Best Drinks in Australia 2019

  1. Pink hue in colour. Stewed rhubarb, faint red berries, touch of hops/malt and a yeasty tang on the nose. Crisp and brisk, fresh acidity, with structure that makes you keep going back for more. There is so much detail here, texture too, an almost vinous expression of extreme complexity but deliciousness. Straight up visceral pleasure but married to drinkability and general appeal. What. A. Beer.

    01. Wildflower - St Phoebe 2019

    State: New South Wales Category: Beer
  2. This is such an outstanding skin contact wine. Impressive in colour, detail in scent and flavour, wonderful and serious in texture. It offers drinkers the full flex of the variety with length, persistence and deliciousness on its side. It kicks off with cranberry, rhubarb and Campari scents while the palate drives long and deep with chalky texture bitter orange and cranberry flavours, licks of sour cherry fruit and a weave of puckering, Italianate tannins. Superb stuff.

    02. Oakridge Wines - Garden Gris

    State: Victoria Category: Skin-Contact / Orange
  3. Amazingly bold and exciting drink. It's a great standalone product that completely transcends the category. Is it even a brandy ?

    03. Sullivans Cove XO Tasmanian Brandy - Double Cask Batch DCB01

    State: Tasmania Category: Brandy
  4. A remarkable tonic. Complex and fresh, judiciously bitter and wildly appealing, works with still and sparkling water, but lock it in with a G&T and it's happy days. The quality is through the roof here - everything in the right place. A landmark product.

    04. sin-ko-nah tonic syrup - original

    State: Victoria Category: Soft Drinks, Mixers, Shrubs, Cordials
  5. Bright, almost zesty, nose, with great acid and structure, a tightly-wound wine of intensity and vibrancy, good amount of grip holds the deep red fruit all the way through. This is quite a statement wine, brilliant and detailed, savoury and fruit-driven at once. A modern Australian wine of its own voice.

    05. Koerner Wine - 'Niellucccio' - Sangiovese

    State: South Australia Category: Red
  6. Grown-up butterscotch candies. Though it begins a little austere and tightly wound, this whisky opens up beautifully. Classic. Aussie. Whisky. Excellent.

    06. Hobart Whisky - 19-002 - Ex-Bourbon Matured / French Oak Pinot Noir Finish

    State: Tasmania Category: Whisky
  7. Pretty perfume, there's nice acidity holding it together with the palate tight and racy. As a drinker, you're sort of waiting for something to happen; a really exciting, slow-burner of a wine, delicate in style, finely detailed, and has super attractive fruit character. Lots of details, lots of interest, texture and general excitement in understatement. Superb white wine.

    07. Mewstone - Riesling

    State: Tasmania Category: White
  8. What an incredible wine this is. So much detail, character and yet full thrust of charm. Saline, nutty, sherry-like in aromas with salty nutty character to taste across an epic length of flavour. It's Australia via Jura, a very special wine that nails the brief of freshness, power and concentration of fruit flavour, the saline personality of flor with general intrigue. Superb wine in any book.

    08. Crittenden Estate Cri de Coeur - Savagnin

    State: Victoria Category: White
  9. Pleasant stone-fruit aroma, looks good too with a nice even haze and good foam retention. Well-rounded mouthfeel, definitely more on the bitter side of life. Lots of details yet lots of drinkability. Pitch-perfect play at hop-driven beer styles. Righteous stuff.

    09. The Suburban Brew - No. 2 Pale Ale

    State: South Australia Category: Beer
  10. Bright nose of hops and peat (is this mezcal?!) on a super-clean base, remarkable distillate and elevated botanicals of celery seed and cucumber. Beautiful smoky phenolic grip balanced by a persistent, but restrained sweet spice.

    10. Pinche - Agave Tequilana

    State: New South Wales Category: Alternate / Experimental

Best Beers & Ciders in Australia

  1. 01.

    Wildflower - St Phoebe 2019

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Pink hue in colour. Stewed rhubarb, faint red berries, touch of hops/malt and a yeasty tang on the nose. Crisp and brisk, fresh acidity, with structure that makes you keep going back for more. There is so much detail here, texture too, an almost vinous expression of extreme complexity but deliciousness. Straight up visceral pleasure but married to drinkability and general appeal. What. A. Beer.

  2. 02.

    The Suburban Brew - No. 2 Pale Ale

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Pleasant stone-fruit aroma, looks good too with a nice even haze and good foam retention. Well-rounded mouthfeel, definitely more on the bitter side of life. Lots of details yet lots of drinkability. Pitch-perfect play at hop-driven beer styles. Righteous stuff.

  3. 03.

    Burnley Brewing - Coffee Brown Ale with These Days Coffee Roasting

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Beautiful, deep red colour with a really great malt-driven aroma. Very rich, toffee and caramel flavour and despite being a very full-figured beer, the flavours aren't overly intense. There's a hint of spice or earthiness from the hops. An incredibly balanced and sexy looking beer. Would drink happily.

  4. 04.

    Young Henrys - Cloudy Cider

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Cloudy, apple crumble aromas, vibrant green apple, notes of nashi pear and cinnamon. Has lively mouthfeel, pleasing soft-sourness coming through with a nice balance of relatively overt but pleasing sweetness. There's a nice tartness/acid balance and good interest here. A 'please all-comers' style with medium sweetness and easy drinking writ large.

  5. 05.

    Uraidla Brewery - Uraidla Brewery Helles Lager

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Very floral - like a bouquet of jasmine. The hop flavour, malt flavour, yeast and bitterness all really well integrated. Great mouthfeel and carbonation. The kind of beer you could drink all afternoon. Excellent.

  6. 06.

    Rocky Ridge Brewing - DB

    State: Western Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Big and delicious coffee aromas with an underlying chocolate milk sweetness. These flavours align perfectly with those aromas, it's rich (very rich), smooth, with roasted coffee flavours and that takes me back to a childhood of milkshakes and strawberry Yogos. Brilliant.

  7. 07.

    Brick Lane Brewing - One Love Pale Ale

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Tropical fruit aroma - heavy pineapple and light passionfruit. Refreshing, light and dances around the palate. Very moreish as the bitterness cuts through the fruitiness. A brilliant example of the style.

  8. 08.

    Yulli's Brews - Dolly Aldrin Honeydew Melon Berliner Weisse

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Heaps of watermelon/rockmelon/green melon. Refreshing, crisp, tart, clean and bright; mouth-watering finish leaves you wanting more. Would drink the hell out of this. A striking, distinct and wonderful expression here.

  9. 09.

    Wildflower - Good as Gold

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Everything you'd want in a barrel-aged and blended sour and very delicately displayed. Very easy drinking. You'd start your afternoon with it, crack that baby and share it round. Righteous stuff.

  10. 10.

    Uraidla Brewery - Uraidla Brewery Third Eye Pale Ale

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Light gold in colour with a very slight haze. Great aroma of hop-driven tropical fruits. Well balanced bitterness that is long and persistent without overpowering the fruity hop flavours. Lots to like here.


Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Australia

  1. 01.

    sin-ko-nah tonic syrup - original

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    A remarkable tonic. Complex and fresh, judiciously bitter and wildly appealing, works with still and sparkling water, but lock it in with a G&T and it's happy days. The quality is through the roof here - everything in the right place. A landmark product.

  2. 02.

    Lyre's - Italian Orange

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Super enjoyable with something light and fizzy for bitter orange soda vibes, the perfect Italian summer in a glass, sans the booze.

  3. 03.

    Lyre's - Vermouth Rosso

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Amaro vibes here, would definitely work well as a spritz. Lovely acidity, balanced bitterness and citrus rind rounds this out to perfection.

  4. 04.

    Juice Culture - Circus

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Like a rhubarb and strawberry compote, the perfect combo of sweet and tart. Not at all saccharine, the flavours are super natural tasting. So pretty! The taste of a sunny winter afternoon.

  5. 05.

    Two Boys Brew Kombucha - Silk Road

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    This is great! The sweetness of caramel vs bold acidity maintains its clean balance, with a hint of funk that stops it from being too much of any one flavour. What a contender.

  6. 06.

    rok Kombucha - Berry Beats

    State: Western Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    This little number is ready to be paired. Duck pancakes? Yes. Tex Mex ? Yes. Caribbean? Yes, yes, yes. It’s got the beautiful redness of rosehip hibiscus tea, and strong summer vibes. Ice it and drink a lot of it.

  7. 07.

    rok Kombucha - Classic Booch

    State: Western Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    A vibrant little drink, with summer florals leading into jammy, ripe, stone fruit. The apricot-y-ness is especially appealing. This is a lovely easy drinker, balanced and fresh.

  8. 08.

    Somersault - Lemon Squash & Matcha

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    What an impressive alcohol alternative! Really strong depth of character with a satisfyingly textual mouthfeel, backed up with a bold profile of citrus and acid. It would be very interesting to see what you could do with more applied technique - oak, perhaps, to increase floral notes and more specific varietal characteristics.

  9. 09.

    NON - Roasted Beetroot & Sansho

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    A really interesting, non alcoholic drink - the saltiness here lends huge potential as food-match beverage and the fructose yielded from the vegetable element balances well - little after spice is a very pleasant way to round this out.

  10. 10.

    NON - Salted Raspberry & Chamomile

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Comforting rooibos tea nose combined with generous use of spices and botanicals are rounded out with good raspberry acids. A summer slosher!


Best Spirits in Australia

  1. 01.

    Sullivans Cove XO Tasmanian Brandy - Double Cask Batch DCB01

    State: Tasmania

    TASTING NOTES:
    Amazingly bold and exciting drink. It's a great standalone product that completely transcends the category. Is it even a brandy ?

  2. 02.

    Hobart Whisky - 19-002 - Ex-Bourbon Matured / French Oak Pinot Noir Finish

    State: Tasmania

    TASTING NOTES:
    Grown-up butterscotch candies. Though it begins a little austere and tightly wound, this whisky opens up beautifully. Classic. Aussie. Whisky. Excellent.

  3. 03.

    Pinche - Agave Tequilana

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Bright nose of hops and peat (is this mezcal?!) on a super-clean base, remarkable distillate and elevated botanicals of celery seed and cucumber. Beautiful smoky phenolic grip balanced by a persistent, but restrained sweet spice.

  4. 04.

    Never Never - Triple Juniper Gin

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    This gin is mature, thoughtful and incredibly well executed. It's accessible, nothing about this gin is trying too hard, and why should it? It's already arrived. The all-rounder.

  5. 05.

    Needle & Pin Spirits - Grappa Tradizionale

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Classic grappa profile. No-nonsense and super direct, it's crunchy and punchy and fiery without being harsh. Lots of personality, as you would expect. World-class.

  6. 06.

    Archie Rose - Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    At once both sweet and savoury, serious and gregarious. Willy Wonka's factory has been firebombed, and all the kids are dancing in the embers. Fun!

  7. 07.

    Reed & Co - Spirit Lab Gin & Juice (Mistelle)

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Amazing citrus, floral and ginger spice aroma - immediately hinting at sweetness, resolved on the palate with a pristine clarity and pleasantly-lifted acidiity and lingering bitterness. Great summertime aperitivo.

  8. 08.

    Sullivans Cove XO Tasmanian Brandy - Single Cask TDB0018

    State: Tasmania

    TASTING NOTES:
    Creme caramel and hard toffees, warm and creamy on the palate. It unfolds calmy and elegantly along the palate and remains consistent throughout the drinking experience. DELICIOUS.

  9. 09.

    Marionette - Dry Cassis

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Rich and elegant delivery of the delicious, sweet berry flavours. There's balance here too with bold savoury notes. A stunning colour, a stunning drink.

  10. 10.

    The Farmer's Wife Distillery - The Farmer's Wife Autumn Dry Gin

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Wild thyme with a smoky, dank intensity and pleasant, bright finger lime, juniper and cassia aromats. The density of the oils is beautiful, smooth and lingering all the way to the finish. Great execution of a difficult style with an amazing level of intrigue. Yummy.


Best Wines in Australia

  1. 01.

    Oakridge Wines - Garden Gris

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    This is such an outstanding skin contact wine. Impressive in colour, detail in scent and flavour, wonderful and serious in texture. It offers drinkers the full flex of the variety with length, persistence and deliciousness on its side. It kicks off with cranberry, rhubarb and Campari scents while the palate drives long and deep with chalky texture bitter orange and cranberry flavours, licks of sour cherry fruit and a weave of puckering, Italianate tannins. Superb stuff.

  2. 02.

    Koerner Wine - 'Niellucccio' - Sangiovese

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Bright, almost zesty, nose, with great acid and structure, a tightly-wound wine of intensity and vibrancy, good amount of grip holds the deep red fruit all the way through. This is quite a statement wine, brilliant and detailed, savoury and fruit-driven at once. A modern Australian wine of its own voice.

  3. 03.

    Mewstone - Riesling

    State: Tasmania

    TASTING NOTES:
    Pretty perfume, there's nice acidity holding it together with the palate tight and racy. As a drinker, you're sort of waiting for something to happen; a really exciting, slow-burner of a wine, delicate in style, finely detailed, and has super attractive fruit character. Lots of details, lots of interest, texture and general excitement in understatement. Superb white wine.

  4. 04.

    Crittenden Estate Cri de Coeur - Savagnin

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    What an incredible wine this is. So much detail, character and yet full thrust of charm. Saline, nutty, sherry-like in aromas with salty nutty character to taste across an epic length of flavour. It's Australia via Jura, a very special wine that nails the brief of freshness, power and concentration of fruit flavour, the saline personality of flor with general intrigue. Superb wine in any book.

  5. 05.

    Aziza's Shiraz 2018 - Shiraz

    State: New South Wales

    TASTING NOTES:
    Saline oyster shell nose, salty, some berry fruits, earthy and smokey too. Sits perfectly at medium weight, almost a little sloshy in texture though a smudge of dusty tannins chimes in. Moreish, soft and juicy, bright too. Just so delicious.

  6. 06.

    Mallaluka - 2019 Sangiovese Rose

    State: Victoria
  7. 07.

    Brave New Wine - Nat Daddy

    State: Western Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    Attractive red fruits on the nose, good tension on the palate. A refreshing and well-crafted expression that delivers bright fruit, savouriness, zesty acidity and joyous bubbles. This is fun but also kind of serious, showing some real skill in getting so much interest and personality into this wild-edged drink. Bravo.

  8. 08.

    smallfry wines - Tangerine Dream

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    A floral, fruit-driven orange wine of just-ripe stone fruit scents, floral notes, vermouth-like lift. The palate is juicy then firmly puckering and dry. Shows tang of acidity for freshness and compelling trim of chalky-mineral charm. Great drinking here.

  9. 09.

    Maidenii - Maidenii Kina Quinquina

    State: Victoria

    TASTING NOTES:
    Muscat flowers, neroli, curry leaf - really heady aroma. Well-defined wormwood - brilliant carry across the palate with exquisite balance between the acidity, sweetness and bitterness - on a very clean wine base. Utterly impressive.

  10. 10.

    NGERINGA - Uncultured Pinot Noir

    State: South Australia

    TASTING NOTES:
    A beautiful wine from hello, offering a subtle exchange between the floral, cherry-fruited and savoury nose. Fine, refreshing acidity and building tannins are a feature. It drives with energy and freshness. It's a stunning wine.