tourism
On Hamilton, a family dynasty bets there’s more money in islands
After showing potential buyers around last year, Sandy Oatley and his family are instead developing a new resort as they double down on the island.
- Primrose Riordan
Uncorked: Accolade Wines locked in negotiations with Pernod Ricard
In short, if Pernod moves into the ‘trop difficile’ basket, Australian Vintage is waiting in the wings.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Drinking alone? Here’s how to keep it interesting
Finishing the same bottle off over a few evenings can get a little dull. An Australian company has come up with an innovative alternative.
- Max Allen
April
BHP goes big game hunting on the African savannah
BHP and Anglo American are undisputed industrial champions in their home countries. The vast gap between them says a lot about Australia and South Africa.
- Peter Ker
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Gang member turned investigative reporter launches his first wine
Twelve months after his first vintage, Mahmood Fazal is selling a shiraz inspired by a cult label in Spain, Persian poetry and the land of his ancestors.
- Max Allen
Tasting Australia’s $795 debut train trip an instant sell-out
“I’ve come up with a menu that will work in a galley,” chef Asma Khan says of the coming journey. Here’s a taste of this and other events at next month’s culinary extravaganza.
- Necia Wilden
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Tasting Australia 2024: a drinker’s guide
A round-up of the best wine-related events at this year’s festival, from parties to tastings to masterclasses and more.
- Max Allen
March
Yarra Valley winery unveils $7m refurb
Victoria’s Balgownie Estate has had a revamp after a major fire in 2020.
- Gus McCubbing
