Tasting

Less a reinterpretation of Alpha Crucis wines as an experiment of an individual winemakers influence on a wines character and being. Indeed less tribute album and more like handing the same musical notes to Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder and David Bowie and seeing what music they all created. Starting with a small batch of Shiraz grapes from Chalk Hills Heritage Lot, Tom Harvey chose six winemakers to help bring his idea to life. Born only out of curiosity, the wines singularly are not intended to be judged, instead designed to be tasted for their range of characters and flavours born out of the creators varying influences. From here it was completely up to the six winemakers to determine how to produce their wine, from picking through

I was lucky enough these last few days to help with judging the Adelaide Review Hot 100. She is somewhat different to traditional wine shows in promoting emotional tasting and embracing those wines stimulating greatest pleasure at the time they traverse tonsils. The wine doesn't have to be clinically perfect, or made using only techniques from the 'canon'. There's no reward for a wine that might be an absolute belter in 5 years time, unless said wine offers the same pleasant thrashing in here and now. Fair call, given much of wine is necessarily cast loose quickly by companies for cash flow and then considered or chugged within 24 hours of disgorging our coin. Its a theory which works counterpoint to the big companies medals/massive/mawkish/maudlin/mediAOchre/munted marketing missive yet speaks directly to the punters that ultimately enjoy their fruits. K'n awesome. It also offers a very considered reworking of the traditional notion of terroir ... suggesting that wine may represent the

Born from three vineyards on the Willunga 100 property the 2010 Shiraz Viognier grabs a little bit from each site. Utilizing the tannins of the early ripening Hillside Vineyard, and blending it with the dark berry traits of their Mary’s Vineyard and the richness born from the Township Vineyard.  The guys at Willunga 100 have produced and a little gem if your patient enough.... On first bite at this sleeper I wasn’t that taken, true she had a nice deep colour with vibrant legs. There were also some dark berry notes followed by a faint pepper and cumin aroma. A little light on depth with a short finish though and I thought its nice dinner wine with friends that won’t offend anyone. Fast forward 24hrs and I had a wee revisit with her. How this little girl had changed. Deep maroon in colour with real violet legs with a decent pepper and spice trail on the nose. Ripe berry with the perfect hit of gaminess to round her out. It still won’t offend anyone; with a

Many Doctors are lovers of wine- Dr Tomich, Dr Lindeman, Dr Norrie. Even Dr Nick has been rumoured to enjoy a cheeky jug of vin santo before surgery. We're not sure Dr Nick has a firm grip on the relationship between health and wine consumption. We do know however that none of the aforementioned are fond of wine that has been compromised by the vinegary taint of too much acetic acid. We found a Doctor Who was prepared to ruminate on the matter. ' A-see-tick. Not as one would assume a 'seeing eye dog' to that most unlovable rogue of the clothes horse, the silverfish, which is neither silver, nor fish. Not any more than a tick is a dog, or a clothes horse equine. Mayhaps this critter is silver, or probably not but let us not titter at trifles for it is most certainly blind. But enough of this pomfoppery buffoon, acetic is rather the vinegary aroma that can develop when a wine is over-exposed to air. I pray that I don't have to tell you again.'

We Wine Directies have done a bit of wine judging in our time. And writing, for wine mags and others. We love it. The downside - we reckon it's high volume, high pressure and usually conducted in a sterile environment. The emphasis is often on concentration and notation than relaxing and regaling. Because of this, big, oaky, tannic wines tend to dominate subtler (and sometimes better) wines. You can end up ignoring the stunner while eyeing off the blocky 'roid ragers. Much better to judge similar wines at home, with a good feed, company, and enough time to watch the wine open up and say g'day. Check out the following video of Philip White talking about the Mountadam and Dandy Rieslings:

Chuck in some comfy chairs, good grub and swap the winery shed for a lounge room and there’s a natural shift from genuine intellectual appreciation to ahhhh. Thats how

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 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