I’ll freely admit that in the past I’ve never been excited about Australian Tempranillo. All of them were more like dry reds with some Tempranillo flavour. After a tasting on 20th August, I am a convert. All it took was two hours, six focussed and passionate producers and 23 wines. Before we go too far, what is Tempranillo? Well, … Read more
Regular readers of this blog will know I love Aglianico, Nebbiolo and well Italian wine in general. So with access to some lovely older Aglianico, known as the Barolo of the South, I thought why not taste them side by side. I don’t find that Aglianico tastes an awful lot like Nebbiolo. What it does … Read more
I will cheerfully admit I am a huge fan of Austrian wines. When a winemaking teacher tipped me off to the existence of Gruner Veltliner it opened up a whole world of textural, aromatic white wines that are almost more fun to smell than to drink (almost but not quite!). After years of enjoying Austria’s Riesling … Read more
Riesling is one of the ‘noble’ varieties of grapes used to make wine. I believe it to be the King (or should I say Queen?) of the aromatics. Found in most wine producing countries over the globe, and if made by someone with a passion for the variety, they will usually have success. However, Riesling … Read more
Spanish Wine Masterclass Next Stop World Domination? Check out the Spanish Wine available right now. About Spain According to figures from the OIV (International Organization of Wine and Vine), in 2011 Spain had 1,032,000 hectare of vineyards planted. 225,000 hectare more than second most prolific France. 97.4% was used for wine making. In 2011 they … Read more
One of the greatest parts of running your own business (apart from setting your own hours) is you can follow what you love and what interests you. So when wine importer Euan McKay suggested we do a dinner showcasing Burgundy 2009 I said yes before he had finished his sentence. For me the only thing … Read more
When owner and winemaker Michael Dhillon asked me up to visit Bindi I didn’t hesitate in saying yes. Offers like this don’t come around often and Bindi is one of my most favourite producers in Australia. After arriving too early meaning I had to kill time in Gisbourne and then flying past the entrance, apparently being … Read more
Wine of the Week Feudi di San Gregorio Sannio Falanghina DOC 2010 Having tasted quite a few of the San Gregorio wines recently I’ve been heartily impressed with them all. Their Aglianico red wines and sparkling wine are well worth buying but this wine from the variety Falanghina takes the trophy of most enjoyable. … Read more
Wine of the Week Du Cedre ‘Heritage’ Cahors 2009 It was a pretty hard job trying to pick my favourite wine of the week, but this lovely wine won out for its charm and drinkability at the South West France tasting this week. That and the weather has gone cold again! An entry level red … Read more
Wine of the Week Sigalas Santorini Assrytiko 2009 The wine of the moment Not surprisingly that following the Greek dinner and masterclass last night I’ve found an interesting Greek wine to recommend. This wine is definitely not a sit down a drink on its own affair. But that is where the … Read more
Greek wine has a very poor reputation, mostly because for a long time they have been churning out some pretty ordinary wine! We in Australia are just seeing the good quality producers being brought into Australia. So when importer Pete Johns suggested we show some open minded wine drinkers some great wines from Greece I … Read more
Wine of the Week Paradigm Hill Riesling 2011 Paradigm Hill is an impressive vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula. Probably most famous for their Pinot Noir I have always had a soft spot for their Riesling. We visited Paradigm Hill on Sunday when Main Ridge Estates cellar door was closed (so sad). It is a great experience … Read more
Bordeaux 2009 – WOW! Not since the 2005 vintage Bordeaux (of which I did three separate tasting in the space of a week) have I felt the need to write ‘wow’ in capital letters. I was a bit nervous to see if the wines lived up the the massive hype for a couple of reasons. First and foremost … Read more
Francoise & Denis Clair Cotes de Beaune Village 2009 Following on from our All The Pinots tastings a good friend had their 40th Birthday. So naturally a bottle of Burgundy was the order of the day. The heart of Burgundy is known as the Cote d’Or (Golden Slope) and this wine could be sourced from anywhere in the Southern … Read more
Some of All The Pinots. Given there has been some glimpses of Spring Silvio and I thought we’d celebrate with a tasting of All The Pinots. Well, we got most of them. Blanc, Gris, Noir, Meunier in various wine guises including sparkling, white, red and sweet. With somewhat Spring like weather, Mezzo’s wonderful canapes and a room full … Read more
After a recent trip to the cellar door I was quite excited to hear that TarraWarra was hosting a ten year vertical tasting showing off their flagship Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with some of their other releases. First up was the Marsanne Roussanne Viognier blends. As a rule these blends have never excited me even … Read more
Bouscasse Madiran 2009 Gotta a whole lotta South West France love! Since the weather is still cold what better for you than a corset of tannins that is like a hug in a wine glass? Dark, minerally, hint of oak – somewhat reminiscent of Hunter Valley Shiraz. Nutty, smokey/flinty, nice acidity, silky and dense. Great … Read more
One of the occasional perks of this job is a long lunch. Sometimes you get the added bonus is great company and wines that you find compelling. I definitely hit the jackpot with this lunch at Maha! I’m a huge fan of the wines of Bordeaux BUT… Often find them just above my comfortable spending level for … Read more
Twice a year everyone in our group digs into their own cellar to share something special. Each wine has to be 10 years old and European. They are all served blind and therefore it is up to each of us to guess the wine after being given a series of options. Not surprisingly we call this game “options”. Due to … Read more
I have been busy tasting plenty of wines over the last few months. I have coallated the best below. I have kept the notes brief so if you are interested in find out more detail or order any of the wines please send me an email [email protected] or call 0418 23 04 82. Sherry Plus Port Plus … Read more
WINE OF THE WEEK Greenstone Rosso di Colbo Sangiovese 2011 The Greenstone vineyard is the result of a lot of know how, experimentation and breaking a few ‘rules’. There is a strong focus on producing good quality Sangiovese (to good results it would appear!) but of course in Heathcote you have to give Shiraz some … Read more
The place to be on this cold afternoon. Having done quite a focus on Italian wines over the last few months, I thought it was time to bring it closer to home and show some Australian interpretations of Italian varieties. Teaming up with Silvio at Mezzo Restaurant we selected seven wines from interesting Australian producers making … Read more
It was 5.59pm on Tuesday and I took a call from Matthew Hanson who I have chatted to regularly for well over 5 years now and who runs Fine Wine Appreciation Melbourne http://www.finewineappreciation.com.au/ . He said he had a last minute withdrawal from his William Downie dinner so would I like to come along? “It starts at 7pm” he added. I had … Read more
Mezzo in all its glory Yep, it has been a busy week and very much focussed on Italian wines, it has been fun and informative. On Saturday TWD teamed up with Mezzo Restaurant to host a tasting that featured wines from two of Italy’s premier red wine producing regions. Piedmont – the foggy, hilly region in the North West … Read more