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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.
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Cape Mentelle Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

The descendent, for want of a better term, of the very wine that did so much to put Margaret River...
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Cape Mentelle Explorers Blend 2017

Each parcel that made the final blend spent two years in new oak, before incorporation and bottling. The blend is...
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Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2022

As with the Heritage, this was fully barrel fermented, before maturing in barrel for another ten months, with 35% new....
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Hewitson Strawberry Hill Shiraz 2022

Named after an old strawberry patch which is next to the vineyard providing this Shiraz. Maturation is for a year...
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Pepperjack Single Vineyard Series Barossa Shiraz 2022

Pepperjack is perhaps best known for their cracking value, delicious reds, so this is somewhat of a departure, but a...
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Claymore God is a DJ Riesling 2023

You have to love the name of this wine, almost as much as the wine itself. So I guess that...
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Claymore Losing my Religion Montepulciano 2022

 First up, we have a Riesling called ‘God is a DJ’, and then this red dubbed ‘Losing my Religion’. Not...
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Claymore London Calling Cabernet Malbec 2022

They are clearly music fans at Claymore, fans with excellent taste in both tunes and wines. This is a Clare...

Cape Mentelle Heritage Chardonnay 2022

The second release of this wine, I believe, and one which catapults CM into the top echelon of Chardonnay producers...

Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2022

Cabernet may well be king of the red grapes in Margaret River but we continue to see superb examples of...

Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2021

This is surely one of the very best examples of Shiraz made in Margaret River in this vintage. Fifteen months...

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Time after time, Marg River Cab shows just how thrilling it can be and why the region is considered as...
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Hastwell & Lightfoot Picker’s Choice Shiraz Cabernet Barbera 2022

Just 144 cases made of this McLaren Vale blend, a mix of Rhone, Bordeaux and Italian varieties. The lighter bottle...
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Hastwell & Lightfoot 38 Days Shiraz Cabernet 2016

The fruit here hails from the team’s estate vineyards in McLaren Vale, with the blend marginally favouring Shiraz over Cabernet...
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Hastwell & Lightfoot 38 Days Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2017

The follow-up vintage to the impressive 2016, the colour here is a garnet red. The nose reveals notes of redcurrants,...

Pertaringa Belonging to the Hills Reserve Shiraz 2022

This is a bit thrilling. Everything is in place. McLaren Vale Shiraz from a cracking vintage. The wine saw small...

Pertaringa Belonging to the Hills GSM 2023

The classic Rhone blend from a top vintage from McLaren Vale. Pertaringa actually means ‘belonging to the hills’. Maturation was...
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Genista Duck, Duck, Cat Grenache 2022

The Grenache here is sourced from the family’s single acre, planted in the Barossa back in 1944. The name comes...
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Genista The SG Shiraz Grenache 2022

Each year, this is the wine that seems to poke its nose ahead of the pack and this vintage is...
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Cox Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023

90% whole berry fermentation with a wild yeast fermentation, with the remaining 10% being whole bunches. Twenty days on skins...
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Domaine des Feraud Prestige Rosé 2023

French Rosé under screw cap! More please. This blend – 36% Cinsault, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Grenache, 19% Syrah and...
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Cox Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2022

Fermentation of this fine Hunter Chardonnay was partly in tank and partly in older French barrels and included some use...
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Paringa Shiraz 2021

An early contender for the year’s best value red from the Hickinbotham family of South Australia. A mauve/purple colour here,...
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Krystallo Estate Belitso Vermentino 2023

From the Upper Goulburn region, the wine was whole bunch pressed and cool fermented. The free run juice was separated...

Stories

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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...

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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