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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.
Lumière de Provence rosé NV

Lumiere Provence Rosé 2024

From the Côteaux Varois in Provence, this appealing Rosé is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle and Syrah. Fermentation is...
Le Cellier de Saint Louis X PROVENCE ROSE

Le Cellier de Saint Louis Mosaique Organic Mediterranee IGP Rosé 2024

Provencal Rosé continues to excite, providing delicious drinking and transporting one to the south of France, leaving us imagining sitting...
Brise Maritime Mediterranee IGP Rose

Brise Maritime Mediterranee IGP Rosé 2024

Provencal Rosé is definitely the darling of the wine world at the moment, hugely popular with consumers and deservedly so....
Bowrider Prosecco

Bowrider Prosecco NV

Aussie Prosecco from the Murray Darling region, the name alludes to the wave created by dolphins swimming in the ocean,...
Bowrider Sparkling Cuvee

Bowrider Sparkling Cuvée NV

A thoroughly enjoyable, though not a taxing sparkler, with ample flavour and attractive freshness. The colour is a deeper yellow...
The Chateau CV Merlot

Château Tanunda The Château Merlot 2024

Barossa Merlot may not present itself as we would expect from a Right Bank Bordeaux, but that does not mean...
Year Old Vines Cabernet Shiraz ()

Château Tanunda Old Vine Cabernet Shiraz 2023

The Estate is celebrating its 135th anniversary in 2025, a remarkable achievement, and as part of that, they have introduced...
Year Old Vines Shiraz ()

Château Tanunda Old Vine Shiraz 2023

This is the other wine in the new range of Old Vines and what a cracker it is. After gentle...
Maretti Barolo bottle Albeisa bottle High Res

Maretti Barolo 2020

Maretti is a new name in Barolo with their first offering from the already legendary 2016 vintage. 2020 is another...
Maretti Chianti NV

Maretti Chianti 2023

Chianti has long been one of the most popular wine styles on the planet and remains so today. Tuscany, its...
Maretti Pinot Grigio

Maretti Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio 2023

Always love seeing European wines under screw cap – it feels a bit like the Rebel Alliance is finally making...
Little Giant Remarkables YRS Shiraz

Little Giant Single Vineyard Old Vines 105 Years Shiraz 2021

To see a wine at this price in the rather quirky stubby bottle, as much as I might like it,...
Little Giant Remarkables YRS Shiraz

Little Giant Single Vineyard Old Vines 85 Years Shiraz 2021

This is from Crane’s Vineyard in the Eden Valley. It spent a year and a half maturing in large French...
Little Giant Nebbiolo Little Batch NV Shadow

Little Giant Little Batch Nebbiolo 2024

Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo which was fermented over ten days, followed by a period of six months maturing in oak, this...
LG Cabernet NV

Little Giant Coonawarra Cabernet 2022

From a very fine vintage from the Coonawarra region, the wine was matured mostly in stainless steel with a portion...
Little Giant Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir NV

Little Giant Pinot Noir 2024

The range is in stumpy bottles. No doubt, we all know so-called purists who would be horrified, but I rather...
Little Giant Hairy Nose Pinot Noir D NV S

Little Giant Hairy Nose Pinot Noir 2024

I suspect that those who are not familiar with our various species of wombats may wonder what on earth possessed...
NV The Beauty Shiraz

Hentley Farm The Beauty Seppeltsfield Vineyard Shiraz 2023

The mirror image to their Beast? This stunning Barossa gem has seen Shiraz from the coolest part of the estate...
Old House Merlot HR

Gioiello Old House Merlot 2021

The grapes for the Old House Merlot receive the same treatment as the estate version, with eighteen months maturation in...
Merlot HR

Gioiello Merlot 2021

Merlot from the Upper Goulburn, which already has the benefit of time in the cellar before release, the grapes are...
Old Hill Chardonnay HR

Gioiello Old Hill Chardonnay 2024

The estate vineyards, located in the Yea Valley on the Goulburn River, were planted between 1987 and 1992. The grapes...
Yalumba The Octavius Bottle

Yalumba The Octavius Old Vine Barossa Shiraz 2020

One of the legendary Barossa Shiraz releases, this is a fine addition to the Octavius line-up. Vines used here date...
XClareValleyRiesling

Drop Zone Riesling Clare Valley 2024

A single vineyard in the Clare Valley provides fruit for this delicious Riesling. 2024 is proving to be yet another...
Angas & Bremer Shiraz Cabernet

Angas & Bremer Shiraz Cabernet 2022

For me, this is exactly what Langhorne Creek is all about – utterly delicious reds which are cracking value and...

Stories

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...
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...
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