IMG

Lisa Cardelli

Lisa Cardelli is an Italian-born wine professional who has been based in Melbourne since 2010. She worked as a sommelier in some of the city’s leading fine-dining restaurants for over ten years before leaving hospitality to become a wine sales representative. Lisa is now a journalist for Il Globo, the newspaper for Italians in Australia and around the world, where she also curates her own wine column. She continues to write about wine for both local and international publications and is on track to become one of the few prolific bilingual wine writers in Australia. A certified WSET Educator, she teaches at various venues across Melbourne. She also judges at local wine shows and for the prestigious Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards. Lisa was the recipient of the 2022 Wine Communicators of Australia award for Best Published Feature Article, a finalist for the same award in 2024, the recipient of the 2022 Sydney Royal Wine Professional Development Scholarship sponsored by the Len Evans Foundation, and one of twelve carefully selected Len Evans Scholars in 2024.
NV CH Syrah Blewitt Springs Syrah transparent background

Chalk Hill Blewitt Springs Syrah 2021

A Syrah that is all about olive tapenade, blueberry and black cherry preserves, vanilla musk with crushed black pepper. Granular,...
NV CH Europa Cabernet Sauvignon

Chalk Hill Europa Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

The potent vegetal character of green bell pepper stands right at the front. It then leaves space for graphite, dried...
Monchiero Barolo del Comune di La Morra

Monchiero Barolo La Morra 2020

A pretty, ethereal Barolo, the fruit from Roere di Santa Maria in La Morra. It mixes delicious red berries, fresh...
Monchiero Langhe nebbiolo

Monchiero Langhe Nebbiolo 2022

This is a fresh-from-the-boat Nebbiolo, bottled four weeks ago. It is an elegant example, and despite the warmer vintage, is...
Monchiero Langhe nebbiolo Anfora

Monchiero Langhe Nebbiolo Anfora 2022

The wine was only bottled four weeks ago and is the second release of Anfora, from a minute production of...

La Kooki Local Knowledge Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

While smelling this Cabernet Sauvignon, I can’t help but picture myself standing on a rocky cliff somewhere in Margaret River...
winepilot Paxton Grenache

Paxton Grenache 2022

The nose shows a generous array of black cherries, red plums, vanilla with musk sticks, sarsaparilla and eucalyptus. Whole bunches...
winepilot Paxton Sangiovese

Paxton Sangiovese 2022

Winemaker, Ashleigh Seymour once told me (in perfect Italian) that she has worked a few years in Italy, particularly Tuscany....
winepilot Paxton Queen of the Hive Light Red

Paxton Queen of the Hive Light Red 2023

A joyful and easy-going blend of Shiraz (92%) and Grenache (8%). Red and blue berries are spiced up and sweetened;...
winepilot Paxton Griseo

Paxton Griseo Pinot Gris 2023

A salmon-like colour for this McLaren Vale Pinot Gris left on skins for five days. Griseo means grey in Latin., and...
Platinetti Ghemme

Platinetti Guido Ghemme 2019

As for the previous two wines from Platinetti, fruit comes from the Ronco Maso vineyard. The difference here is the vines’ age:...
La Kooki NV Rose Blonde DE

La Kooki Rosé Blonde 2023

A very light-coloured rosé; more like a golden yellow with a gingery tinge than a rosé. White cherries, wild strawberries,...
Boya Chardonnay

La Kooki Boya Chardonnay 2021

At first glance, it’s reminiscent of a textbook Margaret River Chardonnay: a medley of vanilla, fresh cream, melted butter, raw...
LK Ries GS

La Kooki Riesling 2023

Lemon sherbet, mandarin peel, jasmine, mint granita. A textural Great Southern Riesling with that sherbet-like acidity and plenty of flesh...
NV AC Titan Cab jpg

Chalk Hill Alpha Crucis Titan Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Balsamic notes of camphor and cedar wood on opening. Following are dried rosemary, black olives, roasted capsicum, black liquorice, preserved...
NV Titan Shiraz jpg

Chalk Hill Alpha Crucis Titan Shiraz 2020

Like an incense perfume with earthy, smoky, balsamic, sweet and spicy aromas. An intense array of wild blue and black...
Monchiero Comune La Morra

Monchiero del Comune di La Morra Barolo 2019

Wild red berries, potpourri, leather, amaro tang, terracotta, tar-mineral undertone. Strong tannic presence but wow those tannins are elegant. The...
Monchieronebbiolod Alba

Monchiero Nebbiolo d’Alba 2021

A refined, aristocratic Nebbiolo. Polished red cherries, cranberries, red currant, notes of tar and sweet tobacco. Fruity upfront, it’s moreish...
VignetiCostacurta Ghemme ()

Vigneti Costacurta Ghemme 2019

When I compare the Vigneti Costacurta to Platinetti Guido, I feel a more modern approach here. Such as a new...
vespolina

Platinetti Guido Colline Novaresi Vespolina 2021

Vespolina is primarily considered a good blending buddy in cool years, acting like Merlot for the rockstar Cabernet Sauvignon. As...
Platinetti nebbiolo

Platinetti Guido Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo 2021

From 45 year old vines on glacial soil in Ghemme, Alto Piemonte. Only large barrels used in the winery. Andrea...
Podere Sass Russ

Podere ai Valloni Sass Russ 2020

From one of the oldest wineries in Boca, Alto Piemonte. Certified organic, it’s a blend of 70% Spanna (Nebbiolo), 30%...
Nepenthe Pinnacle Nebbiolo ()

Nepenthe Pinnacle Nebbiolo 2021

Dried cranberries, smoked orange zest, amaro notes that cut through the dried red rose and tarry elements of this Adelaide...
cw ledger grüner veltliner

Collector Ledger Grüner Veltliner 2022

Kaffir lime leaf, horseradish root, celery, there is a mild spiciness in this Tumbarumba Grüner, almost like having a ceviche...

Stories

Central Dozen

A Dozen Reasons to Look South

A selection of Central Otago Pinot Noir from 2023 Call it a natural attraction to the pull of lands at...
Lifestyle

Uncorking Trentino with Gruppo Mezzacorona

Long gone are the days when Trentino, in the far north of Italy, was seen merely as a seasonal playground...
McWilliams Tawny Port

Calabria Family Wines: 80 years in the making

It was the end of the 1920s when Francesco Calabria decided to leave his homeland in Southern Italy in search...
Webicon

The Langhorne Creek Wine Guide 2026

By Lisa Cardelli Often described as the “workhorse” or “blending bowl” of major South Australian wine brands, Langhorne Creek has...
House of Arras th Anniversary ()

House of Arras: Defying Time and Expectations

A Burgundy expert once told me that white Burgundy wouldn’t age gracefully past ten years. The hot take there was...
Te Muna Vineyard

Craggy Range: Attention to Detail into the Future

At the end of the last (sigh again) Family of Twelve Tutorial in 2019, I was generously hosted by the...
winepilot