What is already on this site?
• Thousands of independent wine reviews from across Australia and New Zealand
• Background on most wine regions in Australia and New Zealand
• Photos from our cellar door and wine show visits
• Guide to Australasian Wine Varieties and Styles (even the obscure ones)
• Tips on Matching Food and Wine, Serving Wine and Wine Tasting
• Up to date calendar of national and regional wine shows open to ordinary punters
Finding wineries and wine reviews on this site
If you're looking for a winery, a wine region or wine review in Australia or New Zealand, go to the regions section. If you want to learn about wine...then go to that section....getting the picture yet? If you don't know in which region a winery is located then go the Search section and it will take you to our A-Z winery listing that will tell you where it is located.
138 new reviews from 74 producers - May 2013 (and a few carry overs)
Adelaide Hills (SA) Hahndorf Hill
Adelaide Super-Zone (SA) Penfolds
Barossa Valley (SA) Dandelion Vineyards, Glaetzer, Penfolds, Peter Lehmann, St. Hallett, Standish, Two Hands, Torbreck
Bendigo (Vic) Avonmore Estate, Balgownie Estate, Belvoir Park, Black Estate, Blackjack, Burnt Acre, Glenwillow, Harcourt, Mandurang Valley, Newbridge, Rivergate, Sheer Drop, Sutton Grange, Turner's Crossing, Waterwheel, Wellbush
Canberra (NSW/ACT) Surveyor's Hill
Central Otago (NZ) Peregrine
Clare Valley (SA) Skillogallee
Eden Valley (SA) Dandelion Vineyards, Peter Lehmann, Torbreck
Great Southern (WA) Howard Park
Mclaren Vale (SA) Aramis, Cape Barren, Chapel Hill, D'Arenberg, Geoff Merrill, Kay Brothers, Maxwell, Mitolo, Paxton, Penny's Hill, Pertaringa, Scarpantoni, Wira Wirra, Yangarra
Margaret River (WA) Howard Park, Vasse Felix
Mornington Peninsula (NZ) Quealy, Willow Creek
Mount Benson (SA) Cape Jaffa, Ralph Fowler, Wangolina Station
Nelson (NZ) Woolaston
Padthaway (SA) Henry's Drive
Pemberton (WA) Truffle Hill
Pyrenees (Vic) Dalwhinnie
Riverland (SA) Banrock Station, Burke-Salter, 919 Wines
Rutherglen (Vic) Chambers Rosewood, Rutherglen Estates
South Gippsland (Vic) Lithostylis
Southern Fleurieu (SA) Mosquito Hill
Southern Tasmania (NZ) Stefano Lubiana Wines
Sunbury (Vic) Galli Estate
Wellington (NZ) Craggy Range, Martinborough Vineyard, Murdoch James
Wrattonbully (SA) Tappanappa
Yarra Valley (Vic) Boat O'Craigo, De Bortoli, Dominique Portet, Mandala, William Downie
What is GenXYwines?
Welcome to the GenXY Wines website and feel free to browse the thousands of wine reviews already loaded (click on the regions section and follow the drop bar menu).
What we are building is one of Australasia's (Australia and New Zealand) largest free to access, independent wine review and education sites.
It is written by ordinary (albeit passionate) wine consumers to provide frank hype-free advice to other wine consumers - and we aren't trying to flog you any particular brands.
We are also getting around to all the wine regions across Australasia to visit and photograph the winery cellar doors and regional highlights to help punters decide for themselves which are the best to visit.
The site also contains educational tips on the 100 or so varieties used in Australasia, serving wine, matching food and wine, wine tasting, and the history and main features of Australasia's wine regions.
We hope that you find this site useful. Additional features and wineries are on their way.
Note: As mentioned above we dont sell wine - our business is talking about wine. We have had recent issues with hackers trying to get into our e-mail accounts. Do not forward your money or credit card details to anyone claiming to be from this site as it is probably some fraud.
Explanation of GenXY Wine Review Rankings
(*****) National or regional benchmark for variety, gold medal standard, a prima donna that demands worship
(****1/2) Outstanding quality and style, silver medal standard
(****) Stands out from the pack, bronze medal standard
(***1/2) Better than average, good varietal expression or interesting innovation
(***) The Pack, solid boutique wine making level showing consistent varietal expression and free of faults, generally will complement rather than dominate food
(**1/2) Competent winemaking at the bulk commercial wine level, price is important, late night drinking after you have drunk the more expensive stuff
(** and less) Showing technical faults or nasty edges, only buy to give to people you really don’t like
New Feature 1: Our Most Highly Rated Wines From 2012
I have gone through the notes on the 1800 wines I have tried in the 2012 review cycle (technically from late 2011 to Nov 2012) and have provided a full listing of all the four star and above rated wines according to varietal or style categories. To see the 2012 listing click here: GenXY Recommended Wines From 2012
New Feature 2: 2013 Wine Festivals and Memorable Wines
There is always a flurry of post X-mas wine promotion in Februay and March.This year Graham went to five major wine shows/festivals: Federation Square South East Victorian Showcase, Adelaide Cellar Door Festival, New Zealand In A Glass, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Cellar Door and the Bendigo Winemakers' Festival. This feature contains my reflections and comments from a punter's perspective on the organisation of the shows, the most memorable wines, and a rating. News and Features page (scroll down to find feature)
New Feature 3: Clare Valley Riesling 2012 Vintage of the Century of Hype ?
After trying 35 Clare Valley Rieslings over the summer/autumn I give my verdict , includes 28 reviews News and Features page (scroll down to find feature)
Our Wine of the Week
Penfolds Grange 2008 (multi-regional SA but mainly Barossa), During May the Penfolds Icons were released, rising international demand (notably China) and a perfect 100 point score in the Wine Advocate (the first time since the 1976 vintage) has seen Penfolds increase the price this vintage by a cheeky 25%, the wine has a 2% Cabernet input, mainly Barossa fruit with 9% from the Clare Valley and 2% from Magill, concentrated and firmly structured blackberry pastille, black cherry and mulberry with anise, mint, cola and five spice notes, tightly wound with chewy but finely powdered tannins, rich sandalwood/mocha/malt oak, no doubt through careful selection The Grange has managed to dodge the impact of the prolonged late vintage heatwave that baked much of the Barossa fruit, while the attention to detail is evident in this wine the price more reflects the behaviour of investors who will probably never open the wine, despite the hype it is essentially an old school big Barossa Shiraz with a splash of Cabernet and lashings of American oak, a style that those of us who grew up near the Barossa have been drinking for decades, there’s a lot more contemporary and interesting premium Australian Shiraz that should be sharing in the limelight that Grange gets on the world wine stage (*****) 2028+ ($785 but have seen it for retail at $640)
Our Winery Tour Photos: You can click on the pictures below to go straight to winery page and additional photos
Entrance to Mountadam in SA's Eden Valley
Josef Chromy cellar door on the outskirts of Launceston
Old Grenache Vines at Barossa Valley's Turkey Flat
Panorama Estate from the Huon Valley in southern Tasmania