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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.
FAIRRR NV Website Bottle Shot

Feudo Arancio Riserva 2019

This is the team’s pointy end Nero d’Avola with grapes from two of their Sicilian estates. 30% of the wine...
QUIWGR NV Website Bottle Shot

Feudo Arancio Queto Pinot Grigio 2021

An organic Pinot Grigio from the Sambuca di Sicilia estate in the province of Agrigento on the island of Sicily....
QUIWGR NV Website Bottle Shot

Feudo Arancio Queto Grillo 2021

Organic Grillo from Sicily, a controlled fermentation for ten days in stainless steel tanks, followed by five days resting on...
QUIRNA NV Website Bottle Shot

Feudo Arancio Queto Nero d’Avola 2021

From Sicily, this is their organic Nero (wines under their Queto label are organic). These grapes are grown 300 metres...
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Hollick Shiraz 2021

Sourced from the estate’s 1975 plantings, the team like to give the wine twelve months of maturation, with 15% of...
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Hollick Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Ravenswood Lane will take you from the estate’s Neilson’s Block Vineyard to their Wilgha Vineyard, the two vineyards contributing to...
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Hollick Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

The fruit is sourced from a combination of their Wilgha and Neilson’s Block Vineyards in Coonawarra, which are located at...
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Hollick Wilgha Shiraz 2019

The team use the best Shiraz from their Wilgha Vineyard in Coonawarra for this, their prestige Shiraz, which then spends...
Midnight Rainbow

Dandelion Vineyards Midnight Rainbow of McLaren Vale Petite Sirah 2021

A guess but this might be the most expensive Petit Sirah (or Syrah) made in this country. That would put...
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Risky Business Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Something a little more conventional from the team, Margaret River Cabernet. Seriously good value drinking here. The colour is a...
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Risky Business Malbec 2021

Margaret River Malbec continues the theme from this winery, taking us down unfamiliar roads. A well named winery, but one...
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Risky Business Shiraz Tempranillo Grenache 2022

From the Margaret River region, this is a Spanish/French version of the famous Rhône blend with Tempranillo taking the place...
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Risky Business Tempranillo 2022

Frankland River Tempranillo may not be an obvious choice, but this wine suggests that it is a combination worthy of...
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Vinaceous Snake Charmer Shiraz 2022

Perhaps not a label one envisages encountering on CBD boardroom dining tables, but that would be their loss. That said,...
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Vinaceous Voodoo Moon Malbec 2022

If ever there was a winery where the labels attract as much attention as the contents, these guys must be...
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Zagora McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

For this easy drinking, well-crafted and good value McLaren Vale Cabernet, the wine saw a mix of fermentation techniques used,...
ZagoraShiraz

Zagora McLaren Vale Shiraz 2021

The trend to the use of lighter bottles is seen with this thoroughly enjoyable McLaren Vale Shiraz. French oak was...
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Heirloom A’Lambra Shiraz Barossa Valley 2022

Similar winemaking here as with the other reds in the portfolio, but this is the flagship, sourced from their top...
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Heirloom Touriga McLaren Vale 2023

Touriga seems like one of those grapes destined to be a curiosity and yet, there seems no reason that it...
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Heirloom Shiraz Barossa 2022

The grapes used here were sourced from the team’s top Barossa Shiraz vineyard. Sorting by the bunch, wild yeasts in...
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Heirloom Shiraz McLaren Vale 2022

From low yielding vines in McLaren Vale, the wine sees bunch sorting, wild yeasts, hand plunging and sixteen months in...
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Heirloom Pinot Noir Adelaide Hills 2023

Wild fermentation here, basket pressing and 50% whole bunches, before time in French oak barriques for seven months. The colour...
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Heirloom Chardonnay Adelaide Hills 2023

The grapes for this excellent Adelaide Hills Chardy were sorted, bunch by bunch. Free run juice, wild yeasts and then...
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Dandelion Vineyards Moonrise Kingdom of McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache Petite Sirah 2022

The Moonrise Kingdom all sounds a little like a kid’s fairy tale but there is nothing childish about this wine....

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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