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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.

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...

Oliver’s Taranga Tempranillo 2020

This wine oozes black cherries, so ripe they are ready to burst. Sultry, spicy, smoked cola, and slow-roasted beef aromas...

Vinea Marson Barbera 2019

Oooh I just want to keep smelling this! There’s cherry compote, freeze dried raspberries, red frogs, cola, inky dark blueberries,...

Vinea Marson Friulano #7 2017

Winemakers in the Friuli region of north-east Italy have been making skin contact wines well before it was cool (you...

Brown Brothers Prosecco Premium Brut NV

Prosecco is adored for its sparkling fun and zesty fruit, often fairly straightforward and simple. But Prosecco can also be...

Devil’s Corner Resolution Chardonnay 2018

Wild chamomile and lemon blossoms lead into aromas of intensely concentrated yellow nectarines, and a mound of lemon rinds –...

atmata Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2021

This Sauvignon Blanc is the latest addition to atmata’s organic, vegan, minimal intervention and very affordable range. Atmata means ‘essence from...

De Bortoli Petit Moscato NV

Designed to be enjoyed now, The Muscat family, quite a diverse group of characters, are often used to make Moscato...

Pachamama Chardonnay, Yarra Valley VIC 2020

Callie Jemmeson and Nina Stocker, the duo behind Pachamama, sure know how to make Chardonnay. Last year’s vintage was a...

2019 Pachamama Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

Callie Jemmeson and Nina Stocker are the dynamic young winemakers behind the Pachamama label. They work with growers to make...

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Rum Barrel Aged Merlot 2018

As I swirled the glass, plum jam and toasty oak filled the air. There’s black cherries and blackberries with the rum...

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Buttery Chardonnay 2019

I think chardonnay might be my favourite white variety. I adore it for its versatility and range of styles. But...

Barossa Boy Little Tacker Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2018

As I pour the wine it immediately offers up sun-warmed yellow-fleshed plums. There’s Sarsaparilla – if you grew up in...

Brokenwood Rosato 2021

Red wine in winter, white and rosé in summer, sparkling wine for celebrations. Is it just me, or do you...

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...
OL Riverlife copy

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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