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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.
FAIWIN NV Website Bottle Shot

Feudo Arancio Inzolia 2023

From Sicily, it seems we rarely see examples from any other maker of this attractive white variety. A bit of...
FAIWGR NV Website Bottle Shot

Feudo Arancio Grillo 2023

Another of those traditional Italian varieties, here from Sicily, that we so rarely encounter down under. For some years, we...
CRCHMA NV Website Bottle Shot

Terres Secrètes Cerço Mâcon-Villages 2020

From the Mâconnais region in the south of Burgundy, this wine is from a co-op moving to a much more...
CFPGXX NV Website Bottle Shot

Castel Firmian Pinot Grigio 2023

The Trentino region in the Italian Alps is a famous destination for those looking for top-notch Pinot Grigio. This wine...
MEPGPR NV Website Bottle Shot

Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio 2023

The team behind this northern Italian Pinot Grigio use the pergola method for trellising their vines, something rarely seen down...
NBCHBB NV Website Bottle Shot

Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc 2022

There was a time when many local drinkers would turn their noses up at a basic Burg such as this....
CB Mason NV

Cooper Burns Mason Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016

A serious value option here with plenty of age already. The colour is a garnet red and this is an...
Paracombe Plateau Pinot Noir NV

Paracombe Plateau Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2021

From an Adelaide Hills vineyard planted back in 1983, which sits on a plateau which is 1.7 billion years old....
Somerville Shiraz NV

Paracombe Somerville Shiraz 2014

Under cork, it is always a pleasure to see mature wines on offer, in this case a full decade under...
TT Cray Res Cab Sh WEB

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz Reserve 2020

This wine is always a selection of the very best parcels of both Cabernet and Shiraz from the estate. It...
TT Cray Cab Sh WEB

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2022

A very fine example of the great Aussie red blend – the family has something of a history with the...
TT Cray Cab Fr Trans

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022

Their eighth release of a Cabernet Franc dominant release. The wine does have a dollop – 9% – of Shiraz...
TT Crayères Sauv Bl WEB

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023

This is a highly lauded Sauv Blanc and deservedly so. Their fifteenth release from the close-spaced Crayères vineyard. Partly fermented...
St Aidans Shiraz nv lowres

Sorby Adams The Parish Hall St Aidan’s Barossa Shiraz 2021

Another in the trio of tributes to Great Uncle Keith and his parishes, here we have a wine which spent...
St Hughs Shiraz nv lowres

Sorby Adams The Parish Hall St Hugh’s Shiraz Barossa 2021

Simon Adams, winemaker here as well as owner and general everything, has bottled three fine Barossa Shiraz as a tribute...
gm jackos shiraz nv

Geoff Merrill Jacko’s Shiraz McLaren Vale 2017

The wine is named  after Michael “Jacko” James, who worked in the cellars until he tragically passed at the early...

Mosaic Lieutenant McLaren Vale Shiraz 2017

Dark red colour here, with the nose offering cassis, mocha, chocolate, plums, blackcurrants, dark berries and spices supported by a...

Mosaic Lieutenant Langhorne Creek Cabernet 2021

Absolutely stonkingly brilliant value here. Dark red hue. Even at this price, the wine is able to offer surprising complexity....
St Boniface Shiraz nv lowres

Sorby Adams The Parish Hall St Boniface Barossa Shiraz 2021

The final wine in the Parish trilogy/tribute to Great Uncle Keith, this one saw its two year maturation take place...
Byron & Harold Rags to Riches Sauvignon Blanc

Byron & Harold Sauvignon Blanc 2024

An impressive Margaret River Savvy, the colour here is an attractive very pale lemon green. Lifted and rather exuberant aromatics,...
gm bush vine sgm nv

Geoff Merrill Bush Vine McLaren Vale SGM 2017

From a favourite old vineyard of the team, the blend here is 52% Shiraz, 42% Grenache and 6% Mourvèdre. The...
Moss Brothers Wild Garden Cab Sauv

Moss Brothers Organic Wild Garden Cabernet 2022

From Margaret River, the fruit was harvested in the cool of the early morning, and gently crushed into static fermenters,...
MB Moses Rock—Sauv Blanc

Moss Brothers Moses Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2024

A Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc, the colour here is a gleaming though gentle pale yellow. This is more austere than...
Moss Brothers Wild Garden Chenin Blanc

Moss Brothers Organic Wild Garden Chenin Blanc 2023

Chenin from the West has always been more popular than a lot of us located over on the eastern seaboard...

Stories

MartenAscenzo Penfolds PenfoldsMediaPreview D

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...

Artisans of the Barossa (2021 Grenache Project)

One of the more interesting projects currently afloat in Aussie wine at the moment, especially appropriate given the skyrocketing interest...

Alkina – The Curious Box of Paradoxes

Alkina is a curious box of paradoxes. Seemingly unlimited resources but still tiny; a small local operation yet part of...

Cumulus and Quilty & Gransden

They say that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. Perhaps, but I would suggest that the Australian wine industry...

Greenock Creek New Releases 2021

It was back in 1984 that the first grapes were picked for the inaugural vintage from Greenock Creek wines. Taken...

Duval on Grenache

The name, Duval, is and always will be inextricably linked with Grange. John Duval was chief winemaker at Penfold’s from...
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