News
-
First Looks - April 22nd 2026
The Next Hundred 100yrs Riesling 2024 $38
A single site Riesling from the Frankland River region. Was immediately impressive when we tasted recently - controlled acid and balanced fruits, savoury hints and excellent length. Yet another wine from this region that proves just how good the broader Great Southern GI is for Riesling.
Turon Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2025 $30
Best Oz Gris I've had for some time. Smart, mostly dry, good depth in the palate. Very serious style for Australia. Not fruity when compared to the likes of Mornington Peninsula examples, rather this is very textual.
"It does justice to the naming of 'pinot gris' with its Alsace bent of slippery texture, fleshy pear characters and adornment of sweet spices. A plush feel but controlled with chalky edges and a tight, squeaky finish. Balanced, refreshing and spot on." 93pts
-
From the Cellar April 22nd 2026
Vinea Marson Nebbilo 2013 (Heathcote)
TBH I don't as excited now about Marson wines as I used. Typically built to age but the fruit can fade a little quicker than expected. That said, the Italian varietals are nearly always quite authentic from an old world perspective. This vintage was full bodied and fruit forward,. relative to the style, on night 1. Almost ripe pinot-like and not massively tannic. Good going for 13yrs however.
Hickinbotham 'The Revivalist' Merlot 2015 (McLaren Vale)
I imagine this wine would have reasonable claims as to the leading Merlot from McLaren Vale. Better than the previous tasting but still plays unders at the price. Core of plummy fruit, with dark streaks, remains in good form for an 11yr old. A little astringency but softened on night 3. Not bad all things considered.
Tahbilk 'Old Vines' Cabernet Shiraz 2012 (Nagambie Lakes)
IMHO Cabernet is the poster child at Tahbilk, not Shiraz, The 2012 is not to the high standard of recent 'Old Vines' releases but still very handy. Points to the house Shiraz style (at least pre 2020) with controlled fruits, minerals and blood. Some Rhone hints here. Nice acid lines keeps the palate on track. Looking good for a 14yr old but below my lofty expectations. Got a few years left at least.
Bekkers Grenache 2016
My South Australian 'find' of the past 2yrs, Bekkers has rapidly and confidently positioned itself at the top level of the totem pole in McLaren Vale. A very worthy follow-up to previous tasting. More mid weight than intense but no lack of class and intensity. Game, somemy funky, supreme control through the palate. Earthy fruits. At its peak. Best Oz Grenache I've had?
-
Clearance & Discounted Wines - April 6th 2026
Alrighty.....about time we highlighted a number of wines that we are looking to clear out. Nothing wrong with 'em....I literally need the shelf space! Please note are in limited supply so please act quickly should anything catch your eye.
Alkimi Syrah 2017 (was $39 now $19) - Mid weight Yarra Valley Shiraz with tangy spicy fruits. Plenty of buzz. Only 3 bottles left. Good winemaker this bloke.
Grant Burge 'Nebu' Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2018 $59 ($105 @ cellar door) - I thought these were all gone but turns out I found 2 bottles lurking in the back store room. 2018 is the 3rd release of this relatively new super-premium release from GB. Be warned - this is a dry, uber-serious and BDX-like blend. Tight grained wood and plenty of tannin. Very young even at 7yrs of age. The Shiraz component is 100% sourced from the 100yr old Filsell vineyard.
Wild Duck Creek 'White Duck' Roussanne Viognier 2022 (was $45 now $35) - Made through the blending of Roussanne & Viognier, White Duck is full of texture and vibrancy. Fermented in 500L French oak barrels, it shows a lovely fusion of typical varietal characters. The Roussanne providing earthiness, roundness and fresh natural acidity, and the Viognier filling that palate with stone fruits and texture. Only 2 bottles remaining.
Thousand Candles 'Gathering Fields' Shiraz 2021 (was $36 now $29.50) - "Natural fermentation with 20% whole bunches, matured in older French oak. A super-bright crimson purple. Fully deserving of its gold medal at the 2022 Yarra Valley Wine Show, this opens with aromas of blackcurrant pastilles, boysenberries, black pepper, floral notes & a little charcuterie. Just as good on the medium-bodied, youthful and very well-balanced palate, which finishes with gently chewy, very fine-grained tannins and a little spice." 96pts
-
Sustainably Made Wines - A Quick Guide
We are a little more relaxed when it comes to putting some boundaries around what constitutes a 'Sustainable' producer.
Of course we will recognise the various awards and certification standards from around the world. We also think its important to highlight those producers that have opted to take a range of meaningful activities and processes that are clearly designed to foster a concept of minimal impact and sustainability. Some examples:
Crittenden Estate (Mornington Peninsula) is a great example of the former having received one of the world’s most significant sustainability awards, the 2020 BRIT/FIVS International Sustainable Winegrowing Competition.
Ross Estate (Orange) has the unique standing of being Australia's first NCOS Certified Carbon Neutral winery.
Moores Hill (Tamar Valley) can proudly lay claim to being Tasmania's first 'off-the-grid' having achieved 100% self-sufficiency for electricity in 2017.
-
Newsletter #1 (Nov 2025)
Hello.
As I've said before it's been a while 'between drinks', as least as far as newsletters and email comms are concerned. I have a decent excuse however - we've been busy with real-world stuff like selling the Smith Street site and taking over the 'Grape and Hop' neighbourhood bar in Montmorency in Melbourne's north east (near Eltham).
The bar has an incredibly strong local following and we've had much success introducing craft via 5 rotating tap options) and introduce nearly 100 packaged beer options. We've given the wine a fair shake-up as well with the additional of 150+ high quality wines to the bottle list. There are plenty of superstars on the shelves (Rockford, Bindi, Mosswood, Koomilya, Fighting Gully, Blue Poles, Yeringberg etc etc) and we are pretty confident we have the most expansive and exciting list in Melbourne's north east.
On the digital side of things we have given this site a facelift and broadened the reach to include quality small wineries and some emphasis on Old & Rare. Our other wine e-com venture, Slow Beer & Wine, will continue to focus on both quality wine and beer, most of which is from small producers.
Ok - down to business........
New Stuff - we are just a little bit chuffed to be one of very few retailers across the country for Hoffmann Family (Barossa Valley) and Domaine Razal (Macedon Ranges). Both possess a great and storied history; I'm sure references to 'Dallwitz Block' and 'Virgin Hills' will catch the eye of any true wine geek.
Wine on Sale - some excellent bargains to be had here from some big name high end red wines.....think Grant Burge, Hewitson, Passing Clouds and Dave Powell's newish gig Neldner Road. Some of these are running at 50% (at least) off the cellar door price!
Bindi / Dhillon - we have finally got our act together and moved a bit quicker on securing a Bindi allocation this year. The wines under the proprietory label are as rare as hens teeth and for most wines we have an allocation of no more than 2 or 4 bottles! (seriously!!). The regional range (Dhillon) is a much different story and we have good stocks on most. Shout out for the 2025 Rose (dry, loads of textural mouthfeel) and the super simple and effective Merlot blend the 'Accidental Red''. Might even be able to take a chill but we haven't tried this approach yet.
See you in the bar sometime!