Halliday Wine Companion

For more than thirty years, James Halliday has been Australia's leading wine critic, and his Halliday Wine Companion is widely regarded as the gold standard in the Australian wine industry. This best-selling annual publication serves as an essential guide for wine enthusiasts, featuring wine ratings, regional insights, top varietals, winery assessments, and a carefully selected list of the finest wines Australia has to offer. The 2020 edition has been thoroughly updated to provide readers with the latest information. In his distinctive style, Halliday imparts his vast wine expertise through comprehensive tasting notes that include scores, pricing, value indicators, and suggestions for optimal drinking times, along with details about each wine’s closure and alcohol level. He also shares valuable insights about wineries and winemakers, such as vineyard sizes, visiting hours, and contact information. This book makes a fantastic self-purchase or a thoughtful gift for any wine enthusiast.

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Booze news: what's been happening this week in the world of wine, beer and spirits

2 weeks ago | winecompanion.com.au | Andrew Zuccala

There’s always plenty happening in Australia and New Zealand’s wine, beer and spirits industries. Wineries open up new cellar doors, distillers, brewers and winemakers release limited-edition products, and drinks festivals announce exciting lineups throughout the year. Here, we roundup a few of the top things that have happened this week in local wine, beer and spirits spaces.
Jane Faulkner on the thrill of vinous discovery

1 month ago | winecompanion.com.au | Jane Faulkner

Some folk opt for bungee jumping or skydiving to get an extreme thrill but for me, tasting new wines and grape varieties has always been where I get my kicks. I don’t care how hard some are to pronounce, or how silly I sound until I master them – in the pursuit of trying something different, nothing gets in my way. I find the interconnection of a vinous history, the story of people and their place, instrumental in nurturing my love and understanding of wine.
Mineral or fruity? Jeni Port explores vermentino's various expressions - from Sardinia to Australia

1 month ago | winecompanion.com.au | Jeni Port

“Mineral or fruity?”Ordering a glass of vermentino in Sardinia will raise a question about style from your sommelier. Mineral? Expect saline, rockpool characters generally found in the northern, mountainous and cooler parts of the island also close to the sea. Fruity? You’re talking citrussy flavours that mostly hail from across the island, including the milder south.
How to pick an ageworthy beer (and three to add to your cellar)

1 month ago | winecompanion.com.au | Mike Bennie

First and foremost, not every beer is ageworthy. While somewhat interesting things might happen in the cellar to a can of Melbourne Bitter or a bottle of VB (maybe?!), most brews are best drunk within a shorter shelf life with freshness on hand. Beers for the cellar are typically of a different ilk. For the careful selector there’s reward in matured beer that delivers a similar satisfaction to cellared wine.
Subsea Estate is the southern hemisphere's first operation dedicated to ageing wine underwater

1 month ago | winecompanion.com.au | Max Brearley

Winemakers in Margaret River love to talk about the maritime influence and the effect of having ocean on three sides. It’s part of the winemaking lore in a region adept at telling a good story. Now, Subsea Estate, based at the southwestern tip of Western Australia, is writing its own chapter. Billed as the first subsea winemaker in the southern hemisphere, it is using a method that leans on secondary fermentation and maturation in patented underwater vats.
The Granite Belt: Mike Bennie on why this overlooked Queensland wine region is well worth your attention

2 months ago | winecompanion.com.au | Mike Bennie

The Granite Belt wine region is unique and individual, with a dizzying array of grape varieties, bucolic vineyard settings and a dedicated core of quality producers that challenge expectations and offer an impressive vinous exploration. While Queensland and wine aren’t necessarily synonymous to some, the region and its distinctive wines deliver a kaleidoscopic offering that ranges from terroir-driven noble varieties to avant garde interpretations through the lens of lesser-sung grape varieties.
Yarra Yering has released its 2023 flagship wines - marking winemaker Sarah Crowe’s 10th vintage

2 months ago | winecompanion.com.au | Andrew Zuccala

The annual release of Yarra Yering’s ‘core four’ wines is always hotly anticipated. These wines are consistently celebrated by wine enthusiasts, and our Tasting Team regularly scores them within the high 90s. Thankfully, the 2023 vintage – which was released on April 1 – has met these high expectations. It consists of the 2023 Dry Red Wine No. 1, 2023 Dry Red Wine No. 2, 2023 Underhill Shiraz and the 2023 Agincourt Cabernet Malbec.
The best of Central Otago pinot noir is highlighted in the inaugural Central Dozen wine pack

2 months ago | winecompanion.com.au | Dave Brookes

The recently announced inaugural Central Dozen is great news for lovers of New Zealand pinot noir, specifically from the renowned region of Central Otago. This new project from the Central Otago Winegrowers Association is designed to provide an annual snapshot of pinot noir in the region. The inaugural Dozen features 12 standout wines from the 2022 vintage, blind-tasted and chosen by a distinguished panel led by Kiwi Master of Wine Emma Jenkins.
Oxygen in winemaking: Mike Bennie explores whether it's a friend or foe

2 months ago | winecompanion.com.au | Mike Bennie

Oxidative winemaking is one of the oldest and most intriguing techniques used in the winemaking world. While risky, and also often misunderstood when not directly linked to classic styles – a growing trend amongst avant-garde winemakers is to apply oxidative approaches and techniques to produce wines that offer depth, complexity, character and a sense of saline, briny minerality.
Best’s Great Western is releasing its much-anticipated 2020 Thomson Family Shiraz this May

2 months ago | winecompanion.com.au | Andrew Zuccala

Best’s Great Western is poised to release the 2020 vintage of its most prestigious wine – the Thomson Family Shiraz – on Thursday, May 1. The team has been producing this wine since 1992, sourcing fruit from just 15 rows of old shiraz vines that were planted in 1868 by Henry Best. The vines yield fewer than two tonnes per acre, and are hand-harvested and hand-sorted. Traditional winemaking methods are also honoured in the winery – like hand-plunging the ferments in small open fermenters.