A wine cellar is a collection of wine specifically put aside to mature in the bottle. Where you store it is a different conversation but is also a wine cellar. It is, therefore, possible to have a wine cellar with no wine in it. Or a wine cellar with nowhere to put it. When I … Read more
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the noble varieties. And once you get a taste of Cabernet Sauvignon from a great producer, region, and vintage at the correct age, you’ll be transfixed. It grows in many wine places around the world; people know it and can, for the most part, pronounce it. I’ll use Cabernet and … Read more
What is an old Bordeaux? When you’re talking about the pointy end of quality, I mean Cru class from Left and Right Bank. I think they start looking old at about 15 years. Maybe 10 for a less good year like 2007 or even 20 years for a great year like 2005. It is when … Read more
Sustainable Wines is a buzzword in all forms of agriculture and probably culture in general. But in real terms, what does it mean for wine? In Australia, the major elements of Sustainable Wines are: organic, biodynamic and “natural”. Certification is available for organic and biodynamic viticulture and winemaking, but “natural” winemaking is very much an … Read more
Thursday was a cold Autumn day in Melbourne. Business as usual, but perfect for what was planned in the evening; showcasing the best Shiraz in Australia at a Rockford Basket Press Dinner. For my own enjoyment, I’ve been collecting Basket Press since at least 2000 vintage. But what do you do with seven or eight … Read more
The Wine Depository’s Australian Wine month tasting is one I look forward to every year. It is obvious you guys do too, as it is always the biggest event I host each year. I’m careful to choose a bigger venue and offer lot more wines than normal so we can share the joy of great, … Read more
You are probably a wine lover who wants to start a cellar but filling it seems like a daunting task. You might even be sipping a glass of wine and wondering in your head, “will this wine improve in the cellar?” (Or I bet you are now if you weren’t before!). Or you’ve tried some … Read more
One of the truly noble white wine varieties, Chardonnay is a wonderful grape. The best wines of Chardonnay are without peer. It makes some of my favourite wines; be they Chablis, Champagne (especially Blanc de Blancs), White Burgundy or good old Chardy from the New World. Chardonnay is probably the most flexible grape in the … Read more
Until my first wine making lecturer talked about drinking yourself sober with Austrian wine, I never thought about Austria in any sense. When she wrote the words ‘Grüner Veltliner’ on the top of my notebook my fate was sealed. Further study (that does include drinking) opened me up to the world of their two standout … Read more
For most people, the reputation of Greek wine precedes and possibly prevents the tasting of any of the product. I’m here to tell you that if you’re not drinking Greek wine you are missing out. But if you don’t know where to start I’ve made this Introduction to Greek Wine. The good stuff, and there … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
The whole trip I’d been nudging forward the whites of the region because everyone knows how great the reds are. But subtly I had held back Chablis because I wanted to keep that flint dry (see what I did there?). Today that changes when we visit Chablis. The embargo lifted. We drove to the beautiful … Read more
After a short delay in blogging while sleep took priority I’m back to keep you up to date with the happenings of the wine family. In this episode we wake up to . beautiful day in Burgundy with some lovely sun. Not warm mind you but the sun makes you feel like you are floating above … Read more
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 … Read more
Anyone with a passing interest in will have heard (or read) about Pinot Noir. And mostly it will be how great the wines are, and maybe what a pain in the a$$ the grape is to grow. So let’s take a look at it from the start: What Is Pinot Noir? [button link=”https://thewinedepository.com.au/rankvariety/pinot-noir/” color=”purple”]Browse all … Read more
The Wines Of Argentina are amazing. For a wine lover it is: A Whole New World [button link=”https://thewinedepository.com.au/wine-shop/?filter_country=argentina” bg_color=”#e02020″]Jump straight to the lovely wines available for purchase[/button] A country that has been growing vines since the 1500s but only really focusing on quality since the 1980s. It’s a shame because Argentina is close to the … Read more
What is Champagne? Champagne is a wine region of France approximately 160km East of Paris. Also, the name of the wines produced from the area. Most famously, it is a sparkling wine that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle and aging on lees (the dead yeast cells). Occasionally you will find still wines, but they … Read more
Most wine lovers have a soft spot for Champagne (for this exercise I mean real Champagne) and I’m sure every one of us browses the ‘Prestige Cuvée’ section (Dom Perignon, Cristal, Krug etc) and thinks ‘one day’. But for a lot of wine lovers Champagne is something you have one glass of at the start of the meal (maybe … Read more
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 … 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
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