Marina and John Sekoranja are the beneficiaries of a dream that was built from the desire to produce good wine in beautiful surroundings. Wine columnist RICHARD CALVER has been out to McKellar Ridge.
"The Grand Assemblage finished beautifully, medium bodied with a silky smooth ending. This is a wine that will keep for the next five to 10 years, if well cellared," writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
"A massive 90 per cent of NZ’s wine production is exported, at a value of more than $2.10 billion a year, a testament to the industry’s success, writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
Hall winemaker Michael Anderson has claimed the Champion Wine of Show award at the Canberra and Region Wine Show, for his 2025 Brindabella Hills Riesling.
"The wine was extraordinary in the way it changed so much in the glass… and the wine bottle was emptied with a grateful nod to the Apple Isle," says wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
"As the wines came up to room temperature, strangely both developed secondary fermentation, with bubbles of carbon dioxide evident, more so in the riesling," writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
Wine writer RICHARD CALVER is given to daily long walks. On this day he passed a bottle shop and ended up at a wine tasting.
"The Best Canberra District Riesling was awarded to Gundog Estate. This was a most interesting wine – the bouquet had liquorice and citrus, and a finish of fennel seeds and anise," says wine writer RICHARD CALVER.
"It is the versatility of the sauvignon blanc varietal that will be the key to maintaining its popularity," writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
"The wine that stood out and was well received by all who tried it, compelling at least two sales that I saw in my 40 minutes at the tasting, was a Tasmanian shiraz/pinot noir," says wine writer RICHARD CALVER.
"Once the theme was launched, we just talked about what we liked about the wines we shared over lunch, rather than get bogged down in why they were interesting," writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
"The Cullarin wines are made by Eden Road’s own Celine Rousseau, a French import who knows how to make good Australian wine," writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
"Wine tourism is a bright patch amongst an industry that is otherwise in decline," reveals aine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
"It was a crowd and a crowd intent on getting their share of the wines… But as always, with some excellent wine under the belt, love of humanity inched back into the picture," writes RICHARD CALVER, from a tasting of Rutherglen wines.
Columnist RICHARD CALVER samples the wines of the Willson family's Bremerton winery in Langhorne Creek, SA.
"The Nero d’Avola 2023 was my favourite of the night with fruit from Gundagai and a great balance of that fruit with tannins," writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
Columnist RICHARD CALVER is infrequently sent wine by generous winemakers. When he is, they are subject to rigorous appraisal, often over the dinner table.
"Mate, you need to recognise that young people don’t want the big bold chardonnays or the big Barossa shiraz varieties these days. Lighter wines are selling.” Wine writer RICHARD CALVER was given a word to the wise.
"The study reveals no association between wine consumption and the risk of developing any type of cancer… But that finding flies in the face of what the Cancer Council believes and is actively promoting," says wine writer RICHARD CALVER.
