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Matt | The hot vintages of the 2008 and 2009 growing season definitely put South Aussie vineyards through their paces, especially in the hotter regions. For many vignerons these record heat conditions punished vines, stalling flavour development while sugar levels raced ahead.
While there have been plenty of good and even exceptional wines made, many of these wines carry the double albatross of excessive alcohol and dead fruit even after rever ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Matt | It’s rare for this wine fiend to be in the company of a bloke and feel an upsurge of emotion akin to deep love. My last Friday arvo in the company of Ben Tolstoshev from The Lane Vineyard provided one such instance. Tasting a particularly delicious Shiraz matched with equally delicious raw meat, I very nearly shrugged off the cosseting coverings of polite society. Insight into the glorious freedom of nudism displayed itself plainly. The wel ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Matt | There’s a decent argument that anyone planting significant quantities of touriga nacional has rocks in their head. It is a challenging beast to grow and market and in the vineyard it is both vigorous and difficult to ripen. It has a high skin to juice ratio, so the harvest seems to shrink as it passes through the crusher. Also, Australia is already blessed with grenache and shiraz, each of which can each produce exceptional examples of rose, ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Phil | Decanting can be useful for a couple of reasons. Firstly it allows older red wines to be separated from any sediment that may have developed in bottle. I find the easiest way to do this is by standing the bottle up for a day or so before drinking- to allow sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle; opening and then pouring the wine slowly and smoothly into a jug, or glass decanter. As soon as you see sediment coming out of the ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Phil | Walk into any good wine store or better yet switch on the computer and put your favourite grape variety into the search engine and you’ll find an imposing array of choice. 15 years of dizzying growth in production, varieties and brands has led to a situation of chronic oversupply. Recent effects of the GFC and strengthening Aussie dollar have brought the industry to a screeching (if temporary) halt. Bargains are plentiful and the rewards gre ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Adam | Posted in : Events2nd June 2011 Those who know me know there are two things I value in life above most everything else – good grub and good booze. It stands to reason then, that a seat at the Rockford Stone Wall Table is for me, what rolling around in excrement must have been like for the black pig we later ate. The Rockford Stone Wall Table, for those living under a rock, is considered by many to be the crowning jewel of culinary experience in the Barossa, nay, Sou ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Matt | A Sunday drive visiting wineries, an interstate football road trip broken up with winery pit stops (using the spittoon of course) and making random selections at your local are great ways of broadening your taste and bypassing wine boredom.
There can be comfort in the familia ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Matt | I have been on the Albariño bandwagon ever since I tasted Gemtree’s first non commercial bottling of the variety a couple of years ago. Frighteningly trendy on the global scene and much loved by sommeliers, Albariño saw many producers, notably Gemtree, Tscharke, Irvine and Chapel Hill, with commercial quantities in the marketplace by the time Jean-Michel Boursiquot, an ampelographer or vine detective from the University of Montpellier visi ... CONTINUE READING » |
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Phil | Debate rages currently over the merits and pitfalls of various wine closures. Cork has the longest tradition of usage and the best examples are considered a very good option for long-term wine storage. Cork, at its best and free from taint will allow a wine to age gracefully for up to 25 years. Unfortunately, not all corks are alike, some will fail earlier than this time. The application process can also sometimes result in damage to the exter ... CONTINUE READING » |
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