This Month
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.
Winemakers race to find a low-alcohol wine that passes taste test
Penfolds owner Treasury Wine Estates has spent $15m on new technology and a brand called Sorbet as wine tries to catch up with beer.
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
Bulldozers in the vineyards a poor omen for struggling winemakers
Bruno Brombal has seen plenty over his decades as a Riverina grape grower. But amid a never-ending wine glut, he says the best business to be in is excavation.
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.
Top Shelf lender Longreach sidesteps $30m approach for its debt
Street Talk understands the alternative asset manager received the non-binding offer for its debt in early May.
How the Moet Hennessy empire spiralled into crisis
Once a cash cow, LVMH’s drinks business has now been hit by a global downturn, soaring prices, dubious deals and hubris.
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.
‘Worst market in 20 years’. Bordeaux wine producers slash prices
Heavy rain and flagging investor interest have made this year’s so-called en primeur campaign a tough one for the French region’s producers.
Penfolds or a smooth Ningxia red? China’s wine tastes are changing
Australian wine has long been a favourite in China, but an economic downturn along with a government push to “Shop in China” is seeing local vintners step up the competition.
April
Accolade Wines axes dozens of brands after Pernod Ricard merger
The company, now rebranded as Vinarchy, is scrapping labels to focus its investment in higher-profile wines including Hardys, Jacob’s Creek and Campo Viejo.
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.
Jayne ‘Hard Liquor’ has a big job ahead at drinks empire
Jayne Hrdlicka is jumping from one fix-up job at Virgin to the next at Endeavour, and she’s going to have to put some noses out of joint – again.
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.
Is awamori Japan’s most underrated spirit?
Once reserved for royalty, awamori is Okinawa’s ancient island spirit, which is finally getting the attention it deserves.
This cocktail ‘omakase’ is the next best thing to visiting Tokyo
+81 Aizome Bar in Brisbane is an intimate, 10-seater bar serving peach sparkling sake and pink watermelon coladas in surrounds inspired by Japan.
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.