Staff Picks Sydney 2025

STAFF PICKS 2025 - BRENDAN KEEN (DJ's SYDNEY)

Beautifully fragrant with fresh crushed orange, citrus peel, delicate sweet floral notes and a gentle bitterness of fresh cut herbs. This is perfect as a spritz or even with tonic but honestly we would happily drink it with ice and a dash soda as an apertif all summer long. Crafted by Antonio Nadal, Mallorca's oldest and most renown distillery, the Canonita essence is blended with white wine and refined with a secret selection of herbs from our beautiful island. Great for the festive season! BRENDAN


Canonita! What is it? Think Aperol but better. Ok. Bold statement but this stuff is absolutely delicious. It's made from the best organic Canoneta oranges from Mallorca's Sóller Valley.

The Valley is located on Mallorca's northwest coast and sheltered by the Tramuntana mountains is a magic place. Thanks to its unique terroir it is the centre of citrus cultivation in Mallorca for over  a  1000 years and the valley is theoriginal home of the highly aromatic Canoneta orange, considered the "queen of oranges".

Carefully crafted by Antonio Nadal, Mallorca's oldest and most renown distillery, the Canoneta essence is blended with white wine and refined with a secret selection of herbs from our beautiful island.
Its beautifully fragrant with fresh crushed orange, citrus peel, delicate sweet floral notes and a gentle bitterness of fresh cut herbs. This is perfect as a spritz or even with tonic but honestly we would happily drink it with ice and a dash soda as an apertif all summer long.

STAGE 7 – Flat – Hagetmau to Bordeaux – 175.1 km

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Poitevin rolls out of the glass with expressive notes of redcurrant jelly, blackberries and Morello cherries, plus wafts of wild sage and menthol. The medium-bodied palate gives a good amount of crunchy red and black fruits with a soft texture and bags of freshness, finishing with an herbal lift. LISA PERROTTO-BROWN, The Wine Advocate

Nose is elegant and oak is well integrated. Notes of vanilla, violets, blackcurrant leaf, dark chocolate and cloves. Palate has same leafy black fruit, discreet oak and pliable but slightly grainy tannins. DECANTER

Château Poitevin has long been one of those under-the-radar Médoc estates that consistently punches above its weight. Family owned for generations, the estate farms sustainably across gravel-rich soils ideally suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Their philosophy is refreshingly classical: careful vineyard work, sensible extraction and patient élevage produce Bordeaux that offers authenticity without the grand cru price tag.

The superb 2018 vintage has now settled into a lovely drinking window, allowing both fruit and savoury complexity to shine. Matured in French oak before extended bottle ageing, it delivers everything we love about properly cellared Left Bank Bordeaux. As the Tour rolls into Bordeaux, there's hardly a more fitting companion than a mature Médoc enjoyed on a cool winter's evening.

STAFF PICKS - NICK CAPEL (SYDNEY)

Always a fan of the wines from Jenn Parr, this delectable drop comes from the North Otago region, Waitaki. Aromas of wild strawberry, pomegranate laced with wild thyme, cedar. The beautiful bouquet is followed on the palate with cardamom, allspice, damson plum, strawberry, and tart cherry. Polished tannins, fine and elegant. Sadly, there's no 2023, so make sure to get your fill! NICK

The 2022 Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir is light and fine, both in the glass and aromatically. On the palate, the wine is so fine and littered with crushed shells, river stones and cherry skin. This is fragrant and lithe, pretty and detailed. It is all of these things, but it is not short. It spools through the long finish, like a fishing rod reel in cast. As there will be no 2023 Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir, make hay while the sun shines, I say. A beauty. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. (94) ERIN LARKIN, The Wine Advocate

Relatively light pinot noir that's not lacking in power. Supple, savoury wine with cherry, raspberry, violet, fresh herbs and spicy oak flavours. On the greener side of the flavour spectrum but has good energy and impressive length. (94) BOB CAMPBELL, The Real Review

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Spicy aromas of ground clove mingle with blue flower, red berry and forest floor on the 2021 Nervo from Rizzi. Tight and full bodied but also young and primary at this stage, the nervous palate features sour cherry, cranberry, white pepper and star anise alongside taut tannins and racy acidity. Drink 2027–2032. KERIN O’KEEFE

Elegant and pure on the nose and with juicy, fresh raspberry fruit on the palate. Taut and elegant with super-fine tannins woven into the concentrated fruit. WALTER SPELLER

Imbibe in the vibrant medley of aromas pitted Bing cherries to black raspberries, enhanced by a melange of sweet spices and the delicate essence of mixed red and blue flowers. Sun-warmed strawberries with freshly cut mint, offer a classic touch, as subtle hints of earth and savory herbs lift the palate to the finish. Structured and firm this wine is a true classic. JEFF PORTER

The 2022 Ciallabianco is exotic, with a mix of tropical florals and citrus tones complicated by notes of incense and ginger. It envelops the palate with ripe apricot and nectarine, balanced by the onset of crunchy minerals toward the close. Tangerine hints mix with tart apple and spice as it finishes long and staining, yet still fresh. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!