"The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." A good friend reminded me of this quote recently in the days after the death of David Bowie. Of course the last thing the world needs right now is another Bowie blog-post, but his...
‘This Grillo sure doesn’t look like the Sicilian ones’. That was the catch-cry during the 2015 vintage when our Riverland grower, Ricca Terra Farms, discovered it had planted a white grape variety that it thought had historical links to Southern Italy, but instead had origins to ancient...
Yep. It's here. Our fully-natural 2014 Bastardo. Bottled and released to a few select retailers and venues in Sydney and Perth. Yes, it really is a grape variety, found commonly in Portugal...
Max Allen, wine-scribe for The Australian, is a big fan of the Sicilian variety Nero d'Avola. We knew that. So he was top of the invite list for a tasting hosted by Amato Vino winemaker, Brad Wehr, in Melbourne recently to benchmark the variety. Twenty...
Typically, the end of vintage is called at the whim of those participating. It can be signified by the last pick and crush of the season, or the final press-load, or perhaps the end-of-vintage party. Whatever your choice it's usually a pretty happy occasion. For the...
Yesterday's surprise announcement by superstar chef, Heston Blumenthal, that he would bring his entire Fat Duck restaurant to Melbourne for six months, had Australia's media and food-lovers frothing like a nitro-foamed vanilla ice-cream. However, not widely reported was the fact he will also set up a...
Exciting times as we introduce a new line to the portfolio - Amato Vino - featuring Nero d'Avola and Vermentino. Cool package, groovy wines, limited release. Already collecting praise from the wine reviewers and fast gaining a reputation as this year's must-have summer red. Well, there ain't...
It’s getting a little monotonous, although pleasantly so, to report another excellent vintage in Margaret River. The 2013 harvest was indeed a cracker across all varieties. We really do live in a grape-growing micro-paradise here and there is only the odd aberration every few years to...
As usual, summer heralds the release of the new Wine By Brad vintages, but this year is a little bit special. The release of the 2012 Wine By Brad Sem Sav Blanc and 2010 Cab Merlot marks the ten year anniversary since we started this whole shebang. It seems an age...
A few of the highlights from the wine show circuit...