Avatar photo

Ray Jordan

Ray Jordan has been writing about wine for more than 40 years. His first articles were published in the early issues of national wine magazine Winestate in the late 1970s when he worked in Sydney as a newspaper correspondent. From 1989 Ray wrote more than 3000 columns as a regular newspaper wine columnist. He currently writes a regular column for the special business publication Business News and is one of the main contributors to national wine platform Wine Pilot. In 2017 Ray co-authored The Way it Was – A History of The Early Days of the Margaret River Wine Industry and previously wrote Wine in the Blood: Australia’s Family Wine Estates, published in Mandarin and English. In 2011 Ray was awarded WA Wine Press Club Jack Mann Memorial Medal for his contribution to the WA wine industry. His love of wine is as strong as his love of the blues and tasting the thousands of wines that cross his bench each year allows him to indulge in both.
pinot noir

Bell & Gong Valleyfield Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024

This is a wonderful example of Tassie Pinot. The nose displays bright red fruits with just a subtle, slightly damp...
pinot gris

Bell & Gong Valleyfield Vineyard Pinot Gris 2025

The early morning picking from this Valleyfield Vineyard at Longford in Tasmania has been designed to retain the vibrant, crunchy...
Attunga Shiraz NV updated

Kilikanoon Attunga 1865 Shiraz 2020

An exceptional single-vineyard wine from vines that were planted back in 1865. Just 12 rows of these vines remain, but...
kilikanoon baudinet grenache shiraz mataro nv

Kilikanoon Baudinet Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2022

A classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. The fruit comes from throughout Clare,...
kilikanoon covenant cv shiraz nv

Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz 2022

The colour for this first-rate wine shows a brilliant, bright red and slight crimson hues. The nose captures the varietal...
NV Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache

Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache 2023

This turned out to be a pretty good season in Clare, resulting in some first-rate red wines. The Grenache comes...
Chapman Grove Reserve Cabernet

Chapman Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2020

Despite the challenges of trying to manage Covid this very short and compacted vintage produced some excellent flavours Cabernet in...
Chapman Grove NV Cabernet Merlot

Chapman Grove Cabernet Merlot 2017

Fragrant medium-bodied Cabernet Merlot from this cooler year which has produced elegant and stylish wines of subtle expression. Slightly chocolaty,...
Chapman Grove Reserve SSB

Chapman Grove Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2016

Okay, so there is a belief that this blend doesn’t age too well. But here is a wine that has...
Chapman Grove NV Reserve Shiraz jpg Reduced

Chapman Grove Shiraz Reserve 2014

Wow, what a pleasure to see a fully mature red wine from this great Margaret River vintage. It’s drinking so...
Pinot Noir

Beresford Wines Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2024

The prettiness and beauty of this excellent season in the Adelaide Hills is certainly captured in this most stylish expression...
BW Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz NV

Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 2023

This is one of Australia’s most famous Shiraz. It comes off extremely low-yielding 55-year-old Hunter Valley vines and consistently produces...
Pinotage NV

O’Leary Walker Pinotage 2024

Okay. Let me say from the start, when I first tasted Pinotage many years ago, I thought it was a...
Devitt&Moore Sunderland Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Devitt & Moore Sunderland Shiraz 2022

This is a Shiraz from the Limestone Coast showing slightly bolder and more assertive plush fruit characters. The colour is...
Schoolhouse Headmaster Pinot Gris LC NV

School House Headmaster Pinot Gris 2025

Ticks all the boxes for a light and fragrant example of this Italian variety from the Limestone Coast. Opens with...
Bull Trader Cabmerlot

Reschke Bull Trader Cabernet Merlot 2021

This was an outstanding season in Coonawarra, and it’s reflected in this thoroughly delightful Cabernet Merlot blend. The colour is...
Stepping Stone shz v

Stonehaven Stepping Stone Shiraz 2022

The cooler climes of the Limestone Coast produce wines of suppleness and medium weight, but with well-rounded fruit and excellent...
Bull Trader shz v

Reschke Bull Trader Shiraz 2022

The first thing that strikes is the deep, dark, opaque colour. This is a soft and generous, more full-bodied Shiraz...
MagareyLane LC Shiraz

Magarey Lane Single Vineyard Shiraz 2022

This is a wine with excellent fruit concentration and richness, yet it delivers with a fine, understated medium body. The...
ThompsonSteer CW ShirazNV

Thompson Steer Shiraz 2021

Bright and buoyant Shiraz displaying concentrated dark fruits, with richer red berry and slight cherry influences concentrating within the palate....
Devitt&Moore William Pile Shiraz NV ()

Devitt & Moore William Pile Shiraz 2022

This is an impressive, generous and full-bodied Shiraz from Coonawarra. It opens with what you would expect — blackberry, subtle...
ThompsonSteer CW ShirazNV

Thompson Steer Shiraz 2022

A plush and supple Shiraz with succulent, juicy fruit flavours on the palate. The nose shows dominant dark plummy notes...
Ben Schild Cellar Release

Schild Estate Ben Schild Cellar Release Shiraz 2017

This comes from the Three Springs property in the Barossa Valley near Rowland Flat. It was open fermented and matured...
anvers kingsway ah shiraz

Anvers Kingsway Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2021

From a season that was nigh on perfect, this is a mighty impressive Shiraz from the Adelaide Hills. It’s medium-bodied,...

Stories

Hayes Family Wines

Hayes Family Wines is a relatively new name for the Barossa Valley, but its roots date back to the middle...

Elderton in Form

It’s one of those weird twists. The Barossa Valley is renowned for its shiraz and one of the best has...

A New Grenache Benchmark from the West

History may show that the Swinney Farvie Frankland River Grenache 2020 was the wine that redefined this variety in WA....
winepilot