August
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
How a dinner conversation led to a vineyard purchase
Novice owners are writing the next chapter at a top Mornington Peninsula estate.
- Max Allen
July
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Five top examples of a hot new red-wine grape
For too many years, gamay has been overshadowed by pinot. But that’s changing as growers experiment more to enhance its unique characters.
- Max Allen
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
The six best wines from this year’s Penfolds collection
Wondering what to buy, what to drink and what to stash away? Here are six bottles we especially loved.
- Max Allen
June
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
‘This is an exceptional pinot noir’
John Nagorcky moved to biodynamic viticulture in 1999 and these three wines from his Hochkirch label in southwest Victoria are a testament to his methods.
- Max Allen
McGuigan owner Australian Vintage seeks $20m lifeline to tackle wine glut
The acting CEO says a merger is still logical for the ailing wine group as it battles an industry wine oversupply after being spurned by bigger rival Accolade Wines.
- Simon Evans
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
The new rock stars of the wine industry might surprise you
Marco Simonit and Pierpaolo Sirch, founders of the “gentle pruning” method, are sought after by leading winemakers the world over for their skills and advice.
- Max Allen
May
Max Allen reviews three top drops from a shiraz-obsessed former chef
Syrahmi winemaker Adam Foster has launched the first release from his own close-planted vineyard in Heathcote.
- Max Allen
- Exclusive
- Tourism
On Hamilton, a family dynasty bets there’s more money in islands
After showing potential buyers around last year, Sandy Oatley and his family are instead developing a new resort as they double down on the island.
- Primrose Riordan
Uncorked: Accolade Wines locked in negotiations with Pernod Ricard
In short, if Pernod moves into the ‘trop difficile’ basket, Australian Vintage is waiting in the wings.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Drinking alone? Here’s how to keep it interesting
Finishing the same bottle off over a few evenings can get a little dull. An Australian company has come up with an innovative alternative.
- Max Allen
April
BHP goes big game hunting on the African savannah
BHP and Anglo American are undisputed industrial champions in their home countries. The vast gap between them says a lot about Australia and South Africa.
- Peter Ker
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Gang member turned investigative reporter launches his first wine
Twelve months after his first vintage, Mahmood Fazal is selling a shiraz inspired by a cult label in Spain, Persian poetry and the land of his ancestors.
- Max Allen
Tasting Australia’s $795 debut train trip an instant sell-out
“I’ve come up with a menu that will work in a galley,” chef Asma Khan says of the coming journey. Here’s a taste of this and other events at next month’s culinary extravaganza.
- Necia Wilden
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Tasting Australia 2024: a drinker’s guide
A round-up of the best wine-related events at this year’s festival, from parties to tastings to masterclasses and more.
- Max Allen
March
Yarra Valley winery unveils $7m refurb
Victoria’s Balgownie Estate has had a revamp after a major fire in 2020.
- Gus McCubbing
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
This is one of the best wines I’ve tried all year
The latest vintage of Dalwhinnie’s Eagle shiraz has landed – and it’s easily the best young Eagle I can remember tasting.
- Max Allen
February
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
When in McLaren Vale, drink like an Italian
South Australia’s acclaimed wine region is just 33 kilometres from Adelaide. Here are eight cellar doors to try, and their top drops.
- Max Allen
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Sparkletown is much more than a vineyard for this winemaker
Luke Lambert has finally realised a dream, buying a tiny plot of land north of the Yarra Valley in a quest to make the ultimate nebbiolo.
- Max Allen
- Drinks With Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
How a ‘write-off’ vintage spawned these top sparkling wines
Torrential, flooding, incessant rain… that was 2011. But the whites from that year are among the most cellar-worthy this writer has tried.
- Max Allen
January
- Drinks By Max Allen
- Life & Leisure
Why you should stock your cellar with this riesling
The late John Vickery was respected, among other achievements, for converting us from corks to screwtops. But it’s the wines he made post retirement that are his finest legacy.
- Max Allen