This is a cheapie from de Bortoli. The nose showed cherry and spices, a raisin character and some sparkily acid. The palate showed black cherry and raspberry, spice and light earthy notes with good acid; none of the cherry ping that you often see in a Sangiovese. It is medium bodied and pleasantly balanced with a sweetish finish. It is perhaps simple, but sometimes I think we think too much about...

I think we are just starting to do some good things with ‘alternate’ varietals in this country and Canberra seems to be one of the regions that is leading the way forward. The winemaker here is Bryan Martin who is currently assistant winemaker to Tim Kirk at Clonakilla. There…I managed ...

The Pèppoli Chianti Classico was introduced in 1988 with the 1985 vintage, and is intended to be a modern Chianti Classico. In a departure from traditional Chiantis, Pèppoli is intended to have the complexity and structure of a well-aged riserva with the fruity fragrance of a young wine. This one is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot and Syrah. A nice nose: red cherries, red plums, dried...

I was given a gift voucher last christmas to use in Coles Myer stores so I popped into Vintage Cellars and bought this and a bottle of Crozes Hermitage. I nearly bought a bottle of 2004 Bowen Cabernet but it was about 2345 dollars (or thereabouts..) Aromas of licorice root, ...

I don’t know why you’d spoil good old Sangiovese by adding Merlot to it, but as Merlot cannot stand alone except on rare occasions, they needed to give it a friend. So the team at De Bortoli chose the accommodating Sangiovese for the task. And then Merlot had the gall to steal the headline ... . Interestingly, the some of the Merlot and Sangiovese are cane cut to partially raisin the fruit...

I liked the 2003 version of this wine, so opened this with high expectations. A pleasing colour – a vibrant red with splashes of purple. The nose is full-on, with black fruits, spice, milk chocolate, vanilla and earth, cinnamon, and a bit of volatile acidity. It just smelled like a ...

Campagna Gello, “Il Valore”, Sangiovese, “Marchese de Petri”, IGT, Puglia, Italy 2004 ($3.50) - Medium ruby in color with aromas of strawberry, violet and thyme. A bit lightweight on the palate with earthy strawberry flavors and good acidity for food, finishing with dusty tannins. A nice value in everyday red wine similar to their $6...

This one was a youngin’, so it was given a couple of hours in a decanter before it was tasted. The nose is quite earthy and meaty, floral and a bit stinky, with ripe blackberries and sunshine, stones and if you were being critical, a touch of VA too. The ...

From the Coal River Valley in Tasmania. On the nose, gooseberries and musky fruits, lemons, none of that grassy asparagus-ness. There are sweet tropical fruits on the palate, lemons and lychees, unripe pineapple, quite full bodied and different to what the nose would suggest. The finish is satisfying, drying and ...

This is one of our house reds, and it is about time I wrote a note on it. And with a flick of the wrist, I was into the bottle. Aromas of black fruits, tar, fruitcake and a bit of spirit. The palate showed blackberries, spices and baked earth, and ...