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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.
cwc cabernet sauvignon nv

Curator Marananga Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

This wine sees only French oak hogsheads, around half of them new, for a year and a half. A fine...
CWCo BV Shiraz

Curator Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023

The fruit here is sourced from a range of plots from the estate Marananga vineyard. There are 10% whole bunches...
cwc bv seppetlsfield vineyard shiraz nv hr

Curator Seppeltsfield Vineyard Shiraz 2023

Always a superstar from the range, the Seppeltsfield vineyard which provided the fruit here was planted in the mid-1950s. A...
curator marananga vineyard bv shiraz nv

Curator Marananga Vineyard Shiraz 2023

From a range of plots in their estate Marananga vineyard, fermentation includes a small portion of whole bunches. Under Diam,...
cape jaffa wines cj epic drop shiraz bottle

Cape Jaffa Epic Drop Shiraz 2022

From the same Mt Benson estate blocks of Shiraz as for the En Soleil Shiraz, it has also spent a...
cape jaffa wines en soleil shiraz bottle

Cape Jaffa En Soleil Shiraz 2022

From estate vineyards in the Mt Benson region, maturation was for twelve months in older oak. An opaque maroon with...
cape jaffa wines la lune shiraz bottle

Cape Jaffa La Lune Shiraz 2019

From the team’s estate vineyard at Mt Benson, specifically Block 6, this already has considerable time under its belt before...
PEN Grange Shz SouthAus FB Cork

Penfolds Grange 2021

Always the focus of the Collection, especially so when it hails from what has become a legendary vintage. The expectations...
PEN Bin CabSauv SouthAus GEX FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Bin 407 is never my favourite red from the annual release – there is always better value, and more excitement,...
PEN Bin GrenShzMat FB Cork AUS

Penfolds Bin 138 Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2023

This vintage, the blend is 56% Grenache, 38% Shiraz and 6% Mataro. Maturation was for a year in a mix...
PEN MagillEstate Shz SouthAus GEX FB Cork

Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 2023

A stunning Magill, Penfolds’ single vineyard release. 100% Shiraz, maturation is for seventeen months in a mix of French barriques,...
PEN Bin CabSauv SouthAus FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

This vintage hails from vineyards in McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Padthaway. Maturation is in American oak for a year...
PEN RWT Bin Shz BValley GEX FB Cork

Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023

Penfolds’ non-Grange Barossa Shiraz. 100% French oak, all hogsheads, with 69% new, the remaining 31% one-year-old, this cracking red certainly...
PEN StHenri Shz SouthAus AUS FB Cork

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2022

This is certainly a very fine St Henri, although unlikely to sit with the absolute greats. Maturation is a very...
PEN Bin CabSauvShir SouthAus AUS FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2023

Always a star of the Collection, year after year. The blend, as it almost always is, falls marginally in favour...
PEN Bin Shz Marananga FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2023

A very successful, sub-regional release from the heart of the Barossa, maturation is for 17 months, in a mix of...
PEN Bin Shz Coonawarra AUS FB Cork ()

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2023

A cooler climate Coonawarra Shiraz, maturation was for a year in French oak hogsheads, 26% new and 39% one-year-old. An...
PEN Bin Shz GEX FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2023

Today, the fruit is sourced from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Padthaway, rather than just the Kalimna vineyard which...
PEN BinA Chard AHills AUS FB SC

Penfolds Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2024

Bin A is sourced from the Adelaide Hills. It enjoys full barrel fermentation, part of which is with natural yeasts,...
PEN Bin PNoir Tasmania GEX FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir 2024

The fruit here is sourced from Tasmania and maturation is in French oak barriques, 30% of which were new, with...
PEN Yattarna Chard Yattarna AUS FB SC

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2023

The fruit for this very fine Yattarna, a standout for the vintage, comes from Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. The...
PEN Bin Chard MultiRegion AUS FB SC

Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay 2024

The fruit for this fine release of Bin 311 is sourced from vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and Tumbarumba....
PEN Bin Riesling EValley AUS FB SC

Penfolds Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2025

A classic Bin 51. It might be early days but this wine suggests that the Eden Valley has enjoyed another...
Krondorf Settlers Shiraz bottle shot

Krondorf 121 Settlers Shiraz 2021

The reincarnation of a winery on which many of today’s wine lovers cut their teeth, this is their prestige release...

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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