European Wine Tour 2023 It was 2019 when I last traveled to Europe with customers. That was a funny one to think back on because it was before COVID-19 was known about. That trip was more intimate because a few guests had to pull out to due to acute illness and it was just me … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
For those who don’t know, I love Bandol. I have a cat named Tempier, named after the most famous and my favourite Bandol producer. With that in my mind I was up early and ready to go. Before getting to Bandol (it’s a VERY long drive), I had Barolo and Barbaresco to explore. On a … Read more
The time has come for us to part ways like grapes from a vine at harvest time. It is Italy via train for the Jarvies. Lyon and a night at Paul Bocuse for the Northside Crew via Philippe Le Bon et son bus volant. And me? I’m off to Roddi, a small pocket in the … 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
Some days you are witness to history, even if you don’t want to. We were there for that Burgundy frost. The sun was shining after yesterdays icy blast and the walk into town was not rained out. There should have been an inkling when we found my favourite petit dejeuner place closed. Not the end … Read more
It is not every day that this cynical wine guy learns something about wine. But today, at Macon, I did. And today I think I found my vinous man crush. Also, they like to use the name Philippe a lot around here. It’s almost as bad as the time I went on the ‘Phil Smith … Read more
Today we started the really real part of the trip; Tasting In Gevrey Chambertin. That meant petit dejeuner. Any breaky that has croissants as lovely as those is OK with me. But we also get coffee (passable), baguette and orange juice. It was delicious and nostalgic as it was the same café that I went … Read more
Captains Log. Day 2. Today the wine family experienced the North part of the Routes de Grand Cru (pronounced Cruss according to Google maps). The funny thing was we were heading to Beaujolais. There was an unfortunate incident, things were said… mostly by me. But it did end up with someone (me) threatening to punch James … Read more
Hello Friends! After quite an enjoyable trek we have arrived safely in Burgundy. The Qantas flight from Melbourne to Singapore was quite exciting with good company keeping me going. 6 hours in Singapore was a bit of a stretch. After that the 13 hours to Zurich with Swiss Air was so comfortable and food so tasty, … Read more
I’m off to Burgundy… WOO! In 2008 I undertook a glorious wine study tour. Mosel, Burgundy, Jura, Alsace, Paris (we drank a lot of wine there) and Champagne. I learnt a lot and I loved every second of it. Except the flying. People with sleeping tablets blocking aisles, first experiences with jet lag and on the … Read more
You might have caught my first chat with Intrepid Wino James Scarcebrook about wine retail (if not see here https://thewinedepository.com.au/twd-on-the-vincast/). We had a great time recording it and so James invited me back for a second chat. This time we talked about something that most people do, but very few do well. That is wine … Read more
The exciting conclusion to one of the great stories of 2011… (or something). Read part one here Lunch at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander Including my first introduction to pork rillette – this could be a life long love affair. Great venue, great food and well worth a visit. The staff were great even the guy who foolishly … Read more
A few weeks ago, in a vain attempt to educate a Burgundian friend on the merits of Australian wine, we set out to see the delights of the Yarra Valley. Unfortunately, our designated driver was extremely hung over and went back to bed, which meant that I had to shoulder the driving responsibility. Despite our early set … Read more