This Month
Dishing the dirt on the world’s best beaujolais
Sommeliers geek out over these classic “crus”. And it’s all thanks to pink granite, bluestone, schist and shale.
California’s best-kept wine secrets: 5 bottles to discover
There’s so much more to America’s biggest wine region than chardonnay and cab sav.
Pond bugs signal a clean bill of health for this Victorian vineyard
Once-sickly vines at Mornington Peninsula winery Capella have been nursed back to health thanks to an all-natural approach.
May
Why this Australian island is the perfect spot for drinks enthusiasts
Kangaroo Island is big enough and far away enough to feel remote, yet small enough to visit all the winemakers, brewers and distillers in less than two days.
The top whisky you can buy without going on a waiting list
One of Australia’s oldest distilleries is releasing new $99 single malts and rare single-cask bottlings.
Our wine writer meets his match in a NZ gorge
The highlight of a tasting tour through Martinborough has nothing to do with vineyards.
How younger drinkers are shaping Australia’s wine industry
A top winemaker is defying the market by releasing more shirazes than ever before – and he has the young wine drinker in his sights.
Family-owned St Agnes marks a century with ultra-rare brandy bottlings
In its home state of South Australia, the Angoves’ brand was once so dominant people didn’t ask for “brandy”, they asked for St Agnes. Then the market tanked.
April
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?