reviews

If only Ragnar, Floki and Rollo from Vikings could sit down around the fire, discuss their differences and share a horn full of Willunga 100 Grenache. Grenache you say? Would a potentially sweet, confected type of wine be suitable for the manliest of men? This isn’t your typical Grenache as it exists on more of a savoury, earthy, spicy realm. You can taste the bolder, blacker fruits in this fuller style and the spice and tobacco will smack you on the nose. Willunga 100 have taken parcels from a variety of vineyards in McLaren Vale to get a Grenache that is ready to be appreciated and drunk now. Bjorn Ironside would venture into the wilderness, slay a bear and celebrate with a horn full or two.

Choosing a meal to go with my liquid dinner is fun. To match my 2011 d’Arenberg Galvo Garage, I chose to fire up a simple pasta dish with some of my home made meatballs. This cabernet blend tips the beret to the 'Jean-Pierres' making wines in their sheds in Bordeaux. Sugo sauce with fried onion and garlic was simmering on low so I got cracking on the meatballs. One glass in and I can taste the cherry and spice but it seemed like it wanted to show me more. I gave it a hand to jump out and say hello by putting the lid back on the bottle and giving it a good shake. Geez! It spoke. More about that in a sec.. My meatballs are 50/50 pork and lamb and I mix them with salt and pepper, paprika, onion and fresh basil and oregano and rolled into small balls with the help of some eggs and flour. Both the liquid and solid meals were delightful and the herbaceous, black and blue berry notes were well supported by tannins that provided a length of consistency that Glenn McGrath would have

Most things should be consumed in balance and the one thing that could balance my wine consumption is the binge watching of an entire season of Peaky Blinders. With a 2013 d’Arenberg Custodian Grenache in hand, the sin, guilt and redemption of Tommy Shelby was on full display. Although a little patchy at the start, the season became a little more balanced, much like the vino. The sweetness of the fruit is balanced by a nice level of acid and grittiness. The low yield old vines have produced juice with character and a little intensity. Red liquorice on the nose highlights the undeniable grenachiness and the red fruit of raspberries, mulberries and cranberries come across on the palate. Arthur may not be a wine drinker but this may be a good one for him to start on as it would go really well with a slow cooked hog. Tatiana would love it as it reflects her perfectly. Approachable, delightful, yet give her some time and she will open up and reveal she is much more than you first

What a great first date! The Cherry Blossom Festival was simply magical and Ms Violet Beauregard was on her best behaviour. Hirosaki Castle is located in northern Japan in the Aomori Prefecture and was constructed in 1611 - the view of Mt Iwaki was a stunning backdrop, showered in the blossom petals for which Japan is so famous. We partied amongst the transient beauty of full blooming cherry blossoms in traditional Hanami style. The beauty and structural balance of the setting was beautifully mirrored by the Malbec. She had potential to be a little overwhelming on the first approach, but her youthfulness and fresh fruit is balanced with the smell of mulberry and ripe red cherries. Violet Beauregard shows a fondness for blueberries, which are found in abundance from the first taste through to the finish. The tannins are soft and the acidity is well placed to allow this wine to be enjoyed now and often. Divinely different; I’ll be asking this elegant lady out again. [caption id="attachment_1422"

The sun is shining yet not too harshly to deter me from wanting to drink a few glasses of red. 2013 was an early vintage and low in yield yet the quality of the fruit that was picked for Leconfield is exceptional. It is rare for such a fresh wine to be ready to drink so soon but it certainly is. Decanted and drunk. I normally organise some nice food when I drink but I simply didn't need to. The Leconfield Shiraz 2013 is densely red in colour with raspberry and spices coming through the subtle hints of vanilla. The French oak has balanced the smooth tannins and I know the wine will age well over the next few years. It is such a delicious, tidy number now so you will need to be disciplined. Tape up the box, write your name and ‘moscato’ in large letters and store it at your friends place. Silky, vibrant and elegant.

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 still

I am a fan of Tim Adam’s wine and this tidy little ripper didn't disappoint. Not one of you drinks too much wine, let’s make that clear. Yet, all of you have cracked that over $30 bottle of wine in company that think Peter Lehmann is the coach of the Australian cricket team and Leo Buring is the guy that took that mark in the AFL grand final. Life is too long to spend complaining about that guy that drank 2 glasses of your Leconfield Cabernet with his feedback being ‘i reckon the cask stuff is pretty good eh?’ Enjoy the Tim Adams Bayes Block Cabernet 2011 by yourself, with friends and even with that annoying guy at the BBQ. At under $15, even if you only get half the bottle, you are doing alright. A rich, full bodied wine that is vibrant and deep red in colour. It is full of dark berry, chocolatey goodness. Good length on the palate with taut acid to give it solid structure and balance. Throw a T Bone on the BBQ, poor a glass and enjoy.

My tastebuds, sense of smell, liver damage and gut grew up and out over many courses of Barossa Shiraz. I had put myself on a two year break on purchasing Shiraz yet occasionally one pops up that is hard to go past. The Hemera Shiraz 2012 is all that I love about wine without the cricket bat assertiveness of some of it’s big ass Barossa neighbours. The wine is as comfy as a pair of fleecy trackies. I like rocking out in a new shirt or jeans but the comfort of the tracksuit pant is beyond measure. It makes you feel at home…if home is place where no one else is around putting demands on your time, energy or attention. Run DMC rocked out in casual adidas tracksuits because they could. I rocked out the Hemera Shiraz 2012 because I could. While in the cinema watching Brad Pitt in the movie Fury, I just happened to have a bottle with me and a plastic cup from the ‘candy store’. The nose is plummy, blueberry and the palate has dark cherries and chocolate with silky

I was making a baked chicken dish and cracked a bottle of the Tyrrells Pokolbin Semillon 2008. The wine is six years old and it looks like it will go another sixteen. The lime on the nose and high acidity on the palate suggests you can put a six pack down for your unborn grand children. It was a little tight and green when it was first opened straight out of the fridge. However, the ten degrees of extra warmth opened up the wine and the palate became beautifully elegant with a long finish. The chicken fillet, sliced in half and filled with fontina, thinly sliced prosciutto and sage was phenomenally well matched with the semillon. Accompanying the chicken were oven baked organic potatoes coated in home grown sage, salt and pepper. Sometimes food and wine just works. It is good to know that I will be able to have the same baked chicken dish and 2008 Tyrrells Pokolbin Semillon for a few more years. Hunter Semillon. Respect it.

Spring time and sangiovese are as good a pairing as David Bowie and Major Tom, something different yet it warms the cockles of your taste-buds. Chalk Hill Sangiovese 2013 is a bright, strong red colour with dark cherries and dried flowers on the nose. The beer while cooking had gone down well but I felt like a wine that wasn’t too big or bold would be a good addition to meal time. The tannins were firm so I double decanted it which opened up the dark cherries from the nose to a delicious blackforest cake on the palate. I had enough ingredients to make a second burger but decided that a fourth glass of the Chalk Hill Sangiovese would be my dessert. Finishing the bottle was a good choice. Make a good choice for yourself and buy half a dozen for spring and summer time. Chalk Hill, you have really made the grade. [caption id="attachment_1406" align="aligncenter" width="480"]