Yalumba In My Eyes Masters

What's a brilliant wine! What an even better price... If only there were more wine makers out there with the same vision as Yalumba. Do they cop a bad wrap however. Often there ar misconceptions around wineries based on price alone. I wonder if this myth is placed on Yalumba for example. They come in at a great price, they have a large production. Many people will tar them with the supermarket wine label brush. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The folks at Yalumba are constantly working hard to provide wine at an "intelligent" price.

Vermentino, what a great food wine, works brilliantly with Australia's Love of Asian Food. A pale green straw in colour, the aromas of jasmine and white nectarine, work in harmony with cumquat coming in spades . The palate is lush and fleshy with grapefruit style acidity. It finishes off with a great textural back palate.
What a great refreshing wine... One word to finish SWAG!
Yalumba = Billiance

Beaujolais Under Rated ? Or Spot On

Beaujolais is very much a variety that has no following here in Australia, which I find quite a shame.
Beaujolais is quiet the elegant little red that can be so pleasing on the palate as well as the senses. I assume part of the reason it has never taken off is due to Australia's inability to decipher French Wine Labels, which stems from a lack of French geographical knowledge.

Beaujolais produces AOC wines Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, cru Beaujolais & Beaujolais Nouveau. The main grapes are Gamay, Pinot Noir & the much lesser known Pinot Liébault.

I believe that Beaujolais strength lies in its acidity and its ability to produces a soft wine with round tannins where the astringency can be its trademark. I got one plan on drinking a lot more Beaujolais in the future.

Barbera d'Alba... King Or Queen? Definitely Wine Royalty!

Respect is rarely automatic, not always deserved and not taken lightly. Barbera has lacked respect in the wine world because it was said to be too acidic, too rustic, too coarse, lacking flavour and compromised too easily. Barbera's only apparent redeeming quality was its cheapness or more modestly put, its value. Perhaps it has had a bad reputation because it is a primary Piedmont resident in Italy's northwest wine region, where the other two grape varietals, Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, overshadow the lowly Barbera in respect and admiration. It i grown in other Italian wine regions, in fact, after Sangiovese, Barbera is the second most planted grape in the Italy. However there is no correlation with that fact and that people love and praise their Chiantis, their Brunellos, and their Barolos more. While Barbera has been sneered at, spat upon and spurned, bottles of it are commonly found as the basic table wine in modest Italian restaurants. Barbera may be underrated, but it's the everyday underrated drinking wine at the heart of Italian Life.

The wines people think of when Piedmont is discussed are Barolo, Barbaresco and Dolcetto. Barbera's reputation for creating lackluster character, dearth of flavor and biting acidic wines has started to wear off. The wines deserve a chance. In general, the best Barberas are found in the Piedmont.

Without question Barbera's will probably never rise to the stature of Barolos or Brunellos, but winemakers are getting wiser in their approach to and handling of the grape. They are planting the vines in better sites, reducing yields and paying more attention to wine production. Longer aging in oak has proven effective to enhance Barbera's spartan character, bring out flavor, and build balance in structure.

For decades Barbera has suffered under neglect and lack of attention, but the new style is bringing out the richness in the fruit that in turn balances the grape's inherent acidity. The result is a Barbera that many years ago would not be recognized. Ironically, in the Piedmont Barolo's gets the accolades but Barbera outplants the Nebbiolo grape by about fifteen times. Part of the reason might be attributed to Barbera's hardy knack to grow profusely in places other grapes whine and moan and then wither and die.

There are five D.O.C. in the Piedmont for Barbera but there are only two that should get your attention, the best to check out are:

                        Barbera D'Alba                           Barbera D'Asti

Contrary to Barolo or Barbaresco, a Barbera wine is not a dark and sinister purple but a brighter ruby red. Also, Barbera has negligible tannins and does not age as well. It's probably a good idea to drink the wine when it's fairly young, say within four to six years of the vintage date. As it ages, the color will turn to garnet with brownish edges. Regarding its flavors, when expertly done, Barbera shows modes of black cherries, black berries, currants and plums.

There are essentially two types or styles of Barbera, the pre and post wines. The pre is made in the tradizionale method before theaccademico metodologia influenced how the wine is made. Like all Italian politics, there is always opposition. The pre Barbera is simple in structure with spare fruit character that is accentuated with an sharp acidic tang. This is not a knock on the wine but rather an acknowledgment of its nature. The post Barbera will exhibit more extracted fruit, density, and an indication of oaky tannins to provide a counterweight to the fruit's natural acidity.

Agostino Pavia & Figlia.

A straight forward Barbera that will show balance of berry fruit, acidity, depth and a dearth of tannins. Shall we say, "Large-Pepperoni and mushrooms, extra cheese."

Domenico Clerico

Clerico is located in Monforte d'Alba, producing mostly Barolo wines. He also makes an outstanding Barbera from three vineyards and ages in French oak. Clerico wines are highly prized as his full-bodied Trevigne.

Fratelli Revello

The "Ciabot du Re" is the one to look for from Fratelli Revello. It's released after two years of harvest and shows more depth in fruit and structure than the Barbera d'Alba that only ages one year.

Hilberg Pasquero.

Michele Pasquero and his wife, Annette Hilberg, promote biodynamic farming at the Pasquero winery to produce excellent wines with Barbera and Nebbiolo. The Barbera d'Alba is a younger wine with fresh fruit intensity. The Superiore exhibits more complexity of raspberry, violets, and smooth texture.

La Spinetta

Look for the Rhino on the label. Winemaker Giorgio Rivetti made his reputation on a Super-Piedmont, particularly on his Monferrato Rosso Pin wine blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera.

Paolo Conterno

As you may suspect, another family owned estate, since 1886. Conterno is known more for its various Barolos, but they also have a solid and flavorful Barbara d'Alba Ginestra with traditional Barbera tang.

Paolo Scavino

Paolo Scavino is a modern and one of the most respected winemakers in Italy. His Barolos are big giants that command attention, praise, and high prices. Barolos typically need years to soften to a drinkable state. Scavino's are soft and lush with months and actually drinkable. If Scavino makes Barbera, I want to try it.

Prunotto

The Prunotto wine estate began after World War I, in 1923, led by winemaker and founder Alfredo Prunotto. Currenty owned by the Tuscan wine company, Antinori.

The best Barberas will probably come from Barbera d'Alba or Barbera d'Asti and these wines are predominantly made from 100% Barbera grapes. In other areas it tends to be blended to offset some of the grape's natural limitations. Many are excellent Barolo producers also make Barberas. If you fancy a particular winery and their Barbera, research if they also make a Barolo...and vice versa. Regarding price, the tavola version will run about $20-$35 but the complex Barberas that express themselves with their hands like a true Italian will cost between $35-$85. Barbera has always been a wine that has been some what of a mystery to me. Hopefully it wont be like that for you. Trying to find some quality Barbera d'Alba's in australia is a difficult task. Many Chain style stores stock a poor range of crappy flabby uninteresting wines. The internet however can bring many of the elegant indulgent flavours directly into your front door. Don't be shy get online and give it a try see what you can find and try. After all the alluring thing about wine is the hunt finding that bottle that captures everything your looking for!

Sangiovese is it the forgotten talent... ?

Traditionally Australians are quite un-knowledgeable when it comes to Sangiovese, which probably accounts for the small amount grown and sold in Australia. 
Italian immigrants from Tuscany probably introduced the Sangiovese grape to many countries throughout the globe. They are credited with its introduction in California in the late 1800s, possibly at the Segheshio Family's "Chianti Station," near Geyserville. It is one of several varietal components of the field blend in many old North Coast and Gold Country Californian vineyards that are often otherwise identified as Zinfandel.
Sanguis Jovis, the Latin origin for the varietal name, literally means "blood of Jove" and it is likely that Sangiovese (a.k.a. Sangioveto or San Gioveto) was known by Etruscan winemakers, although the first literary reference to it was in 1722. It is probably indigenous to Tuscany, whose most famous wine is Chianti.
The basic blend of Chianti was established by Baron Ricasoli in the 1890s. This averages 70% sangiovese as the varietal base (along with 15% canaiolo [red], and 15% trebbiano [white] and sometimes a little colorino [red]). Many vineyards are traditionally planted with this varietal mix. It is difficult even for the Italians to keep up with their own ever-changing and very detailed wine laws, which specify permitted grape types, maximum yields per acre, minimum alcohol content, minimum aging standards before sale, etc. Currently, the minimum amount of sangiovese permitted in Chianti is 90%. Other grapes that may be used now include malvasia toscana, a white grape far superior to the ubiquitous trebbiano. Still, the total white grapes used must not exceed 5% of the blend.
In some ways sangiovese is to Chianti as cabernet sauvignon is to Bordeaux. Both form the base of wines normally blended with other varietals and both by themselves share a certain distinctive elegance and complexity, when well-made.
There are at least 14 separate and distinct clones of sangiovese. At one point, there was some attempt in Italy to identify two separate "families", Grosso and Piccolo, although this seemed to have more commercial basis ("mine's better than yours") than ampelographic or taste evidence to justify this attempt to classify.
The fruit is slow to mature and late-ripening. With relatively thin skins, it has a tendency to rot in dampness and does not mature well if planted above an elevation of 1,500 feet. Sangiovese vineyards with limestone soil seem to produce wines with more forceful aromas.
The hot, dry climate, such as Tuscany provides, is where sangiovese thrives. Because these climatic criteria generally enhance quantity, rather than quality, it takes careful cultivation and winemaking techniques to produce really excellent wine from this grape. The official classification of Chianti itself demonstrates the widely fluctuating range of Sangiovese quality from those identified as ordinary vino di tavola to the highest classico superiore. Sangiovese is the #1 varietal in Italy with 247,000 acres, 10% of the entire wine grape crop.
The flavor profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with moderate to high natural acidity and generally a medium-body ranging from firm and elegant to assertive and robust and a finish that can tend towards bitterness. The aroma is generally not as assertive and easily identifiable as Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, but can have a strawberry, blueberry, faintly floral, violet or plummy character.

Typical Sangiovese Smell and/or Flavor Descriptors
Varietal Aromas/Flavors:	Processing Bouquets/Flavors:
Fruit: strawberry, blueberry, orange peel, plum	.
Floral: violet	Oak (light): vanilla, sweet wood
Spice: cinnamon, clove, thyme	Oak (heavy): oak, smoke, toast, tar

Most Chianti up through the 1980s was imported in straw-covered fiasci and more attention was paid to low price than any quality factor. Probably because of this association, very few California wine reference books published before 1990 make mention of Sangiovese as either wine or grape. With no snob-appeal as a "collector's wine," it generated little interest from growers or consumers until relatively recently.
Tuscan winemakers, experimenting the past few years with blends of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and/or merlot have succeeded creating some excellent Supertuscan blends commanding high prices. This has led to an increasing number of experimental Sangiovese vineyards being planted. There are several Australian producers now making proprietary blends of cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese, following the Supertuscan example.
It will be interesting to see the progress of Australian Sangiovese over the next few decades, as the right vineyard locales and the best fermentation, blending, and aging techniques are discovered.

Mayer The Magician

‘Bring back the funk’ is Timo Mayer’s calling card! And funky this wine is. Timo experimented with whole bunch fermentation in his wines where he really liked the funky characters and silky texture and decided that he liked it so much Dr Mayer was born. This is 100% whole bunch fermentation and really delivers an incredible complex array of flavours and textures. Pound for pound there is no other Pinot Noir that I can think of that I would rather drink than this beauty.
The colour easily translates the unfiltered product with a hazy dark raspberry that almost turns purple in natural light. The nose is very tight at first, but after sometime in a decanter a very pronounced tart cranberry and beetroot aroma fill the glass. Layers of red licorice, more beetroot and cranberry with a wonderful dirty fungal bight to it, similar to a forest floor. An amazing wine with so much more time left in the bottle.

97 Points Drink Now Till 2018

DIAM Closure

$55

More About the Very Long Lunch

On the day we had many unforgettable moments. One that will never be forgotten by me was when Lindsay McCall arrived with one of the guest's. For those of you who don't know who Lindsay is, just think Paringa Estate Pinot Noir. "School teacher-turned winemaker Lindsay McCall has an “absolutely exceptional gift for winemaking” according to James Halliday, who says his wines are of “the highest quality, with a distinguished pedigree” that is Lindsay McCall quite a bit of praise from indisputably Australia's more decorated Pinotfile.
This is when the real fun began. With pallet's perfectly primed, we headed down to the host's extensive wine cellar where some of the giants of Australian wine were settled asleep ready to be opened.
We decided to put Lindsay's 2003 Pinot Noir up against one of the original icon's of the Peninsula Nat White's Main Ridge Estate.

 

A little bit of trivia for you, when Lindsay decided he wanted to set up a vineyard on his Red Hill property he went to see Nat about vine. What he actually did was to fill his car with the cutting from Nat's already established property. Lindsay with his school teacher mentality decided to plant as many cuttings as close together as he could, thinking that surely less that half (if he was lucky) would take. Well he as very very lucky and greater that 80% of the vineyard took.
Main Ridge Estate The Acre Vs Paringa "Original Estate" (not to be confused with the cheaper estate wine he out out in 2005) so with one of the creator's in the room we decided to put the wines head to head. I have always thought that some of Lindsay's wines are over priced compared with some of the other premium Pinot's out there. The Depth that The Acre showed was promising for what 2003 could show in years to come. Loosing none of its fruit The Acre showed that perfect acid/tannin/fruit balance that makes Pinot so seductive. Show a Strong Deep colour, the palate was layered with lashing of dark plum fruit which had that never ending yellow brick road length. There was great oak integration and I nose that kept developing the more you paid attention to it. When weighing it up against the Paringa the Acre had much better colour with the Paringa looking a little aged around the rim with a touch of yellow creeping in. That however is where the fault's stopped and the genius began. I was quite keen to put Lindsay through the ringer a bit and try to pick a few faults out of this beloved Estate wine. However myself and several others in the room were incapable of finding any. The Paringa showed a beautifully fragrant nose with soft up front fruit, the aroma of violets, game, cherry and the ever present spine & anise. Showing only that intelligent that only Pinot can show from the nose. With the Silky red fruit on your palate giving the perfect balance of dark fruit and spice seducing the mouth with that soft yet big round mouth feel that only amazing Pinot's can deliver. The depth and length of palate was so enjoyable that we decide that one bottle wasn't quite enough.
It was quite clear which wine stood out, however knowing the origins of the vines it does prove that terror and the hand of god (or the wine maker or both) can change the end product.
Hopefully I'll get a few more review from that night up soon.

Jamsheed

2009 Jamsheed Yarra Syrah 'Silvan Vineyard'



Sourced from a vineyard planted in the mid 90's on the deep red 'Monbulk' soils in the southern vales of the Yarra.






South facing, north/south row orientation, low cropping (4.5t/ha) PT23 clone. 100% whole bunch fermentation, 40 day extended maceration, indigenous yeast, racked to one and two year old French puncheons, sur lees for 10 months, gravity racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered with 35 mg/l SO2 at bottling. Graphite/cordite whole bunch nose with sweet brambly black cherries and violets. Licorice, black cherry and juicy high tone wild black berry fruit and game meats on entry with tight grain stem and fruit tannin. Graphite, pencil lead and campari/orange liveliness leading to a long finish.






Total production 160 dozen Alc/vol 13.0%
 

2009 Jamsheed Great Western Syrah 'Westgate Vineyard'

Handpicked from vines planted in 1969 from the Westgate Vineyard. 'Old Best' clone on Concongella soil profile. 100% whole bunch fermentation , 40 day extended maceration, indigenous yeast, racked to one and two year old French puncheons, sur lees for 10 months, gravity racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered with 35 mg/l SO2 at bottling.






Wild bergamot tea leaf and raspberry compote nose. Lively plum, raspberry red licorice sweet fruit on entry and succulent round tannins supported by a whole bunch perfume and meaty/gamey weight and texture. Rich mid pallet balanced by well integrated sappy tannins.






Total production 220 dozen Alc/vol 14.0%


pH 3.72 TA 5.6g/l

009 Jamsheed Great Western Syrah 'Garden Gully Vineyard'

Handpicked from vines planted in the 1950's in the Great Western region of Central Victoria. 'Old Best's' clone, 'Concongella' soil profile. 50% whole bunch fermentation, 40 day extended maceration, indigenous yeast, racked to French HH (20% new), sur lees for 10 months, gravity racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered with 35 mg/l SO2 at bottling.

Sweet spicy red 'Dutch licorice', sap and spice. Textured and layered pallet showing old vine concentration, plums dark cherries and earthiness/leatheriness. Large, chalky mouth-coating tannins and fresh herb and stem character finishing long and livley

Total production 180 dozen Alc/vol 14.5%

Castagna

Castagna is situate in Beechworth Victoria, one of the countries fasted growing cold climate regions, tucked in t the nape of the Victorian Alps. The winery site on just over 4h of Syrah, Viognier & Sangiovese  with a small pocket of Pinot noir. Syrah & Sangiovese are the masters of this stunning venture, with a Altitude of 500 meters above sea level. Castagna is one of Victoria's Premier Biodynamic  Vineyards. A vineyard in its infancy Castagna was established in the early part of the 1990's it has already had its fair share of up's and down's. Having seen devastating fires of 2003 and coming of age during one of the worst droughts that this country has ever had to endure Castagna has not only flourished but is has cemented its name one the List of Victoria's premier Vineyards. Julian has a realistic approach to his wines; 

"We make wines of terroir. Terroir is not only about soil but the whole eco-system which consists of light, heat, prevailing winds, slope of the land, length of the season and, most importantly, the organisms living and working in the soil - about a billion organisms per gram of soil. It is these micro-organisms that link the soil to the roots of the vine, strengthening and imprinting that particular soil’s authentic character."

The Castagna 2005 Un Segreto show great promise for things to come. The hue is deep with good weight and a vast depth of elegant purple, with a nose of plum, berry fruit and the always seductive savoury finesse.  The 2005 shows a agreeable balance between the new and old french oak that it was so alluringly crafted in. The principal palate shows an elegant balance of fruit and savoury notes. There is great tannin structure, the oak and fruit balancing the tannin level nicely. This wine shows some Pinot like characteristic's with its great balance of all the elements that are concussive of well crafted wine. It has a well developed length of palate and an enjoyable finish. To me this is a wine well worth savouring & stocking up on.

94 Points Drink Now Till 2018

DIAM Closure

$75

The All Mighty Downie

It has to be said that William (Bill) Downie is one of my favourite wine makers. He started his own label in 2003. With his previous  stint every year in Burgundy this enabled him to express his love for regional wines with the 3 Pinot's that he crafts. He uses purchased grapes from older vines on these vineyards to make his wines, carefully avoiding any use of pumps, filtration and fining. His eye catching labels were designed for him by Reg Mombassa (Mental As Anything Fame) who is also know in the art world for his famous MAMBO graphics. These have help his obtain shelf space at many of Victoria's leading wine stores.

In 2007 Bill Won the "Gourmet Traveller Wine" 2006 Wine maker of the Year Awards, taking home the Kemeny's Medel for the Best Young Winemaker 2006. 

"His intention is to produce wines of purity and detail that reflect their place of origin. They are made in the most natural way possible, not pushed or shoved in any direction. They are not added to or subtracted from." (http://www.williamdownie.com.au)

Sourcing grapes from some excellent sources such as:

Denton View Hill, Yarra Gen in the Yarra Valley for his "Yarra Valley Pinot"
This wine is grown on only granite based soils in the Valley. There was a lot of mint, some developing meat and a touch of cherry stone. Then a complex bundle of light, vegetal, stalky cranberry fruit.  It is a well made wine, well balanced, and extremely powerful Pinot i think it will cope well with a few years left in the bottle for it brilliance to develop further.
90 Points Drink now till 2018
DIAM with Wax Seal

Merrick's Grove, Merrick's in the Mornington Peninsula for the "Mornington Peninsula Pinot"
The 2008 Mornington Pinot Noir, there is strawberry, raspberry with a meaty element coming in gently. There is a bit of grippy tannin, some spice too, on the palate but it is really nicely blended with gentle fruit flavours. A long, slightly spicy and herbal finish. 
94 Points Drink Now till 2020
DIAM with Wax seal
$59

Berry's Creek Vineyard, Berry's Creek; Lucinda Estate, Leongatha; Followell Farm (His Vineyard), Yarragon all in Gippsland for His "Gippsland Pinot"
The 2008 Gippsland Pinot Noir.  This is an outstanding wine – period!  A light, floral nose mixing with raspberries and some sweet wild strawberries leading onto a gently fruity palate, with a bundle of cocoa powder and raspberries. 
93 Points Drink Now till 2017
DIAM with Wax Seal
In 2011 there will be another Gippsland Pinot Noir released, this time with fruit from their own property.  If the 2008 is anything to go by, I can’t wait!

A Little Suprise Packet

This post may come across as somewhat bias, due to my association with one of the owners of this winery however due to the wine i'm reviewing i assure you its not...

Mitchell Harris is a partnership between Alicia & Craig Mitchell and Shannya & John Harris, the former the head wine maker at Mount Avoca & sparkling producer at Domaine Chandon.

So it is with good credentials that this wine is created. Using fruit bought from only Victoria's emerging Pyrenees sources this Sauvignon Blanc Fumѐ.

Many people may not be familar with the Fumѐ style of Sauvignon Blanc, so i will give you a little history lession on its birth. The Sauvignon Balnc grape traces it origins back to Western France to the Loire Valley & many of the regions of Bordeaux. The Sauvignon Blanc vine often bud's much later than many other white varieties. This Late budding feature however allows it to perform extremely well in sunny climates when not exposed to overwhelming heat. In the warmer regions such as here in Australia the grape does extremely well in cooler climates like that of the Pyrenees & the Yarra Valley. In area's where this vine is subjected to high heat, the grape will quickly over ripen and produce dull flat wines with poor flavours and poor acidity that its champions.

In the grapes home of France, it is grown in the marine climate of Bordeaux (especially well in the regions of ; Pessac-Leongnan as a dry wine, and in Sauternes as a sweet wine) and well as the continental climate of the Loire Valley, such as Pouilly Fumѐ, Sancerre & Sauvignon de Touraine. Pouilly Fumѐ Originate from the town of Pouilly-sur-Loire, which is located directly across from the Loire River from the commune of Sancerre. The Soil there is very flinty with deposits of amazing limestone which the locals believed imparted a smoky, gun flint flavour to the wine and hence Fumѐ, the French word for "smoke" was attached to the wine. This style of wine was much loved by the early wine makers of the Nappa Valley who chose to attempt to replicate the flavours of Pouilly Fumѐ, by adding a oak to there Sauvignon Blanc. This filtered out all over the world now with some uninhibited winemakers taking up the style in an attempt to but the trend of grassy herbaceous New World Sauvignon. 

So that is the story of the Fumѐ. The way that this has been achieved by the Mitchell Harris team is via 85% barrel fermentation in 300L French & Hungarian Oak Hogsheads, with the other 15% Stainless Steel Tank fermentation. The wines spent 6 months on Yeast Lee's in both tank & barrel. This Fumѐ is a stunning example of what can be done with good fruit, it provides a better length on the palate than other standard Sav's which are tight, crisp and lean with little balance and wine making skill. The 08 Fumѐ shows a soft handed used of oak and lee's treatment with nice balance of acidity and fruit.The Nose and Palate display lime, lemon and pineapple characters which a hint of that soft vanilla oak coming through.

All in all this is the first Sauvignon Blanc that got me excited about the variety for a very long time.

93 Points Drink Now till 2012

Screwcap 11.5%

$22

http://www.mitchellharris.com.au

Stick To What She Does Best

Judy Gifford of Darling Park is by far and away one of my favourite Chardonnay makers.
My only problem with Judy as a wine maker is her Pinot. I'm not too sure where she goes wrong but boy is her Pinot wrong. I'm not here however to rip through wine makers I am here to express my thanks for what they do well
Judy's Chardonnay offers so much for such great value. Her wine making style is one of intelligence and finesse. The 2007 Chardonnay displays a intense tightness which allows it to wrap around your whole mouth, displaying good length of fruit with a delicate acid balance. Judy's knack for seducing good citrus flavours with a tight structural balance, It shows all the encouraging signs of nectarine and the typically enjoyable melon flavours. The Influence of the barrel fermentation shows excellent wine making restraint, (unlike many of her colleges).
Judy's intelligent use of all the winemakers array of tricks such as whole-bunch pressing Malo-lactic fermentation & less contact have all made this wine very enjoyable, with several of her Chardonny's put away in my cellar i'm sure we will be enjoying them at there best in 3 to 4 years...
92 Points Drink Now till 2014
$28


http://www.darlingparkwinery.com.au

A Very Very Long Lunch

I thought i would just run you though a long long lunch that I had as a result of a friend leaving to head overseas to explore NZ.
The day was meant to be a Single bottle style lunch, each person was to bring there favorite bottle of vino and something to cook to accompany it. As you will discover via the amount of reviews that will in time appear on this blog I and a self confessed Pinot Phreak. I adore the complexity of the grape. So naturally i decided that for SJ and my contributon to the lunch would be a Jeroboam of Coldstream Hill's "Pinot Noir" (2000) to which i would cook pork belly which was filled with green apple & crumbed water crackers sauteed in burnt butter and sage, topped with pecorino cheese and trussed into a roll and baked in the oven.
The pork turned out stunning and blew everyone away and the the Coldstream Hill was a stunning with good complexity and nice acid structure. The day/night saw some amazing wines drunk. i will try to upload some of the pic's so that you can all see what we got through.
Next up I'll Start Reviewing some Vino...

Begining

Welcome, Its a strange thing when you create your own blog how do you start what do you write...
If you write something is it interesting enough for people to read it, is what your writing enjoyable to read. Well who really knows.
The idea of this blog was for me to express my view and passion about "Vino" (aka wine) i'm sure there will also be other food and alcohol related talk in here too...
Writing is not one of my strong point, however as it has been pointed out to me over the years the only way to get better at something is to do it and practice.
Wine is one of my biggest passions in life. I didn't grow up in an environment where i was exposed to it via the family situation. I developed this passion/addiction all by my self. I began working in hospitality when i was quite young, and developed a love for all things alcohol. I started by being very interested in mixology and blending flavours together, often across bounties that we previously not crossed. After working in sever of the best cocktails bars about town I met my wife SJ. I firmly believe that if it wasn't for SJ i wouldn't have developed the love for vino that i now have. It was our mutual love for going out and enjoying ourselves that fostered our interest in wine. We loved to eat at the best restaurants that we could. During this constant eating out (thankfully i was getting great tips to fund this fun) that we also naturally developed a taste for all this vino.
Over the years we have developed that passion and attempted to drink a wide variety of vino. SJ remains my favorite drinking partner as she is always keen on sharing the next bottle I have found in the back of some little wine shop of something that I have ordered off the web. However she is always the voice of reason when I'm thinking about spending my months wage on what all call the most amazing wine.
Hopefully during the course of this Vino Blog you will enjoy reading about our expereinces in wine. There wwill not be any specific structure to this blog. It will be a simple collection of my thoughts on OZ wine. It wont just be limited to OZ vino however i do think that we make some of the best vino in the world so i try to drink it over any other.
Happy reading.
Feel free to comment on anything you like and if you want anymore information on anything in the blog just me know.