The James Halliday Wine Companion 2009 is about to be released.

Yes, I know you still think it's 2008, but the publishers like to get this book out well before Fathers' Day. It does make a great gift!

The James Halliday Australian Wine Companion is the most comprehensive wine guide in Australia. If you only have one wine guide you need this one.

It contains essential data on the leading wines and wineries in Australia, a sort of telephone book, statistical compendium, vintage chart, travel guide and Who's who all rolled into one.

And then there are the tasting notes. Past editions have had notes on 5000-6000 wines, and that's after low scoring wines have been dropped.

For many of us wine buffs the publication of the Wine Companion is a red letter day. We are agog with anticipation. There is always a surprise.

• Which wines and wineries are getting the highest ranking?
• How have the frosts, bushfire smoke and drought of 2006-07 affected your favourite wines and regions?
• Who are the best new wineries and dark horses for 2009?

Every year the Wine Companion is different. Last year over 660 wineries were dropped. A sneak preview of the cover is all I have to reveal at the moment, but we can expect to see the Companion out in the next few weeks.

I'll bring you a review of how James Halliday sees the alternative varietal wine scene unfolding.

If you sign up for the Vinodiversity Newsletter I will notify you when I review the James Haliday Australian Wine Companion 2009.

New wineries in the 2009 Companion

169 new wineries are listed in this year's wine guide. But I'm really interested in the wineries with new varieties. Just less a third of the new wineries are using one or more alternative varieties.

You can read my analysis of the new Australian wineries in Halliday 2009

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