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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.
Ulithorne Frux Frugis Shiraz

Ulithorne Frux Frugis McLaren Vale Shiraz 2021

2021 was a great vintage in the McLaren Vale region and it is fabulous to still see wines from that...
Archery Road Longbow Shiraz

Archery Road Longbow Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022

From the excellent 2022 vintage, the grapes were sourced from vineyards in the southwest of the Barossa Valley. The vineyards...
Bone Dry Shiraz NV

Bone Dry Shiraz 2024

South Australian Shiraz from Terra Rosa soils which saw skin contact for between ten and eighteen days before a fermentation...
NV Across the Creek Shiraz

Bethany Blue Quarry Across the Creek Vineyard Shiraz 2024

The fruit here comes from the team’s vineyard with the highest elevation (300 metres above sea level) and which they...
NV Contours Gren

Bethany Blue Quarry Contours Vineyard Grenache 2024

The fruit is sourced from what the team call the Survivor Grenache, planted just below their winery, which they believe...
NV Bethanien Sth

Bethany Blue Quarry Bethanien South Vineyard Shiraz 2024

The fruit here is sourced from this classic Barossa Valley vineyard, which was planted in 1992. Maturation is in French...
NV Manse

Bethany Blue Quarry Manse Vineyard Grenache 2024

The fruit here is sourced from centenarian bush vines, planted in 1924, in their Manse Block. Crimson/garnet, on the nose...
rings cabernet sauvignon nv shiraz

3 Rings Barossa Valley Cabernet Shiraz 2024

The fruit for this Barossa Valley Cabernet Shiraz is picked from the Estate’s Biscay Road Vineyard. Maturation is in a...
rings cabernet sauvignon nv fx

3 Rings Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2024

As with the Cab Shiraz, the fruit for this Barossa Valley Cabernet hails from the Estate’s Biscay Road Vineyard and...
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Clonakilla Viognier 2025

Is this the most famous Viognier in Australia. Let’s say close, but the prize probably goes to the component that...
Howard Park Chardonnay x

Howard Park Margaret River Chardonnay 2025

The fruit here comes from the Allingham Vineyard in Margaret River, specifically the Karridale sub-region which is located to the...
Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc x

Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc 2025

Designated as hailing from what must surely be one of the largest geographical regions on the planet, Western Australia, but...
Mon Tout Cherry Picking

Mon Tout Cherry Picking Grenache 2025

Grenache from the Swan Valley, which was a combination of whole bunches, whole berries and again, “concrete contacted batches”, before...
Mon Tout Heydays

Mon Tout Heydays Chardonnay 2025

Chardonnay from Pemberton was fermented with wild yeasts, in a mix of 500-litre old French oak puncheons and ceramic eggs....
Mon Tout Strange Love

Mon Tout Strange Love Rosé 2025

We are not given a reason for the naming of this wine, ‘Strange Love’, and perhaps it is better not...
Mon Tout Long Play

Mon Tout Long Play Chenin Blanc 2025

Mon Tout Wines from the Margaret River region are Howard Park, but just not as you know it. Second generation,...
PEN RWT Bin Shz BValley GEX FB Cork

Penfolds Bin 798 RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2024

by Ken Gargett Maturation is in French oak hogsheads, 82% of them new, for a period of fourteen months. The...
PEN Bin Grenache Cork

Penfolds Bin 21 Grenache 2025

by Ken Gargett Marananga is never short on colour or boldness of personality. Picked ripe, it has the capacity to...
PEN Bin Shz Cork ()

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2024

by Ken Gargett The fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Fleurieu. Maturation is...
PEN MagillEstate Shz Cork ()

Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 2024

by Ken Gargett 100% Shiraz, maturation is for a year and a half in new French oak hogsheads (67%) and...
Nightfall Perseus Cab Sav

Nightfall Perseus The Hero Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

From an excellent vintage for the Coonawarra region, this is a very small production release from their prestige Nightfall series....
nightfall norma CabSav x ()

Nightfall Norma The Benchmark Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Another in the Nightfall series from this highly regarded Coonawarra vintage. This is a bit special. Very dark maroon with...
Tapanappa FoggyHill PinotNoir

Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2025

2025 was a warmer vintage on the Fleurieu Peninsula, though for Pinot Noir, that is something which is not always...
Tapanappa Definitus PinotNoir

Tapanappa Definitus Pinot Noir 2023

If one may begin with the bottom line, this is the best Definitus Pinot Noir I have seen. Indeed, I’m...

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James&Nat

Main Ridge Estate

Main Ridge Estate is a rather curious winery. Essential to the history of Mornington Peninsula and responsible for decades of...
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There is surely no wine region in this country which has more elite wineries than Margaret River. The advantage for...
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...
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