NewsBite

Max Allen

April

Josh Masters and Surya Palaniappan

High-powered Sydney couple find new success importing wines

A lawyer and a project manager paused their careers to champion Europe’s best female wine producers.

Oraterra’s chief winemaker Wilco Lam is inspired by place and heritage.

The New Zealand wine that’ll change the way you drink pinot noir

As new custodians of an old site, winemaker Wilco Lam and his team are creating something special.

Starward whisky.

Rum aged on a ship plus other distilled oddities for your drinks cabinet

These bold new riffs on whisky, grappa and rum are the perfect sips for curious connoisseurs.

Trevor Gulliver with Fergus Henderson at St John Smithfield.

The perfect wine pairings for bone marrow and offal pie

“We were the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the world pouring bag-in-box,” says the wine man at pioneering nose-to-tail London restaurant St John.

 Nikki Palun 

Melbourne’s ‘urban wine’ scene is older than you think

Though it claims to be the first of its kind, the new CBD wine palace preparing to open in the Victorian capital joins a proud tradition of city-centric winemaking.

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One of Australia’s newest vineyards has been 150 years in the making

An epic comeback story has taken root in Geelong, where a collective of winemakers are finally savouring the fruits of their labours.

March

The other white burgundy is stepping out of chardonnay’s shadow

After years of neglect, both at home and abroad, it’s the little-known aligoté’s time to shine, owing to a warming climate and some determined winemakers.

Dark Emu beer with native grains at this destination brewery

A couple has built a farmhouse-style brewery in East Gippsland and intend to make it a destination.

How the Hawke’s Bay wine region weathered its most challenging year

AFR’s wine writer discovers a tale of two vineyards and a remarkable comeback story in the wake of the 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle floods.

New Zealand pops its cork for one of the world’s great wine festivals

All things pinot noir were up for discussion at this three-day celebration of the crowd-pleasing varietal in Christchurch.

Nicholson Rivery Winery owners Juliet and Ken Eckersley 

Wine pioneer looking for new blood to preserve vineyard tradition

Nicholson River Winery in East Gippsland is renowned for its classic chardonnay – which could become a thing of the past.

February

How AI is making moves on the wine industry

Will artificial intelligence change everything we love about our favourite drop?

Forget sauvignon blanc – 2025 is all about souvignier gris

Welcome to Utopia, where wines are produced from new, resilient grapes that are causing a stir.

How an ancient technique became a hot new wine trend

The use of terracotta and ceramic vessels in the winemaking process is making a comeback – and it’s producing some distinctively earthy drops.

The winemaker you need to know (though she doesn’t care if you don’t)

Former reality show contestant and TV presenter Sierra Reed got obsessed with wine while filming in New Zealand in 2011. She’s been doing it her way ever since.

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Max Allen’s pick of wines to woo your Valentine

Champagne is all very well, but true love means giving something that will surprise and delight with its seductive depth and complexity.

January

Barossa winemaker proves busy people can have it all. Well, sort of

With two vineyards, a winery and a two-year-old, “Life’s a bit ... saturated,” says Brett Grock. Still, he’s found the time to put his artwork on his labels.

At $3000 a bottle, grenache is hitting new heights

The renaissance of this red variety is a worldwide phenomenon, including in France where it’s been firmly reappraised.

Harmony in a glass: How this venerable wine estate recognises Country

Connection to culture is crucial to the fifth-generation family custodians of this must-visit Victorian vineyard.

Inkwell’s owners, Dudley Brown and Irina Santiago-Brown.

Six winemakers start a shiraz revolution with a tonne of grapes each

Once the king of Australian reds, the variety has lost its gloss in recent years. With the results of a bold experiment in, that could be about to change.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/max-allen-gtlsah