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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.
NV Ashmead Family Reserve ()

Elderton Ashmead Family Reserve #3 Shiraz 2024

Made from ancestor vines from Block 19 of the family vineyards at Nuriootpa, the wine spent fourteen months maturing in...
Cox Family Wines Tumbarumba Pinot Grigio

Cox Family Wines Tumbarumba Pinot Grigio 2025

Young and fresh, obviously, but from an excellent vintage for the Tumbarumba region. From a single, high altitude vineyard sitting...
Cox Family Wines Tumbarumba Pinot Gris

Cox Family Wines Tumbarumba Pinot Gris 2025

A straw hue for this pleasing style of Pinot Gris. As with the Grigio, notes of spicy stewed pears are...
Anna Spinato Valdobbiadene

Anna Spinato Valdobbiadene Superior Prosecco 2023

A wild ferment was followed by a month on lees before a further four weeks in tanks for the second...
Faustino Rivero Ulecia Organic Tempranillo

Faustino Rivero Ulecia Rioja Organic Tempranillo 2024

Organic Tempranillo from its home territory in Spain, this is fresh and young and bursting with flavour. Purple/maroon in colour,...
Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay

Anvers Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir Chardonnay Sparkling NV

A sparkler from the Adelaide Hills, this is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, made by the...
RBR Sauv Blanc NV bottle shot

Anvers Razorback Road Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2025

An appealing Adelaide Hills Savvy, just 1,580 six-packs made. A very pale straw hue, this is extremely aromatic. No need...
RBR Rose NV Bottle Shot

Anvers Razorback Road Adelaide Hills Rosé 2025

From the estate’s Razorback Road vineyard in the Adelaide Hills, 995 six-packs made. The fruit used here is Shiraz. The...
Riesling mockup

Clonakilla Riesling 2025

There are two types of wine lovers. Those who understand and appreciate the glory of Australian Riesling, and those who...
Rosily Merlot nonvint

Rosily Estate Merlot 2023

As always, this is a winery providing cracking value, as well as excellent drinking. This Margaret River Merlot has a...
Rosily SauvignonBlanc NoVint

Rosily Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2025

A traditional West Aussie Sem Savvy blend, but there is a dollop of Muscadelle as well, a la Sauternes, though...
BS Yates CW Cab Sav

Brand & Sons Yates Single Vineyard Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Superb Coonawarra Cabernet from a single vineyard. An opaque maroon hue. There is an exciting nose, which reveals lashings of...
Usual Suspects Vickery Polish Hill River Riesling Low

Vickery Polish Hill River Riesling 2024

There is no more famous name in Australian Riesling than that of John Vickery. Even though he has sadly left...
Estate Sauvignon blanc NV ()

Delatite Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2025

From a single vineyard on the estate, where the vines are between 30 and 40 years of age, 15% of...
High Ground Sauvignon blanc NV ()

Delatite High Ground Sauvignon Blanc 2024

The team have sourced fruit from northeast Victorian vineyards for 90% of this wine, along with 10% estate grown. The...
Estate 'MansField' White Blend ()

Delatite Mansfield Five White 2023

A blend of 38% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Riesling, 14% Pinot Gris, 12% Gewurztraminer and 10% Chardonnay, all grown biodynamically, wild...
Estate 'Devils River' Cabernet Merlot NV ()

Delatite Devil’s River 2020

If memory serves, this wine used to be especially minty in character, many years ago – very much a love-it-or-hate-it...
Estate 'Dungeon Gully' Melbec Merlot NV ()

Delatite Dungeon Gully 2022

A blend of Malbec, 75%, and Merlot, 25%, this is perhaps not the most common mix of varieties we encounter,...
Estate 'Deadman's Hill' Gewürztraminer NV ()

Delatite Gewürztraminer Deadman’s Hill 2024

Gewurztraminer has long been a specialty from this team. The vines used here range between 12 and 53 years in...
Briar Ridge Old Vines Shiraz

Briar Ridge Old Vines Shiraz 2023

Top value Shiraz made from estate vineyards in the Hunter Valley and Orange regions. The vineyards are 40 and 30...
Briar Ridge Homestead Merlot

Briar Ridge The Homestead Merlot 2021

From the Limestone Coast, the colour here is a blood red. The nose exhibits notes of dry herbs, red fruits,...
Briar Ridge The Squire Chardonnay

Briar Ridge The Squire Chardonnay 2024

The Squire Vineyard was the original name of the estate in the Hunter Valley and Chardonnay was the first white...
Majella cab sauv

Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

More absolutely stonking value to be had here. Coonawarra Cabernet from a great year at this price? Load up.  Magenta/purple...
Our Fathers SingVin Riesling AG sml

Thistledown Wines Our Fathers Single Vineyard Clare Valley Riesling 2023

A single vineyard Clare Riesling, all of the profits from this wine go to charity. A very pale lemon yellow...

Stories

PEN NV SpeRel CabShiraz SouthAus Superblend B Duo Cork

Penfolds Superblend

Every Australian winelover will surely be aware of just how much Penfolds love to release special wines, whether they have...
PEN La Chapelle Grange winemakers barrels

La Chapelle Grange 2022

The second release of this extraordinary Rhone/Aussie blend, crafted by two of the world’s great wineries, Jaboulet and Penfolds, has...
AMW Collection

Appellation Marlborough Wine Announces 2025 Annual Collection

A benchmark selection of certified Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) has announced its highly anticipated Annual Collection for...
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The Barossa Wine Guide 2026

By Ken Gargett, Andrew Caillard MW and Tony Love The Barossa is unquestionably Australia’s most famous wine region. Certainly not...
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...
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