Last Friday (24-01-2020), Matt visited Tomich Wines, who lost about a third of their vineyards in the recent Cuddle Creek Fires, to help out pruning some of the fire-ravaged vines.
adelaide hills
Read moreAdelaide Hills winery, Sidewood Estate previewed its new cellar door, cidery and restaurant on River Road, Hahndorf last week to industry friends. Situated next to the well-known Apple Shed, the venue is perfect for anyone wanting to spend a lazy arvo in Hahndorf or the surrounding Adelaide Hills.
I’ve got another confession to make, I drank it cool. Everyone has got their chains to break.. the Sauvignon Blanc rule. Sharing a bottle or two of wine with friends can make their company enjoyable. When Sauvignon Blanc is their drink of choice, there is little chance of us sharing the bottle. My white selections are that of a red wine drinker so I prefer Riesling, Semillon and the occasional ballsy Chardonnay. I was cooking for some friends and I knew the lady wife of my mate loved Sauvignon Blanc. I put the Richard Hamilton 2014 in the fridge as I cooked up a storm. Prosciutto wrapped chicken roasted with chorizo, tomato, capsicum and other parcels of goodness including grilled zucchini. Finishing off the 919 Tempranillo as I cooked, I anticipated having half a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc with my meal to be polite. I had two big glasses of the Richard Hamilton Sauvignon Blanc and thoroughly enjoyed it. Crisp and zesty with some green apple on the palate. There is stillRead more
We went out to visit our mates Paul and Kathy at Paracombe Wines towards the end of last year and had a bit of a chat about how Paracombe started and what the 2015 vintage is looking like for them:Read more
Read moreRegion: Adelaide Hills
Proprieter: John Edwards
Winemaker: John Edwards, Michael Schreurs
Established: 1996
Address:
Ravenswood Lane
Hahndorf
South Australia, 5245The family dream was to make distinctive wines with the gusto of Australian grown fruit matched with Old World structure. Cool temperatures, ancient gravel/limestone and clay soils, meticulous vineyard work, and sensitive winemaking melding ‘old world’ approaches with hi-tech wizardry translate the intention into some awesome wines. Some of the equipment we saw back of house is real ‘Star Wars’ stuff. Like the grape sorting table that can separate out the tiny unripe grapes from the gooduns and get rid of dust and twigs and bugs and various other moggies (easy, easy, MOG meaning matter other than grapes) before the business of stomping, crushing and pressing begins. Clean as the whistle
Read moreIt’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 well adorned patrons at the table adjoining gave me pause for thought however. Not because they were well heeled, I just didn’t want to put them off their carpaccio. P’raps tho, they were privy to the wanderings of my mind’s eye.
Mid-meal Ben and I wandered off for a look at ripening Chardonnay (suspect 2012 will make some ripper whites). Our friends left, but not before