The super power from Down Under continues to deliver consumer-friendly wines with good value — and sexy accents!

Most of us remember Australia exploding onto the wine scene sometime between the fall of Knight Rider and the rise of Baywatch. Australia brought us big, bold and boozy wines at pretty reasonable prices. The Aussie invasion empowered us, unlocking Pandora’s box and globally re-igniting a dozy passion for wine. All of a sudden we understood the labels and identified with the reliable flavours. For a while, wherever a little black dress went, a bottle of Wolf Blass Yellow Label was sure to follow.

An easy-to-use guide for selecting a French wine that suits your taste.

So, you think you’re hot stuff eh? Popping into your local wine shop and picking up a couple of bottles of Shiraz, a litre of Chardonnay and then feeling a pang of disappointment to find your favourite Californian cab is out of stock.

The relative ease of navigating through new world wines (basically from anywhere other than Europe) has made wine accessible to the masses. If you know what grape varietals you like you can browse through selections from Australia, Chile, South Africa, the U.S., and of course Canada, to find what you’re looking for — a big Cabernet Sauvignon to go with your steak dinner or a refreshing Riesling to sip on the patio on a hot summer afternoon.

Can you drink red wine with fish? Get answers to this and debunk other wine myths here.

The oenophiles (wine snobs) of the world will have you believe that wine is complicated and takes a lifetime to study, learn and appreciate. Unless you carve out a limestone cellar in your basement to store your collection of Phillipe de Rothschild vintages, they’ll say you’re nothing but an amateur — a wine drinker, but certainly not a wine lover.