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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.
mw mcnicol cv riesling

Mitchell McNicol Clare Riesling 2014

From a single vineyard in the Sevenhill sub-region, this is a superb example of an aged Riesling and there are...
Knee Deep Third Rule Cabernet Sauvignon

Knee Deep Third Rule Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

A cracking Margaret River Cabernet, enjoyable now, but a wine which has more than a decade of providing pleasure ahead...
Knee Deep Birdhouse Cabernet Sauvignon

Knee Deep Birdhouse Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Another very fine Margaret River Cabernet, only in the shadow of its elder sibling by virtue of that wine enjoying...
Knee Deep Birdhouse Cabernet Sauvignon

Knee Deep Birdhouse Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

A very fine Margaret River Cabernet which has spent a year in French oak, 15% of which was new, before...
Undercover Shiraz non vint

Pertaringa Undercover Shiraz 2022

An absolutely cracking McLaren Vale Shiraz from a top vintage, what more could you want? Small batch ferment, eight days...
Knee Deep Third Rule Chardonnay

Knee Deep Third Rule Chardonnay 2022

Racking to French oak and lees stirring helped imbue this fine Margaret River Chardy with extra textural aspects and complexity....
Knee Deep Birdhouse Chardonnay

Knee Deep Birdhouse Chardonnay 2022

Margaret River has proven itself ground zero for great Aussie Chardonnay, both pointy end and top value examples. This excellent...
Arila Single Vineyard Sand Gardens Grenache

Arila Gardens Grenache Sand Gardens 2022

Old vine Barossa Grenache continues to garner fans, so it should, as one of the great Aussie wine styles. This...
Single Vineyard Ironstone and Quartz Gardens Shiraz

Arila Gardens Shiraz Ironstone and Quartz Gardens 2022

From the Moppa sub-region, this release might possibly top the spectacular 2021, it is a cracker. From a single vineyard,...
NEW Montsable Reserve Red

Montsable Reserve Pinot Noir 2021

The Reserve selection sees the best of the fruit selected for time in a mix of new and older French...
NEW Montsable Red

Montsable Pinot Noir 2021

From the Haute Vallée de l’Aude IGP in the Mediterranean region, the fruit undergoes gentle extraction by way of punching...
NEW Montsable Reserve White

Montsable Reserve Chardonnay 2021

The wind known as the Vent Cers, together with the altitude, contributes to this region in the Mediterranean, the Haute...
NEW Montsable White

Montsable Chardonnay 2021

The grapes here hail from the Haute Vallée of Limoux, which are some of the cooler vineyards in the region....
waw the opportunist shiraz web

Wild and Wilder The Opportunist Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2022

No secret that I am a big fan of the red wines of Langhorne Creek and this is another very...
Pride Of Erin Riesling

Erin Eyes Pride of Erin Single Vineyard Riesling 2023

From a single vineyard in the Clare Valley, this superb Riesling may take a touch longer to hit its straps...
Emerald Isle Riesling

Erin Eyes Emerald Isle Riesling 2023

The cracking Clare Valley Rieslings from 2023 just keep coming – a wonderful thing for all lovers of this great...
Ghostgum Pinot Noir Wine Pilot

Ghostgum Vineyards Pinot Noir 2021

From this new operation at Main Ridge on the Mornington Peninsula, one of the finest sites in the Southern Hemisphere...
Ghostgum Chardonnay Wine Pilot

Ghostgum Vineyards Chardonnay 2021

This is a new and exciting name on the wine scene. A superb Chardonnay from east-facing vineyards at Main Ridge...
Peos Estate Four Aces Cabernet Sauvignon

Peos Estate Four Aces Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

A thoroughly impressive Cabernet in an opaque mauve/maroon colour. The oak is well integrated and continuing the process. The aromas...
Peos Estate Four Aces Cabernet Sauvignon

Peos Estate Four Aces Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

From a single vineyard in Manjimup, near Pemberton, the wine spent seventeen months maturing in French oak. Deep maroon hue,...
Peos Estate Four Kings Cab Sauv

Peos Estate Four Kings Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Nineteen months in a mix of new and older French oak for this fine Cabernet from a single vineyard at...
Peos Estate Four Aces Shiraz

Peos Estate Four Aces Shiraz 2020

The fruit here hails from a single vineyard at Manjimup near Pemberton in Western Australia. After fermentation, it spent fourteen...
Peos Estate Four Kings Shiraz

Peos Estate Four Kings Shiraz 2021

A single vineyard wine, the colour here is dark maroon. A savoury style with notes of leather, soy, licorice, animal...
Peos Estate Four Kings Shiraz

Peos Estate Four Kings Shiraz 2020

The fruit for this Shiraz, from a single vineyard at Manjimup near Pemberton, spent ten days on skins in stainless...

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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