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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.

Oliver’s Taranga Chica Mencía Rosé 2022

Mencía is a Spanish variety hailing from the northwest that shows juicy fruit with a lovely savoury, spicy, herbal undertone....

Oliver’s Taranga Fiano 2022

This is what summer smells like: fleshy fresh chunks of honeydew and rockmelon, juicy mandarin and pink grapefruit segments, lemon...

Oliver’s Taranga Vermentino 2022

Vermentino is emerging as one of the white Italian varieties perfectly suited to the tastes of Australian wine lovers –...

Vinea Marson Nebbiolo 2016

Glistening garnet highlights in the glass hint at the age but there’s still so much freshness – red plums, macerated...

Vinea Marson Sangiovese 2017

At first swirl, I was taken to an elegant drawing room and the feeling and aromas of sinking into a...

Quilty & Gransden Chardonnay 2019

Purity and elegance on the nose with lemon zest and a flinty minerality. There is some subtle oak contributing just...

Quilty & Gransden Merlot 2018

This wine is proof that merlot can be nuanced and interesting. There are bright red plums, blackberries and blueberries –...

Quilty & Gransden Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

What a charmer! Star anise and dense blackberry bushes – both the lush green foliage and the plump juicy berries....

Quilty & Gransden Shiraz 2018

Dense dark blackberry coulis and licorice erupt from the glass. There’s dark, cocoa-rich Black Forest cake and freshly picked Provençal...

Quilty & Gransden Sauvignon Blanc 2020

This is a beautifully restrained example of Sauvignon Blanc, showing more in common with Sancerre than Marlborough. There’s plenty of...
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Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2020

What a beauty! Black cherries, pressed violets, strawberries and cream – the aromas erupt from the glass as you pour....
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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...

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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