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Winemakers

December 2025

Most rosé drinkers don’t care what grape variety it’s made from: as long as it looks right (very pale, in a beautiful clear bottle) and tastes right (crisp, dry), they’re happy.

This is the wine young people are drinking

Gen Z and Millennials prefer it even to sparkling wines, presenting an opportunity for a South Australian region beset by woes.

November 2025

It’s not all fancy booze – you also need quantity, not just quality, over the holidays.

Max Allen’s top 20 drinks of the year (from $25 to $500)

From earthy reds to dry whites and something a little different, our expert shares the most delicious drinks he’s tried in 2025.

And the world’s best vineyard is ...

A biodynamic trailblazer takes the top spot on the 2025 The World’s 50 Best Vineyards rankings, while Australian wine secures only a single mention.

Bridget Mac in the vineyard.

Why Mount Gambier’s rock-star grapes are worth travelling for

This cool South Australian region’s peculiar geology – and its abundance of metamorphosed limestone – is the secret to the unique flavour of the grapes grown here.

October 2025

The triumphant – or devastating – process of testing Penfolds vintages

What it’s like to go to a recorking clinic, where cellared bottles of wine are certified – or given a white dot of death.

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Sales of non-alcoholic alternatives are on the rise.

People are drinking less – here’s how wine brands are reacting

Two sisters from an Australian winemaking family are promoting drinking in moderation.

September 2025

Callum Powell in the Agricola winery.

What a lifetime immersed in the Barossa taught this winemaker

This rising star is writing his own shiraz story, with a little help from his parents’ love of wine and an unforgettable year in Europe.

Coonawarra’s Railway Siding.

Why this often-overlooked wine region deserves your attention

A new generation of Coonawarra winemakers is bringing a fresh approach to the region’s signature red wine, cabernet sauvignon.

Alberto Zucchi Frua in Be Luna vineyard.

These Sardinian drops let you sip on centuries of tradition

Two of the island’s top estates champion vines as mature as 120 years old, as well as natural winemaking techniques for a truly unique flavour.

Haut-Brion.

‘Top tier of the gods’: 5 aged wines reaching Australian palates

It’s not often you get to taste the best of the Bordeaux region at 20 years old – but I got to try $30,000 worth. Here’s my verdict on which ones to go for.

New Zealand puts Australia to shame when it comes to organic wine

Kiwis have long been more active in promoting and encouraging organic and biodynamic winegrowing – here’s why.

August 2025

This winemaker is making pinot even better

If you fancy an underwater drop or one from a higher altitude, these winemakers have you covered.

John Casella, managing director of Casella Family Brands.

Casella puts premium SA vineyard portfolio on the block

The billionaire winemaker is best known for Yellow Tail, but has amassed a significant portfolio of brands as one of the biggest privately owned operators.

July 2025

Father-daughter winemakers Vahe and Aimee Keushkerian.

The most dangerous wine in the world

Meet the Armenian winemakers who are risking their lives to resurrect reds from at-risk vines.

Margaret River lands the world’s best vineyard awards

This year will be the first time The World’s Best 50 Vineyards announcement ceremony has been held outside Europe and the Americas.

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June 2025

A special terroir is a special terroir, regardless of the ebbs and flows of the market and changing tastes.

Why these Australian wines are at risk of extinction

Just outside Bendigo, Australia’s first ‘city of gastronomy’, is a vineyard that for decades has made superb cabernet and shiraz. It’s almost certain to disappear.

Harvest at Birichino.

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.

Winemaker Pete Dillon from Handpicked Wines at the Capella Vineyard in Bittern on the Mornington Peninsula.

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 2025

Grape grower Bruno Brombal estimates 15 per cent of vineyards in the Riverina region may have been pulled up.

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.

An early morning in the Kiss vineyard, hand-picking Shiraz.

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.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/winemakers-1msy