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Today on The Cellar Door Podcast, I’m joined by someone whose work shapes how Australia understands its own wine: Katrina Butler, Head of Tasting at the Halliday Wine Companion.

Katrina arrives at a busy moment, preparing the next edition of the Companion, fresh off the latest awards season, and deep in the yearly cycle of tasting thousands of wines from across the country. In this episode, she lifts the lid on how the Companion is actually put together: blind tastings, regional specialists, the shortlisting process, and how major awards are decided.

We also explore the evolution of the Companion itself, from a single, iconic book to a multi-platform wine media brand, and what it means to communicate wine for the consumer in a rapidly changing media landscape.

Katrina shares insights from her own tasting regions, including the energy coming out of the Riverland and the classic expressions emerging from Kangaroo Island. And she tells the story of her own path into wine, from pastry chef to writer to leading one of Australia’s most influential tasting programs.

A huge thanks to Katrina for joining me on the CDP. 

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