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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.
ThreeElms Timbertops Riesling

Three Elms Timbertops Frankland River Riesling 2021

The Frankland River region continues to stake a claim for inclusion amongst Australia’s great Riesling regions – look out the...
AylesburyEstate Arneis

Aylesbury Estate QO5 Arneis 2023

Five months in a mix of two and three year old French oak have given the wine the merest flick...
AylesburyEstate Vermentino

Aylesbury Estate QO5 Vermentino 2023

From the Ferguson Valley in the West, this increasingly popular Italian white has avoided oak contact having gone straight to...
AylesburyEstate Temperanillo

Aylesbury Estate QO5 Tempranillo 2022

This ever-popular Spanish variety might be a long way from home, here we have an example from the Ferguson Valley...
Kaesler The Bogan Shiraz web

Kaesler The Bogan Shiraz 2021

Maker Reid Bosward decided he’d have some fun with the name, having been dubbed a country bogan himself, he decided...
UMAMU SBS

UMAMU Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2019

The vineyards providing the fruit for this blend were planted in 1987 for the Sauvignon Blanc and 1997 for the...
UMAMU CHA

UMAMU Estate Chardonnay 2018

From vines planted by the family some twenty years earlier, the Margaret River region enjoyed its usual superb vintage in...
UMAMU SHI

UMAMU Estate Shiraz 2019

The vines for this single vineyard Shiraz were planted in 1978. The wine sees ten months in French oak barrels...
UMAMU CSM

UMAMU Estate Cabernet Merlot 2017

The colour for this fine Margaret River blend is an appealing dark cherry red. The nose gives us spices, dark...
UMAMU CAS

UMAMU Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

This Margaret River Cabernet has the benefit of a good stint in the cellar before release, to everyone’s advantage. That...
UMAMU MacAnn Cabernets

UMAMU Estate MacAnn Cabernets 2019

The wine is named as a tribute to the estate’s founders, Mac and Ann. It is a Bordeaux blend style...
UMAMU Cane Cut

UMAMU Estate Cane Cut Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Not often we see a wine first released with a decade of age under its belt. The Sauvignon Blanc vines...
SPEAK EASY GV

Speakeasy Grüner Veltliner Adelaide Hills 2018

The Adelaide Hills, from vineyards near Macclesfield in this case, continues to provide evidence as to why it is considered...
SPEAK EASY SHZ

Speakeasy Shiraz Adelaide Hills 2017

Cooler climate Shiraz continues to excite and few regions offer so many fine examples as the Adelaide Hills. Five days...
SPEAK EASY GW

Speakeasy Gewürztraminer Adelaide Hills 2018

A fresh and quite elegant style of Gewürztraminer from the Adelaide Hills, the Kuitpo sub-region. After fermentation in stainless steel,...
SPEAK EASY RIESLING

Speakeasy Riesling Adelaide Hills 2018

Plenty of rain earlier in the vintage, followed by warmer conditions, enabled the wine to exhibit both elegance and ripeness....
SPEAK EASY RIESLING

Speakeasy Riesling Adelaide Hills 2019

Similar winemaking procedures as with the 2020, this has a yellow gold hue and aromas of baked lemon pies. Again,...
SPEAK EASY RIESLING

Speakeasy Riesling Adelaide Hills 2020

Adelaide Hills may not have the accolades and stellar reputation of some of the older regions when it comes to...
Juniper Crossing OriginalWhite

Juniper Estate Crossing Original White 2023

Organic viticulture is practiced in the vineyards providing the fruit for this Sem Sauv blend, we have 65% Semillon and...
Juniper Crossing Original Red

Juniper Estate Crossing Original Red 2021

Not often one finds a delicious Marg River red for under twenty bucks, don’t miss out. The blend is Cabernet...
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Coulter Wines Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

The younger version of our local Super Tuscan previously noted, again with both varieties from the One Tree Hill Vineyard...
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Coulter Wines C6 Gamay 2023

Great to see serious winemakers taking on the Gamay challenge, for too long it has been seen as a lesser...
PIN HI RES WHITE

Coulter Wines C3 Pinot Noir 2023

From a collection of grapes from three sub-regions in the Adelaide Hills – Balhannah, Hahndorf and Carey Gully – there...
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Coulter Wines C1 Chardonnay 2023

This is a blend of the fruit from two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills and has resulted in a most...

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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