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Jeni Port

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Yes, Said The Seal Bellarine Chardonnay 2018

The new age of Chardonnay sees slimmer wines emerging, and they’re looking pretty svelte.  Free of the burden of too...

3 Drops Great Southern Pinot Noir 2019

Great Southern Pinot Noir flies under the radar with most wine lovers. It’s a wine that fits snugly into the...

Howard Park Porongurup Riesling 2019

Arriving fully-formed and ready to get down to business, it’s rare to see such a young Riesling so self-assured upon...

Howard Park Grand Jete 2015

Howard Park has made the running on the production of premium sparkling wines in Western Australia. Releases each year have...

Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz 2017

Make the most of this release of Scotsdale Shiraz because Howard Park is signalling that it may not be making...

Howard Park Leston Shiraz 2017

Leston Shiraz was the Burch family’s first Margaret River-based wine. At the time, it made a big statement about what...

Howard Park Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Mount Barker fruit to the fore here, making a statement about all kinds of vinous things. About the role of...

Howard Park Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Margaret River Cabernet can be a pleasure palace, intrinsically hedonistic and plush. That’s in the warmer years. But 2017 was...

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Abercrombie reminds us of the delight that comes with a multi-regional blend. Before the rise and rise of the distinguished...

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Vineyard Syrah 2018

A wine of its time, perfect for our long days and nights of “iso.” So apt in name, yes, but...

Frankland Estate Smith Cullam Syrah 2018

What a pepper pot! If this was in a wine show, judges would be fighting over the high degree of...

Eldridge Estate Single Vineyard Gamay 2018

Gamay is a wine for our times. It’s super friendly, fleshy, red-fruited and is an all-rounder in the food matching...

Bellvale Pinot Grigio 2018

Bellvale fits the old – barely used, let’s face it – Pinot G Scale, perfectly. It literally screams archetypal pinot...

Kaesler The Bogan Shiraz 2018

The name says it all and yet, nothing at all. That’s the way winemaker, Reid Bosward, saw it when he...

Curly Flat Central Pinot Noir 2018

Into the dark woods we go, surrounded by the scent of undergrowth, hummus, dark berries and dried herbs. There’s some serious...

Chandon Late Disgorged Vintage Rose 2009

Remember 2009: drought, water shortages, bushfires. It was a bleak year and, frankly, not a great one across the Australian...

Mount Horrocks Alexander Vineyard Shiraz 2018

That eye-catching colour, you can’t miss it, a kind of iridescent purple-blackcurrant pastille. It glistens in the glass.  And this is...

Old vine glory – Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne 2013

Those who love Marsanne – hands up – know that the grape can age well. Others need to be shown,...

A new era at Curly – Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2018

This is a first for Curly Flat. As in the ‘first’ vintage made by new winemaker, Matt Harrop, following the...

Michael Hall Sang de Pigeon Blanc 2019

Whoa!  This is not your ordinary ‘blanc.’  It’s neo rather than trad. Definitely not your usual colour, either, for a...

Berton Vineyard High Eden Valley White Rock Chardonnay 2018

A handy Chardonnay from the Eden Valley. What’s not to like here – it’s textbook Chardonnay of the kind that...

An Australian icon – Tahbilk Marsanne 2019

WINNER of a Winepilot Trophy for the greatest value wines in Australia. The most under-rated white wine in Australia? Marsanne. No...

Stories

Drone

Greek jewels from Alpha Estate and the emerging regions of PGI Florina (ΠΓΕ Φλώρινα) and PDO Amyndeon (ΠΟΠ Αμύνταιο)

Indigenous grape varieties – those multi-syllable ones that often trip the tongue and hail from ancient varieties off ancient lands...
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The Clare Valley Wine Guide 2026

By Jeni Port Clare Valley old vines dating back to the 1800s now share land and retail shelf space with...
Barrique Year image Viv Tom

Grampians Winemakers Shiraz The Barrique 2024

Each year, the Grampians winemakers pool together and blend their best Shiraz to send to auction at their annual Grampians...
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Out of the fires

The tragic Central Victorian fires have had a devastating effect on many small wineries with ongoing financial and personal challenges...
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Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Vertical

The Vasse Felix Tom Cullity project was impressive from day 1 with aspirations to make one of Margaret River’s greatest...
Tread Softly

Calling All Budding Next Gen Women Winemakers

Glass ceilings are made to be smashed. In the Australian wine industry, women know a thing or two about glass...
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