Author Archives: The Wine Commander

Wines of McLaren Vale

Posted on October 21, 2024 by The Wine Commander

I had the pleasure to revisit the McLaren Vale region of South Australia and visit a number of smaller producers – after all that’s where gems can be found. The first settlers to the region included a Charles Hewitt who … Continue reading →

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Pinotage Odyssey in Stellenbosch

Posted on October 7, 2024 by The Wine Commander

Pinotage became a unique South African grape variety when a Professor of viticulture at Stellenbosch University crossed the varieties of Pinot and cinsault (Shiraz). But it took until 1941 until the first Pinotage wine was made. Some international acclaim was … Continue reading →

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Retropective Wynns Black Label tasting

Posted on May 27, 2024 by The Wine Commander

The annual release of Wynns Coonawarra wines known as Wynnsday is officially Wednesday 5th June, 2024. However I was privileged to a preview of three of their icon wines with Wynns Senior Winemaker, Sue Hodder (left) as part of a … Continue reading →

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Extensive Margaret River Tasting

Posted on May 25, 2023 by The Wine Commander

I was delighted to visit the Margaret River region in May on a mission to concentrate on chardonnay and cabernet/blends. The first thing I quickly realised was the abundance of the Gingin clone which originated from the Côte d’Or, France and … Continue reading →

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Wine grumblings into 2023

Posted on March 21, 2023 by The Wine Commander

Welcome to 2023 and the highs and lows that us consumers will face towards 2024. I have a few gripes which I will share.  Here are six wine issues I’d like to say goodbye to as we look ahead to next … Continue reading →

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