Notes from the editor, plus meet our contributors

Each year, our cellaring issue reminds us to enjoy our wines. And every time, I go home determined to open the good stuff, only to reach for something else. I do actually drink the wines in my collection and love to share them with friends. But even though I don’t have many special bottles, there are a few that tend to make me think twice. Maybe they need longer, I tell myself. Or perhaps it’s not quite the right occasion. And so these wines go back into their spot, waiting for the next time they’re pulled out, over-contemplated and most likely put back once again.

I’d like to think we’re all guilty of certain cellaring sins, no matter how much we know or how long we’ve been doing it. That’s why we created an A to Z guide for this edition. It shares the basics of how to create the best possible collection – ideal for anyone new to cellaring, as well as those who’ve been collecting for decades. We also include some hot tips on the best wines to cellar right now from a number of people in the know.

Also in this issue, James Halliday runs through a privileged Burgundy Grand Cru tasting, plus we meet MasterChef’s Gary Mehigan, focus on Australian pinot noir, tour Japan as well as South Australia’s dynamic Riverland, learn a little more about wine tasting notes and look at the burgeoning UK wine industry.

We hope it all uncovers some excellent drinking and, at the very least, helps you to open the good stuff.