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Nicole Bilson

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.
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Yering Station Reserve Chardonnay 2020

Pristine fruit with elegance and restraint. I could stop there but I won’t because I have so much more to...

Devil’s Corner Mt Dove Pinot Syrah 2020

With 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Syrah (Shiraz), this quirky blend is starting to show up more often; balancing the...

Tamar Ridge Research Series Pinot Noir 2020

The Research Series is where the winemakers get to play, trialing new techniques in the vineyard and winery. This beauty...

Tamar Ridge Single Block Pinot Noir 2020

The fruit for this wine comes from a single block on Tamar Ridge’s Karena vineyard which is planted to the...

Devil’s Corner Mt Amos 2019

Have you ever walked around a lush rose garden and buried your nose into blooms of different colours? I suggest...

Pipers Tasmania Cuvée Sparkling NV

Tasmanian sparkling is here to fill the Champagne shortage and, with the level of quality at this price point, Pipers...

Pipers Tasmania Rosé 2020

Pale salmon in colour and gorgeously savoury with aromas of white strawberries, pressed watermelon, and a hint of Provençal herbs. On...

Cloak & Dagger Pinot Grigio 2021

On the nose my first thought is heritage apples – you know the kind, full of character, how apples are...

Cloak & Dagger Prosecco 2021

A mysterious name for an incredibly vibrant Prosecco – no mystery here. On the nose it’s tangy apple sherbet and...

Peter Lehmann Portrait Grenache Rosé 2021

My goodness this is pretty! There’s a new colourful tweak to the classic label design and an elegant bottle shape...

Pizzini Pinot Grigio 2021

This is so pretty, like the blossom-scented air of early-spring. Add to that perfect afternoon the fragrance of crisp fruit...

Pizzini Il Soffio Prosecco 2019

Il Soffio loosely translates to “the breath”;  the name of a cooling breeze that sweeps through the King Valley in the...

Brand’s Laira Blockers Chardonnay 2019

Such lush rich ripe fruit! This wine smells like the peak of summer with dripping yellow peaches and large juicy...

Brand’s Laira Blockers Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

This is serious Cabernet at a very “drink-me-now” price. Ripe blackcurrant, plum jam, and dense, rich, black forest cake filled...

Pizzini Rubacuori Sangiovese 2016

You’ve heard of single vineyard wines; prized for their premium soil or location. Having championed Sangiovese for more than 30...

Brand’s Laira The Marching Captain Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Ripe blackberries and blueberries leap from the glass. Coonawarra is known for its distinctive choc mint Cabernet and this doesn’t...

Brand’s Laira The Marching Captain Chardonnay 2021

What a pretty chardonnay! A very delicate oak influence, showing up just as a hint of fragrant vanilla, allows a...

Pizzini Coronamento Nebbiolo 2016

As one of the pioneers of Nebbiolo in Australia, the Pizzini family have an offering at every price point. For...

Vinea Marson Nebbiolo 2015

What an alluring creature this is. Australian Nebbiolo is often a lot more fruit forward that its Italian counterparts; but...

Oliver’s Taranga Mencía 2020

Mencía is a Spanish grape variety, celebrated particularly in the north west. Its affinity for a climate that is both...

Oliver’s Taranga Vermentino 2021

Jasmine, frangipani and passionfruit blossoms drift from the glass – the scent of an early evening summer breeze in a...

Oliver’s Taranga Fiano 2021

This wine is all about the joyful scents of childhood –  strawberry sherbet, lime cordial, big juicy wedges of honeydew and...

Oliver’s Taranga Grenache 2020

There’s plenty to love about this smashable Grenache from a region really championing the variety. Initially it’s all ripe black...

Oliver’s Taranga Shiraz 2019

The colour is fabulous, the hue of the mulberries, picked straight off the tree, that stained my lips in the...

Stories

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One to One by Oxford Landing

I first encountered Oxford Landing in 2015. It was the affordably priced wine on the huge portfolio I was navigating...
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Riverlife by Oxford Landing

Oxford Landing has a long reputation for good, affordable wines, well loved by the glass at the local pub. With...

Chalmers: Future-Proofing Wine

Like it or not, the traditional grape varieties that built Australia’s reputation as a great place to make wine are...

New Vine to Wine range from Mitchelton

There’s romance in a cellar door surrounded by vines and wines that tell the story of their place as Mitchelton...

What makes a wine great – it’s not what you’d think…

It was a bustling Saturday night in one of Melbourne’s hipster suburbs in a raved-about venue. Thick coats, moments before...

Eggstravagant Wines

I was standing in a queue at the checkout when a woman winked at me and said “There’s going to...
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