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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.
Lumenval

Golden Amrita Lumenval Moppa Shiraz 2020

From their Moppa vineyard, this is the first release of this wine. There is a small percentage of whole bunches...
Sunshine Hill

Golden Amrita Sunshine Hill Shiraz 2021

This is surely one of the bargains of the Barossa. The fruit is sourced from two vineyards – one Greenock...
Windowrie Sakura Shiraz

Windowrie Sakura Shiraz 2023

The range represents organic wines from the Central Ranges. This cool climate Shiraz spent a year and a half maturing...
Windowrie Botobolar Shiraz

Windowrie Botobolar Shiraz 2024

From the Central Ranges, this name has been synonymous with organics, and preservative free wines for many years. They use...
Windowrie Sakura Cab Sauv

Windowrie Sakura Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

A pleasing cooler climate Cabernet from organic fruit from the Central Ranges. The wine enjoyed almost two weeks of skin...
Windowrie The Mill Chardonnay

Windowrie The Mill Chardonnay 2024

 Organic Chardonnay from the Central Ranges, fermentation was in stainless steel, followed by a further four months on lees. The...
Windowrie Sakura Chardonnay

Windowrie Sakura Chardonnay 2023

The Sakura range is fruit sourced from organic fruit grown in the estate’s Homestead blocks in the Central Ranges. The...
Swinney Syrah

Swinney Syrah 2023

A superb Syrah (Shiraz) from Frankland River, which includes newly introduced clones, 470 and 171. The fruit comes from their...
Swinney Mourvedre Rosé

Swinney Mourvèdre Rosé 2024

The previous vintage was for me, the best Australian Rosé I have yet seen. This one is certainly comparable. Small...
Swinney Riesling

Swinney Riesling 2024

A very fine Frankland River Riesling, these guys impress more and more every time one sees their wines. Deep lemon...
Swinney Grenache

Swinney Grenache 2023

Been said before, but this far distant region in Western Australia is not supposed to be making some of the...
Swinney Mourvedre

Swinney Mourvèdre 2023

The fruit here comes from dry-grown bush vines in the Swinney Wilson’s Pool vineyard. Hand-picked, destemmed, though 30% whole bunches...
Gomersal Reserve Shiraz

Gomersal Reserve Shiraz 2021

This is seriously good value. The wine spends ten days fermenting on skins before twenty-two months in a combination of...
Gomersal Lyndoch Road Shiraz Mataro NV

Gomersal Lyndoch Road Shiraz Mataro 2021

The wine spent twenty-two months maturing in a mix of new and older American oak hogsheads. It is dominated by...
Gomersal Grenache Shiraz Mataro

Gomersal GSM 2021

Good value to be found in this Barossa version of the famous Rhone blend. The wine spent a year and...
thRelease DAOSA Natural Re?serve

Daosa Natural Reserve 7th Release NV

This very fine sparkler hails largely from the 2022 vintage, superb in the Piccadilly region, with reserve material from 2020...
Daosa Rose Trans()

Daosa Rosé 2022

Mostly Meunier (66%) from an array of blocks, with disgorgement in September 2024, giving it twenty-two months on lees. The...
daosa

Daosa Blanc de Blancs 2020

For me, this is the Daosa sparkler that always impresses just a little more than its siblings. That it has...
sjr blood and courage shiraz

St John’s Road Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2021

The team aim for power with elegance. Maturation was for twelve months in a combination of French oak barriques and...
Vickery Eden Valley Riesling Low Res

Vickery Eden Valley Riesling 2024

From another cracking vintage, a little pressings is added here and fermentation is in stainless steel, as usual. The fruit...
Usual Suspects Vickery Eden Valley Mason Woodcarvers Vineyard Riesling low res

Vickery Eden Valley Woodcarver’s Vineyard Riesling 2021

Whether 2021 is the finest vintage of the last decade in the region is something that will inevitably be the...
sjr blood and courage reserve shiraz

St John’s Road Reserve Blood and Courage Barossa Shiraz 2020

For their Reserve, the team select the best eight barrels of Shiraz from the vintage. The wine spent eighteen months...
Lake Doctor Shiraz

Zonte’s Footsteps Lake Doctor Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

So many fabulous reds from Langhorne Creek sneak under the radar and this is yet another, although previous vintages have...
Blackberry Patch

Zonte’s Footsteps Blackberry Patch Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

No one is coming here seeking a Bordeaux-like clone of Cabernet, all structure and school prefect. They want flavour. Endless...

Stories

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...

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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