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Take note of these three emerging Australian winemakers
How many more wine labels does this country need? The answer, it seems, is a lot more.
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Meet the sommelier: Jane Lopes of Attica
The Melbourne sommelier on her latest memoir, the perils of reading emails in the bath, and what to drink while reading Anthony Bourdain books.
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Coming soon: A Melbourne bottle shop by the wine minds behind Embla and Patrick Sullivan
This is juice news worth jumping for.
The rise of alcohol abstinence, and why bartenders are taking note
Australians are increasingly skipping the booze, with our alcohol consumption at its lowest point in half a century. But this growing trend of abstinence has only inspired more creativity from sommeliers, bartenders and drink producers.
The best Sydney bars to visit in summer
Don your crispest linen and find your best friends. These are our favourite sunny spots for a drink in town.
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What wines should you pair with your Christmas menu?
Robin Tedder of Glenguin Estate gives the lowdown on which drops are the best match for your festive menu, from the prawns straight through to the ham and dessert.
All bottled up: The rise of pre-mixed cocktails
Don’t own a cocktail shaker? Fear not – Australia’s best small bars and boutique distillers are doing the dirty work for you.
Rieslingfreak is shamelessly unfashionable
For Barossa-based winemaker John Hughes, there is only one grape variety that really matters. And it's utterly, defiantly untrendy.
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Melbourne’s new (and new-ish) bars to visit in the summer
Don't think Melburnians can "do" summer? These drinking spots will make you think again.
Empirical Spirits, co-led by Noma’s former head of R&D, set to launch in Australia
The “flavor company” don’t do vodka, gin or tequila. In fact, their experimental range sidesteps traditional classification of distilled spirits. And they may just revolutionise the way we drink.
The rising trend of salty (and savoury) cocktails
Shaken, stirred, salted, or flavoured with mollusc – the tide is turning on the marine-flavoured cocktail, writes John Irving.
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Coming soon: the annual release of Four Pillars Australian Christmas Gin for 2019
Same yuletide gin, new label that immediately conjures that Cold Chisel song. But be quick – this one’s always a sellout.
Sydney’s Maybe Sammy cracks The World’s 50 Best Bars list
And it’s the only Australian venue to make the top-50 rankings.
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Four Pillars Gin to open distillery, bar and “drinks lab” in Sydney
But hold your juniper berries – you’ll have to wait till early 2020.
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Welcome to Leigh Street Wine Room, an Adelaide bar devoted to natural wines
It's been a long wait, but this former dry-cleaning shop turned reverential wine bar is finally here.
How to match wine with Chinese food
Pairing wine and Chinese cuisine can be a tricky beast. Max Allen has all the easy-drinking solutions you need for your next banquet experience.
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Now open: Tetto di Carolina, a handsome new Melbourne bar above Cantina Carolina
This is one good-looking bar, with slick cocktails, whiskies, and a full food menu by the Bar Carolina executive chef.
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An expert’s guide to stocking a wine cellar
A well-stocked cellar should satisfy every taste and occasion with bottles worthy of the wait. And always, always buy wine from your children's birth year.
The insatiable thirst for Australian whiskey
The appetite for local whiskey is growing fast, with larger batches set to complement a spirited craft culture.
In this former gold mining spot in the Adelaide Hills, this winery is producing its own liquid gold
A showcase winery in South Australia proves that a Bird in Hand is worth two in the bush.
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Sydney’s Double Deuce Lounge is open
The team behind Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern launch their new ’70s-inspired cocktail bar. Expect furry walls and Cosmopolitans for all.
How to pronounce hard-to-say wine names
Gewürztraminer? Rioja? Moët? Caitlyn Rees, sommelier and wine director of the Mary's Group, helps untangles those wine tongue-twisters.
Green Moustache: Finally North Sydney has an upmarket bar
Now there’s a reason to cross the bridge to socialise.
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How to make the perfect hot chocolate
We asked our favourite confectioners and café owners from around the country for their hottest tips.
Watch: Mary’s Underground is opening tonight in Sydney, with a gun sommelier leading their wine program
The Mary’s Group unveil their latest restaurant and a drinks list that ticks the boxes for local, organic and natural wines.
A quiet place to experience a Japanese-style tea ceremony in inner-city Melbourne
In a city known for its boutique coffee, there's a place that's offering specialty green tea sourced from a seventh-generation plantation near Kyoto.
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Australia’s first agricole rum distillery is opening its cellar door
At this paddock-to-bottle producer, the spirit is made from sugar cane that’s grown, pressed and distilled on site.
The best Australian pinot noirs, as chosen by sommeliers
At a recent celebration of pinot noir, Australia's top sommeliers presented the bottles that best speak to the grape's pulling power.
Single O raises the batch coffee bar
The Surry Hills cafe unveils the world’s first self-service batch brew tap system.
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Gourmet Traveller taste tests the Game of Thrones whisky collection
What do you do when the hit TV show launches seven single malts? You drink them all.
Cask wine: can it taste good?
You can’t put new wine in old bottles, but you can put good wine in kegs – and casks, and pouches – and still not compromise on taste.
One of the world’s best bars is opening in Sydney tonight
There's green-ant soda, fermented "banana wine", and bar snacks.
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Say hello to Peaches, the Melbourne rooftop cocktail bar that’s decked in pastel colours
And there’s a giant mirror ball downstairs.
Loft’s Pimms and Roses
Watching the tennis is more fun with a Pimms in hand.
A Sydney brewer making beer with native flowers
A Texas native uses Australian flora to create an understated craft beer that doesn’t hold your palate to ransom.
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A sommelier aims for wine-list equality
When Bridget Raffal stepped into the sommelier role at Sydney's Sixpenny, she noticed one problem - there were no women on the wine list.
Employees Only to open its Sydney bar
New York’s highly secretive speakeasy-style bar will bring its savvy drinks and New York opening hours to Sydney when it opens in a CBD basement this weekend.
The world’s coffee supply could run out
Climate change, disease and a worldwide growth in demand for coffee are threatening to disrupt the daily habit cherished by millions of Australians.
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Young Henrys have made a hemp beer
Get that stubby holder ready, Young Henrys is about to launch one of the country's first hemp beers. We take to the hemp field with the brewers themselves to give it a try.
Your Chablis explainer: tasting notes, varieties and producers
Chablis offers a schooling in taste and terroir and, better still, it's just downright fun. Drink up.
Matthew Bax to open an art gallery serving cocktails in Melbourne
A thousand square metres of art and drinks designed by artists: is Grau Projekt the first gallery of its kind in the world?
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An Australian aquavit hits the market
A local duo goes where few Australian distillers have ventured before, channelling Scandinavia’s drinking culture and putting a spin on aquavit.
Dale DeGroff on making the perfect Martini and becoming King Cocktail of your home bar
Should you put your gin in the freezer? What's the best ice to use when mixing drinks? All this and more from the man who rewrote the rules of cocktails.
Australian gamay hits a high note
Gamay continues to grow in popularity among Australian drinkers and producers. What's more, local winemakers are adding new character to the Beaujolais signature. We take a closer look.
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A Rootstock retrospective
We toast the natural wine festival that broadened Australia's drinking horizons with a series of photographs that capture Rootstock in all its glory.
Five new red wines that should be on your radar
If you're baffled by the obscure grape varieties turning up on wine lists everywhere, this run-down is for you.
All-female bartending competition Speed Rack hits Australia
This weekend, 16 mixologists from almost every corner of the country will get behind the stick to battle it out for first prize – and raise funds for a worthwhile cause, too.
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Top Drops: July 2018
If winter means red wine to you, we've got plenty of recommendations including a robust malbec, a pinot meunier worth cellaring and a lip-smacking young nero.
Rootstock is no more
Australia's wildest wine party has called last drinks.
Cask wine is making a comeback at Sydney venues
If you think wine in a box is a 20th-century embarrassment best left in the past, James Hird, the wine guy at Icebergs and its sister venues, is here to convince you otherwise.
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Top Drops: June 2018
From the Rhône Valley to Kentucky, the Barossa to Abruzzo, Max Allen's selections this month cover some ground.
Melbourne wine event Handmade is back – with an after party
It's double the fun this weekend at the Builders Arms, with a tasting of natural wines from across the country followed by a party headlined by out-of-town chefs.
The new release of Bloody Shiraz Gin is here
Four Pillars' unique purple drop – made with Yarra Valley shiraz grapes – is back. You know what to do.
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Top Drops: May 2018
This May, a barrel-matured sauvignon blanc from the Adelaide Hills and a rich refreshing white from Italy's north-east make it to our favourites list.
A user guide to the Fresh Wine Disco in the Adelaide Hills
Four seasoned wine-world bons vivants give us their rundown of what to expect at this year’s Fresh Wine Disco, part of Tasting Australia 2018.
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Top Drops: April 2018
A powerful and complex gin from Victoria's Macedon Ranges makes our short-list this April, as does an essential cabernet franc from the Loire Valley.
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The new wave of bright, lower-alcohol reds
A refreshing revelation in summer with a vitality all their own, these are the drops helping wine lovers see the light.
A mezcal explainer: how it’s made, where to find it and how to drink it
Everything you need to know about the smokier, more rustic relative of that other agave-based spirit, tequila.
All about cold-brew coffee
The taste for cold-brew coffee shows no sign of waning – if you haven’t joined in yet, now's the time to give it a shot.
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Top Drops: March 2018
From a barrel-matured Bordeaux sauvignon blanc to a deep purple cassis made from Tasmanian blackcurrants, here are the drops we're turning to this March.
Unique spirits to add to your home bar
Take your liquor cabinet to the next level with these four unique drops.
Trash Tiki comes to Australia
Wishful drinking meets mindful upcycling as Trash Tiki brings its dumpster-diving philosophy to our favourite local bars and eateries.
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Top Drops: February 2018
From a trophy winning nero d'avola to a botanically refreshing chardonnay, here are our favourite drinks of the month.
The Gold Coast pale ale that has wooed beer-drinkers
Votes have been cast in the annual Hottest 100 Craft Beers – and a new style has come out on top.
Our summer reading and drinking list
From historical fiction and meditations on the future of cities to of-the-moment food talk, here are our picks of this summer's best beach and poolside reads - with drinks to match, naturally.
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Leading Sydney sommelier opens She Loves You in Newtown
Expect quaffable, fun drinks with deliciousness and accessibility to the fore when Billy Kwong's sommelier opens her new bar.
Jim Meehan takes PDT to Hong Kong
One of the world's best cocktail bars has opened an outpost in Hong Kong. Bottoms up.
Drinking Australia’s native ingredients
Locally made drops - from tonic to golden ale, vermouth to eau de vie - are full of the flavours and aromas of the bush, as the next generation of producers embrace quandong, wattleseeds and more. Here are our picks.
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In praise of pet-nat
The refreshing rusticity of gently sparkling pétillant-naturels is a large part of their appeal, writes Max Allen.
Shed bars of Adelaide
These secret home-styled bars are dotted across the South Australian capital - and with every bar an extension of its owner's personality, no two are quite the same. Step inside.
Five essential mixers for your home bar
With all the prosecco, boutique Australian gin and vodka floating around during party season, you’re going to need some quality mixers. Here are our picks.
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Top Drops: December 2017
From boutique Victorian rieslings to Christmas gin enriched with muscat, here are our favourite drops to enjoy this month.
15 rosés to drink now
Everything's coming up rosé as local winemakers broaden the spectrum of pink potential.
P&V Merchants opens in Sydney, stocking small-batch and hard-to-find booze
Get that Rootstock feeling all year round, with tastings, sales and special events.
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What is a Spritz anyway?
A spirit of innovation is making for intriguing iterations of the effervescent Spritz, writes Max Allen
Your guide to Rootstock Sydney 2017
What to drink, eat and do at Australia’s largest natural wine festival.
Four Pillars releases a new batch of its Australian Christmas Gin
The same pudding flavour, but with more Christmas spirit.
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Love, Tilly Devine’s new chapter
The Sydney wine bar has recharged the batteries and pivoted towards local vintners.
The wines that define 2017
From pale rosé to red vermouth, Max Allen rounds up the wine styles that define the moment.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2017
The global ranking of watering holes includes two Australian stalwarts.
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Seedlip, a non-alcoholic distilled spirit, arrives in Australia
The question of what to drink when you’re not having a drink just got easier.
Top Drops: October 2017
As the thermometer moves northward, we're drifting towards Leclerc Briant Champagne, albarino to pair with seafood and top-notch Tasmanian pinot noir.
Australia’s small-batch spirits: on the rise
Small-batch craft spirits have captured the imagination of local producers and drinkers alike, writes Max Allen.
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Top Drops: September 2017
Whether it's a crunchy sémillon or textural rosé from Provence you're after, these seven bottles have got every taste covered.
Halcyon House launches new cocktail menu with Grey Goose Vodka
Just in time for spring, Halcyon House fuels your Côte d'Azur fantasies even more, thanks to a partnership with French vodka brand, Grey Goose.
Halcyon House’s new Grey Goose cocktail menu
Just in time for spring, Halcyon House fuels your Côte d'Azur fantasies even more, thanks to a partnership with French vodka brand, Grey Goose.
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Bar Americano wants you to buy a stranger a drink
It’s all part of an effort to make Melbourne a friendlier city.
Chile’s traditional-winemaking revival
Chile’s traditional-winemaking revival is bringing a new generation back to the future, writes Max Allen.
Jacoby’s, a Twin Peaks-themed tiki bar, opens in Enmore
David Lynch and tiki culture are the inspiration for Jacoby’s, a brand-new bar by a top-notch Sydney team.
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Top Drops: August 2017
Zinfandel from David Hohnen and a rare pinot from Bass Phillip made our August short list, as did an exciting new gruner veltliner and a red blend from New South Wales.
Champagne breakfast: a question of etiquette
Campari with your cornflakes? Whether booze is okay at breakfast depends on time and place, writes Max Allen.
What is a flat white?
It's the most popular coffee in Australia, but what is a flat white exactly? Samantha Teague investigates.
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Top Drops: July 2017
From cider brandy with hints of toffee to a rare verdelho harvested from a 1930s vineyard, here are our picks for the top drops to enjoy this July.
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Signature Drink: Spice Temple’s Ox
The Bloody Mary, the queen of breakfast drinks, is a fiery way to start the day.
The Standard opens a bar in Hobart
The city’s favourite burgers now come with drinks.
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Hot 100 2017: drinks trends
Bored of beer? Weary of wine? Not with this list of exciting new drops, plus where to drink them and gadgets to make them taste better. It's the drinks edit of our Hot 100 2017 - dive in.
Gin trains, hotels and festivals
What's next for the unstoppable spirit?
Coffee culture: A history
Australia’s love affair with coffee is stronger than ever; it’s become a way of life. But exactly how did a beverage manage to shape our country’s culture?
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Top Drops: June 2017
From cider made with English apples to unusually dense grenache, dark brandy to Mornington Peninsula savagnin sous voile, here are June's best drops.
Hains & Co’s Crimson Mainsail
Don’t be fooled – this cocktail looks pretty but packs a punch fit for a pirate.
