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Ken Gargett

Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
Katunga Chardonnay McLaren Vale HR

Pirramimma Katunga McLaren Vale Chardonnay 2021

With this subsequent vintage, the team move to just French oak for maturation and it is something in has worked...
Katunga Chardonnay McLaren Vale HR

Pirramimma Katunga McLaren Vale Chardonnay 2020

McLaren Vale Chardonnay is a rather curious beast. Obviously, we’re not likely to encounter the finesse and elegance that we...
The Blewitt Sands District Grenache

D’Arenberg The Blewett Springs Grenache 2022

Of the various districts included in this series, for me, Blewett Springs really does stand out. Production methods are the...
The McLaren Sand Hills District Grenache

D’Arenberg The McLaren Sands Hills Grenache 2022

The name of the wine sounds more like somewhere one would go for family holidays back in the 1950s. It...
The Beautfiul View District Grenache

D’Arenberg The Beautiful View Grenache 2016

The vineyards which provided the fruit for this wine are situated around 120 metres above sea level. The soil found...
The Beautfiul View District Grenache

D’Arenberg The Beautiful View Grenache 2022

There was a time when putting the word “Grenache” on a wine label was tantamount to putting a skull and...
The McLaren Sand Hills District Grenache

D’Arenberg The McLaren Sands Hills Grenache 2016

As with others in the series, the production methods are as previously noted. 2016 was a superb vintage for the...
BrownBrothers Patricia NV PinotNoir&ChardonnayBrut mL

Brown Brothers Patricia Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2021

As anyone who has ever been to the vineyard can attest, this is cool climate viticulture. The wine spent five...
BrownBrothers Patricia NV CabernetSauvignon mL

Brown Brothers Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

A Victorian Cabernet which is more than worth flagship status. The majority of the fruit is sourced from the Bendigo...
BrownBrothers Patricia NV Shiraz mL

Brown Brothers Patricia Shiraz 2022

The team source fruit for their prestige Shiraz from across Victoria, specifically Bendigo, Henty and the Pyrenees. A percentage of...
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Elderton Barossa Shiraz 2024

This vintage sees the addition of fruit from the family’s new Mengler Vineyard in the Eden Valley, which now joins...
Elderton Command Shiraz NV transparent background

Elderton Command Shiraz 2023

One of the most iconic Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, the first vintage was 1984. The release of this wine...
Elderton Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon NV transparent background

Elderton Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon 2024

The Estate’s flagship Cabernet comes from a small parcel which was planted back in 1944 in the Nuriootpa sub-region in...
Elderton Helbig Shiraz NV

Elderton Helbig 1915 Shiraz 2024

A special wine from the team, the name reflects the planting of this vineyard by the Helbig family in 1915,...
Oceane Rose ()

Océane Rosé 2024

Not travelling this year? The chaos in the Middle East convinced you to stay home for the moment? A few...
J Moreau and Fils Chablis ()

J Moreau Glorie de Chablis 2023

Theoretically, one would expect this wine to drink at a level above their Petit Chablis from the same vintage. In...
J Moreau and Fils Petit Chablis ()

J Moreau Petit Chablis 2023

The 2023 vintage in the Chablis region in France provided us with open, ripe and generous wines. Go back a...
Piazzo Armando Barbera d Alba Fil Rus DOC ()

Piazzo Barbera d’Alba Fil Rus

Good Barbera from Piedmont must be the most underrated and overlooked wine imaginable. No doubt, retailers will tell me otherwise,...
Piazzo Armando Barbaresco Arge DOCG ()

Piazzo Barbaresco DOCG Argè 2022

There is much to like in this fine Barbaresco. Fermentation was in stainless steel before the wine spent a further...
EPC brut

EPC Champagne Brut NV

The first of two releases from a new champagne producer, established in 2019, which is placing an emphasis on transparency....
EPC blanc

EPC Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2022

The second wine in this set of releases from a new producer, the name EPC is apparently a play on...
Riposte Sabre PN NEW NV

Riposte The Sabre Pinot Noir 2025

A fresh and youthful Adelaide Hills Pinot, not a surprise given it is from the 2025 vintage, for which the...
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Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2025

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. A warmer than usual vintage, and dry one, resulted in very small...
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Cullen Diana Madeline 2024

2024 was always facing a tough task following on from the truly sensational 2023 vintage. In Margaret River however, wonderful...

Stories

PEN NV SpeRel CabShiraz SouthAus Superblend B Duo Cork

Penfolds Superblend

Every Australian winelover will surely be aware of just how much Penfolds love to release special wines, whether they have...
PEN La Chapelle Grange winemakers barrels

La Chapelle Grange 2022

The second release of this extraordinary Rhone/Aussie blend, crafted by two of the world’s great wineries, Jaboulet and Penfolds, has...
AMW Collection

Appellation Marlborough Wine Announces 2025 Annual Collection

A benchmark selection of certified Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) has announced its highly anticipated Annual Collection for...
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The Barossa Wine Guide 2026

By Ken Gargett, Andrew Caillard MW and Tony Love The Barossa is unquestionably Australia’s most famous wine region. Certainly not...
Penfolds Collection Credit Marten Ascenzo

Penfolds 2025 – Ken Gargett

Penfolds Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2025 ($45)A classic Bin 51. It might be early days but this wine suggests...
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Penfolds 2023 – ‘The Aussies’

There is no release more anticipated by winelovers in Australia than the annual Penfold’s Collection and of course, most especially...
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