tasting

We launched the 2016 Official Royal Adelaide Wine Show Dozen on the 29th October 2016 at the National Wine Centre. This year's Wine Show Dozens are the best we have curated to date - every single wine, at a minimum, scored a Gold Medal with a few picking up Trophies as well. Thanks to those that shared a glass and had a chat with us - it was great putting some faces to names!. Here's the wrap.

You might not know it, but The Royal Adelaide Wine Show Dozen is actually steeped in history dating back to the very early years of The South Australian Agricultural Society’s first Produce and Livestock shows which began in 1840. It would be five years before South Australian wine was exhibited for the first time in the 1845 Show, though there didn’t seem to be much competition with only two classes and two exhibits. Pretty good odds that year, eh old chap? However, by 1871 there were in excess of 320 entries for the wine classes at the Royal Adelaide Show, necessitating a completely separate Wine Show to be created. Fast forward 144 years and that number has increased more than seven times with last year’s 2,771 entries evaluated from 377 Australian wineries. That’s an awful lot of sniffing, swilling and spitting... So how are the wines judged? Wine entries are broken into separate classes and assessed over four, gruelling days. The poor,

The 30th of August every year marks International Cabernet Day and we got seriously lucky this year, picking up 8 different vintages of Leconfield's revered Coonawarra Cabernet to have a squiz at. Matt and Phil stepped through the 2002, 2004, and 2009-2014 and saw quality and refinement improve markedly over the journey. What started as a very good looking lineup finished as absolutely outstanding.

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

The simple pleasure of a wine that is as suggestively succulent, bold and endearing as a warm squeeze from your first love needs to be appreciated. A moment of pause. Think. How lucky am I to live a world of vibrancies, goodness and velvetiness that is assisted by the pleasure of 14.5% alc/vol? Tuesday night is when my old man and I indulge in a couple of bottles and discuss politics, football and the outcast, less fortunate or tolerable family members. The old fella cooked up fresh pasta with spinach and garlic and a side of a massive rib-eye on the bone topped with home-made beef rissoles. After knocking back a 2012 MV Kay Brothers Shiraz, the Hesketh 2014 Negroamaro puffed out the chest and presented. A variety from the south of Italy, this wine is big, bold and beautiful. The French oak gives it an approachability without compromising the gentle acid, ripe dark cherries, deep richness with subtle dry tannins. I picked up a bit of a sarsaparilla vibe but that just warmed my cockles

Matt and Phil sat down the other day to have a quick look at some of the excellent wines on offer from Hugh Hamilton...

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"

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.