Why is it that the Rhone Valley is not as universally revered as Burgundy, Bordeaux or Champagne? That is a serious question, comment below to help me understand. I have been lucky enough to have drunk a good amount of mature Rhone Valley red wine from the North and the South over my years. But […]
I awoke early and spritely, ready for a day of lasts in Europe. Last use of hand shower without a shower screen. Thank Bacchus for that! Last Petit dejeunier. For the love of Bacchus, why can’t we do this in Australia? Importantly, last chance to see some vineyards. After average French coffee balanced by beautiful […]
I awoke excitedly on my creaky futon and well-worn pillow. Today was the day I visit Domaine Tempier. Glorious sunshine, not too hot and the promise of a breakfast facing the Mediterranean spurred me on to the town again before I headed for the Rhone Valley. A lovely croissant from a bakery that had people […]
Firmly lodged in third place behind Burgundy and Bordeaux in the tier of quality red wine regions in France. Certainly The Rhone Valley is often underestimated. Most importantly it has the soul and terroir focus of Burgundy with the Grand Estates and ability to produce volumes like Bordeaux. But it just doesn’t do either with […]
You step outside to the faint whiff of wood smoke. The cold creeps down the where your shirt sits funny on the back your neck. You can’t see the houses three streets over for all the white/grey fog. The slick roads and car tyres sound like you’ve stepped into the worlds largest velcro convention. You’ve stepped […]
We’ve just passed the winter solstice but I don’t think the cold weather is going to disappear completely. So on those nights when the chill creeps into your bones and you’d like a nice glass of wine to help you warm up I thought I’d add another log to your wine fire. Sure, you can […]
It should be easy. But can you tell me what does Shiraz taste like? Is what you’ve tasted an accurate idea of the Shiraz taste? Even a professional like me gets confused. Let me set the scene. I spent an enjoyable January talking to people. It is one of the fun things about Jan that […]
One of the perks of the job is shopping for these events. Trying to slide the best wines possible under the salary cap and working out the combinations often means I end up with more wine than I strictly need. But its all good wine, so the winner is me if no one else chooses […]
On a glorious day, the last of Winter for 2013 the TWD community congregated to discover Rosé, Rosato, Rosado, Rosewein, Blush, Taché. Whatever you call it! The order of the day was busting the myths and introducing the world of real Rosé: Delicate, dry, savoury, textural and so drinkable. By looking at Rosé in its different forms […]
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 […]
Over the past little while, I’ve been tasting wines from TWD’s cellar to make sure they are still in good condition (yep, that is the real reason for sure!). Here are some of the highlights. You can see the current list here and email any orders or questions to: philip@thewinedepository.com.au DOMAINE RASPAIL-AY GIGNONDAS 2008 & 1998 […]
WINE OF THE WEEK:JL Chave Selection Offerus Saint-Joseph 2008 – Chave is one of the top producers in the Northern Rhone Valley, world famous from their exemplary Hermitage (see my previous Chave encounter here).The Selecion label is the Chave negociant arm which that allows them to buy fruit from outside vineyards to make more wine at a more affordable price. […]
A memorable night for two reasons – some truly amazing wines, and the fact that two people pulled out last minute so there was a lot more wine than we needed. The plus side was there was no real disappointments, the downside was it was hard to decide what not to drink. We started of course with […]
This is the start of something and you need to get on board. A step above the standard fare from the Yarra
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