News
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What We're Drinking - November 2025
Naked Run 'Hill 5' Shiraz Cabernet 2018 (Clare Valley)
Solid AF and a brilliant auction buy at $10 pb. Clare Valley reds have a habit, at least IMHO, of showing a restrained seriousness and class, and that is certaintly evident here. Dry red berries, some firmness initially, but superb balance and calmness. Hitting its stride at 7yrs.
Domaine Razal 'Heritage Blend' Cabernet Shiraz Malbec Merlot 2024 (Macedon Ranges)
Wanted to like this more than I did. Always a tough gig growing Cab and Shiraz at 650m in this part of the world and I think the challenge shows here, albeit in an expected way. Subtle dry berries and looks like a slightly shy BDX blend with soft spice and minor tannin fur. Very fine boned and will have greatly appeal to those with classic sensibilities.
Ghost Rock Riesling 2024 (North West Tasmania)
Plenty to like here. Fruit forward with sweet citrus but the acid backbone is very too far away and keeps things (mostly) straight. Should have instant/wide appeal.
Antinori 'Peppoli' Chianti Classico Sangiovese 2023 (Tuscany)
Antinor's effort to make an 'international' style? Works for me......soft billowing fruits early before some game a chocolate kicks in. Typical CC backbone albeit the fruit always does the talking. Like.
John Duval 'Eligo' Shiraz 2021 (Barossa Valley)
A rare act of midweek excess (for me at least). Very well mannered and under control, particularly for the vintage. Fruits and just starting to open up but the spicy oak still features (very well handled BTW). Just stretches beyond midweight but will be assured a long life.
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Organic Wine Making Principles - A Quick Guide
Compared to the sometimes vague nature of 'Natural Wines' the legitimacy of an 'Organic Wine' claim is much easier to assess
Why? Many markets globally have introduced legally recognizable and enforceable labeling laws around what constitutes an organic product.
Whilst laws and regulations differ from country to country there are some common themes for authentic organic wine (both grapes and production):
- No Synthetic Fertilizers, Herbicides or Pesticides
- No Added Sulfites
Wineries employing organic farming principles often adhere to grape growing and wine making practices that also happen to be closely aligned to most definitions of 'Natural Wines' These include:
- minimal technology intervention for grape growing (e.g hand picking)
- natural/native yeasts
- no added acids
- nil/low filtration
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Vegan Friendly Wines - A Quick Guide
Can Wines be Vegan Friendly?
In a word ‘yes’.
The core focus is around (1) how the wine is fined / clarified and (2) does that process take place with an animal-based product? The existence of unfined wines is nothing new but in the main most wines will be clarified to some extent.
The most commonly used fining products include:
- Casein (a milk protein)
- Albumin (egg whites)
- Gelatin (animal protein)
- Isinglass (fish bladder protein)
Fining with casein and albumin is usually acceptable by most vegetarians but all four are off limits for vegans because tiny traces of the fining agent may be absorbed into the wine during the fining process.
But there are vegan friendly alternatives. These include:
- Bentonite: a clay-based agent
- Activated charcoal
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Preservative Wines - A Quick Guide
Any assessment or discussion of Preservative Wines revolves nearly entirely around the absence of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) or its wine label alter ego ‘added preservative 220’. It is important to note the use of the term ‘added’ as SO2 can be produced naturally during fermentation. So in this respect, technically speaking, any label proclaiming the wine to be ‘preservative free’ is not entirely accurate.
The Australian maximum legal limit is 250mg/L for dry wines but it would be unusual to find a wine’s content anywhere near this number. Sometimes winemaking notes or the back label may refer to ‘sulfites’. This refers to the presence of Bisulphite and Sulphurous Acid and must be disclosed if the wine contains more than 10mg/L.
The good news is that the use of such additives appears to be on a downward trend. As winemaking and viticulture skills constantly improve the underlying fruit is in better condition and this lessens the need for sulphur dioxide to patch up any weak spots.
The addition of sulphur dioxide nearly always bolsters the wine’s ability to remain ‘fresh’ for an expended period thus it’s always a good to stick to young wines when shopping for a preservative free drop.
For details on Preservative Free wines take a look at the Travelling Corkscrew's excellent overview here.
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Biodynamic Wines - A Quick Guide
Biodynamic wines adheres to all organic criteria, plus the doctrines established by Rudolph Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and academic known for exploring the connection of science and spirituality. The principles, as they relate to grape growing, include:
(1) Improving soil quality through crop rotation and allowing a diverse set of crops to grow within the vineyard to promote a more complex ecosystem.
(2) Planting, harvesting and pruning practices are determined by a specific calendar, taking into account both lunar cycles and the position of the sun and planets.
There are numerous accredited entities around the world that provide Biodynamic certification. These include:
- Demeter Bio-Dynamic Research Institute (Global)
- ACO Certification (Australia)
- BioGrow (NZ)
- Biodyvin / ECOCERT (France)