Wine Amateur

The first Corbie Street Winner

2007-04-26T19:37:00.000+10:00

In the dinner I mentioned recently we tasted a number of other wines. Scott brought the 'winning' wine - ie the wine we all (collectively) rated as the best on the night. It was a Penfolds 1998 St Henri Shiraz.

The AFL gives an award of the Norm Smith medal for the Best on Ground during the grand final. Maybe we should start giving just the 'Norm' award for best wine of the night?? If so, Scott was a worthy 'Norm'. Don't worry too much mate, be thankful we didn't name the award Dick, Bevan or something worse. 'Norm' is better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick!

We have already discussed the other wines, being Penfolds 1998 Bin 389 Cab/Shiraz and the Orlando 1998 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon.

Penfolds 1998 St Henri Shiraz
Our notes for the evening show: The wine was dark red to purple in colour with a big caramel and burnt toffee on the nose. Medium to full bodied with big fruit flavours, firm tannins, and well balanced with good length. Overall rating of 92-95/100 and scoring the various characteristics 18-18.5/20. Other reviews here.

The other wines we drank on that night were:

Orlando 1996 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon
Red to dark red. Blackcurrents on a very subtle (or somewhat closed) nose. The wine was described by my compadres as "luscious"and "elegant" and definitely had soft tannins and quite a long finish. The only drawback was the intensity of flavour was not there. 90-92/100 or 17.5/20

Some other reviews are here.

Penfolds 1996 Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz
Dark red with pepper, black fruit and a hint of acetone (? - wierd). Little intensity of flavour and we were obviously either half-cut by then or just not too impressed as there are hardly any notes to the wine. I do recall thinking that it was past its prime. It may have just been this bottle. 88-90/100 and 17/20.

Other reviews here.

d'Arenburg 1999 The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark red to purple. Big spicy pepper nose. Good fruit flavours but falling flat of the promise of the nose. Firm but gentle tannins with little length. Again somewhat disappointing. 88-89/100 or 17.5/20.

Other reviews here:

I have cleared the decks from this dinner by posting the rest of the wines as we have since had another dinner with the same Corbie Street crew and want to get to those wines asap.

Well done Scotty - this time. It will be hard to keep it up as everyone else is out to beat you next time.

Drink Well - Live Well!!

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Milford Track - Back on Deck!

2007-04-24T20:42:00.000+10:00

As mentioned previously, together with 3 mates and leaving our wives behind, I recently walked the Milford Track in the SW corner of the south island of New Zealand. The track starts at Lake Te Anau and finishes at Sandfly Point on Milford Sound, takes a little over 3 days and is around 60 km or 35 miles of trekking through pristine wilderness. You cannot get there by road but must be dropped off by boat and picked up at the other end by boat.

(This photo is from the boat heading to our drop off point at the end of Lake Te Anau.)

For the next day and a half we trekked along the beautiful Clinton River valley and scenes like the next were commonplace. (This next photo is one I 'stitched' together from 4 photos of the Clinton River. I am intending to have it blown up to poster size, framed, and placed on the wall of my office as a reminder of the beauty and tranquility of the place)

Here is the Wine Amateur nearing the top of Mackinnon Pass with part of the Jervois Glacier in the background.

To the right is the view from Mackinnon Pass of the Arthur River valley which is where we were headed forthe next day and a half or trekking.

To the left is a photo of some of the many cascading waterfalls and rock pools we saw heading down the other side of the pass.

There were quite a few interesting people in our group and we made quite a few friends on the trip including some great people from St Petersburg, Florida - G'day Stan, Claudette, Mike and Julie. We made Stan an honorary Australian because he smuggled booze onto the trip and certainly drank beer like an Aussie. We also discovered that NZ has fantastic Pinot Noirs.

The next two photos are of Milford Sound which is a true fiord that you come to at the end of the track and the 4 of us ready to hop in a helicopter and fly over the mountains and glaciers on our way back to Queenstown.

I hope you don't mind the wee departure from wine discussions, but I will get back to them.

After all the serenity and beauty it was really hard to go back to the office. The lads and I are planning another escape next year - maybe to Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. Some of the boys want to do Kokoda but I really don't think I am up to it yet.

Enjoy life!!

(REMEMBER YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO SEE THEM ENLARGED)

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pinot noir

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1998

2007-03-22T21:27:00.000+10:00

A couple of posts ago I shared with you some of the goings-on at a recent dinner at our place. As a group we tasted 6 wines and I talked, in that post, about the St Hugo's 1998.

The other day I noticed the very good Dr Ed (the Wino-sapien) recently gave his tasting notes on the 1998 Penfolds Bin 389. As this was one of the wines we tasted on that night I thought it would be good to share our (Scott, Robert, Ivan and I) notes and see how they compare.

Ed said:

"Dark, vibrant purple. Dense nose with blackberry, blackcurrant, malt, meat and the faintest hint of dried herbs and lavender. Rich, soft and structured. Lovely weight, length and shape in the mouth. Plush. The tannins are firm, chewy and lingering.Excellent.

18.5/20 (95/100).

Drink now - 2017."

Our notes (of January 2007) said:

14% alcohol. Deep red-purple with strong blackberry on the nose along with other big black fruit aromas. Luscious (it is hard to get all the adjectives that 4 tasters use into one note) and big (but not too bold) but smooth on the palate. Very firm tannins leading to a long dry finish. Well balanced and structured with plenty of time left to go.

Overall rating =92-94/100

Rating the individual components = 18/20

Interestingly enough I have notes of a tasting of this wine before-in July 2006 and I wrote about it.

I said (July 2006):

"The wine had BIG berry and blackfruit aromas (maybe even blackcurrents). I was still very dark, dark red with maybe a touch of purple (but I might have been wishing that into the wine but the lighting is not the best in our dining room at home and I remember doing the tasting notes there).There is no mistaking that this wine is full bodied with big berry taste, plenty of tannins and good acid. It is smooth but powerful and obviously will last another 6-10 years. I hope I am right on this as I still have around 14 bottles left.

I loved this wine but interestingly it doesn't seem to scream 'Barossa', or any other place for that matter. This is something I am only starting to become aware, of in a limited way, recently.On an

overall rating I gave it

93-96/100

and scoring the individual attributes

18.5-19/20

It is interesting that the latest tasting my rating has slipped back somewhat. Am I a harder marker no? Or, is it just a different bottle? Oh well - only one way to find out - MORE EXPERIMENTATION!!!

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Wine Amateur goes trekking!

2007-03-20T20:20:00.000+10:00

Following a recent health scare, the Wine Amateur has been busily getting into some sort of shape (you too could have a body like mine - through sheer neglect!) preparing for the great adventure.

Together with fellow wine buddy Lynton, his brother Warwick and mutual friend Justin, we have ditched the old girls and are doing the 'blokey' thing in New Zealand. We are going to hike, or if you come from New Zealand, "tramp" the Milford Track. It is 58 kilometres of wilderness with beech forests used in the filming of Lord of the Rings, mountains, rivers, lakes etc (some more photos here).

Who knows? If we enjoy it (and survive) we may do more. The lads are talking about Cradle Mountain, Mt Killimanjaro, part of the Appalachian Trail, or even the Kokoda Track (Trail) which almost seems to have become some sort of spiritual rite of passage for Australian males.

It appears that I am following a few weeks behind Mike from Shirazshiraz blog and I certainly hope to be trying a lot of the wines out while I am over there.

Coming from Queensland we do not see a lot of cold weather but I have had to prepare for the hike as it has been snowing in the Mackinnon Pass (which we will reach on Day 3). It is hard to find weather information for the track but the nearest town (Queenstown) gives us some idea.

Hopefully I will have my own photos and wine reviews to share when I return.

Drink well, live well!

The drought is over!!!

2007-03-14T00:12:00.000+10:00

For those not aware, our great State of Queensland has been suffering from a prolonged period of lower than average rainfall. It isn't really a drought because it is still raining and everything is green however, there hasn't been good rain in the catchment areas of the dams servicing SE Queensland for a few years.

I would like to announce that the drought is finally over! Is it raining?? No, but after about a 7 week period, where I was on strict instructions from a host of doctors to drink no alcohol, the really bad, gut-wrenching drought is over. I have celebrated in style this last week.

Over the past 7 weeks my wife, sister and brother-in-law (Rob of the 'up-punt') have continued to consume great quantities of red wine and continually waving their glasses under my nose. I think my appreciation of the various aromas has increased ten-fold.

Just prior to the drought I caught up with a few friends from Corby Street, Ashgrove (near to where I used to live - and one of my favourite streets in Brisbane). Scott, Pauline, Robert, Pru, Ivan and Jennifer came over for dinner and the odd wine or 8. There is an unspoken challenge (but very friendly) with this particular grouping - try to make sure you bring the best bottle of wine and whatever you do don't bring the worst one (you WILL be "paid out" on - sorry Ivan you really didn't stand a chance!).

Robert is a real wine enthusiast with an very good cellar (much better than mine) and he coordinated his wine with mine. Robert also had me call Scott to put the pressure on him by asking me to tell him not to bring his normal rubbish. Rob made a similar comment to Ivan. I prepared Wine Scoring cards in advance so that we could score them in a collaborative effort.

Robert provided a 1996 Orlando St Hugo and a 1996 Penfolds Bin 389, my wines provided a vertical element with the 1998 Orlando St Hugo and a 1998 Penfolds Bin 389. Scott provided a 1998 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz (ba*stard went out and bought it that day - Robert thought that was cheating) and a 1999 D'Arenburg McLaren Vale Coppermine Cab Sav. Ivan brought a couple of wines but unfortunately I can't recall what they were because, at the pleading of Robert and Scott, they were not even scored.

Suffice it to say, Robert, Ivan and I were humbled in the face of Scott and his all-conquering St Henri. We will never hear the end of it!!

If I get time I will share the tasting notes with you over the next little while.

1998 Orlando St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon
(yeah, I know it is now Jacob's Creek but in 1998 it was still Orlando)

It was still reddish-purple in colour with black currents, pepper and some aniseed/fennel on the nose. The tannins were still quite big and there was reasonable length of finish. It was very enjoyable but came nowhere near the quality of the 1996 - at least in my memory of the 1996. (we tasted the 1998 before the 1996 but I have spoken of the 1996 in an earlier blog).

Collectively, we gave it an overall score of 90/100

and then we scored the components at 17.5/20

It came in 5th position on the night!

I note Ed over at Wino-sapien has tried the 1999 St Hugo recently

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Wine Orb's demise - our gain??

2006-11-28T22:14:00.000+10:00

For those Aussies that have heard of the demise of Wine Orb (in liquidation), you may be able to benefit. There is a clearance of their wines online at Grays Online Auctions.

The prices have been pretty good - so far. However, the main auction closes tomorrow and there are still some Parker Coonawarra Terra Rosa First Growth available (at around half price)in an auction ending Thursday.

I think the bids for Astralis (Parker awarded 99 points) have been growing fairly steadily.

Hurry, but don't bid the price up too much! If you outbid me on the lots I have bid for - look out!!

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wine tasting
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cabernet sauvignon

There has to be more to life!

2006-09-30T13:10:00.000+10:00

There has to be more to life than dealing with Dividend Streaming, Capital Gains Tax and advising clients on the correct application of GST and the Margin Scheme. This is a thought I have often at this time of year, when I begin dreaming of ways to earn money from wine tasting and experimenting in the kitchen!

I have discovered there IS more to life than these things, however these 'things' help pay for the things that make life that little bit more enjoyable.

By the way, a little bit of interesting(sic) tax information (I can't help myself) for my dear non-resident readers, recently the Government introduced a Bill into the Parliament that, if passed, will essentially allow non-residents who own shares in companies (or units in Managed Funds) in Australia to be exempt from any capital gains tax here in the land of OZ (therefore all gains will be tax free and all dividends will only be taxed at the relevant non-resident withholding rate). The same exemption will not apply to real property. The Government is obviously trying to attract foreign investment (I would guess from large UK and US pension funds and other internationl fund managers).

Whilst pondering the important questions of life such as 'should I get up from my seat in front of the TV to get the remote that the kids left on the floor because I hate this program?', 'where do all the other socks go?', I received a telephone call from one of my brothers.

I have two brothers, who both live in Canberra with their families (but we still like them), and one sister. Through a confluence of events, an alignment of the planets, or more accurately an overlapping of school vacation periods between Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, both brothers and their families will be making the prilgimage north to the best city in the world - Brisbane (sorry Ed, Cam, GW, Murray, Mike, TWC and everyone else) or here.

One brother, together with his wife and 4 of his 5 kids, is coming to stay with our little family for a week. It promises to be a great time! We will be eating and drinking ourselves silly - at least I hope so!

To celebrate we opened with Sunday night roast dinner a Lindeman's 'St George' 1997 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (picture from Lindeman's website).

Here is what the wine maker says.

Here is what I reckon:

There was 13.5% alcohol and it was a dark brick red in appearance. The nose was sensational filled with loads of chocolate, some cigar, plums and maybe a touch of aniseed or fennel. It was medium to full bodied with big fruit flavours, firm tannins, good length and a long dry finish that had you panting for more. This is a very nice wine with still a few more years to go. Drinking well now and should continue to do so for 3 or 4 more years yet.

I gave it an overall score of 92-94/100

After scoring the individual components I came up with 18.5-19/20.

Would I buy it again? - yep! I hope to find some more as that was my last bottle (key sad music)

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cabernet sauvignon

Maglieri Shiraz 2004 (McLaren Vale)

2006-09-20T07:50:00.000+10:00

The better-half and I have been busy managing trips to doctors and the hospital as our two year old (turns two this coming Thursday) had to have his tonsils and adenoids taken out. In his two years he has had at least 15 bouts of tonsilitis with the last one being one continuous bout since May this year. As soon as any antibiotics are finished his temperature has usually been up to 41C within 24 hours. Enough is enough!

On Friday last week he went in and had his operation. I have been surprised by his recovery. Within 2-3 hours of the operation he was sitting up in bed and scoffing down as much food as we could give him - not mushy stuff either! He was having crusty garlic bread, rice crackers and other 'normal' food. What a champion. I think he has been so used to eating with a sore throat that this was no real hurdle and he was starving because he had to fast before the op. He and mum stayed in overnight on Friday while I took B1 home.

After I put B1 to bed I felt I needed a glass (or more) of wine so I pulled out a guzzler and drank, by myself, in the lounge room with lights turned low and just some music on in the back ground. After the first glass, being relaxed enough, I turned on the TV as the football was on and watched one of the qualifying finals.

This wine was a massive 15% alcohol. It was dark red with just a tinge of purple. There were blackberries and pepper/spices on the nose and you could get a slight burning of the alcohol (or so I believe - I hope I haven't talked myself into it) .

It was a true McLaren Vale with big berry flavours but again I think you can taste the alcohol a little. I think the 15% alcohol causes this medium bodied wine to be slightly out of balance.

For $10 per bottle the Maglieri is a nice 'guzzler'. I wouldn't pay much more for it though. From memory, some of the earlier vintages were much better.

My overall rating of

84-87/100

was, as usual, made before I rated the individual components at

17/20

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wine tasting
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shiraz

Penfold's Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2002

2006-09-12T19:57:00.000+10:00

We tasted this wine on 27 August 2006. This was the third wine tasted at Rob's.

What another cracker!! A BIG wine! Dark red/purple and full bodied this wine exhibited a nose of berries, blackfruit with a hint of chocolate and a hint of tobacco. There were strong blackfruits and berries on the palate and a hint of 'butteriness' - is this malolactics??? Is there supposed to be a malolactic fermentation in a Bin 389??

There was really good length and intensity.

I gave it an overall rating of

93-95/100

and when I rated each of the components

19/20

The wine maker's tasting notes are here. (I have used Penfold's photo from their website)

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Cornas Domaine Vincent Paris 2003

2006-09-05T20:31:00.000+10:00

We drank this at Rob's on Saturday night (as per previous post).

I picked this up on a whim (and the recommendation of Tony Harper at the Wine Emporium). It is my first ever French Shiraz.

It was a very dark red/purple and had a whopping 14.9% alcohol but you couldn't tell - or I couldn't anyway.

It was very very stinky. It had a very rustic nose and shouted leafy, vegetal, earthy, cabbage, mossy.

There was an amazing intensity of flavour and very good length with the flavour highlighted by black fruits of some description, that escaped me.

This was a big wine but at the same time elegant and well structured and will last another 10 years at least. It cost $65 - and to follow Murray's lead at Winetastic - Would I buy it again? Absolutely!

My overall rating was

90-93/100

(Rob was arguing for a 95 - possibly it was! Rob went as far as to say it was the best French wine he had tasted of the ones I have purchased recently)

Scoring the individual components I gave it

18.5-19/20

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Dinner with Rob of the Up-punt

2006-09-01T07:54:00.000+10:00

You have heard of (if you have read or heard any classic Australian poetry) Clancy of the Overflow, the Man from Snowy River and the Man from Ironbark. Well Rob of the up-punt is none of these! Remember Rob?? He is my brother-in-law and wine buddy and the originator of Robbie's Rule of Thumb. He has been 'up-punting' for some time and he had good reason to last weekend.

Rob and Lisa invited us over for a lamb roast on Saturday night, and I remembered Dr Ed's sage advice and decided we needed a good Sangiovese to go with the lamb. He suggests it is a good combination because the acidity of the Sangiovese helps cut through the fattiness of the lamb.

The first Sangiovese I tried was a Coriole (McLaren Vale) and it tasted much like a McLaren Vale Shiraz. Later, at an introductory Wine Course run by The Wine Emporium, I tried a 2003 Mazzei 'Badiola' from Tuscany. Ed commented that this is the type of Sangiovese he had had in mind when he advised me earlier. I loved the 2003 Badiola!

Armed with the great memory of the 2003 Badiola I ventured to the Wine Emporium last Saturday to try and 'kill two birds with one stone' by picking up my 2003 Bordeauxs and a bottle of Badiola for dinner that night. I succeeded, but the Badiola was a 2004, and along the way I also succeeded in killing a few brain cells at the Southern Rhone tasting and in denting the wallet with a purchase of a Northern Rhone Syrah - Cornas 2003 Vincent Paris (or here).

I ended up taking both to Rob's and he added a Penfold's 2002 Bin 389. Yep, it was a pretty good night!

We started with the 2004 Badiola. It was dark red with a tinge of purple. The nose was earthy with hints of licorice, musty leather and oak and a trace of cherries. There were firm tannins and decent length but the intensity of flavour that was present in the 2003, simply was not there in this wine. It certainly had character but when the wine first hits the tongue there is almost no flavour at all, it is almost like water. The flavour builds very slowly and not very far. I was a little disappointed in the 2004 after such a good 2003.

Robbie's and my overall score

86-88/100

and when we scored the individual components we came up with

17.5/20.

Rob was disappointed because the wine promised so much - it had a decent sized punt.

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sangiovese

2003 Bordeaux En Primeur

2006-08-29T21:10:00.000+10:00

I got a call from Stewart Plant, from The Wine Emporium, the other day saying that my 2003 Bordeaux en-primeur wines had arrived and had been packed up.

I have been looking forward to this for some time and already can't wait for my 2004s to arrive this time next year. I must remember to place my 2005 order - it should have been in a month or two ago.

My order consisted of a number of Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac), Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) and Chateau Branaire-Ducru (St Julien).

Imagine my disappointment when I went to the Wine Journal to look up my Grand-Puy-Lacoste (5th growth) only to find they didn't review the 2003 vintage. However, I did find a review by Robert Parker, who said "Dark ruby/purple-tinged with notes of pure cassis, tobacco leaf, spice box, and some background minreal characteristics, the wine is medium bodied, revealing good ripeness, sweetness, and overall fine balance with relateively low acidity and ripe tannin. Anticipated maturity 2008-2017. Score - 89-91 points" (tasted April 2004). I note it is only 13.4% alcohol.

I have enjoyed my previous Pontet-Canets (5th growth), the 1995 and 2001. Robert Parker rated the 2003 at 92-94 in 2004 and dropped by one to 91-93 in 2005. Wine Spectator said "Very concentrated nose of blackberries, licorice and smole, turning to flowers. Full bodied, very rich and powerful with massive tannins, but it finishes sweet and ripe. This is muscular, but then it turns to crushed fruit. Superseductive. Best Pontet I have ever tasted. 95-100 points" Steve Tanzer reated it 91-94 and Quarin 90-91. I am really looking forward to this wine but with an expected maturity 2012-2030 I will have to wait a while.

I have never tried a Ch Branaire-Ducru and took some of these on faith. The Wine Journal had this to say:
"I thought this was a seriously good Brainaire. As with so many Saint Julien wines there was little on the nose. But the palate is lovely - very restrained, well-knit with a touch of black coffee intermingled with those black fruits. Good grip on the finish. Superb wine. Long aging potential. (21/25) Tasted again after bottling at the UGC in Oct-05. The nose is still very backward, with blackberry and tobacco. Good definition and freshness. The palate has crisp acdity with notes of black fruits and tar. Quite muscular and good persistency. This has medium/long-term potential. (20/25) "

Robert Park rated it 91-94, Steve Tanzer 90-93 whilst others had it 88-91. Quite a wide range of scores from the experts 88-94. It will be interesting to try this 4th Growth - expected maturity 2009-2020 - as it was significantly less expensive than the other two 5th growths but rated just as well.

I just love getting new wines and it is moderately disappointing/annoying to have to lay them down for a few years. Oh well, I will just have to by a few more guzzlers to make the time go faster.

Has anyone tasted any of these yet?

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Bordeaux

August is almost over. Time to celebrate? Thanks Tyrrells!!

2006-08-26T11:54:00.000+10:00

I think I have mentioned somewhere, either in a post or a comment, that August is our biggest month of the year at the office. The audits (we don't do a lot of them - but they are painful and draining) are almost complete and the tax and consulting work is rolling in. (I only do audits because I can't stand the excitement of accounting and did not have the personality to become an undertaker.) It is a great month for our business and I love it - however I am still always glad when it is over. This year will be no exception. As usual, at the end of August, I feel I am almost hitting the E on the guage and am in dire need of rejuvenation.

Realising this, the better-half (God love her) arranged for a special dinner last night (Friday). We always try to have a nice dinner on Friday night that we can both look forward to. It certainly helps me to get through the week. We make sure the kids are in bed before we sit down to dinner, drink wine, talk and relax. This tempered somewhat on the weekends when I have to work Saturday but it still doen't stop me from looking forward to Friday nights.

Last night she prepared a mustard and lemon encrusted roast eye fillet with baked veggies. The meat was superb.

What to drink with it?? I had no idea and didn't spend much time considering it but went to Shelf 3 of the Kitchener Wine Cabinet (Shelf 1 and 2 holds the really good stuff - Grange etc) and picked up the first bottle I layed my hands on - a 1997 Tyrrells Vat 9 Shiraz (Hunter Valley).

I had almost forgotten about these. I bought 6 some years ago and still hadn't touched them. I thought it would be a good test to see how they were going, erspecially as the label says the wine will develop further in the bottle until about 2007.

There was a strong eucalyptus (?), mint(?),earthy, spicy nose to the wine. It was a medium red in colour and the palate was tightly structured with firm tannins, balanced acid and a smooth, moderately long finish and exhibited spicy fruit. This wine is drinking beautifully! YUM!!

My overall rating was 90-92/100

Scoring the individual components we (I say 'we' because the better-half assisted with the review) came up with 18.5/20

Only 5 bottles left and - only five days left in August???? Naaah! Don't even think it!

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wine tasting
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shiraz

Vale Len Evans OBE (1931-2006)

2006-08-18T17:42:00.000+10:00

I did not know Len Evans personally but I have heard him speak and I have certainly read a lot of stuff he has written. Even though I did not know him I feel a sense of loss at his passing yesterday. Some called him the Godfather of the Australian Wine Industry.

I don't know enough about him so I have copied the following piece about Len from the Winepros site - he will be sorely missed in Australia and, I am sure, around the world.

Len Evans was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1982 for his services to the wine industry and charity, and the AO (Order of Australia) in 1999 for his continued work in those fields.

He was the first regular wine columnist in Australia (1962), wrote the first major encyclopedia of Australian Wine (1973) was the founding director of The Australian Wine Bureau. (1965)Since 1982 he has been President of The Australian Wine Foundation, (1990-1996) Chairman of Wine Australia '96, has continued to write, lecture and broadcast on numerous occasions and has been a leader in the export drive. During the '80s he was the first Australian to be asked to address the biggest event of its kind in the world, the Wine Spectator Wine Experience in New York. This led to two further invitations, which further led to being made Master of Ceremonies for the event a role he has continued to fill. He is the only non-American to be part of the annual personnel of the event. He has also been prominent in other countries, most notably the U.K, where, as in the U.S.A, he has represented Australia rather than his own companies.

He has been a member of the Qantas selection panel for 35 years and Chairman of it for 30. Having judged all major wine shows in Australia before 1982, (acting as Chairman of R.A.S Sydney since 1977) Evans went on to become Chairman of the National Wine Show in Canberra (1982-90), Chairman of Adelaide (1987-90) the Hunter Wine Show (1994 - ) and remaining Chairman of Sydney. During this time the Australian Show system became the envy of wine industries of the world. Above all else, he has been instrumental in helping lift the standard of wine show judging to its present pre-eminence in the world.

Evans was Chairman of Rothbury Wines since its foundation in 1969, and Petaluma since 1978. He remained Chairman of Petaluma until 1992, during which time it went from a 500 case company to one making 80,000 cases, establishing a worldwide reputation. He was Chairman of Rothbury Wines till 1996, which went from a 10,000 case company in 1972 to one of 650,000 cases in 1996, employing over 200 persons.He has been Chairman of Evans Wine Company since 1996, Evans Family Wines from 1980 and Tower Estate since its conception in 1998.

Since 1957 Evans has supported fund-raising drives for charity on hundreds of occasions. Typically, in 1987 he accepted an invitation to help a function founded by Australian Associated Press (AAP) to raise money for the St Vincent's Leukaemia Unit. This led to a further call in 1988 and from that date he became involved on an annual basis. In 1993, it was renamed the "AAP Len Evans Financial Markets Day" after raising $1,000,000 in 1992. The event has raised $10,000,000 in 14 years, and many charities, including the original, have benefited greatly. Evans has personally organised many of the events, lots, cellars and collections which have become a feature of the annual auction which he conducts, as well as donating the wine for the sponsor's lunch and the actual event.

1969 Epicurean Award for services to the Wine & Food Industry. 1982 Charles Heidseick Award for Wine Writing1986 Personalitee de l'Annee, Paris (Oenology section - Gastronomy)1992 RAS Sydney Medal for Outstanding Contribution 1993 Chevalier de l'Ordre Merite Agricole (French Government)1995 SMH Food Guide Award for Professional Excellence1995 1st Life Member of the Society Of Wine Educators1995 NSW Award for Outstanding Contribution to the NSW Wine Industry1995 Elected Member of the College of Patrons of the Australian Wine Industry.1996 Restaurant Association Hall of Fame1997 'Decanter' Magazine - International Award for"MAN OF THE YEAR"1998 Graham Gregory Award1999 Awarded AO - Appointment as a Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

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wine tasting
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Penfold's Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 1998

2006-08-16T16:15:00.000+10:00

I apologise for the tardiness of my posting. In my office at least August is traditionally our biggest month of the year and it has been hard to find time to do anything but work. A few coincidences have given me the time to write this short piece.

Firstly, after the biggest week in our office's history I came down with a bad headcold. Secondly, a good friend decided to have his wedding on a Tuesday (yesterday) at a small mountain hideaway. Thirdly, today is a public holiday in Brisbane and if I hadn't been (1) recovering from the cold and (2) recovering from a huge day and night yesterday, I would have gone into the office today to catch up on some work.

The wedding we went to was a magical event. The ceremony was held on a rotunda that was out in the middle of a small mountain lake. Just a beautiful setting. This was followed by High Tea (consisting of tea, coffee, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches) whilst the happy couple had their photographs taken. To entertain the guests during this period a magician came around and performed at the various tables scattered on the verandah of this Tudor styled manor in the mountains. There was also an artist whose job it was to caricature every guest on the one big sheet of paper to present framed to the bride and groom.

The dinner, held in the dining room, of what was a very English style pub, was a great event. We were entertained throughout the meal by 3 actors playing Manuel, Basil Fawlty and Sybil Fawlty (of Fawlty Towers fame - that John Cleese made famous). They served dinner, in character, and had everyone in stitches. The food was wonderful served with 3 good wines. A 1996 Grosset Chardonnay, 1998 Petaluma Chardonnay and a 1997 Penfold's Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz.

But I digress - on to the wine review. The better half and I drank the 1998 Penfold's Bin 389 on 30 July 2006 and I can't recall the occasion and why I chose this wine. However I suspect that it had something to do with tasting the 1998 Bin 407 and wanting to see how the 389's were going.

The wine had BIG berry and blackfruit aromas (maybe even blackcurrents). I was still very dark, dark red with maybe a touch of purple (but I might have been wishing that into the wine but the lighting is not the best in our dining room at home and I remember doing the tasting notes there).

There is no mistaking that this wine is full bodied with big berry taste, plenty of tannins and good acid. It is smooth but powerful and obviously will last another 6-10 years. I hope I am right on this as I still have around 14 bottles left.

I loved this wine but interestingly it doesn't seem to scream 'Barossa', or any other place for that matter. This is something I am only starting to become aware, of in a limited way, recently.

On an overall rating I gave it 93-96/100

and scoring the individual attributes

18.5-19/20

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cabernet sauvignon

Yarra Yarra Dinner - Restaurant II (Brisbane)

2006-08-09T20:27:00.000+10:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, the better half and I ventured out (with wine-buddy and lawyer extraordinaire Lynton and his beautiful wife Lisa) to the remarkable Restaurant II in Brisbane to an event put on by Yarra Yarra Vineyards and in conjunction with The Wine Emporium.

What a spectacular wine-filled evening!! It was hosted by wine maker and owner of Yarra Yarra, Mr Ian MacLean (pictured below) who was celebrating his classification by Langton's. We were extremely fortunate to be seated at the head table and enjoyed the company of Ian for the evening.

Pre-dinner we tasted the Sauvignon Blanc/Semillons of 1999 and 2003 with small leek and goat's cheese tartlets.

The main event was the vertical tasting of 10 vintages of The Yarra Yarra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from 1993 to 2003. The numerically astute amongst you will realise that this is 11 vintages, however there was no 1996 made as the vintage was too wet to allow a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon to be made.

What a great test of a wine and a wine maker! 10 consecutive vintages all tasted at the same time.

The first 'flight' consisted of the 1993, 1994 and 1995 vintages tasted with pan-seared scallops and a seaweed risotto. Ian maintained his favourite was the 1993 but I have to say the 1995 was drinking particularly well and was my pick of the three. The amazing thing was that all three still had plenty of good strong acid (in balance) and there was definitely some time left in the wines. All three, but particularly the 1993, were reasonably tightly structured and very elegant. I started to score the wines on the 20 point scale and 100 point scale but was too slow and was missing most of the conversation so gave it away after 1993 (didn't even finish that one properly). But I did manage to jot down my some impressions and overall scores on the first three wines, incidentally matching their years.

1993 = 90-93/100 (fresh young leather aroma, maybe a bit herbacious? tannins very gentle but I was unsure of how tight and narrow the flavours seemed - maybe it is this wine has better structure than most I am used to)
1994 = 94/100 (good acid - the better half's pick of the three)
1995 = 95/100 (tannins still noticeably present but gentle)

The second flight of wines were the 1997, 1998 and 1999 which we had with veal fillet on a polenta base and with porcini mushrooms. Now we were talking some really serious wines with some improvement left in them. My pick for drinking well now was the 1997. Ian said the 1997 tended to polarise people - Halliday loved it but Jeremy Oliver didn't. He said he thought that of the three it had the least amount of time left. Ian's pick was the 1998, which was an elegant but powerful wine. I though it definitely had the greatest potential for longevity and improvement of the three. (On memory alone I would rate the 1997 at 96/100 and the 1998 at 97/100)

The last flight of wines was the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Amazing! The 2000 was sensational, luscious and elegant - a 97/100 or maybe even a 98. We had the wines with lightly seared wagyu beef, carrot, parsnip and baby onions. The 2001 had an amazing intensity of flavour - more so than any of the other wines. When I said this Ian told me that the 2001 vintage was the hotest on record for them and the grapes that resulted where absolutely tiny - about the size of currents (but not shrivelled). He told me that the 2001 had rated all over the place and he felt it was generally misunderstood and that all it needed was a good deal more bottle age. I honestly cannot recall the 2002 that well (because we also had some of his 2000 merlot in there somewhere) and all I remember about the 2003 was the same fine structure and elegance.

What an amazing body of work for the wine maker. He told me he was never embarrassed to show any of them anywhere. Ian was extremely down to earth and took our amateurish comments and questions with good humour and freely shared his knowledge and experience.

I hope I have done the wines justice as towards the latter end of the evening I couldn't recall which wine was which of the last flight - especially as some glasses were topped up and others weren't. What a great night!!

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cabernet sauvignon

Penfold's Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

2006-08-07T20:06:00.000+10:00

This wine has 13.5% alcohol and is made from grapes from a variety of regions. It is dark red with noticeable legs. There was a slight sediment. The nose exuded strong blackcurrents and burnt toast. The better-half said she could smell toast and vegemite.

The flavours were still big and full bodied and there were plenty of tannins to go around. I wonder if the tannins at the end were bigger than the flavour.

This wine will last another 6-8 years and it will be interesting to see if the flavours develop, or whether it is just a case of the tannins softening, over time. I hope it is the former as I still have 11 left.

I gave it an overall rating of 90-94/100

When I rated the wine on its individual characteristics, I came up with
18 - 18.5/20

I apologise for the range thing happening but, as I have said before, it is a confidence thing. Because I usually taste alone I sometimes seem to talk myself into and out of various notes. Did this happen to any of you at the beginning??

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wine tasting
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cabernet sauvignon

De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Syrah 2004

2006-08-01T18:41:00.000+10:00

I bought a case of this on the strength of GW's recent tasting notes . Despite what GW had written, I saw his high score and saw Shiraz and I think subliminally I expected something totally different to what I got. On drinking I was not dissapointed, in fact I was blown away! Even though I had read the tasting notes a few times I was still surprised.

I prepared a joint from a rib roast, seasoned in salt, pepper, garlic and chopped thyme - pan seared for 3 minutes on each side and placed into 250C oven for 15 minutes (sorry no photos).

I made a simple mash potato (no milk or butter) by mashing with a fork with some added parmesan cheese and two raw eggs (they cook in the hot potato). This becomes a very creamy potato - yum!!!

I then used the pan the meat was seared in to fry some garlic and mushrooms, which were then removed. Turn the heat way down and add some butter to the pan and when melted, gradually and carefully add 2-3 tablespoons of plain flour (one at a time and mix carefully with a roux spoon so mixture doesn't become gluggy). Then add stock, a little at a time and mix vigorously so that mixture does not become gluggy. When mixture is good gravy thickness add mushroom and garlic and juices back in with a dash of red wine.

The wine has 14% alcohol, but you do not notice. I found a floral nose with earthy undertones and maybe a hint of butter (is this oak as there was no evidence of butter on the palate??) and even the slightest hint of fresh cigar smell. It is medium to full bodied with the same earthy undertones on the palate, with blackfruits. The was great intensity of flavour and good length. The finish is superb with gentle tannins. Don't expect the gob smacking big fruit flavours and huge tannins of some of the better known shiraz. Put simply this wine has a real elegance to it - I love it.

I know my tasting notes are totally different to GW's, in fact you would think they are different wines, however I can only write it the way I see it (or smell it). If there has been an error made by either one of us, I think you can safely assume it will be mine!!

I gave this wine on an overall score of

93-96/100

and when I rated each of the components I came up with

18.5/20-19/20

The reason for the range on the component rating is because I vacillated between 2.5 and 3 (out of 3) for palate - intensity.

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wine tasting
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shiraz

Yarra Yarra Dinner

2006-07-29T22:29:00.000+10:00

A comment by Murray to my last post (and my subsequent whine) made me remember that next Friday I have something really great to look forward to.

Ian Maclean, Yarra Yarra winemaker, is hosting a dinner at Restaurant II in Brisbane to celebrate his top wine 'The Yarra Yarra' making the prestigeous Langton's classification. There will be a vertical tasting of 10 vintages 1993 - 2003 (none was made in 1996).

I am really looking forward to the evening as we have rustled up a table of 8 friends. Those that remember my wine buddy Lynton from earlier posts (the guy with laurel wreath stuck on his melon) will be pleased to know that he is also going. Our wives and two other couples will fill the table.

I saw an email Ian Maclean sent Lynton in which he said he was bringing a Magnum of Yarra Yarra surprise wine. Don't you just love surprises! If I remember, and if I am allowed to, I will attempt to take photographs. BTW the dinner is being organised in conjunction with The Wine Emporium via Stewart Plant.

The thought of this evening will help me to sail through next week - no probs.

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wine tasting
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shiraz

Seppelt Victoria Shiraz 2003 (Great Western)

2006-07-27T20:44:00.000+10:00

Another of my favourite mid-week guzzlers! It cost around $11-$12 and contains 13.5% alcohol.

There were aromas of spicy plums and other fruits. It was red, a little darker than a medium red. It was medium to full bodied. The palate showed a rich plum and fruit with moderate length.

I rated it on an overall basis at 85-88/100

and when I scored the components came up with

17/20 (again)

I think a lot of the good value guzzlers (ie under $20) are going to be in the 85-92 range. These are my everyday drinking wines and I save the better ones for the weekends and the really good ones for special occasions.

Live well and drink well!

wine
wine tasting
food and drink
shiraz

Evans & Tate Shiraz 2001 (Margaret River)

2006-07-25T20:42:00.000+10:00

I bought one of the Evans & Tate Margaret River Shiraz 2001 some time ago and went back the next day and bought 2 dozen. I think I paid around $12-14 per bottle. Whilst I enjoy the wine I wish I had curtailed my enthusiasm slightly.

This is a yummy wine (how's that for subjectivity) with berry, dark cherry, pepper and hint of licorice on nose and maybe a touch of mulberry (I ate tonnes of these growing up) on the palate as an aftertaste.

The intensity seems to grow (after swallowing) for a few seconds (I really love it when a wine does that)! It is a medium to full bodied wine with a moderate to long finish accentuated (how do you like that word - we ARE getting flash now) smooth, gentle tannins.

Do you get the idea that I liked this wine???

It is 13.5% alcohol and I rated it an an overall basis at

89-92/100

and per the components

18/20 (maybe worthy of 18.5 but I don't want to blow my high scores just yet.)

Would I buy it again?? Don't need to - still got a heap left!

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wine tasting
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shiraz

Hardy's Tintara Cellars Shiraz 2000 (McLaren Vale)

2006-07-23T18:27:00.000+10:00

On Friday night's I look forward to coming home from the office and selecting a decent wine to have with dinner.

Last Friday I turned up a Hardy's Tintara Shiraz 2000 (McLaren Vale). The label suggests it should be best drinking in 2006. The label says 14% alcohol.

The wine was a medium red and clearly ageing toward a bricky (sic) colour. It exhibited fruit aromas that were not quite berries and not quite plums with some pepper or spice. There was also a hint of burnt toast (?). The wine was medium bodied with good fruit flavours and a gentle finish and drinking well, but with probably not a lot of time to go. Length of flavour was moderate. Very enjoyable I rated it on an overall basis at:

85-88/100

and rated the components:

17/20

I was really concerned with my scores as it seem the last few wines have been really close in their scores and I was wondering if I was kidding myself. I didn't post the note over the weekend because I thought maybe I was wrong and should wait a week or so and try it again. That, and the fact that I have had a huge weekend with the boys and a big night Saturday at a surprise 40th for one of my friends.

I have just had a few minutes to myself and I picked up Halliday's 2006 Wine Companion and found this note:

"Tintara Cellars Shiraz 2000 - light to medium bodied; black fruits, leather and spice. Rating 87 Drink 2010"

I am feeling much better. I have either got it right or have fluked another one - either way I am feeling better. The best part is that it was not just the score that was similar but the fact that I was having trouble trying to identify any specific fruit and Halliday just says black fruits.

I really have learned something from this, as my original handwritten notes from Friday night show under "Nose" the words 'berries' and 'plums' crossed out. This is because I initially wrote berries when there was a strong fruit aroma. I knew the wine was from McLaren Vale and I thought 'it must be berries'. In other words, I was influenced by my perception of the region and past tastings of shiraz from McLaren Vale. I crossed it out because on second smell I realised that I could not just say it was berries when I couldn't really identify the aroma. I was most pleased when I saw Halliday's note saying 'black fruits' which I take as him not being able to identify any particular fruit aroma.

Obi-wan (if this is how you spell it - I have never had to write it before), the tasting helmet exercises are starting to pay off - thanks!

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wine tasting
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food

Wine with Phil

2006-07-19T21:15:00.000+10:00

My older brother, Phil, was up from Canberra for a few days last week. On Thursday some of the family came over and we had roast dinner. We had eye fillet roasted in a base of onions and in a sauce of shiraz and soy sauce.

With it we had

Taylor's Shiraz 2004 (Clare Valley)
We started with the Taylor's and it certainly had a varietal and regional nose. It was a dark red and somewhat aromatic with spicy plums on the nose and another pleasing note that I just could not describe (it was just out of my grasp - sorry). The palate was commensurate with the nose and had a certain richness to it and fine tannins.

I forgot to give it an overall score out of 100 (because the family was gabbing about different things) and felt I couldn't give an honest overall score after I had scored the individual parts, so no score out of 100 (please don't take me to see Jabba). Scoring the components (I took myself off to a quite corner) I scored it 17.5/20. Phil thought I was being a bit miserly seeing as how the bottle carried 4 silver medals!

Chateau d'Armailhac 2002 (Bordeaux) - 12.5% alcohol
I found the wine to be dark red with berries, maybe a touch of soy sauce and some vegetals on the nose. I also found the nose to be somewhat closed. The wine was well structured and finely balanced with a moderately rich palate and quite dry on the finish. I must say I was a little disappointed - but this might be because I was so looking forward to the wine.

I originally gave it an overall rating of 86-88/100 and when I scored the individual components I came up with 17.5/20

The Wine Journal said
"At en primeur in Apr-03: the nose is muted: some dull earthy notes. Like Le Petit Mouton: very tannic but with a little more complexity. Black tarry fruits and cigar box notes. Quite dry on the finish. Again a little charmless. (18/25) Then after bottling at the UGC in Oct-04. A very sweet blackcherry nose with scents of iodine and Morello cherry. The palate has a svelte texture, certainly softened in the interim with moderate concentration. Blueberry, cranberry and tar. Quite linear on the finish but otherwise this is a fine sensuous Pauillac to consume over ten years. (19/25) Tasted again in May-05. A soft, supple nose that lacks a bit of character. The nose is very plush and toasty, overtly modern with a velvety sheen. No rough edges here. Fine, it lacking typicity or a sense of terroir. (19/25)"

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wine tasting
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food

THE GREAT WINE SCORING WASHUP

2006-07-17T21:07:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away ……………there was a band of Jedi that came upon the “Knights Who Say ‘NI’” (forget mixed metaphors – I am mixing my movies). The Jedi were a peace loving group that wanted order in the cosmos whilst all the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’ wanted was ….. a shrubbery!!! (hope you all like Monty Python – but I can’t go any further with the mix because I am already lost).

Thanks to all who contributed to the discussion that took place when I posed the simple questions – Why a Wine Scoring System? And Which One? The response was amazing! Being just an amateur wine enthusiast I was totally unaware, not only of the variety of systems of scoring but also, of the depth of feeling in relation to various systems. I feel I have benefited greatly from the discussion and the different points of view.

I did not pose the original questions on a whim. It was very much a considered response to where I am at with my tasting and enjoyment of wine. I think I covered my reasons sufficiently in the original post so I won’t go over them again but, I will attempt to summarise the points raised by various people in the discussion and attempt to address them all in stating how I am going to approach giving any wine a score.

NUMERICAL & NON-NUMERICAL SYSTEMS
It appears there are really only two streams of scoring systems – numerical and non-numerical. I would include any scale of one star (glass etc), two stars (glasses etc) as numerical scales. Non-numerical scales would include word descriptor scales (such as “Cat piss” through to “Ultimate”) or pictorial scales such as Wine Girl’s various faces. Non-numerical systems attempt to rate a wine on an overall basis whilst numerical system users are broken into those who attempt to give an overall score and, those who attempt to score the individual attributes of a wine to come up with a total score.

Most disagreement in the discussion began around the value of numerical versus non-numerical scoring systems and ultimately refined to being about the objectivity or subjectivity of a system and thus its corresponding value to others who may read and/or use the score.

OBJECTIVITY & SUBJECTIVITY
Proponents of non-numerical scoring systems appear to believe that as subjectivity is inherent in all tasting, attempting to be objective can be misleading and shouldn’t be attempted. Proponents of numerical systems appear to believe that despite there being subjectivity in scoring (whether or not an attempt is made to be objective), a numerical score is not only the most widely used standard but that there is really no difference (except possibly in immediate understandability) between a numerical and a non-numerical system, as they both rate wines along a gradient – the only real difference being the blurring or ‘rubberiness’ of the edges of each category in a non-numerical system which isn’t really available if you give a single numerical score.

I can see a real honesty and intelligence in Torb’s argument that he accepts wine scoring has a subjective element to it (and in cases may even dominate) and therefore he only, and openly, provides a purely subjective non-numerical score to wines. Because he knows more about wine than many people (myself included) his subjective score is a very good indication of how good a wine is.

The real problem for non-numerical systems (as I see it) comes if and when someone wants to differentiate between wines within the one grouping. For example there may be a wine that just scrapes into “Highly recommended” and one that just misses out on “Excellent”. Are these wines essentially the same standard? Mind you, this desire to differentiate would most likely only arise with professionals or enthusiastic amateurs. Other ‘punters’ just couldn’t be bothered. To these people, non-numerical systems have the greatest value.

Numerical scorers can also score on a subjective basis, especially if they score on (but not limited to) an overall viewpoint rather than score the individual attributes. This does not mean that the intention is to be subjective. It is possible for a numerical scorer, even whilst trying to be totally objective, to be influenced by personal taste (amongst other things). This would be especially true for amateurs with little tasting and scoring experience (such as myself). Although a professional taster (eg a show judge), whilst they may still influenced by personal taste and other subjective elements, if they are a true professional would attempt to put aside those influences and score as objectively as humanly possible. Is absolute objectivity ever really possible? Maybe not! Maybe Torb has a point but, I think the attempt to be absolutely objective is something that should be made.

However, I believe that scoring individual attributes is the most difficult to do (especially for the amateur who lacks knowledge and experience) but lends itself inherently to the most objectivity. Subjectivity can still have an effect.

MY PERSONAL VIEW (MY CHOICE)
I really don’t think either the numerical system or non-numerical system is right or wrong – they are just, well, different. (It’s sort of like toilet paper usage – you are either a ‘folder’ or a ‘scruncher’ – just different).

However, I want to try and look at the issue from a different angle. I have been looking at the issue in terms of outcomes or goals. Why am I doing this? What am I looking to achieve? What am I aiming at? How will I get value from scoring the wines I am drinking? In other words, the old (1) where am I now? (2) where do I want to be? (3) what is the best way of getting there?, goal oriented progression.

I want a system that I can use to score wines for my benefit (all that first person – what a selfish bugger). If others can get value from it, fine. If they think it is bullsh*t, fine. I want to able to score a wine so that I have some reference point to use either for purchasing or discussion in the future. In other words I am doing it primarily for my own use. If the score is subjective, so be it.

I agree with Cam and Torb that the most important part of any review is the tasting note, and I really need to work on mine. Irregardless how important the tasting note is, it still does not allow me to attempt to compare accurately a wine with another or the same wine over time or other vintages. Torb might argue that any numerical score, because of its subjectivity, may not allow me to do that accurately anyway.

What I am really looking to achieve is…. the holy grail!!!....objectivity!!! Look at it this way – if you assume (for a second at least) that there is one ‘true’ absolute score for any wine at a given point in time. Good wine tasters, who know what they are doing, who are able to put personal preferences aside (and yes, I believe this is possible – professionals in all walks of life do it all the time), should be able to consistently get close to that score. This is called – objectivity. That is what I am striving for. If I get it wrong then I have made a mistake. If I am being subjective in my scoring then I am no worse off than most other scorers.

Suggestions by GW and Cam suggesting that a numerical system is a more widely accepted standard appears to be true, but is that the reason I should use a numerical scoring system? I don’t think so.

I have decided to go with a numerical system for two main reasons (1) differentiation and (2) clarity. For me at least, there is a desire to differentiate between two wines that might rate a ‘Highly Recommended’ in a non-numerical system. One may have scraped in and the other may have just missed out on the next level up. (Maybe this is because I am an accountant?!)

Secondly, and this is the clincher for me AND the reason numerical systems are so widely accepted and used, I firmly believe that the use of a numerical system is more intuitive. When faced with 2 wines, one rating 85 and one 89, which is the better wine? Intuitively, the one scored as 89. Now, in deference to Torb, this may not be true because of errors and subjectivity problems, but in most cases it should be true and the difference should be noticeable. In a non-numerical system these two wines could potentially be scored the same, by being placed in the same category.

Even if someone else disagrees with either the scores and/or the positioning of the wines relative to each other, it really doesn’t matter. This is because when I see a score by Halliday, Parker, Robinson etc or even Ed or GW, I know that it is their score – I don’t have to agree. However, I believe that if a person is honestly and consistently attempting to objective, then their scoring will reflect it and be of value.

I note in some places Robert Parker is being criticized as being captured by the same system he railed against when he started out. He criticized establish wine critics and their associations with wine makers and accused them of lacking objectivity especially when it came to newer, less established wines. Parker championed some of the ‘new comers’ and is now being criticized for lacking objectivity in relation to other wines because he allegedly has become too close to some wine makers he championed. Are his scores still of value? Yes! But remember they are his scores. You or I may not agree (but even I would take his score over mine). Then why are his ratings so popular? Because he knows what he is doing and has proven himself to be a good judge and attempts to be objective and is consistently accurate.

I have decided, at least for the foreseeable future, to score numerically using two systems until I can find which one I find the best. I am going to give an overall score out of 100 based on my tasting notes and then once this score has been done go back and try to score each of the components using the score sheet from Torb's site to end up with a score out of 20. I may even score on a small range out of 100 – eg. 85-87/100. This is not a ‘doff of the hat’ to the non-numerical systems but is purely a confidence thing on my part and I hope it will disappear over time.

The best thing about being an amateur is that I can be wrong. I don’t mind being wrong and making mistakes, however I do hate not learning from them. I am sure I will make plenty of mistakes scoring and talking about wine – that’s a given. However I will always be trying my best to get things right and be as objective as possible.

Now, GW – where’s that friggin’ light sabre????? May the force be with you!!

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wine tasting
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food

Brown Brothers Tempranillo 2003

2006-07-13T17:49:00.000+10:00

Brown Brothers Tempranillo 2003 (Victoria)

The better-half (oh, how I pine for the days when I could refer to her as the 'leader of the opposition' and get away with it - those days ended when one of you blabbed and told my darling wife about my blog) prepared a sensational roast chicken meal this evening. (I will get back to giving recipes and showing photos in the near future).

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to road-test the Brown Brothers Tempranillo 2003. Again, this is a variety of which I know little and have tasted less than that. The bottle says to drink within 3-5 years of the vintage date and that it was good with roast chicken, so it got the call up. This was one of the wines from the Wine Society which I promised to review.

I found the Tempranillo to be surprising. My first impressions were of a slightly darker than ruby red wine that was simple and not very aromatic and with no complexity. However, after about 30 minutes the wine opened slightly to one that was somewhat aromatic and smelled of berries and maybe a hint of black pepper, which would indicate a touch of richness. It was not a particularly complex wine but not as simple as I originally thought. It was well balanced and had soft tannins.

At the risk of inflaming the debate that still continues in my post of 7 July (about wine scoring systems - some are debating the masses and you could say they were good mass debators - an old pun but still a goodie), I tried to evaluate this wine in two ways. Firstly I tried to provide an overall 100 point score without assessing the various components of the wine and I came up with

80-85/100

which on the Robert Parker scale is somewhere between barely above average (80) to half-way between above average and very good (85).

I then used the Wine Values Card (at item 4) in the article by Brian Jefferies on Torb's site to score all the individual attributes and came up with:

Appearance (2 + 1) = 3

Nose (2 + 3) = 5

Palate (1.5 + 2 + 3 + 1.5) = 8

TOTAL 16/20

which on the Jancis Robinson scale is 'just above average but distinguished'

These two scores - one by my general impressions of the wine after taking into account aromas, taste, balance, appearance, length etc - and the other by scoring the individual characteristics have landed me in almost the same position. Mind you, one swallow (geddit?) does not make a summer, and this could have been pure luck - especially when you consider that I am not an expert on wine, I have no real experience with Tempranillo etc - however I don't think so.

Most importantly - did I like the wine? - Yes I did (I wouldn't kick it out of bed ...)! Would I buy it again? - purely depends on the price.

(Many thanks to Catherine Hill from Brown Brothers for the photo and the kind permisson to use it)

wine
wine tasting
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tempranillo

Introduction to Wine Tasting

2006-07-11T22:02:00.000+10:00

I was trolling through wine sites and links the other day and came across a very good introductory article on wine tasting. It is the sort of article I wish I had read some years ago. It demystifies some of the process for the amateur and is a good start to wine tasting.

(If for some reason the page doesn't load, try here - I found it on web archive the other day when the server was down - web archive is a great tool that I have only discovered recently).

Additionally, at the end of the article there are more interesting links to follow - one is to their more advanced article on wine tasting.

Another article with great information in it was found at the Winepros (US) site. The information is quite technical but good, however where the first article demystifies the process of wine tasting and simplifies it - this article tends to make it a much more difficult affair. There are some interesting links as well - at the end.

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wine tasting
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life

Orlando 'Gramps' Grenache 2004 (Barossa)

2006-07-10T21:38:00.000+10:00

Another one of the Wine society wines received a few weeks ago. I can't recall ever having a straight Grenache before so the 'Gramps' will prove a challenge to taste and score.

Medium to dark red in colour and a stong nose of spicy plum and a touch of alcohol. There were plums on the palate and the tannins were subtle. There was also a hint of too much alcohol which overshadows the fruit a little. I checked the bottle - 14.5%.

Would I buy this again? Probably not! Not an unpleasant wine but I want more!! (see what happens when there is an oversupply of wine and you can pick up really good wine at low prices). Maybe I am hindered by a lack of knowledge of Grenache?

My Rating - 20 point scale = 14.5 - 15. On a 100 point scale = 78-80

(Settle down!!! Until I have heard all of your stunningly well-reasoned theories on scoring, as comments to my last post, and I have given everyone a chance to respond - by 14 July - I will continue to score out of 20 and 100)

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grenache
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Why a wine scoring system? - and which one??

2006-07-07T19:51:00.000+10:00

Over the last few months I have come to realise that I really need to start providing some objective measure of the wines I am tasting. If for no other reason than to provide myself with a means of comparing wines with each other (ie horizontally) and over time (ie vertically).

This is quite a pain in the a*se!! Prior to this I was happy just to drink every wine placed in front of me, liking some and not others. It was simple! I just never bought the wines I didn't like again.

Two things have happened to wreck that simplicity. I have realised that I like an almost limitless number of wines but unfortunately do not have a limitless supply of money with which to buy them, or time with which to consume them. I want to maximise the remaining 40 or so years I have left (not long enough) and drink as well as I can with the budget I have.

Secondly, I have realised that some wines that I didn't like when I drank a 1999 vintage, and never bought again, can be absolutely different in the 2004 vintage (This makes sense as wine-makers are always looking to improve and some seasons are better than others). So I now cannot just write off a wine based on one vintage that I didn't like - darn! Therefore, I need to know (objectively) how one vintage rates against another.

I have discovered there are a number of rating systems and an equal number of views as to which one is the best. There are 5 star, 5 point, 10 point, 20 point and 100 point systems, 1 -3 glasses, A - D rating, and in the case of Wine Girl - happy faces.

Murray from Winetastic uses a 10 point scale, Cam from Appellation Australia and Gary from Winorama use a 100 point scale. Ed from Wino-Sapien used to use a 10 point scale until he was bullied into also adding a 100 point score, by Cam and Gary.

Which is best - how would I know? I am not a mathematician (like Jancis Robinson - with her 20 point system) or a wine expert (like Robert Parker - with his 100 point system) but I have the same problem with some of these systems that I have with the marketing hype of some wines. There are not as advertised!

If you look at Steve de Long's site, as originally directed by Dr Ed, you will see a brief summary of various scoring methods.

The first thing you notice is that the Real World US 100 point scale is really a 40 point scale, as is Robert Parker's. They really only score from 60 - 100 and the rest aren't worth scoring at all. The Real World French and UC Davis 20 point scale is really a 10 point scale in disguise, and Jancis Robinson's 20- point scale really only scores out of 6 (from 14 - 20). I say this because once you slip under 14 - forget it!! - you may as well have scored a zero. Therefore 14 = 0. This is called Wine Amateur new math.

What will I use as a scale?I still haven't decided but I am willing to take advice from the more expert among you. Please postulate your theories and arguments (they don't even need to be logical) and post them as a comment by 14 July and I will aggregate them and respond. Who knows what we will come up with.

It is like a blog carnival on wine scoring! It is over to you.

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food and drink

Chapel Hill Shiraz 2002 (McLaren Vale)

2006-07-05T08:31:00.000+10:00

Chapel Hill Shiraz 2002 (McLaren Vale)

13.5% alcohol

We drank this with a hearty beef and mushroom stroganoff. The wine maker's tasting notes are here. They suggest blueberry, licorice and white chocolate flavours whilst the label suggests spiced red berries and plum flavours with velvety tannins. Is this a contradiction or are they suggesting it is an extremely complex wine? How much is marketing and how much is truth? Gee, it gets confusing when you are just an amateur like me!

I certainly found the wine a dark red with luscious ripe berries and a touch of pepper or spice. I found no licorice, plum or white chocolate - but that may just be me. The tannins were genuinely gentle, but velvety?? There is a lovely balance, and some good intensity and length, to the wine but I think the wine maker's notes suggest a complexity that isn't there. This is not to say there is no complexity whatsoever. I really enjoyed the wine and would be happy to buy it again.

Here we go fellas - and now for the big one - GW, Ed, Murray, Cam, TWC - are you ready???? My first attempt at scoring a wine!!! (thanks Ed for the tips on scoring in your recent post)

I believe, on the Jancis Robinson scale: 16.5 - 17 points (I have to give a range - it's a confidence thing). It is more than average but distinguished, and somewhere between superior and a cut above superior. I guess this translates to around 85-88 Parker points. If 80 is barely above average and 90 is a very good wine, then this wine is somewhere in the middle to upper end.

Phew!! That was hard! (my apologies to Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson). I hope I haven't offended too many real wine critics and wine professionals with my notes. I also hope I haven't offended the hard working people at Chapel Hill. If I have, they need to remember that I am just an amateur with a very small audience and no sway whatsoever on the drinking public. My wife just thinks I am a raving lunatic - she pays no attention, so why should you?

I do want to raise one issue for comment though. Whilst I am not bagging the wine I tasted (because I really enjoyed it), I do question some of the marketing hype. Not just for Chapel Hill but for almost every wine. I am not against marketing 'puffery' because I understand wine makers have to compete and try to differentiate themselves, so as to stand out in a market that is being flooded by thousands of competitors. That said, I do believe marketing loses its effectiveness when the average punter cannot equate the product to the hype.

This wine is good enough to speak for itself, but I guess the real battle is getting the punter to try it. But having made that sale, if the product doesn't deliver all that's promised a consumer may feel a little let down. I do not have an answer, just a question - where is the balance?? I am glad I am not a wine maker and just here appreciating their talents and the fruits (pun intended) of their labour.

(Many thanks to Penelope Elliott from Chapel Hill for the photo and the kind permission to use it)

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Normans 'Old Vine' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

2006-07-01T10:44:00.000+10:00

Saw a recipe on Lifestyle Food Channel - you know one of those 'simply delicious' ones they use as fillers between programs, and are covered in two minutes - for a baked tomato and chorizo pasta. My mouth watered while watching so I thought I would try it!

It is certainly quick, easy and yummy!

Take half a dozen Roma tomatos and halve them lengthwise and place in oven baking dish. Garnish with crushed or diced garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and then drizzle olive oil. Place in 200C oven for 30 minutes.

Dice 150g of chorizo sausage and fry (shouldn't need to add much oil) until crispy whilst at the same time cooking pasta. When sausage done, drain pasta and pour into frypan and toss. Tip in cooked tomatoes and garnish with parmesan cheese and thyme (I forgot the thyme - until I looked at the photos and realised something was missing).

MOST IMPORTANT!! - Drink with good red wine!!

Normans 'Old Vine' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Dark red with plum, ripe berries and hint of chocolate. Good firm tannins and moderate to good length. A good wine that will last a few more years yet.

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Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2003

2006-06-30T15:27:00.000+10:00

Just finished dinner. We drank the Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2003 (Avoca VIC). This was one of the wines from the Wine Society I mentioned earlier.

In some ways it was not a fair tasting of the wine. My better-half had prepared tandoori chicken and the smell and tang of the spices overshadowed much of the wine. Over dinner the wine did not have a chance to state its case.

I did however save some until about half an hour (now) after dinner when the smell and taste of the tandoori has subsided. I am glad I did! The wine is much better than I had originally thought.

The wine is a medium red in colour. It is not dark red but certainly not light either. The nose is not big but there was definitely plum and maybe a touch of pepper (spices?) on the nose. The label on bottle talks of licorice but I couldn't find it - but that may just be me or the after-effects of the tandoori.

The palate is commensurate with the nose and there is a touch of oak and, very mild or soft tannins. There is reasonable intensity and length (I actually timed it this time - I can't believe I did that - how anal - oh! around 20 seconds). There is a nice balance to the wine. You couldn't say it had a lot of complexity but what it does have is quite well balanced and structured. It could never be said to be close to being a premium wine but is a pleasant guzzler with no apparent (at least to me) defects.

How this rates on a scale of 20 or 100 - beats the heck out of me - I am still to jump that hurdle and I am sure there are a few of the other wine bloggers that will give me some gratuitous advice on the matter (yep - I have seen the way you have badgered poor Ed).

Would I buy this wine again? Maybe! I may be way off base here, but I seem to recall having a bottle of the 2001 vintage that was a bit better than the 2003 (at least in my mind). I think I will try the 2004 when it comes out just to see.

(Many thanks to Melanie Dickinson from Blue Pyrenees for the photo and the kind permission to use it)

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wine tasting
Australian Wine

Wine Society Wines - Update

2006-06-30T08:13:00.000+10:00

As mentioned in 7 Effective Habits of Highly Successful Guzzler Locaters I mentioned I was a member of the Wine Society. As part of the deal I have a standing order of a case of red wines (guzzlers) every 6 months. One arrives in June and the other December, each year. I like it because there is an expectancy that builds as the date approaches and, because they select the wines, there is invariably a number of wines that I would never choose or have never heard of. Over the last 4 years or so I can count on one hand the number of "dud" wines I have received.

The case arrived just the other day and had 2 bottles of each of:

1. Saltram "Mamre Brook" Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (Barossa)
2. Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2003 (Avoca VIC)
3. Chapel Hill Shiraz 2002 (McLaren Vale)
4. Norman's 'Old Wine' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Plains)
5. Brown Brothers Tempranillo 2001 (Victoria)
6. Orlando 'Gramps' Grenache 2004 (Barossa)

We had the Mamre Brook last night with a Morrocan lamb shank dish. I started to get excited when I was pouring the wine. The light is not the best in our dining room but the wine was an very dark inky colour. It also passed the Robbie's Rule of Thumb Test.

There were strong hints of berries (mulberry?) and chocolate on the nose. There is a moderately complex palate of competing berry flavours, good tannins and huge (14.5%) alcohol (which may detract from it slightly). There is definitley another 5 years in this wine. Good intensity and reasonably good length. I enjoyed it! (I can see I really need to start objectively rating the wines - I think a 20 point system is for me - sorry GW and Murray! I just need to get things clear in my mind as to how I will approach it. Ed's recent post has helped a lot)

I hope to review the rest of the wines received, as we drink them.

(Many thanks to Jeremy Coyle from Saltram for the photo and the kind permission to use it)

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food
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wine tasting
Australian Wine

Wine Course Reds #4

2006-06-29T08:38:00.000+10:00

These are the last two reds that I haven't reviewed from the second night of the Wine Course put on by Tony Harper of The Wine Emporium.

Tyrrells Rufus Stone Shiraz 2004 (Heathcote VIC)

Rasberries and mulberry on the nose (and maybe a hint of eucalyptus - evidence of some terroir?? - either that or a dirty great gum tree in the vineyard).

Big berry fruit sweetness with gentle tannins but still with good length. If I could sum the wine up in one word - succulent!! It was very nice and definitely one of the best Rufus Stone Heathcote vintages yet. At $22 would I buy again? You bet!!

(Many thanks to Maria-Teresa Di Mauro of Tyrrells for the photo and the kind permission to use it)

Mad Dog Shiraz 2004 (Barossa SA)
There was rasberry to the left of me, rasberry to the right - here I am stuck in the middle with you! (Maybe this is a newly discovered talent - using songs to describe wines - although only ever happened once before but it was at the same wine course with the Provenance Shiraz).

There was rasberries on the nose and your initial taste suggests plush, sweet rasberries. This wine gushes rasberries (there - have I said it enough - do you have the picture?). The tannins were good and firm and there was good complexity and intensity (if you hadn't already guessed). At $35 it is a little on the expensive side compared to some of the value at lesser prices BUT compared to other $35 wines it certainly holds its own! YUM!

Wine Course - Conclusions
I must thank Tony Harper and the Wine Emporium for putting on the course and running it so well - all the wines were superb (with the exception of one Chardonnay - but that is my personal taste).

I must also thank the other attendees of the course for helping to analyse all the wines. As I said in an earlier post, the analysing of the wines and tasting notes was really a collective effort. The notes I have written were mainly reached by consensus amongst the group with some gentle guiding from Tony. All in all it has been a most enjoyable experience and I hope to do some more courses in the future.

The important thing for me is that I believe I did learn a lot. Even though I still struggle to describe what I am smelling and tasting I believe I am getting better at discerning the different characteristics of the different components to each wine. I may well be way off (compared to those who really do know something about wine) in my assessments, but at least the mistakes are my own - I can live with that. Whether you agree with any of my tasting notes or not I have had fun doing the research!!

Until next time - live well and drink well!!

Wine Course Reds #3

2006-06-28T07:51:00.000+10:00

Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Coonawarra) SA
This wine exhibited chocolate and a hint of cigar box. It was velvety with good level of complexity of aromas and flavours. It was well structured with solid tannins but with some finesse or elegance and could well have another 10 years to go. My extra personal notes say "very good - definite buy" - that really says it all!! ($31 per bottle from the Balnaves website)

Mazzie Badiola 2003 (Tuscany, IT)
This wine was made with Sangiovese and had big aromas - more rustic - leather (old shoes) and other funky aromas (sorry - 'funky' is the only thing I could come up with). The tannins were very big - maybe too big, but still a very complex wine and very enjoyable. It was very nice and at around $25 is another buy recommendation. (I haven't seen so many 'buy' recommendations since the Christopher Skase days).

I have been unable to obtain the permissions I wanted in relation to using photographs from various websites and therefore the reviews appear nude! (Calm down TWC!)

I must congratulate Tony Harper from The Wine Emporium for selecting such great wines for the course. All of the reds were enjoyable and there are still 2 more to be reviewed in an upcoming post.

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Wine Course Reds #2

2006-06-26T13:34:00.000+10:00

Craggy Range Merlot 2004 (Hawkes Bay NZ)
This wine comes from the Gimblet Gravels area, which has apparently established quite a reputation for producing quality wines.

I checked on their website and whilst the 2003 was at 13% alcohol, the 2004 we tasted was 14%. (At least my notes say we tasted the 2004 and it was 14% but I only saw the 2003 on the website)

This wine was deeply purple and had a big plush(?) nose. Again, if something can smell 'velvety' this does. (I am sorry that I can't describe it better). There was also chocolate on the nose and the palate. Tannins were BIG and there was great intensity of flavour and great length.

I am not a fan of Merlot but this was something to keep me coming back.

(My thanks to Clare McSporran from Craggy Range for the photograph and the permission to use it)

Provenance Shiraz 2005 (Geelong VIC)
This is the most difficult and interesting wine I think I have ever tasted. I still don't know whether I loved it or hated it. After you taste it I think it has to be either one or the other - love or hate!

It's BIG BIG nose was very 'pongy' - a little like sour milk! It was deep red bordering on purple. There were really strong green herbacious flavours and almost some aniseed? Maybe this is more licorice!

It is a very complex and intense wine and has a lot going on but not necessarily in different directions. Most of those attending the wine course hated it. Tony Harper (wine judge and critic) loved it and raved about it. I still can't make up my mind.

A song came to mind when I was tasting it, and I meant to tell Tony (but forgot). So Tony, if you are reading this - remember Rocky Horror Picture Show? Eddy (played by Meatloaf) did a song "A Wild and an Untamed Thing" - this is the song that came to mind as I tasted this wine. It was a wild, untamed ride but not necessarily an unstructured or bad one. Have any of you tried this one??

Please do not get me wrong - I am not bagging this wine at all! In fact I will buy some more just to try it again to see if I can make up my mind. But I am just an amateur, so I will leave the last word to the expert. James Halliday is quoted as having rated this wine 94/100.

(My thanks to Jen from Provenance Wines for the photograph and the permission to use it)

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Wine Course Reds

2006-06-24T11:18:00.000+10:00

Sorry for the delay in continuing the notes from the wine course and for the fact that there is no accompanying photos - oops! - I accidentally deleted them.

The second night was RED night - I could hardly wait. I was not disappointed! The first wine we tried was

Main Ridge "Half Acre" Pinot Noir 2004 (Mornington VIC)
It was light red in colour and there were rose petals and cloves on the nose. It smelled 'velvety' (?) - at least that was how I wrote it down at the time. I don't know how something can 'smell' velvety - oh well! There were strong acid, yet the acids were fine or pure (not sure of the correct descriptor)? There was great intensity of flavour that seemed to build after swallowing - if that is possible. VERY enjoyable and would definitely go for this one again.

Boireann Grenache/Mourvedre/Shiraz 2005 (Granite Belt QLD)
It is good to see the there God's country does actually produce the odd decent wine. Whilst a long way behind the other states, Queensland is starting to produce some quality wines. These appear to come mostly from the Granite Belt area.

This wine displayed some green leafy, onion (?), chocolote aromas and chocolate was noticeable on the palate. There were good, but gentle (?) tannins and good intensity of flavourand quite good length. All in all a very good wine and I think would still have some life left in it - good for another 4 or 5 years at least. This is another that I would definitely try again!!

There will be more wines to come in later posts - till then drink well and live well!

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OLD WINE BUT A GOOD ONE!

2006-06-20T20:22:00.000+10:00

My better-half made slow cooked lemon and thyme lamb shanks for dinner the other Friday night. I thought I had better let her into the kitchen for once! Not really – our arrangement, which seems to work quite well, is that she is responsible for all the meals during the week and I am responsible for all the meals on a weekend (The reason for this arrangement is that it takes me about a week to work out what we are going to have for dinner the next weekend).

As I was still on vacation I thought we could get through two bottles of wine, if we started early enough. Whilst dinner was cooking I opened a bottle from one of the first case buys I ever made. When I was reorganizing my wine I found that I still had two bottles of 1998 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon left. I couldn’t believe it!! This wine cost me $10 per bottle back in 1999. It was a huge wine for a guzzler back then and there seemed to be an endless supply of it. I thought it would be totally wasted by now and therefore thought I had better drink it straight away.

To my surprise it was still OK – an oldie but a goodie! The tannins were still very solid and there were definite hints of blackcurrents and berries. Some of the intensity and length were gone but it was still enjoyable even thought the tannins remain long after the taste has gone. Not a fantastic wine, by any stretch, but still enjoyable especially knowing what I paid for it and having cellared it for almost 7 years. I think I will keep the second bottle for another year, just for a lark, and see how it is at that time.

The second bottle we drank was a 1998 Tatachilla Cabernet Sauvignon (from McLaren Vale) that was also found during the great wine cleanup. This wine was purchased in 1999 or 2000 for around $15-18 (from memory). There were intense berry aromas and still a hint of smokiness about it. The tannins were still very strong and the flavours followed the smell, however the intense fruit flavours fell away quickly and, like the Koonunga Hill, it seems that the tanniny(?) dryness lasted a lot longer than the flavours. Does this mean there are problems with ‘balance’? I am not sure but it was still an enjoyable wine and quite big, but falls down a little on the intensity and longevity of the flavour. The recommended drinking (per the bottle) was from 2000 to 2005 and maybe it has past its prime.

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food and drink

OLD WINE BUT A GOOD ONE

The Last of the White Wines!!

2006-06-18T18:21:00.000+10:00

Even though I am a 'white wine' type of bloke, I was finding the course interesting and there were even ones I would consider buying like the Vermentino or the Voyager Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.

The last four whites we tasted were the Kilikanoon Riesling 2004 (Clare Valley), Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling 2001 (Eden Valley), Salitage Unwooded Chardonnay 2005 (Pemberton WA) and the d'Arenberg "The Lucky Lizard" Chardonnay 2005 (Adelaide Hills).

1. Kilikanoon Riesling 2004 (Clare Valley)
This was a very clean and pure looking and tasting wine. There were good citrus and floral aromas and taste with quite good length. It was also a simple wine - not a lot going on. Enjoyable but not one I would probably buy for myself.

2. Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling 2001 (Eden Valley)
A very complex wine with some toasty-honey and lots of fresh lime juice and minerally/ wet rock aromas. These followed through to the palate. There was good length. It was quite a complex wine and extremely enjoyable - AND - I can't believe I am saying this - I would go out and buy this one. This, and the Voyage Estate (see last post) were the two best wines of the evening, both of which I would quite happily purchase and drink again.

3. Salitage Unwooded Chardonnay 2005 (Pemberton WA)
The winery's tasting notes say "Fruit driven, stone fruit and tropical fruit flavours. Full mouth feel with balanced acid and long flavour length". I can only agree with the "fruit driven" comment. My only tasting note is "YUCK"!! Not very professional I know but I really did not enjoy this wine - it was sweet and very one dimensional.

4. d'Arenberg "The Lucky Lizard" Chardonnay 2005 (Adelaide Hills)
For a chardonnay (I really do not like any of them) this was very good. I doubt that I would buy it but would be willing to give it another try. There were tropical fruit, spices and something minerally on the nose and tongue (sorry that I can't describe things better, but I am learning - I hope).

To wrap it all up I think the first evening of the wine course was very good. I got a lot of good information from Tony and it was really great to bounce ideas off everyone else and listen to the different adjectives that people used to try and describe the wines. At the end of the evening I still found I was thirsty - mostly for more information.

Have any of you tried any of the wines noted above? If so tell me what you thought of them and if your tasting notes compare. I would love to know.

Next we will look at the reds from the second evening. Until then, drink well and live well!!!

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MORE WINE COURSE WINES

2006-06-14T17:55:00.000+10:00

The next pairing of two white wines tasted at last Tuesday’s wine course with Tony Harper of The Wine Emporium were the Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon 2005 (Margaret River), and the Voyager Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2001 (Margaret River).

There are about 10 people doing the course and the following notes reflect a collective effort to describe the wines. The notes were achieved more by consensus than anything else – an interesting exercise but one, despite our amateurism, that resulted in an analysis that is quite close to the mark (according to Tony).

Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2005 (Margaret River): This was a clear and clean wine with strong citrus and apricot aromas. Noticeable acid, moderate intensity and length and fresh citrus flavours.

Voyager Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2001 (Margaret River): The extra age showed up in a slightly darker straw colour than the Cape Mentelle and there was a bouquet of flowers, herbs and cigar smoke. An intense and complex wine – very enjoyable but was a little out of balance. Most people found the cigar smoke smell and taste was a little overpowering and they didn’t like it. I didn’t mind so much, but even Tony agreed that it seemed a bit “clunky” and felt that because we were drinking it at room temperature (instead of slightly chilled) that the oak had become a little ‘out of whack’. I definitely would like to try this wine again because I thought it had enormous potential and appeal.

A funny thing happened with the Voyage Estate. As we were all reaching for adjectives to describe the aromas and taste, MY better-half came up with ‘cigar smoke’. As soon as she said it everyone agreed – sort of like a small “aha” moment. Even Tony agreed and from then on he admitted that all he could smell was the cigar smoke. He complained that we had just wrecked this wine for him, as it was one of his personal favourites and now all he could smell was cigar smoke. Well done darl!!

Next time we will look at Kilikanoon Riesling 2004 (Clare Valley) and Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling 2001 (Eden Valley) and possibly even the two chardonnays. After that I will share our notes on some of the reds that we tried on the second Tuesday night.

Until then live well and drink well! Cheers!

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THE AMATEUR AT A WINE COURSE?

2006-06-12T07:10:00.000+10:00

Earlier I mentioned that my wife and I had booked in, with some friends, to an introductory wine course with Tony Harper from the Wine Emporium to be run over two consecutive Tuesday nights. Yes it is hard to believe - I may actually learn something about wine!

Last Tuesday night the better-half and I ambled off to the Wine Emporium’s Wine Room in Constance St, Fortitude Valley. This is a small retail outlet, office and small function room whist their main store is just down the road at the Emporium development.

This first evening looked solely at White Wines. Therefore, I feel obliged to apologise to The Wine Commonsewer (TWC) who said, in a comment to one of my earlier posts, “lips that touch white wine will never touch mine”. All I can really say is “Phew! I dodged a bullet there!”. Whilst I prefer reds (in fact I haven’t bought any white wine in over two years, apart from the odd bottle of champers ‘sic’) it was a very interesting evening and there were a couple of wines that weren’t bad and I could quite happily drink again.

Tony (I told you, you should have smiled for the camera – Oh and sorry about the red-eye) works with the Wine Emporium and is quite a well known wine judge around these parts. He provided us some basic instruction on the Appearance of a wine; Aroma/Bouquet and breaking it down into three categories of: the grape, the winemaking artifact, and age; and Taste, that it should follow the aroma of the wine, the importance of freshness regardless of age, and the meaning of intensity, length, balance, and complexity.

While we tasted the wines he took time to point out all these various quality parameters as well as giving information on the basic making of wine, the structure and characteristics of wine. Tony also discussed the basic differences between barrel fermentation and tank fermentation, as well as talking about secondary or malolactic fermentation. He also covered, oak aging, lees aging and no aging (Hi to all you cheap chardonay drinkers!!). I feel like I learnt quite a deal. The information really helped me put together a few things that I was tasting, smelling and seeing that I couldn’t explain. For example, I always had thought that the ‘buttery’ after-taste you got in some wines had something to do with the age and type of the oak used. How I came to this assumption I cannot recall. However, I learned that this “buttery” effect was a result of a compound called diacetyl (I think this is how you spell it) being produced during the malolactic fermentation.

The first two wines we tasted were a Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (Marlborough, New Zealand) and an Ariolas “Costamolino” Vermentino 2004 (Sardinia, Italy). Both wines apparently retail for around $25 in Australia. The first difference you notice is the colour of the wines. The Sauvignon Blanc was almost devoid of colour whilst the Vermentino was almost an amber colour. You could be forgiven for thinking the Vermentino was a lot older than a 2004. This alone tells us a little of the difference in the wine making approaches. Obviously the Vermentino has been allowed greater contact with the lees at some stage through out the process. The aroma was equally different, even after allowing for varietal differences. The Sauvignon Blanc had a fresh, fruity and citrus aroma whilst the Italian wine had a very rustic aroma. It smelled of mushrooms(?) and an earthiness that is not unlike many of the Bordeaux reds. Both wines were intense in flavour and had good length. The New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc lasted for at least 20 seconds and the Vermentino almost that long. I must say that of the two I preferred the Vermentino.

In an upcoming post I will look at the next three wines we tasted. Until then, drink well and live well!

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Happy Endings!!

2006-06-09T13:39:00.000+10:00

As I said before I left for holidays, the fabled (read first post, second post and third post) 252 bottle Kitchener wine cabinet has arrived!! At last! Now all I need to do is to rearrange my wine from 3 smaller cabinets, two cupboards and a dozen or more cardboard cartons or pine boxes. Where should I start and how should I arrange them in the new cabinet? Which ones to leave out and fill into the 2 remaining smaller cabinets and the cupboard?

I am going to take the opportunity to do a bit of a stocktake and ensure my records are up to date. I used to use a James Halliday Cellar Organiser but I have realized that you cannot export the data to any other program or even print out a full listing with all the information on it and have not kept it up to date for the last year or two. Therefore, I have decided to start again with my own cellar book. I decided to use a spreadsheet, like any good accountant would!

I note that the Red Wine Bigot has developed one for MS Access which he will share with anyone who asks him, but I have decided to go with my own. A spreadsheet will allow me to search by the parameters I set up (eg winery, label, vintage, region, variety etc) but also give me a sub-total or total of bottles and costs according to those parameters (It sounds like I have too much time on my hands). I will also be able to keep tasting notes attached to each wine as a “comment” attached to a cell.

I am currently about half way through the project (see photo right) and have emptied my three older wine cabinets (one of which has died), catalogued their contents and arranged them into the new wine cabinet. I have also catalogued all the wine laying around in cartons and boxes. All told, I have so far catalogued just over 200 bottles (they are not all in the cabinet). I think there is somewhere close to this amount left in the last cupboard (an old kitchen cupboard that I saved during a kitchen renovation).

I AM impressed with my new acquisition. This wine cabinet actually WILL HOLD WHAT IT ADVERTISES it will hold! The shelves of the new wine cabinet will hold a maximum of 32 bottles [except the top shelf (28) and bottom shelf (64)], however I have left room on the second shelf to add premium wines at a later date so that each new acquisition will not cause a total reorganization of the cabinet. I know, for example, that I have half a dozen Bordeaux’s from the 2003 en-primeur arriving soon (2 each of the 2003 Ch Branaire-Ducru, Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Ch Pontet-Canet) as these were all that were available to me at them time, because I was a late starter. Another couple of pleasing points about the cabinet is that it is lockable and the outside of the front door is made from the same material as whiteboards, so you can leave cellar notes on the door and clean them off later.

Later today I have the task of emptying and cataloging the last cupboard’s contents and then deciding which of these wines, together with all the ones that weren’t in any cupboard or cabinet, should go into the new cabinet, then into the older wine cabinets and which may have to go back into the old kitchen cupboard.

I must say that whilst the work is tedious it is still fun and a not a little unlike Christmas. You pull out a wine at the bottom of the cabinet and go “Wow, I can’t remember still having this. I thought I had drunk all of these.” There have already been some really nice surprises, like finding I still had a half-dozen 1997 Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz lurking (I love a good wine that knows how to 'lurk' - lurking is much better than 'skulking') in a pinewood box underneath a heap of other cartons. I think there will be a happy ending to this saga after all!

Live well and drink well!

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BEEF WELLINGTON ANYONE?

2006-06-08T11:47:00.000+10:00

Last night we had Rob (of Robbie’s Rule of Thumb fame), Lisa and the girls over for dinner. I decided to prepare a Beef Wellington with roast veggies and a baked cheesecake with peaches.

With this meal I brought out a Langmeil "The Blacksmith" Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1999 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz.

The Beef Wellington used an entire eye fillet, which was seared in a very hot pan and covered with around 1/4 cup of Brandy (ignited and poured over the meat and the flames allowed to die out - pretty spectacular to watch). Once the meat cooled sufficiently I topped it with peppered cheese and some liver pate that had been
mashed with the pan juices. I then wrapped the meat in puff pastry and cooked for around 35-40 minutes.

Earlier in the afternoon I tried my first ever baked cheesecake. Our oldest boy (we call him B1 and he is 4 years old) and I had a lot of fun making it and I think it turned out rather well. B1 crushed the biscuits (ie cookies, for all my American friends) and once the butter was mixed in, helped me to make the shell. I feel a little ‘ripped-off’ though as B1 did not want to lick the spoon (he said he didn’t like it) and I greedily thought there would be more for the better-half and I. B1 then turned about a demolished a couple of pieces after dinner and was backing up again before we stopped him. Over the last couple of days I think he has had more than anyone. He is only allowed a small piece if he eats all his meat and vegetables. I have never seen a four year old ‘wolf’ down broccoli and carrot as he has the last few days.

The wines were fantastic! We started with the Langmeil which was a good Barossa Cab Sav. It was a medium bodied wine with hints of ripe berry. The Chalambar (an onld favourite - but can be a little 'up and down') was also good and complemented the pepper and the beef well. There were ripe plum and berry aromas and flavours. It also was a medium bodied wine with just a hint of oak and soft tannins. Very enjoyable!! However, I do find that the better the food and the conversation, the better the wine drinking experience often is. Do you find the same??

Tomorrow I will share my recent travails in relation to my wine collection and my new wine cabinet(hey, look, yes, I know I am just a bloke who really doesn't have a clue about childbirth but bring this wine cabinet into fruition has been a real 'labour' - you know!). The next few days after that I would like your comments on some of the stuff I have been learning at the wine course - see you then!

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BACK HOME!

2006-06-07T06:41:00.000+10:00

The brief sojourn to Burleigh Heads is over and it is back home for another week before I head back to the office to terrorise the staff. It was tough to leave the coast. However, one of the benefits of living where we do is that Burleigh Heads is only an hour away. (photos are taken from Burleigh looking up to Surfers Paradise and towards the heads)

The weather was fantastic!! I lived in shorts and a short sleeved shirt and slept the same way without any covers – not bad for the first few days of winter, huh? The water was around 22C - 23C and therefore still fine to go swimming in.

The kids had a wonderful time too! We took them fishing and caught a couple of winter whiting and a bream, although they were all on the small side and we threw them all back. We also took them to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on our annual pilgrimage to see, amongst other things, the wombats, kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, emus and crocodiles.

The photos are of (1) above left- a koala (aboriginal word meaning 'no water' as the koala rarely drinks water getting its fluids from the eucalyptus leaves); (2) above right - southern hairy nosed wombat (which looks like a few politicians I know!); (3) left - is the cute (ie ugly but attractive) Tasmanian devil;(4) below right - is our youngest boy (we call him B2, the oldest is B1) patting a very young kangaroo; and (5) below left - is an emu (pronounced "e-mew" - a large, flightless bird, but fast runner - an old Aussie song has it that an old man emu can 'run the pants off a kangaroo')

We took a dozen bottles of wine to cover the week and we came back with two which were promptly drunk on Saturday and Sunday – we must be slipping! There will be more on the wines in later blogs. Since we have been back (and I still have another week of vacation) it seems I have been busier than ever and have found it hard to find time to finish my blogs.

We arrived home on Saturday and went out for dinner to Rob's place in the evening. On Sunday we caught up with a few things around the house in the morning and then I spent all afternoon in the kitchen again (you will have to wait for the next blog to find out what I cooked).

Monday, a doctor's appointment, sneaking into the office for a few hours and looking after the boys took up the day.

Tuesday, I started to re-catalogue all my wines and start moving the best ones into my new wine cabinet. This is turning into a bigger job than I thought - more about this in later posts. Tuesday evening (last night) the better-half and I went to the first night of our Wine Basics Course run by Tony Harper from the Wine Emporium - what a great night. More on this and next week's course in posts to follow. We tasted quite a few wines and covered a fair bit of territory. I have a lot to share with you all and it will take quite a while to catch up.

This morning (Wednesday) I spent all morning as the roster-parent at B1's pre-school. I spent my time playing with the 4 and 5 year olds - what a blast!! Tonight, as I am still on vacation I will be attempting a new dish (ie new for me) - Chicken Kievs in filo pastry not in bread crumbs. Till next post - Drink well and live well!

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One from One - Red is Best!

2006-05-25T07:23:00.000+10:00

Well, I had one taker! TWC guessed I went with the cab/merlot - he was absolutely correct!Although, he thought I might have actually emptied all three - not a bad thought - yummmmm! Alas, it was not to be.

You can see an extra label on the bottle that simply says "Frank & Bev". This label was stuck on some .... years ago on the occasion of my fortieth birthday. My fortieth was simply billed as "Mal's Big Red Fortieth" and the invitations made the gift suggestion of 'any bottle of red wine'. This particular bottle was a gift from Frank & Bev (the better-half's uncle and aunt) - thanks guys!! What a great night we had! We are still slowly making our way through the very kind gifts.

BTW, I finally had a call from Kitchener Wine Cabinets delivery guy - IT HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!! It was delivered today. Unfortunately I was in Melbourne when it arrived and didn't get back to Brisbane until late in the evening. On Saturday we go away for a holiday, for a week, and then come back home for another week off. The better-half has spoken and I am banned from taking a computer with us away on the first week.

This will be my last post for a week or so, but I hope to return with photos of Burleigh Heads and my new wine cabinet.

Until Then - drink well and live well! Life is too short to drink bad wine (obviously - not an original saying)

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Which wine do you think we drank?

2006-05-22T07:58:00.000+10:00

For those of you who have read my posts, see if you can guess which wine we drank with dinner on Saturday night.

I, and the rest of my staff, are still recovering from the last few weeks of trying to beat the last tax lodgement deadline of the year (May 15). I dragged myself through to the end of the week and decided that I was not going into the office on Saturday. The better-half thought I might be ill!

Realising I was too weak to fight and was going to spend the day at home, the better-half grasped her opportunity, bid me farewell, handed me the keys to our two kids and said "See ya!! Be back around lunch time. Try not to damage the children" - Ouch!

After waving goodbye to the wife I lay back down on the bed for a while. The two boys came in and jumped up and down on me for 45 minutes or so which led me to the conclusion that they were trying to get my attention! (I am really quick on my days off!). I got up, built the best train track in the universe to enable Thomas, Donald, Douglas, Percy, Gordon, Daisy, Diesel et al (expertly guided by the two boys - 4.5 and 1.5 years of age) to traverse the Island of Sodor in bliss and harmony - well, the harmony lasted about 3 minutes. So it was off downstairs to the sandpit and the swings.

When I got outside I realised it was a wonderful day! Autumn in Brisbane has to be the best time of year. Eventually the boys went off and did their own thing which allowed me to go back to the kitchen, find some books and start planning dinner. So I sat on the deck watching the kids run around the yard with the dog and planned afternoon tea, dinner and dessert (I was feeling hungry). I didn't sit down to plan all three - it just happened.

I started by looking for a chicken recipe for dinner but instead found a really good recipe for apple pie (not just any semi-flat apple pie) but one that ends up looking like a cake and stands around 12-13cm (5-6 inches) tall. I love hot apple pie (and NO not because of that movie)! Please forgive me! The pie turned out great but the top and the edges look like the moon's surface (see photo) - hey! give me a break! I am an amateur and it was my first attempt. Making the pastry almost drove me insane!!! I did have one good idea though, which wasn't in the book. Once I had cooked down the 8 green apples (skinned, quartered and sliced - yes part of me wishes I had listened to my better-half and simply bought tins of pie apple, but that takes away part of the fun) with a cup of water and half a cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon, the recipe said to drain the apple and add in sultanas - which I did. However, I kept the liquid that I drained off (it was a great mixture of green apple tartness and the sweetness of the sugar and apple juice and slight cinnamon fragrance). Later on I reduced it slightly and stirred in some cornflour to thicken and it made a wonderful pouring sauce over the pie and ice-cream.

In my rummaging around the pantry to see what ingredients we had I noticed a packet of dates and couldn't remember the last time we had eaten some. So I came up with an idea for a date and walnut loaf for afternoon tea. This turned out great (no photos because we ate most of it warm with some butter). The boys enjoyed licking the spoon on that one!

I eventually found a chicken recipe - herb and parmesan encrusted chicken thighs. This was made by mixing butter, some chopped dill, chives and mint with a small amount of grated lemon rind and a teaspoon or two of lemon juice and then stuffing the herb butter under the skin of each thigh. The thigh was 're-sealed' with toothpicks. It was cooked in a moderate oven with the grill on for about 10 minutes each side. The last two minutes being skin side up and sprinkled grated parmesan cheese on top. The result is a very crispy top.

To go with this I made up a mixed gratin with potato, zucchini, onion and garlic (and seasoned with just a little oregano, salt and pepper in around the second zucchini layer) and topped with some shaved parmesan. Add some cream and milk almost to the top layer and bake in oven at 150C for an hour.

Now, what wine to have?A Penfold's 2001 Yattarna, a Tyrrell's Stevens 1995 Semillon, or a Knappstein 1999 Cab Merlot? Which do you think?

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GUZZLER? Update

2006-05-19T07:47:00.000+10:00

Has anyone noticed that Dan Murphy's is celebrating their 50th store opening? This has led to some incredible discounts. You can check out their catalogue online.

Whilst not guzzlers I noted that the Lindeman's Limestone Ridge and Lindemand's St George were on sale for $29.90. I have never seen them below $35-38.

Also 2002 Jacob's Creek St Hugo at $27.90 (or $25.90 as part of a mixed or straight dozen). See! This is what happens when you change your name! I know the oversupply problem has caused a lot of these tremendous reductions however, am I the only one who doesn't like the name change on this wine? Orlando's St Hugo was always a great cab sav label in Australia and it is somewhat sad to see it go.

The first St Hugo that I ever drank was the 1996 (and it was around $37 per bottle then). I was out to dinner with my wine buddy (Lynton) and a few others and we ordered a bottle. I don't know whether it was the wine, the atmosphere, or the company, or possible all three, but I have the strongest memory of the taste of that wine. It was like drinking liquid gold. We got through 2 or 3 bottles of it and when I arrived home late that night I announced, to my freshly woken wife, that we would name our first child Hugo - and we did!

Grant Burge's 2004 Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon for $39.90 per bottle (or $37.90 as part of a mixed or straight dozen). This is a fantastic wine - although I haven't tried a 2004 - and I can't recal/ ever purchasing it for less than $50-60 per bottle.

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Wine Cabinet Update!

2006-05-17T07:41:00.000+10:00

Those of you who have been around for a while will remember my ravings about the new wine cabinet I ordered from Kitchener Wine Cabinets and the various delays etc etc.

The deadline came today and I called them, only to discover it has already been despatched to their Brisbane depot and should arrive at our place around Wednesday next week. Just in time for my vacation! I will be able to devote some time to installing it and stocking it and updating my records of my collection (?).

Kitchener says "Each cabinet loses capacity for four bottles on the top shelf to make space for the condenser unit. For example, the KG252 bottle number is derived from: (32 bottles X 6 shelves) + 64 base shelf - 4 for condenser = 252 bottles." Let's hope they are right!

I don't know whether I have bought a big enough cabinet. I have just used their wine storage calculator and I am a bit worried. Oh well, I can always get another!

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Apologies

2006-05-15T18:31:00.000+10:00

When I first started my blog I believed I would be able to write one article per day. For the first couple of months this was no problem however, over the last week, work and family commitments have prevented me from 'blogging on'. My apologies to all! The 'insane' period at the office is almost over and shortly I will be leaving on two weeks holiday. I will not be able to update the blog in the first week as I will be nowhere near a computer however hope to rectify that in the second week.

Just because I was not blogging doesn't mean that I was drinking wine or cooking. We had a fantastic Mother's Day and I cooked lunch for the better-half and her mother (an extended family).

All this leads me to some catching up to do. June means a couple of things. Firstly, holidays for me and a decision as to which wines to take. Secondly, I believe the balance of my small order of the 2003 Bordeaux en-primeur should arrive and thirdly, the better half and I are undertaking an introductory wine course.

I am looking forward to the next few months and bringing you updates on our wonderful world of wine.

PS. TWC - thanks for the comments!

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Pinot and the Treasurer (or 'Pinot & Pete')

2006-05-09T20:10:00.000+10:00

It was Budget night. I sent the staff home earlier than usual, locked up the office, went home played with the kids for half an hour before their bedtime and then sat down to a lovely veal in a wholegrain mustard sauce dish that the better half prepared.

We tried a bottle of the Tyrrell's Vat 6 1999 Pinot Noir (I only have two bottles left now) with the meal. Usually we forego alcohol mid-week but, as it was Budget night, my wife suggested we open a bottle. I was in a good mood so I said "sure" although I suspect she simply wanted any alcohol (as long as it was in sufficient quantities) to try and help her get through the night with me watching the Federal Treasurer (Peter Costello) strut his stuff in Parliament, then the ABC and other shows.

We both enjoyed the intense rasberry aromas (along with the familiar mouldy? type smell of pinot). There were rasberry flavours as well. Although I am just an amateur I don't believe there could be much improvement left in this wine. It was dinking beautifully and I will make sure that I don't let the other two lie around too much longer.

Anyway, here we were enjoying the wine, until the Budget speech. How much money did they have to throw around? It was a huge Budget - and an election is still at least 18 months away! There was so much money being thrown around by the government in tax cuts, access to superannuation lump sums (now 100% tax free), an unlimited number of funded child care places etc that I cannot remember my second glass of Pinot. In some ways I feel that Pete stole it from me when I wasn't looking - just like a politician!!

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Chateau Reynella 1997 Basket Pressed Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-05-08T06:44:00.000+10:00

With all this talk about the Wine Society recently I recalled that I had a bottle stashed away somewhere that I had received from them in one of my two cases per year deal of mixed reds. When I receive a dozen bottles from the Wine Society it is usually two bottles each of 6 different wines. This is a good way of doing things because occasionally you get a real 'cracker' in the case. When you do, you usually go straight back downstairs and put the other bottle away somewhere. This is what happened and I remembered it on Sunday.

On a couple of occasions I have received a couple of bottles of the Wine Society's labelled wines in this case. These are ones that the Society believe are worthy to carry their name and have negotiated a special price with the producer. The one I was looking for was the Chateau Reynella 1997 Basket Pressed Cabernet Sauvignon.

I did some research on Chateau Reynella because the use of the word "Chateau" is not all that common in Australia. I found out that Chateau Reynella was the birthplace of the wine industry in South Australia.

To go with the wine, my 'better half' (you remember her? I used to call her the Leader of the Opposition until she found my blog and began to read it) and I shared the culinary duties and produced a lamb roast with roast veggies. Very simple, but wonderful.

The wine was superb! I think it could have withstood another couple of years of bottle age but I prefer to drink them on the young-ish side. Remember, it is always better to drink a wine too early and appreciate its potential than to drink it too late and lament its demise. There were plumb and chocolate aromas and again on the palate with a touch of smokiness (may have something to do with the charred barrels). I could drink this any day of the week!

I recall attempting to buy more at the time I drank the first bottle. However, it is apparently a member favourite and sold out quite quickly. I will now have to try and find some more.

Both the Chateau Reynella and the Laughing Magpie we have had this weekend rated relatively well with me (I don't have an objective measure, although I can start to see the need for one) and I would quite happily purchase them again. I must also add, for Rob's benefit, that yes both bottles passed Robbie's Rule of Thumb test.

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Weekend Wine! Laughing Magpie!

2006-05-07T12:20:00.000+10:00

As mentioned on Friday, I worked yesterday and did not have much time to prepare for dinner. I had a bottle of 2003 D'Arenberg 'Laughing Magpie' Shiraz Viognier that I wanted to try. So I went the quick and easy option. I bought a small standing rib roast (2 ribs only) from Zone Fresh, took it home and cut it in two to make two thick rib on the bone steaks.

I also fried some garlic, onion and mushrooms added some wine, reduced slightly and then cream (extra light) for a lovely creamy sauce. I also prepared a potato gratin variant with some onion and instead of using cream I simply used chicken stock - fantastic!

The "Laughing Magpie" (from McLaren Vale - where else?) was very good. We really enjoyed it. The tannins appeared to be well balanced (really? what would I know). You could tell there were tannins and you had that dry taste but it was not overpowering and there was no "pucker" factor (I have learned a little about that from one of the Wine Girl's blogs. It certainly doesn't seem as vibrant (if that's a good description) as a straight McLaren Vale shiraz but there a complexity to the taste that is extremely enjoyable. Will definitely keep for a while yet (I have another 4 bottles left - yippee!)

By the way, I better make it clear that I do NOT come from the McLaren Vale region! The way I rave about the wines from there, one would be excused for making that assumption.

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Weekend wine or wine weekend?

2006-05-05T18:15:00.000+10:00

Hey, did you join the Wine Society and try to win a trip to France? I'd love to know if you did.

I can’t decide whether to have a weekend wine or have a wine weekend. I think I have had a few too many wine weekends of late, so I need to enjoy a quieter weekend and have just one or two nice wines…..I sound so sensible and rational, don’t I? Well it sounds good anyway! However, the truth of the matter is that, as I am a little snowed under at the office, I will be working most of Saturday.

Shock, horror! The first thing my better-half said was ‘you poor dear, is there something I can do to make things better for you?’ – yeeeeeeeeah riiiiight!!! – and then I woke up. Actually the first thing my wife said, caring soul that she is, was ‘Oh no, does this mean you won’t be able to cook for us on Saturday?’. Always thinking about me!

All of which brings me to my plans for dinner on the weekend! I have promised that I will once again chain myself to the stove and slave for hours preparing some gourmet delight! (If I can do that, it may be a first). In all honesty I love cooking (I have only really been doing it for a couple of months)! I think there really is something soothing about playing with sharp knives and with fire (yes, I will seek help!). I have no idea what to cook. I will have to ‘surf’ to find some new recipe and then head to Zone Fresh or Rode Road butchers on the way home tomorrow.

What wine to have?? My two cartons (24 bottles) of the 2004 Oomoo McLaren Vale Shiraz (see Guzzler Update #2) arrived at the office this morning. By lunchtime I had already lost 3 bottles to snooping staff members. I will have to have another bottle either tonight or Sunday night and then plan for a special wine to go with dinner on Saturday. (TWC, are you coming this weekend?)

I will let you know tomorrow about the Saturday dinner menu. Do you have any favourite recipes or suggestions? Let me know, and give me the wine suggestion as well. Yeah, I know, I am getting lazy and expecting you to do all the work, aren’t I? Yep!

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Win a trip for two to France??

2006-05-05T07:10:00.000+10:00

In an earlier, critically acclaimed (at least by my family - hey! they count too!) post titled "7 Effective Habits of Highly Successful Guzzler Locaters", at tip #2, I mention subscribing to emails and snail mail etc. I also mentioned considering joining some organisation like the Wine Society.

I have found the Wine Society to be beneficial. I am not a particularly active member, but apart from keeping you updated on wines and providing monthly specials etc, they do source some wines (directly from the producers) that are just not available in retail outlets. Additionally they provide various tastings and other events around the country and even some recipes to go with various wines.

The Wine Society currently are having a membership drive and it is possible you can win a trip for two to France by signing up new members. Each new member you sign up is another entry in the competition. Additonally, when you join you go in to the draw as well. It is well worth a look. At the moment they will also refund you the $50 joining fee.

Sounds great! What's the catch? I am not sure, however I imagine it would be taking at least two cases of wine a year for two years (I think that is what I did when I joined). I have kept the two cases a year going for the last 4 or 5 years. It is like a pressent that turns up unannounced every six months - a dozen mixed wines for me to try - damn!!

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More of Bordeaux 2005 Vintage

2006-05-04T19:08:00.000+10:00

I found the following on Langton's site and found it immensley interesting (as I love Bordeaux reds):

Langton's will be offering a selection of 2005 en primeur wines in the forthcoming weeks. It is likely that the top wines will be very limited in supply. It will be a question of first in best dressed. You can be assured that this is a tip top vintage at every level. Andrew Caillard MW, Langton’s Sydney director, is recently returned from Bordeaux sampling the wines and making selections for Langton’s en primeur offer. These are his diary and tasting notes from the frontline in Bordeaux.

"I don't remember the 1947 vintage, but this is the best vintage of my lifetime." Christian Moueix, Chateau Petrus

"The sheer quality and definition of the wines perhaps eclipse the hugely hyped 2000 and 1982 vintages. Certainly old-timers are suggesting the wines are as brilliant as the legendary 1961s and 1947s. " Andrew Caillard MW

BORDEAUX DIARY
First entry: 10.30pm Wednesday 5th April, Saint-Emilion "I don't remember the 1947 vintage, but this is the best vintage of my lifetime." Christian Moueix, Chateaux Petrus

There is an extraordinary buzz happening in the annual primeur tastings in Bordeaux at the moment. The 2005 vintage is being compared to the great 1961 by the Bordelais. Merchants from all around the world are being treated to museum examples of the vintage to prove a point. I have already seen the First Growth 1961 Margaux (en magnum) and the Fifth Growth 1961 Batailley. These, and other same vintage bottles of exquisitely aged wine, are no doubt weapons of mass persuasion. The world wine trade is bracing itself for the opening prices of the 2005 vintage. There is talk that some first growth Chateau will offer wines at over 300 euros a bottle. If that's true, it will be a great pity.

For the rest of this article see Langton's

Bordeaux 2005 en primeur tasting notes

Andrew Caillard, MW - April 2006

The following tasting reviews are gleaned from over 450 samples tasted at various locations over a seven day period. In some cases I may have tried a wine up to four times. All the wines are of course barrel samples and essentially unfinished wines. All the 2005s will spend more time in barrel.

For the rest of this article and all the tasting notes see Langton's

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GREAT BARRIER FEAST

2006-05-04T06:57:00.000+10:00

You have heard of the Great Barrier Reef. Now we are having the Great Barrier Feast! It is in its 5th year and is being billed as the 'ultimate food and wine weekend in the ultimate tropical location' - Hamilton Island (just off the Queensland coast, Australia).

It is 3 days (from 9 - 12 June) of indulgence and it looks like a chance to rub shoulders with some of the influential people in the food and wine industry in Australia and attend cooking and wine tasting classes. There are banquets on two of the evenings prepared by the guest chefs. Check out the itinerary.

Sounds great! I have not investigated the price of the event but, it may be what keeps me from going - Oh that and the fact that I have already booked to take my family away to Burleigh Heads for a week at that time AND booked in for a wine course that I mentioned in Wine Course. Maybe YOU can go!

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How do you store your wine?

2006-05-03T19:28:00.000+10:00

In this morning's blog Wine Cabinet - STILL NOT HERE!! I discussed the wine cabinet I am purchasing and what I looked at. I live in a sub-tropical climate where heat is a problem and there are vast changes in temperature in the one day (at different times of the year).

How do you overcome the problems of temperature, temperature fluctuation, vibration and light if you don't have a wine cabinet or a purpose built cellar? I would be interested to know people's ideas.

One reason for this is the fact that I have only ordered a 252 bottle wine cabinet and I have a lot more wines than that. I am hoping to keep just my premium wines in there.

Let me know what you do?

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Wine Cabinet - STILL NOT HERE!!!!!!

2006-05-03T06:42:00.000+10:00

For those who have been reading from near the beginning will recall that in a previous post I mentioned how excited I was to have ordered a 252 bottle wine cabinet on 16 February 2006. It was supposed to take eight weeks because they are manufactured to order.

After 8 weeks I contacted them and was told it would be another 3-4 weeks. Well I contacted them again yesterday and was told another 2 weeks, at least. Well, I have the razor ready and it is approaching my wrist. Not really! However I am mildly frustrated.

I think there must be an accountant behind their method of operation (ie only manufacturing to order). It makes sense, from their point of view, not to be carrying (and have money tied up in) unwanted completed units and raw materials. I think accountants call this the JIT approach with JIT supposedly standing for Just In Time. However this can only work if things are done ON TIME. In this case JIT may as well stand for Just In Trouble.

When I was looking at wine cabinets I looked at a number of options. There are some very good units on the market and the prices range dramatically. When looking for a larger storage unit I tried to steer away from the wine 'fridge' (of which I currently have two working) that is available via K-Mart or Big W.

I looked at Transtherm & Vintec as they were recommended by the Wine Society of which I am a very casual member. I also checked out Liebherr who appear to have one of the biggest ranges. Liebherr and Transtherm appear to be at the more expensive end of freestanding cabinets. You can get you cellar custom-built if you have the room by someone like Wine Cellar Innovations.

This is a photo of my cellar! IN MY DREAMS! Not only do I think I could not afford this one, I am sure my "better-half" (I have to stop calling her the 'Leader of the Opposition' because she has discovered my blog and has been reading it) would not allow me to take up this much room for a wine cellar.

If you are in the same boat a better alternative might be, if you want a wine cellar, rather than simply a free-standing cabinet, to try Centaur Cellars or Wine Ark (who have both options available) and from memory were somewhat less expensive than Liebherr and Transtherm (at least I am sure Centaur was - at around $16 per bottle capacity).

In the end I went with Kitchener Wine Cabinets for three reasons. First of all they are made in Australia (I am sure of this) from components readily available here (supposedly) by an Australian owned business. Secondly was the cost. The Kitchener Wine Cabinet works out to be just over $10 per bottle capacity (eg a 252 bottle unit costs $2800) as compared to anywhere from $16-$35 per bottle for some of the others. Thirdly, their smallest size was the 252 bottle and their standard unit holds 410. Whilst the units may not have the aesthetics of some of the more expensive brands I am not concerned as it will be kept under our house. By the way, these units are lockable!! Important for keeping any teenagers out when you are away.

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Wine Auctions

2006-05-01T08:22:00.000+10:00

I have devoted a reasonable amount of time in past blogs talking about 'guzzlers'. For those who love finer wines (now that is not to say you can't find some fine wines under $20) there are a number of places to go. One of the places I like to check out are the Langton's Wine Auctions.

Langton's Sydney Wine auction is now open for bidding. An outstanding offering of 3564 lots of fine Australian and imported wine.

Check out the link to the sale;

Have a run through some of them. I don't know about you but I salivate at the thought of all those fine wines. I checked out some of the Bordeauxs and there are some 'guzzlers' amongst them but I am not knowledgeable enough and I don't know where you can fdind tasting notes on the Cru Bourgeois or even the Cru Bourgeois Superieur. Robert Parker's book on Bordeaux covers a few of the better ones but doesn't really venture down to the 'guzzler' level.

If anyone can point to reliable tasting notes on some of these wines, please let us know. In the mean time enjoy browsing (or maybe even purchasing) at the Lanton's auction.

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Is 2005 the Perfect Vintage?

2006-04-30T11:59:00.000+10:00

A friend recently sent me an email that contained Robert Parker's comments about the 2005 Bordeaux vintage that is being raved about the world over. All of this 'raving' increases the hype and the prices. However I do like his comment that it is premature to say that this vintage will rival some of the others. Here is the full text of his comments.

"There is a man going around taking names, and he decides who to free and who to blame, everybody won't be treated all the same, when the man comes around" ... Johnny Cash

This may be the shortest introduction I have ever written to a Bordeaux vintage report. Virtually everybody has already described the nearly ideal weather conditions, and the fact that Bordeaux has produced something very special in 2005. At present, comparisons with other vintages are cheap talk designed to inflate prices, especially comparisons of 2005 to 1949, 1959, 1982, and 1990.

One thing I am sure of after twenty-eight years of tasting Bordeaux wines every March is that 2005 can not be compared to any previous vintage in my experience. Why?

One can safely generalize that many 2005 red Bordeaux possess (1) the highest tannin levels ever measured, (2) the highest dry extracts and concentration ever measured, (3) the highest natural alcohol levels ever measured, and, an anomaly, (4) surprisingly fresh, lively acid levels and reasonably modest pH's. What does all this mean, and how did it happen?

The short answer is that the growing season was extraordinarily dry. It was also warm, but unlike most summers, scorching heat waves never occurred. Consequently, the vineyards, if slightly stressed from the drought-like conditions, were never brutalized by torrid heat. There was some rain in August. About an inch fell in Pomerol, St.-Emilion, and Graves on August 17th, and there was a light rainfall in the Médoc on August 25th. September was not quite as perfect as the pundits claimed, but it was close to ideal, and, by Bordeaux standards, very dry. Some showers arrived on September 8th, and heavier rain moved through the region on the 25th. Following that date there was a window of extraordinary weather that lasted until October 12th. Even after that date, the weather remained balmy and reasonably dry. All of this meant no one was in a hurry to harvest. The cool nights and warm days preserved unprecedented levels of acidity in the finest wines of the vintage, which are characterized by massive richness and structure.

During my March tasting trip, there were days when I had the same excitement/jubilation that I remember experiencing when I tasted the 1982s in March, 1983. On several days tasting the northern Médocs, I was less enthusiastic and wondered if 2005 was even the equal of 2003 or 2000? Of course, this vintage is completely different in style from 1982, perhaps less so on the right bank, where so many incredibly sumptuous, ripe, intense, heady wines were produced. In the Médoc, 1982's weakness was the appellation of Margaux, which, ironically, is one of the greatest strengths of 2005.

In fact, I have never tasted better Margauxs than the 2005s. Overall, 2005 is unquestionably a remarkable as well as consistent vintage. However, there are several sobering issues with some 2005s.

The incredibly high tannin levels, especially noticeable in the northern Médoc communes of St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe, appear to be adequately balanced by massive concentration and fruit. That's a good sign. But I remain convinced that the northern Médocs will shut down after bottling, and will require many years of cellaring until everything comes back into focus and harmony. While these wines will possess 30-50 years of longevity, they will not have the early appeal possessed by the 1982s and 1990s.

Do not let anyone suggest that many of the renowned northern Médoc classified growths will be drinkable in the next decade, unless you are a masochist with an addiction for tannin. Moreover, I prefer numerous 2003 northern Médocs over their 2005 counterparts. And of course, let's not forget the brilliance of 2000 in the northern Médoc, or for that matter, 1996. Elsewhere, the sweetness of the tannins counterbalanced by the fruit's extraordinary opulence and richness will make the wines more accessible, and their evolution should follow a faster timetable than the northern Médocs. In short, for Margaux, Graves, Pomerol, and St.-Emilion, this is a singular vintage of compelling greatness. Moreover, most of these wines will also possess 25-30 years of longevity.

It is no easy task to give readers a point of reference for this vintage. To reiterate, I have never tasted so many extraordinarily rich, concentrated, massive wines so high in tannin and extract, yet with such precision, definition, and freshness. It is clearly a singular vintage that should evolve into one of the great vintages of Bordeaux. However, it seems premature and risky to conclude so soon that the finest wines of 2005 are superior to the best of 2003, especially the northern Médocs, or the best wines of 2000, 1998 (for Pomerol and St.-Emilion), 1990, or the most profound 1989s and 1982s. Only time will prove the true quality of 2005 but it is beginning life as an extraordinary as well as remarkably consistent vintage. If there is any year even remotely similar, it is 2000 because of the overall consistency, the high number of superb offerings, and the fact that there are so many good minor wines. My instincts suggest the greatest 2005s of Pomerol, St.-Emilion, Graves, and Margaux are marginally superior to 2000, yet I remain cautious about the northern Médocs, which should turn out beautifully, but require enormous patience and be very long lived.

Astonishingly, 2005 is also a terrific vintage for Bordeaux's dry whites. They are powerful, with good acidity as well as superb concentration and depth. Additionally, from my limited tastings of the Barsac/Sauternes, it appears those regions have enjoyed another extraordinary vintage. The wines I tasted were not far off the magical 2001s.

Given the unprecedented degree of hype surrounding 2005, everyone is concerned about prices. It is safe to assume that the first growths, super-seconds, and a few other limited production cuvées that are in great demand will be priced in the stratosphere, yet as Bordeaux history has demonstrated, those prices will appear inexpensive 10-20 years from now. However, there is so much good wine in 2005, even from less than prestigious châteaux that are not exactly the darlings of speculators, that there will be an ocean of very high quality wine available at reasonable prices. As long as readers/consumers do not chase the points or labels, they will have plenty of impeccably high quality wine to drink from this vintage. Readers should not forget that an acclaimed vintage such as 2005, especially one receiving the kind of attention we have seen, creates fabulous buying opportunities from other vintages that must be displaced by the wine trade to raise sufficient funds to pay for the 2005s. In fact, there has never been a better time to buy Bordeaux with the 2004s getting ready to be bottled, the 2003s, and plenty of 2002s and 2001s remaining in the marketplace. Despite the doom and gloom cynics who would like to see Bordeaux prices return to those of the late sixties, the world has changed, and Bordeaux remains the most cherished and respected wine in the world for longevity and elegance. This is not the worst of all times to buy Bordeaux, but quite the contrary ... it is the best of times to be purchasing Bordeaux and to be a wine lover.

I tasted the wines between March 16 - 26. With the exception of the first growths and a handful of others, most were tasted 2, 3, sometimes 4 separate times. I should point out that malolactics for some of the St.-Emilions were relatively late, and some of those wines were just at the end of their malolactic fermentations. Given how well they performed, that is a positive sign since I would expect the wines to flesh out even more after the completion of their malolactic fermentations. None of my tastings were done blind.

- Robert Parker Jr. 24th April, 2006

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McLaren Vale, how do I love thee?

2006-04-30T11:40:00.000+10:00

Let me count the ways! I always seem to ‘wax lyrical’ the morning after a good evening. 'Fantastic wine and fantastic food' encapsulates it but, does not do it justice. It is always difficult to translate to translate your feelings and sensations into written word without it losing some of its power and meaning. We had four wines last night, three from McLaren Vale. Those three were definitely all winners!

McLaren Vale, what a sensational wine region. (For those who have read Mclaren Vale Shiraz and my other posts, you will realize that I am partial to the odd drop of Shiraz from that wonderful region.) McLaren Vale featured last night but allow me to attempt to build a little suspense and get some saliva production happening first.

As mentioned yesterday I had promised the Leader of the Opposition a lamb meal last night and I had decided on lamb backstraps (because they were less fatty). Edward helpfully suggested in his comment to Dinner on Saturday? to try a Sangiovese with the lamb as the relatively high tannins would help cut through the ‘fattiness’ of lamb.

I decided, after seeing a veal liver and bacon on roesti potatoes recipe in our weekend magazine, to use the potato idea for my meal. This is because the roesti potato has white vinegar in it and I thought this would also help to cut through any fattiness of the lamb and complement the various flavours well.

In the end we had slow roasted lamb backstraps topped with wilted baby spinach leaves and served on roesti potatoes. The backstraps were roasted at 60C for 1.5 hours in a small amount of olive oil and 1 diced clove of garlic. When removed from the oven they were well seasoned with salt and pepper and then seared in a hot pan for about two minutes per side and then set aside to rest for ten minutes or so.

I grated the potato and then wrapped it in a tea towel and squeezed out as much water as I could. Season with salt and pepper and put a couple of table spoons of white vinegar and ¼ cup of melted butter and mix together. Make separate ‘patties’ of the potato and fry in frypan with a generous amount of vegetable oil (not deep fry). Use spatula to push down reasonably flat. As the potato browns the ‘pancakes’ will firm and be easily flipped over.

The spinach is just wilted in a hot frypan with some olive oil and garlic and then toweled to remove as much moisture as possible. The jus was made from veal stock with balsamic vinegar and red wine. I must say that the food was great - one of my better efforts. TWC - sorry mate we had to eat your share.

Before the meal, during ‘nibblies’, Rob and I (and our good wives) compared the Koonunga Hill (one of Rob’s favourite guzzlers) with the Oomoo Shiraz (one of my favourites although I don't mind the old Koonunga). I have to say the Oomoo came out way ahead and I think Rob will admit to it. The Koonunga was a Siraz Cab Sav blend but just didn’t have the power, nose or intense flavours that the Oomoo exhibited.

With the meal we had the two showcase wines of the evening. A Coriole McLaren Vale 2004 Sangiovese (based solely on Edward’s earlier suggestion – I had to go out and purchase a bottle as I didn’t have any in the ‘cellar’) and a Wolf Blass 1996 Brown Label Shiraz.

McLaren Vale, how do I love thee? Oh, I have said that before haven’t I? The memory of these two wines is making me almost burst into song or poetry.

I don’t know whether it was the fact that it was surrounded by big McLaren Vale Shiraz but the Coriole’s nose was strikingly similar to a McLaren Vale shiraz. So much so that if I had been blind tasting I would have guessed a McLaren Vale shiraz. I read Halliday’s notes on the 2003 and he talks about ‘light in colour …….. savoury rose petals’. I got none of this. This wine was definitely NOT light in colour it was a dark deep red bordering on purple (although that could have had something to do with the light on the deck). Maybe someone more experienced than I could have smelled the ‘savoury rose petals’ but all I could get was ripe red berries. Being the first bottle of Sangiovese I have ever bought or drunk, I enjoyed it immensely. It was slightly tanniny but somehow more ‘elegant’ (if that is the right word) than some of the bigger bolder shiraz’. It was well worth the money and I will be buying some more.

The best wine of the night goes to Robbie’s contribution the Wolf Blass 1996 Brown Label Classic Shiraz. It was a true McLaren Vale shiraz. It was still big and bold and with still a hint of oakiness about it. As I sat there sniffing it I was amazed at the variety of aromas you could get. Definitely a variety of berries and later on some ‘crushed ants’. The word that Rob and I (being amateurs) both thought of immediately was ‘fresh’. I don’t know where this fits into the wine lexicon but the wine was fresh and alive. It was incredible and reminded me yet again of why I love the shiraz from this region. This wine typified all that is great about the grape! Unfortunately I think it was Robbie’s last bottle. Such sadness to end a night of joy!

Thanks Rob for the wine and thanks Edward for the tip on the Sangiovese.

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More Grange Hermitage information!! Update #4

2006-04-29T08:45:00.000+10:00

I was complaining recently that I had not heard much about the forthcoming 2001 Penfold's Grange Hermitage Release. Silly me!! I am now being innundated with information and reviews etc. This article appeared in the Advertiser

New Grange to cost $600
By NIGEL AUSTIN
02mar06

THE eagerly awaited release of the 2001 Penfolds Grange on May 1 is expected to go down as one of the greatest vintages of Australia's most famous wine.The 50th commercial vintage of the wine is also expected to be one of the most sought after Granges.

It is also likely to be the most expensive Grange with a price tag of up to $600 a bottle in some stores.

While few have yet tasted the precious wine, it already has a reputation among some connoisseurs as one of the great Granges.

Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago said because the company did not enter it in wine shows, it was happy to let others determine the merits of Grange.

Its panel of wine connoisseurs described the 2001 Grange as "almost certainly a great Grange" and "an immaculately balanced wine".

While Mr Gago says it has evolved considerably in the 30 months since then, those who have tasted it have little doubt about its quality.

Melbourne Street Fine Wine Cellars proprietor John Swanson said the 2001 Grange is a great wine and plans to stock it at $495 a bottle.

Spittoon (a UK Wine Blog) writes "The 50th commercial vintage of the wine is also expected to be one of the most sought after Granges.... It is also likely to be the most expensive Grange with a price tag of up to $600 a bottle in some stores."

Here are some tasting notes on various vintages of Grange (including the 1952, 1990, 1998 and 2001).

AND here is a forum with what some consumers are saying.

All of this adds to the hype of course. Every year we hear from somewhere that this looks like being one of the greatest vintages ever. This may be true this year however, I will be surprised if the 2001 Grange will be retailed at $600 per bottle. If it does, I am very happy with mine at $450! Thanks Robbie!

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Dinner on Saturday??

2006-04-28T06:39:00.000+10:00

Well, Saturday is fast approaching and I need to work out what I am preparing for dinner and what wines to drink with it.

The Leader of the Opposition has requested lamb. She loves it! I like it too, but sometimes I find it a bit too fatty (Edward if you read this, is this a sure sign of age and a weakened gall bladder?). However, being the loving and attentive bloke that I am I will acquiesce to the wishes of "SHE, who must be obeyed" and prepare a lamb dish.

Any suggestions anyone? I am thinking of preparing a dish using lamb backstraps (less fat). Maybe slow-roasted (about an hour at 65-70C) and then 10 minutes at 220C? Or slow-roasted and then seared in a pan and then 5-8 minutes at 200C? Served with fresh veggies and potato gratin (my wife loves this when I make it).

However, my wife has been watching a show on Lifestyle Food called "Great British Menu" where "Some of the UK's top chefs defend their local patch and battle it out with their regional rival to wow the judges and win the ultimate accolade - to cook a dish for the Queen's 80th birthday" (per their website). The dish that took her fancy the other night was prepared by one of the Northern Ireland chefs - New season lamb with a herb and mustard crust and scallion crushed potatoes. I must say the recipe (check out the link) looks fantastic! However, I reckon the Venison Wellington with pickled cabbage looked great too!

I did promise my wife lamb! Whilst the herb and mustard crust looks good I have recently prepared two similar type dishes - Breadcrumb and pine-nut encrusted rack of lamb to go with a 2001 Evans Tate Margaret River Shiraz and Lamb with mustard which we ate with a Brayduns Hill 2003 McLaren Vale Shiraz, a 2002 Jacobs Creek (why couldn't they leave it as Orlando) St Hugo's Cab Sav and my last bottle of 1994 Limestone Ridge Cab Sav.

Therefore I think I will have to go with the slow pan roasted lamb backstraps with potato gratin. I might serve the young lamb with a young wine and go for the Hardy's Oomoo 2004 McLaren Vale Shiraz (see Guzzler Update #2 and 7 Effective habits of Highly Successful Guzzler locaters) or maybe a Penfolds 1998 Bin 407?. Do you have any suggestions? I can try to buy one and let you know how it goes.

TWC (The Wine Commonsewer) asked if he could come over for dinner. You had better get your skates on if you want to make it in time!

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Grange Update #3

2006-04-28T06:34:00.000+10:00

Even though the 2001 vintage Grange is not supposed to be on sale until Monday, my brother-in-law (Rob)was able to buy 8 bottles yesterday afternoon.

Also, it is already appearing on EBAY where you can bid either on a single bottle (in its own wooden case) or a full case.

As Professor Julius Sumner Miller once asked (well, not just once but on every show - you have to be old enough to remember) "Why is it so?"

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Rob - The Grange Hunter!!

2006-04-27T17:56:00.000+10:00

You met Rob in my last post as the originator of Robbie's Rule of Thumb. I can't speak too badly of Rob, as I have just received a phone call from him. He is on the hunt for the stellar wine - Grange Hermitage.

He read my post and didn't want to wait until Monday 1st May, having lived through the awful time at the release of the 1998 Grange when you just couldn't get any, so he went 'on the hunt'.

He called me because he had just located some at had already purchased 4 bottles for me and 4 bottles for himself. His call has prompted this impromptu post! I hope none of you miss out!!

By all accounts this Grange is supposed to be one of the better vintages of this superb wine and it just so happesn that 2001 was the year in which the Leader of the Opposition and my eldest son was born.

Go out and get 'em!!! Thanks Robbie - Grange Hunter!!

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Robbie’s Rule of Thumb

2006-04-25T10:33:00.000+10:00

I can’t believe I am actually writing this article! Most of you will think it is stupid, especially those with more than some basic wine knowledge. Oh well, I am the Wine AMATEUR after all! I think it is about time to show how amateur I really am.

My brother-in –law, Rob (aka ‘Robbie’, aka ‘Girlie Man’, wine buddy and keen golfer) has evolved a simple, but quite elegant theory. We call it Robbie’s Rule of Thumb. I have to admit that, as stupid as it sounds, there is a little (I really mean LITTLE) merit in it and it becomes seductive in and by itself. So if you don’t want to change the way you appraise wines at the store, go no further. Take one of the links to the right and flee, as fast as you can.

…………………….

……………………..

………………………

So you have decided to read on – poor fool! Just remember you have been warned, and once tainted there is no going back!

Robbie postulated the theory that there was a significant and measurable positive correlation (within a 95% confidence level – ie a 5% risk of overstatement – is that an alpha error or beta error, I can’t recall?) between the depth of a bottle’s punt and the quality of the wine.

He first posed the null hypothesis back in around 1999 and every time you either go wine shopping, or drink wine, with him it gets another run. It is so seductive that you find yourself at the store glancing around to see if anyone is noticing you placing your thumb inside the punt of the bottle you just picked up. It is almost Hopoate-esk! (those Rugby League followers from the Eastern States who know who John Hopoate is will know what I am talking about).

That is bad enough, but the worst thing to happen is when Rob notices you doing it. It is all over then because he knows he has another one.

In all seriousness though, I guess there can be a correlation between the quality of the wine and the depth of the punt. It is good only as a generalization. The reason for this, I am told (by persons far more expert than I), is that the bottles with the deeper punt are actually a fair bit more expensive than the other bottles. Therefore, it makes sense that a wine maker, when choosing a vessel for a quality wine will choose a quality bottle. The reverse would also generally be true, that a producer when choosing a bottle for a wine that will be priced at the ‘guzzler’ end of the market will choose a cheaper bottle.

It must be remembered that this is only a GENERALISATION and it will not work all the time. For example I have a number of bottles of Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz and the bottle does not have much of a punt, yet the wine could hardly be called a guzzler or not a quality wine.

So next time you are at the store and wondering if you should try the wine you have just picked up, take a quick glance around to make sure no-one is watching and then insert your thumb into the punt. If Robbie’s Rule of Thumb leads you astray..................... blame Rob!

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Guzzler Update #2

2006-04-25T10:27:00.000+10:00

I received the Vintage Cellars monthly newsletter “Cellar Press” two days ago. A few offers really stood out.

Hardys 2004 Oomoo McLaren Vale Shiraz at 3 for $33. Just $11 each if you buy three! Can I afford not to buy three? Halliday rated the 2002 at 94/100 (I think) and the 2003 at 92/100. What a great guzzler for a great price! (Robbie – it isn’t for you – Rob does not like the Oomoo, poor bloke).

Wynns 2004 Coonawarra Estate Shiraz at 2 for $22. Again, just $11 each. Last year rated 90/100, and are fairly consistent performers. I just can’t believe what you can buy for $11.

Penfolds Rawsons Retreat Shiraz Cabernet at 3 for $20 – about $6.70 each. It won’t rate as highly, but for those who have read one of my first blogs In the Beginning! will realize I have a soft spot for the old Ronnies.

The Cellar Press is really talking to me! It now includes 2 pages of wine and meal suggestions - yeeeaahhh!

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First Grange Sighting!

2006-04-25T10:24:00.000+10:00

I mentioned in my last blog I recently received the monthly Vintage Cellars newsletter called Cellar Press. On the front cover was a photograph of a bottle of Grange. Hallelujah! My first Grange sighting for the season!!

Vintage Cellars will have it on sale from 1 May at $499 per bottle or $899 for two with a limit of two per customer. I can hardly wait!! (see my post of 2001 Grange is almost here)

I am perplexed at how Vintage Cellars can have it on their newsletter saying it will be in all their stores when other stores have not even heard of their allocation. How is this possible? Does Vintage Cellars get an inside running? Or have they just taken a punt that they will receive enough to do it?

Has anyone seen it cheaper? Please comment and tell me whether you have.

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Great Links!

2006-04-24T08:13:00.000+10:00

A little bit of a different slant today! Much of the attractiveness of blogging is its interactivity between bloggers and their readers (via comments etc), but an intereactivity between the blogger and other bloggers (via links to different web or blogsites).

My aim is to try and keep the links that appear on my site relevant, useful and up to date. I link to the sites in the hope that my readers will find them interesting also. The links are found over to the right (just under the subscription box).

The links I currently show are:

The Wine Emporium
Vinography
Shirazshiraz
Winetastic
Oz Wine Show

The Wine Emporium is linked simply because I believe they are the best truly independent wine store around (at least in Brisbane).

Vinography is a site based out of San Francisco and has some really good articles, like this one (Do Many 2005 Bordeaux Wines Suck?) as a counterpoint to the 2005 Bordeaux Vintage that is being raved about by everyone else. It also has a large number of links to various other wine blogs.

If you have been reading this blog long enough you will know I like the odd drop of shiraz. Shirazshiraz was included almost solely because of its name. Not really! This would be a disservice to the site, as it contains some excellent blogs and information for the grossly undertalented wine amateurs, such as myself.

I love Winetastic for its tasting and reviewing of Australia Wines - many of which I have not tried yet but intend to do so, partly based on some of their recommendations.

One of my favourites is Oz Wine Show. I have listened to their latest podcast and was extremely interested to hear what Matthew Jukes (head wine judge at the Sydney Royal Wine Show) had to say about Australian Wines. This is the sort of stuff you never get to hear unless you are in the industry. Thanks guys!!

I will try to add more interesting links as I find them.

Enjoy!

MalB

food and drink
wine

What Joy!

2006-04-23T12:19:00.000+10:00

What Joy! What Rapture! No I am not writing a hymn, but it is Sunday morning and, coincidentally, those are the words that come to mind in attempting to describe the wines that we had last night. Have I ever mentioned that I really love wine, and good food?!

It looked like we would have a quiet night however one phone call changed all that. We have been trying to catch up with good friends (Lynton is one of my ‘wine-buddies’ as discussed in 7 Effective Habits of Highly Successful Guzzler locaters) for months but for one reason or another it just wasn’t happening. On a whim I decided to call them at around lunchtime and they were free for dinner and kindly agreed to allow me to experiment on them.

I served eye fillet wrapped in pancetta (roasted) on a parmesan potato cake base with enoki and shitaki mushrooms, a veal jus and a spinach puree. (I forgot to take a photo of the finished item with the mushrooms, but recreated it without - so please forgive this small omission).

As I was cooking Lynton and I polished off (half a glass each) a wine that he did not finish the night before and he had recorked. He brought it over because he knew I would be interested in it. It was a Rockford 2001 Rod & Spur (a blend of 66% cabernet sauvignon and 34% shiraz from the Barossa). It was fantastic! The aromas very much reminded me of a Bordeaux. I looked up Halliday’s 2006 Wine Companion and saw that these wines rarely make it to the East Coast as they are mainly sold via the winery and Adelaide retailers. Halliday rated the 2001 at 92/100 and said “an elegant, understated style; a gently ripe array of red and black berry fruits; fine ripe tannins”. If this retails at $30 per bottle, it is well worth it.

Next up we opened a bottle of Lynton’s 1996 Rosemount Mountain Blue Mudgee Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon blend. I must admit that I was not ready for the wine that I received. Halliday rates the 2001 at a 92/100 and calls it “full bodied”. This wine, although ten years old, had really big fruit flavours but with gentle tannins. It was complex with a long finish. In my opinion, this was the wine of the night and we still had a few good ones to go. You can read about this wine at the Wine House.

We then moved onto my offering of a 2002 Calon Segur. A “third growth” Bordeaux from the Saint Estephe region. After the big fruit driven flavours of the Mountain Blue, the Calon Segur was almost lost. I have one of Robert Parker’s books on the Bordeaux but unfortunately it only covers up to the 2001 vintage. In 2001 Calon Segur rated at 88-91(by Parker) and in looking back over the last 5 years or so has been a little inconsistent. I have tasted the 2001 Calon Segur at a Bordeaux wine evening and I enjoyed it but, to me at least, the 2002 is not quite as good and the 2001’s long finish was definitely not there with the 2002 that we drank. But the Wine Journal had this to say "Very intense sweet black fruits on the nose. Quite masculine for Calon-Segur: very dense. The palate is powerful but very well-balanced with an exotic feel. So rich you could drink this now, but this certainly has the tannins and acidity to last 10+ years." Maybe this is why I am the Wine Amateur?

Our final red with dinner was a 1993 Grant Burge Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a fairly impressive pedigree and did not disappoint last night. There were spices and berries on the nose and softened but still ripe berry flavours. What a beautiful wine!

We finished off dessert with a Seppelt Tokay. What a great night!

I am kicking myself for not taking a photograph of Lynton, and his beautiful wife Lisa, however I have dug this one up from somewhere. It was during the Olympics in 2004 and we all got together and had an Olympics party. Lynton and his son Nicholas were modeling the latest range of laurel wreath headgear and gold medals (Sorry buddy)!

food and drink
wine

Oh! What a Beauddy!!

2006-04-22T09:15:00.000+10:00

Last night I was late getting home and very late firing up the BBQ for dinner. While the BBQ was warming up I raced down to the wine cellar (for thos not too familiar with my posts so far - the term 'wine cellar' is a technical term, and used extremely loosely in my case). In the cellar I did something that I had not done in a while, something very risky indeed. I went in, without turning on the light, and selected a bottle without knowing what it was. Once up stairs again I was not going to go back down. This is the bottle that we were going to drink with the meal. (I am glad I did not pull out a Grange!! )

The wine I selected was a Yalumba 2000 'The Menzies' Coonoowarra Cabernet Sauvignon - a wine which I had never tasted before. With the first taste you could tell it was a special wine! I won't try to describe it in wine tasting terms as I don't think I could do it justice. I knew it was not a 'guzzler' but a wine to be savoured. It was wonderful - and I turned and said to the Leader of the Opposition - "Oh! What a beauddy!!" (Aussies will understand this use of technical language).

This morning I logged on to see if I could find any reviews on the wine and I found the following reviews:

"The best Menzies that I can remember tasting - I’m not usually a fan. Minerally, gravelly, urranty and long, with a wealth of fine-grained tannins and near-perfect balance. It should cellar terrifically. Drink: 2007-2015." 93 Points; Campbell Mattinson; Winefront Monthly - August 2004

"If you like great Coonawarra cabernet try this. This is the best Menzies I can recall...in 2000 it was the star of the show. Medium-bodied and deliciously elegant, it was made by Peter Gambetta, an old Coonawarra hand...This is classic Coonawarra: crammed with gentle blackberry fruit, drying tannins and a long finish. Drinking well now, but one for the cellar too." Jeff Collerson, The Daily Telegraph (AUS), September 1, 2004

Gold - Limestone Coast (Coonawarra) Wine Show 2003
Gold - Sydney Wine Show 2003

on the Wine Star website where you can order it for $33.99 per bottle. Definitely NOT a 'guzzler' then but would be perfect to lay down for a special occasion. The label on the bottle recommended drinking between 2004 and 2016.

Enjoy!! Tell me, what are you going to be drinking over the weekend?

food and drink
wine

GUZZLER UPDATE!!

2006-04-19T21:28:00.000+10:00

Two blogs ago, in 7 Effective Habits of Highly Successful Guzzler Locaters I wrote about guzzlers. It was serendipitous!!! Yesterday I received a couple of newspaper inserts showing various retailer specials and they have some really great guzzlers!! For those of you in Brisbane you can get these without much effort.

Liquor Savers Superstore have a number of really good buys.

Top of my list is the 2004 Ingoldby Shiraz (from - guess where? – yep, McLaren Vale). It is selling for $11.95 per bottle. It usually sells for around $15-$18 per bottle and consistently rates very highly. Halliday rated the 2002 at 94/100. I have not seen any notes on the 2004 but year in and year out this has been a consistently good wine (since at least 1998).

Also good value is the Wynns 2004 Coonawara Shiraz at $13.95 per bottle and the 2004 Rouge Homme Coonawarra Cab Sav at $9.95 per bottle is a steal. The 2003 was rated at 90/100 and retailed for around $15.

Two of my other favourite guzzlers are Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz Cab $6.95 each and Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cab at $9.99. The Koonunga Hill is available at Mr Corks. These two wines are consistently good guzzlers. Don’t expect the Rawson’s Retreat to shoot out any lights at $6.95 but I have never been disappointed by it. The Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cab consistently rates in the high 80’s and low 90’s and, if you are patient, can almost always pick it up for under $10.

I am feeling thirsty! Gotta go!

Cheers!

food and drink
wine

2001 Penfolds Grange - ALMOST HERE!!

2006-04-19T06:41:00.000+10:00

The release of the 2001 vintage of Penfold’s Grange Hermitage should occur in early May. I can’t believe how little is being said about it!

Have any of you seen or read any reviews or tasting notes? Please let me know so I can link to it or your blog if one is there.

I have talked with Tony Harper and Stewart Plant, resident wine experts at The Wine Emporium, who have both tasted the 2001 vintage. They both tasted it independently of the other and both have told me that, in their opinion, it is one of the best vintages they have tasted. Let’s hope they are right!!

I am just an amateur but I am excited about it as I have a few bottles of Grange. The Leader of the opposition and I try to acquire a number of bottles for the vintage relating to each of our seminal years eg. the year we got married, the year of the birth of our children etc. Our idea is to buy at least 4 bottles, keep two for drinking and sell the other two at some point in time. 2001 marks the year of the birth of our oldest son and we hope to lay or hands on a case – two to keep, two to sell, two to give our son at his 21st. Additionally, we thought that if we ever wanted to drink Grange that we have acquired at release and cellared ourselves, we had better start now seeing as how we will most likely have to lay them down for 20 years or so.

The only question I have with the Grange relates to the price. Whilst it is high it will be great for us as an investment, however I question whether the price has been artificially inflated.

I recall trying to buy the 1998 Grange. Is it just me? I think I recall that it was the night before the release that one of the Penfold’s people (I think it was the winemaker of the Grange) was on the news saying that the 1998 vintage was a small one, and that the release would also be small, and that what was released the next day was all that was going to be released. Subsequently you could not buy some for love nor money and the price shot up to over $400 (way up on the 1997 vintage).

You could not acquire some for a long period of time, however if you go into most wine retailers now there are stocks of the 1998 ranging between $600-$750 per bottle. If all were released at the beginning, where is the current stock all coming from? Can someone please tell me if I am wrong?

Irregardless I will be out there fighting the hordes attempting to secure some Grange to put in the new wine cabinet (when it eventually gets here)! I have been saving all year for it!

Is this ridiculous?? I have only ever tasted two Grange’s in my life (both on the one night) – now mind you they were a 1964 and a 1984 and they were drunk in 2004. On what basis am I about to spend my ‘hard-earned’? On the word of some wine critics who I hardly know? You bet!!

If you cannot afford to buy some, my heartfelt sympathies are with you. However, I sincerely hope you do get a chance to at least taste Grange at some point.

food and drink
wine

7 Effective Habits of Highly Successful GUZZLER Locaters

2006-04-18T21:26:00.000+10:00

'Guzzler' (pronounced in Australia, the place where a name with two syllables is almost too much trouble, as 'guz-luh') is a term my friends and family use to denote a wine that drinks well but is inexpensive. But where and how can you find such wines? Do they really exist? Yes they do and they are not as hard to find as you might imagine.

One of the greatest thrills you can get is when you find a wine for under $15 that drinks as well as a $30 - $40 bottleof wine. Wine is seductive! Guzzlers, for me, used to be all under $10. Now they are under $15. This is partly because I think my palate is changing the more I am drinking wine, in that it is becoming more ‘educated’ and more selective. It is also somewhat partly due to inflation.

Nowadays, it seems that I can appreciate the differences between wines of various values, more than I used to be able to. At least this is the case with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. When I first started drinking I couldn’t tell, or more accurately appreciate, any difference between a $10 or $40 bottle of wine. Maybe you have felt the same way?

In many ways I am still like that with white wines. I am hopeless with them and maybe this is why I stick to reds. I don’t mind Chardonnay and love a good Semillon or Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc is OK and a Gewürztraminer is not bad as well. I can tell a bad Chardonnay or Semillon but I couldn’t appreciate the difference between a $20 bottle of Chardonnay and a $50 bottle.

Much of the reason I stick to reds is because as I said in In the Beginning is that I believe there are basically two types of wine – ones you like and ones you don’t. I REALLY like reds so I tend to stick to them.

Does any of this sound familiar to you??

So how can we find guzzlers – red or white – that we can enjoy. Here are some of the ways that I use.

1. Wine Companion or other wine publications
Just because I am an amateur doesn’t mean that I don’t value the opinion of experts. In fact the reverse is true. I have mentioned Australian Wine Companion 2006 (by James Halliday) in several earlier blogs (Halliday J., 2005 ‘Australian Wine Companion : Bestselling Guide to Australian Wines’, HarperCollins, Sydney) Dymocks Books

There are other wine guides besides the Australian Wine Companion however I have only ever really used this one. It, and the others, is updated annually to incorporate new wineries and wines tasted and bring in new tasting notes on recently released vintages.

I find the Companion an invaluable guide to the wines and wineries and the various wine regions, however it does have its limitations. You will often purchase a bottle of wine and look for it in the guide only to find that the vintage you have hasn’t been tasted or there are no notes for it. However, if the book contained notes on every vintage on every wine it would be too big and never ready for print.

The 2006 Australian Wine Companion rates 5957 wines and also gives great guzzler hints. On pages 35 and 36 it lists Ten of the Best Value Whites and Reds under $10 and the same for between $10 - $15. It provides a guide to their price and Halliday’s rating (out of 100). In his systems his top two rankings are as follows:

94-100 = Outstanding: Wines of the highest quality; usually with a distinguished pedigree.
90-93 = Highly recommended. Wines of great quality, style and character, worthy of a place in any cellar.

Even if we look at these top two rankings he gives a good number of wines to choose from, which in Halliday’s view are great ‘Guzzlers’:

Whites ranking at 90/100 or more and less than $15:
90/100 = 2004 Dominion Vinus Sauvignon Blanc Semillon $8.95
90/100 = 2004 Angove’s Long Row Sauvignon Blanc $9.99
90/100 = 2004 Zilzie Buloke Reserve Chardonnay $9.99
91/100 = 2004 Yalumba Y Series Viognier $11.95
92/100 = 2002 Byrne & Smith Ardent Estates Margaret River Chardonnay $12
93/100 = 2003 Allison Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc $10
93/100 = 2004 Willow Bridge Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon $14.50
93/100 = 2004 Mount Trio Vineyard Great Southern Sauvignon Blanc $14.90
93/100 = 2004 Sticks Chardonnay $14.99
93/100 = 2004 Marribrook Frankland River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc $15
94/100 = 2004 Braydon Estate Home Paddock Hunter Valley Semillon $12.50
94/100 = 2002 Cleveland Macedon Chardonnay $15
94/100 = 2003 Patrick T The Caves Vineyard Riesling $15

Reds ranking at 90/100 or more and less than $15:
90/100 = 2003 Water Wheel Memsie Shiraz Cabernet Malbec $12
90/100 = 2003 Red Hill Estate Bimaris Pinot Noir $14
90/100 = 2002 Trentham Estate Merlot $14.50
90/100 = 2003 Rouge Homme Cabernet Sauvignon $14.99
90/100 = 2003 Judds Warby Range Estate Durif $15
91/100 = 2001 Moondah Brook Cabernet Sauvignon $13
91/100 = 2004 Yarra Brook Estate Yarra Valley Shiraz $13.75
91/100 = 2003 Cuttaway Hill Estate Southern Highlands Merlot $15
91/100 = 2003 McCrae Mist Mornington Peninsula Shiraz $15
92/100 = 2002 Casella Yellow Tail cabernet Sauvignon $9.99
92/100 = 2003 The Long Flat Wine Co Yarra Valley Pinot Noir $9.99
92/100 = 2003 Hardy’s Oomoo McLaren Vale Shiraz $13

As you can see there is significant variety at the highest quality under $15. The wines listed above are a great starting point for ‘guzzlers’

Additionally, there are a myriad of other wine commentators, reviewers, magazines, Wine Societies, newsletters etc that are out there on the internet and are found by simple searches. The best ones cost money to subscribe to and using one quite comprehensive guide like the Companion is a simple and good –place to begin.

2. Subscribe to email and snail mail wine retailer newsletters.
Subscribing to various wine retailers monthly newsletters is a great way to find ‘guzzlers’. I get regular monthly newsletters from Vintage Cellars, The Grape and Quinns just to name three. It is the only junk mail I enjoy getting and makes great loo-time reading.

I tend to read the snail mail brochures more than the emailed ones. I usually only seem to get the chance to skim the first one or two wines in the email before I get distracted by something else, however I will always take a quick peek as it can really be worth it.

I recently was able to snaffle up two cases of 2004 Maglieri McLaren Vale Shiraz at $10 per bottle. The 2002 Maglieri was rated by Halliday at 90/100. The 2004 is not quite as good but still well worth more than $10 per bottle. The special only lasted one day and despite ordering straight away (within minutes of receiving the email) it had already sold out in NSW. Luckily I come from Queensland!

Another good approach is to join a Wine Society. I joined the Wine Society a few years ago. Why? I can’t recall! I think it may have been while I was scouring the net and I sent a question to the Wine Society and they answered it and then offered me a membership at special rates. The Wine Society often has their own special wines made for them by producers and is occasionally able to obtain wines at special prices. It is also good value for being adventurous! See 6. below. The Wine Society also runs courses and events and provides some recipes to try with certain wines. Check them out at Wine Society

3. Scan specials in newspapers and internet
Keep your eye on weekend newspapers for large liquor stores advertising specials. Regularly scan internet sites of retailers for specials eg:

Dan Murphy’s,
Vintage Cellars,
Liquorland,
Wine Society,
The Grape,
Liqour Superstore,
Theos,
BWS

4. Browse the specials aisles
While you’re out picking up your beer or wine always scan the specials aisle for anything that takes your interest. You may see nothing you know but there may be one or two that spark your interest.

This is probably the least successful of the 7 tips but sometimes the most enjoyable and you get to browse. As a bloke, most of the time I hate shopping but I can spend hours in a good wine store.

5. Don’t knock back cleanskins
Try the odd cleanskin – you will be glad you did! Make sure when you buy a cleanskin you try it that night or next day (ie ASAP), so that if you really like it you can return quickly and buy more before it is sold out or is moved from where you last found it. See my blog on Cleanskins

Cleanskins come about from a variety of sources. For many reasons a producer or retailer may need to liquidate some stock to reduce overheads or just to ‘clear the channels’. These are often sold as ‘cleanskins’. These cleanskins are usually sold at a generous reduction in retail price. Oftentimes you cannot find out what the particular wine is other than its region and it variety. This is so that the same wine that may also be on the shelves at full retail isn’t disadvantaged or the reputation of the wine or winemaker diminished by the great reduction in price.

6. Be adventurous
Don’t just keep on buying the wines you know and like. Try new ones regularly. You don’t have to buy dozens, just buy one and try it. Try creating a new meal to go with it and have some fun - see my blog on Lamb & Wine

There are also various wine clubs or groups you can join eg. NSW Wine Society, Vintage Cellars, as well as ones attached to the Qantas Club, various credit cards, and other membership rewards groups. These provide a great way of forcing you to become adventurous and try new wines. I have a small standing order with the NSW Wine Society. Every six months they send me a mixed dozen of red wines. They choose them and average them to a certain value. Every six months I receive a little surprise at the office when the case turns up. Most of the wines they choose I have never tried before. Whilst I have had one or two ‘duds’, most are perfectly acceptable and I have even had more than a few ‘crackers’.

7. Find others with similar interests and tastes and compare notes
One of the most helpful things I have found is to have friends around you that have similar tastes and interests to you in wine. You can each try new wines and share your notes with your friends. Over a few short years my wine network has grown, but the core ones remain the same. My key wine-buddies are Rob (brother in law) Phil and Russ (brothers) Lynton (one of my best mates). These are people who often call me when they spot a great special, a good wine auction, or have just tried a new but fantastic wine. I am often doing the same in return. It’s good fun!

These key people are also the ones I share my wine with the most. I have discovered that your best wines you tend to save for the times when you are with the people you value the most. The wine is more enjoyable when you share it with ones you care about! I don’t believe good wine is meant to be drunk alone.

food and drink
wine

Evans & Tate 2001 Margaret River Shiraz

2006-04-18T07:44:00.000+10:00

Once again this wine did not disappoint!! It is not a wine with huge tannins and oak but incredible cherry aromas with a hint of licorice - how good is this? I am really sounding like a wine wanker now!! However I could really smell those things. The difficulty I am having is trying to describe the flavours accurately - this is for any wine.

Maybe I have a sniffing problem?! I could sit and sniff the better wines for 10 minutes between sips. I love the aromas of a good wine. Maybe this is why I can describe the aromas better than the taste. Can someone help or advise????

I will have to try the 2002 and 2003 vintages to see if they are of a similar quality. Halliday rates the vintages in the Margaret River consistently (for reds at least) as virtually the same for 2001, 2002 and 2003. We shall endeavour to find out.

For those food lovers out there I have loaded up a photo of the experimental meal last night. The pine-nut and rosemary encrusted lamb rack. It was fantastic! Although I put too much rosemary into the roasted tomato sauce and it overpowered it a bit - oh well, better luck next time.

food and drink
wine

Wine or food?

2006-04-17T14:28:00.000+10:00

I got a shock this morning when I checked my blog and found the Google ads were food related rather than wine related. Obviously lately I have been writing more on food than on the wine. I apologise!! I guess that the two go hand in hand very well – a love of wine and a love of food. Also, I have been enjoying experimenting in the kitchen lately and have simply been writing about what I have been doing. Well, back to the wine!

Tonight we are going to drink a bottle of Evans & Tate Margaret River 2001 Shiraz. The 2003 version of the wine does not appear in the 2006 Wine Companion, however if I recall correctly Halliday rated the 2001 (or was it the 2000?) 92 or 94 (out of 100) and as one of the best wines under $15 at the time (I think around 2003/04). It must have been a huge vintage because I was buying it for ages after reading that.

I just did a quick search on the internet and found this review written by Halliday (on 8 October 2002) about the 2001 vintage –

"Strong colour; spice, black cherry and licorice aromas lead into a spicy, cedary medium-bodied palate, with considerable elegance; there is just a passing question on the amount of oak."

By the way he did rate it 94 out of 100, which in Halliday’s system means “Outstanding. Wines of the highest quality, usually with a distinguished pedigree”. The price guide given on this review was $25. WOW!! I still have at least a dozen left for which I paid no more than $15.

The price a couple of years ago was at around $14 per bottle and the same wine now retails for around $17-$18. However, I have often found it on special for under $15. At $15 it is hard to go past. The later vintages (2002 and 2003) are, I think, not quite as good as the 2001 however still good value and great drinking.

It will be served with pine-nut and breadcrumb encrusted rack of lamb on a pasta base with a tomato and finely chopped rosemary and olive sauce. That is, if I can summon the energy to cook tonight. Karyn and I took our two boys to Mt Glorious for some bushwalking and a picnic lunch. The walk was only a few kilometers but I feel that I have done it twice running backward and forward with the boys and hiding behind the big buttress roots so we could jump out and scare their mother (aren’t boys great?!)

But again I digress - I love the Evans and Tate Margaret River 2001 Shiraz – and, by the way, so does the leader of the opposition! Have you ever tried this wine? Tell me what you thought of it! Have you tried the later vintages?

food and drink
wine

The day after the night before

2006-04-16T11:00:00.000+10:00

The title sounds worse than it is. It was a good night – food turned out great (except for the carrots that were a little overdone – I put them in too early in the process). The meat was incredibly tender and succulent and very, very tasty – if I do say so myself!

Have a look at some of the photos and then tell me that your mouth is not watering. I looked at the photos again this morning and, despite still feeling quite full from last night, my mouth is watering, but then again I have the luxury of having tasted the meal last night.

I also took a photo of the red wine jus being made but you can mostly just see steam as the jus is reducing, so I didn’t post it. We had so much meat left after last night that we will eat it tonight for dinner and roast up some new veggies and make some new gravy. This means I will have to put off the breadcrumb and pine-nut encrusted lamb racks until Monday night – oh well!

The wine we drank last night was superb – a Heathfield Ridge 2000 Limestone Coast Shiraz. My eldest brother (Phil) gave me a case of these and it is hard not to keep drinking them. The berry aromas and flavours are wonderful and there is a really subtle hint of oak that just adds beautifully to the overall taste. What I really love about this wine is that it stays a long time on the palate – by that I mean that even a couple of minutes after your last sip (providing you have not put anything else into your mouth in the meantime) you can still taste the wine. If you can still find this wine around I can recommend it.

To think that these grapes were grown in South Australia in 1999/2000 and have been cellared in oak barrels for a couple of years (?) and then into a bottle and now some 6 years after being picked they taste incredibly fresh. Wine is amazing.

The best experience I had with this type of thing was when a friend turned 40 (in 2004) and he generously provided a bottle of 1964 Chateau Mouton Rothschild for his own birthday dinner. I can honestly say it is the best wine I have ever had the pleasure of drinking and I was amazed at how wonderfully fresh and alive it seemed to be after 40 years. The competing and different flavours that were coming through in the wine were sensational. I guess this is what the experts mean when they talk about ‘complexity’, but I am not sure.

What is the best wine you have drunk? Please tell me about it and what it was that you liked about it.

Cheers!

Mal

food and drink
wine

Today’s Tasks

2006-04-15T13:29:00.000+10:00

As mentioned the other day we are having guests for dinner and they (together with the leader of the opposition) have chosen what they want. Apparently I get no say in the matter but must simply plan the meal, acquire the produce, prepare, cook and serve the meal – oh, and PICK THE WINE (at least they can’t take that choice away from me!)

I will be heading off to Rode Road Meats in a few minutes for a whole Rib Fillet. We will do, what is fast becoming, the usual dance. They will ask if I want that sliced, to which I will reply “No, of course not. Don’t you realize who I am? I am the Wine Amateur!!” They will tell me to “P… off you idiot”.

Not really, but once I tell them I do not want it sliced they do often ask how I am going to cook it. That is the opening I am waiting for! I can then regale them with tales of valour and heroism in the kitchen – well I can at least share my recipe, cant I?

After the rib fillet it is off to Zone Fresh on Newmarket Rd for veggies etc. Zone Fresh is not cheap but I have never seen better quality fruit and vegetables anywhere. When I am preparing for a dinner party I always shop for produce there. They also have a huge range of pancetta, prosciutto, other continental meats and cuts of meat, cheeses, gourmet gelati etc. It is easy to spend a lot of money there.

I need to buy semi dried tomatoes, potato (for the potato au gratin that has been requested using some lactose-free cream), golden eschallots, carrots, corn, mushrooms etc. We have plenty of garlic already and I need to set aside a bottle of the Rochford 2003 Shiraz to make the red wine jus that has also been requested.

I still haven’t made up my mind about the wine but, like I said the other day, it will have to come from the cellar as I have spent too much on wine recently.

I will try to remember to take photos of the meal as it is being prepared and as it is served.

I hope you have a good day too!! Go out and MAKE it a good one. Tell me, what do you have planned?

food and drink
wine

Another night, another red or two!

2006-04-15T08:50:00.000+10:00

We had a wonderful Good Friday. Went down to another wine amateur’s place (Rob, my brother in law) and he cooked a sensational brunch on the BBQ. All washed down with ………….. wait for it ……………… orange juice. Come on now, you didn’t expect red wine at 10.00am did you? I may be mad but not quite that bad.

Whilst at brunch we decided on a BBQ dinner at our place last night. Obviously, being Good Friday, there were no stores open so we both contributed what we had and ended up with more than enough and a good range of foods. For mains we had a choice of grain-fed rump (from Rode Road Meats) and some large Barramundi fillets that Rob picked up from the new Coles at Newmarket (I must say it is the best Coles store I have ever been in).

I made some mash potato (don’t forget to use some Parmesan and add a couple of eggs to make it creamy) and Karyn cooked some corn, carrots and broccoli and made a packet gravy (sometimes you go for the easiest option). For a slapped-together meal it was great. The meat was tender and tasty and the fish fantastic on the barby (sic).

Rob brought a Wynns Coonawarra 2004 Shiraz (have I ever mentioned I don’t mind a shiraz – apparently neither does Rob) and I contributed a 1999 Balgownie Estate Shiraz (Bendigo). See photos of bottles.

The Wynns was still young but nice and had peppery aromas. Rob also got some plumy aromas – but I couldn’t – Rob is a shameless show-off!! It was a most enjoyable wine and even though I didn’t ask how much Rob spent I believe it to be around the $17-$18 range.

James Halliday, in his “Australian Wine Companion 2006” rates the 2002 at 90/100. This does not necessarily translate to the 2004, especially seeing as how Halliday also rates the 2004 vintage in Coonawarra only a 7/10 against a 9/10 for the 2002 year.

I have found Halliday’s Wine Companion and other writings quite good and encourage you to consider using a wine guide, like the Wine Companion, to assist in purchasing decisions. At some point in the future I will devote a blog to using outside sources and possibly critique a few. For example, Halliday rates his best reds and whites under $10 and between $10 and $15. I haven’t tried them all but, on past experience, if Halliday rates it highly it usually is quite good. Maybe he knows something about wine??? I think so! His taste buds seem to be similar to mine although there are a few wines that I think could make it into the best under $10 or $10-$15 that he hasn’t put in, but more about that at a later date.

The second wine pictured, the 1999 Balgownie Estate Shiraz (Bendigo), was superb! Halliday rates the 2003 at 93/100 but again that doesn’t necessarily translate to the 1999. It was rich and luxurious and had hints of chocolate and would definitely go a few more years in the bottle. I can’t recall when I bought it or how much I paid for it other than knowing it has been in the cellar (ie cupboard downstairs) for a number of years. The 2003 retails at around $30 but I don’t believe I would have paid that much for it.

In the end it was another night, another red or two - YUM.

If your night was better please tell us all about it and the wine. Really I would love to hear what you have been up to and what wines you are drinking! Just post a comment.

food and drink
wine

Cleanskins

2006-04-14T06:45:00.000+10:00

Spoooooky!! I only spoke about cleanskins in a post for the first time yesterday and I haven't had one to drink for quite a while. Imagine my surprise when I arrived home and sitting on the counter is an already opened cleanskin! It is as if my wife (the leader of the opposition) had been reading my blog - heaven forbid!

The 'old sheila' was preparing a delicious beef and bacon casserole and it required some red wine so she had gone to the cellar (I use the term extremely loosely - at the moment a collection of old cupboards under the house) to select an appropriate wine. Unsure of the wines and their relative values, she took the 'safe' option of selecting a cleanskin. I have no problem with that!

You often hear chefs saying that you should never use a cheap wine in cooking. I disagree totally! It is not how much you pay for the wine but the quality of the wine itself. I believe you should never use a wine in cooking that you would not like to drink and enjoy.

The cleanskin selected cost me around $7 and was probably once a $12-$15 bottle of wine. Occasionally, and not as often as I used to do it, I will buy one or two cleanskins as samplers. I will try to drink them straight away and if any good, go back and buy a dozen. Occasionally you come across some real 'crackers' (ie extremely good value for money)! Other times I have had a glass or two and poured the rest of the bottle down the sink (not often though). I once read on a sign hanging above a bloke's wine rack "Life is too short to drink bad wines" - too true!

Try the occasional cleanskin and if you find one you like buy a dozen. It is always good to be able to pull one out for cooking - even better if it is like the ones in one of yesterday's posts and is worth around $80 retail (ie prior to becoming a cleanskin).

Anyway, for dinner last night, we just polished off the opened bottle with our meal. I really enjoyed the wine - good wine for $7 a bottle? Priceless!!

Wine Cabinet - ongoing saga

2006-04-13T18:08:00.000+10:00

Around 8 weeks ago I, very excitedly, ordered a new wine cabinet that will hold 252 bottles of wine. One of the el-cheapo wine fridges from Big-W bit the dust after only 6 months. I have been counting down the days until its arrival.

I ordered from Kitchener Wine Cabinets and when I ordered they told me there would be an 8 week lag - I almost cried! Well, I have waited for 8 weeks and when I hadn't heard anything I called Sam (from Kitchener) and he told me it would take another 4 weeks. Apparently they have had a huge backlog of orders to fill and have lost some staff recently, which has put them further behind.

I am not angry at them - I am just a tad melancholy - bordering on sad, depressed, suicidal even. Ah well - if I can't store my good wines I will just have to drink them faster!!! Yee Hah!!

food and drink
wine
wine cabinet

Maglieri 2004 Shiraz

2006-04-13T17:57:00.000+10:00

I wonder what is for dinner tonight?? No.......... it is not my turn to cook tonight! What wine to drink? hmmmmmmmm?

Last night we had a bottle of Maglieri 2004 Shiraz - not bad (especially seeing as how it came from the McLaren Vale region - how did you guess that?!). I picked it up on a very short time framed special - online with Vintage Cellars where you got 2 bottles for $20 (ie $10 each) - so I bought 2 dozen!! What a cracker of a price for a good wine!

I will say it again - YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND BIG MONEY TO DRINK NICE WINES. If you are prepared to shop and look for specials - there are some beauties! Most of the time I do not have much time to shop around but this one was emailed to me by Vintage Cellars.

Usually I wait for Rob (brother-in-law) to call with any amazing specials. He is always reading all the wine brochures, mail outs etc. We have had a lot of fun over the years tearing around town picking up specials and hunting for a good wine. There are some tricks to it and I hope, in future blogs, to be sharing some of the things we do to ensure we are buying good wines at good prices.

Once, having sampled a bottle, we drove from central Brisbane to Strathpine just to pick up some cleanskins!! These were no ordinary cleanskins they cost around $20-$30 a bottle (I say that because Rob says we paid $20 but I thought it was closer to $30). I still have a couple of these bottles left. We found out they were part of a liquidators clearance stock and the wine was previously labelled and retailing at around $80 per bottle. When we loaded it into the car we just looked at each other and thought "YUM"!

Have fun looking this weekend!

food and drink
wine

Wine Course

2006-04-12T17:55:00.000+10:00

I have done it!! I have enrolled my wife and I (and a few freinds) into a Wine Basics course with the Wine Emporium. It will run in June over two nights. I am very excited about it.

I love the Wine Emporium and their senior staff. As the store is NOT owned by either Coles-Myer or Woolworths or one of the big wine or beer companies but by the people that rund the stor - IT IS INDEPENDENT!!!!!! The advice they give relates to the wine, as it stands, and is not influenced by any corporation.

After successful completion of my Wine Basics course I will be able to be a tiny bit more knowledgeable about the subject - I hope. If not, who cares - it will be fun!!

I will keep you informed of the progress and what the course is about as it unfolds!

food and drink
wine

A Decision Has Been Made

2006-04-12T17:39:00.000+10:00

A decision on what to serve over Easter has finally been made!! Mind you I did not get to make it - the 'leader of the opposition' actually informed me what the decision was to be regarding the meal she wants me to prepare.

For my part - the fun part (well it's all really fun) - I can now spend the next few days planning what wines will go with what part of the meal etc. Do I need to go and buy something or do I have it in my current collection? I had better find one in my collection after last weeks foray to Vintage Cellars (see the 'Lamb & Wine' post below). Will it be an Australian or French wine? This sounds really snobby I know but I like to brag as I only have Australian and French wines (and I only have around a dozen French wines - currently - 6 more to come in June when the 2003 Bordeaux En-Primeur arrives at the Wine Emporium - can hardly wait).

For dinner with guests on Saturday evening I will prepare a roast from a whole rib fillet, with a slice running the length of the fillet and penetrating about half way. This will enable me to open up the fillet and place spinach leaves, fetta and semi dried tomatoes inside before closing the fillet again and tying with string.

This is seared (all sides) in a pan on the stove and then placed in a hot oven dish and roasted on 220C for 15 - 20 minutes and then at 180C for another 30 - 40 minutes. Veges are just whole chap potatoes, whole small brown onions (golden eschallots), whole small carrots and 3 -5 whole cloves of garlic all thrown into the pan when the temp is turned to 180C. With about 5 - 10 minutes to go throw in whole mushrooms. If you want to get fancy you can wrap some asparagus spears in pancetta and stuff them with split and deseeded cherry tomatos and chuck them in with the mushrooms - YUM.

Of course you must serve Mal's famous Red Wine Jus - see post below (Red Man! Red Wine Jus) for recipe.

On Sunday evening I will do some breadcrumb and pine nut encrusted lamb racks for just the family. It will be an experiment so I will have to experiment with a new wine that I have not every tried before. This means I will have to go out to look for one - damn!! Any suggestions??

food and drink
wine

Jacob's Creek 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-04-10T20:58:00.000+10:00

Just finished dinner - had a nice Jacob's Creek 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon! I must say that I didn't really like the Reserve Cab Sav or the Reserve Shiraz but they have grown on me over the last two years. I bought these for around $12-$13 and they now retail for around $18.

There was a very slight sediment in the bottle but the wine was drinking well fro a guzzler! These are one my brother in law's favourite guzzlers. He has converted me - somewhat. It doesn't come from McLaren Vale though.

Lamb & wine

2006-04-10T14:42:00.000+10:00

What another super night!! The experiments continue and there seems to be no end to the volunteers willing to sacrifice their taste buds in my quest for world domination. Yesterday I went to Vintage Cellars at Clayfield, via my favourite butcher at Rode Road Meats, specifically to purchase a couple of bottles of Seppelt 2004 Chalambar (http://www.vintagecellars.com.au/scripts/wc.dll?product&partset=20&part=29944), which was on special at 2 for $40. However it never seems to end there – you know how it goes.

You walk in, as if on a singular mission, and you can’t seem to locate the wine you are looking for as readily as you might have thought. You walk past heaps of wines on special and taste a couples of reds and think “yum”. Starting to feel conflicted, I get directions from the shop assistant, but on the way to the right section I see a wine on special that I have never heard of much less tried before. “Braydun’s Hill 2003 McLaren Vale Shiraz” (http://www.vintagecellars.com.au/scripts/wc.dll?product&area=B&variety=Shiraz®ion=McLarenvale+%28SA%29&part=36394) – for just over $20. I think I have mentioned in the past that I am a sucker for McLaren Vale Shiraz. I picked up two, you know, just to go with my Chalambars so they would not be lonely. I found my two Chalambars and that made four. Being the amateur wine enthusiast that I am I realize that anyone worth their salt in the wine game would always buy at least 6 bottles, so I just happened to pick up two bottles of Wolf Blass 2003 Grey Label (http://www.vintagecellars.com.au/scripts/wc.dll?product&area=B&variety=Shiraz®ion=McLarenvale+%28SA%29&part=32363 - again just over $20). Suspiciously these also seemed to be of a shiraz variety from a very well known region which I just can’t seem to recall right now. In the end I walked out with a dozen bottles of mixed variety– just so that I could get the 10% additional discount on all the bottles and save around $30. The last 6 bottles contained 4 Tahbilk Cab Sav guzzlers ($14) , a Galway Pipe and a Seppelt Tokay – I love the fortifeds in winter!

From Rode Road meats I acquired a leg of lamb, butterflied out. The guys there are getting used to me now and often ask what dinner I am planning this weekend. So I informed them that this is what I was going to do:

Take the butterflied leg of lamb and gently make small cross-hatching slices across the back (not too deep – very shallow). Cut three cloves of garlic into slivers and place the slivers in the small grooves made. Place lamb in large oven tray (with crosshatched side up) and put in oven on 190 C for 10 minutes. Whilst lamb in oven take a small bowl and made a paste by mixing together 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped parsley and rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.

After 10 minutes take the lamb out and turn the oven down to 180 C. Rub the mustard paste into the cross-hatched back of the lamb making sure that the roast is entirely covered. Return the roast to the oven for around 40 -45 minutes with any vegetables you want (I had butternut pumpkin and corn as the principal veges).

I also blanched and peeled 4 medium tomatoes and placed them in a small roasting dish and put them into the oven at the same time – to roast. The tomatoes were for a separate sauce or garnish to be poured over some green beans.

Make a basting sauce of half a coup of sour cream and half a cup of dry white wine. This was supposed to be used to baste the roast every ten minutes or so – but I forgot – so with about 5 minutes to go I simply poured the entire cup over the roast and put the roast back into the oven.

When meat is done, remove from oven, remove roast from pan and place somewhere warm to rest and cover. Proceed to make gravy from lamb, mustard, wine and cream juices (I just used a little cornflour – I think my brother in law may have put in a little Gravox – as it was his job to finish off the gravy while I made the tomato garnish for the beans).

The tomatoes were removed from the oven and put in a saucepan (including all the juices) and mashed with a fork. I added finely chopped rosemary and some finely chopped black olives and a little salt and pepper for taste and simmer on the stove for around 5 minutes to reduce. I simply poured the contents over a bowl of green beans.

The butcher had a funny look on his face. I think the look could be attributed to him thinking either (a) how do I get this guy to shutup and leave so I can serve the next person, or (b) why doesn’t my wife cook like that? I prefer to think it was (b) regardless of what you may think!

The evening was perfect on the deck. Shorts and short sleeves. A hint of coolness in the air and the breeze but not cold. It was the perfect evening to follow the perfect weather of yesterday.

The wines we had with the meal was the Braydun’s Hill 2003 Shiraz, a bottle of 2002 St Hugo’s Cabernet Sauvignon (http://www.vintagecellars.com.au/scripts/wc.dll?product&partset=20&part=40936) and my last bottle of 1994 Limestone Ridge Cab Sav. We started with the Shiraz whilst cooking and brought out the cab savs with the lamb.

The tomato garnish on the beans was sensational and the gravy made from the lamb, mustard, wine and cream juices was a clear favourite with everyone. The lamb was tender and delicious. The flavours from the mustard etc really reduced that ‘fattiness’ that is associated with eating lamb.

The Braydun’s Hill was clearly a McLaren Vale Shiraz with the big nose and bold berries on the palate and was good drinking for the price. The St Hugo’s was superb but could still go a few more years in the bottle. The Limestone Ridge was probably a tad past its prime but still delightful. Even though it was my last I am glad we drank it last night.

Now you can see the trouble wine enthusiasts go to to enjoy their wines by making sure they accompany good meals.

This was one of the best so far and at least until next weekend when we try to top it! Easter will give us the opportunity to have a few good meals with family and friends! I hope you have a happy and safe.

food and drink
wine

Easter

2006-04-10T14:39:00.000+10:00

Easter is coming up and we are having guests over again. Are you surprised? 'Mmm, what to cook and what wine do I serve with it? These particular guests are expecting red meat - darn it!!

I have been thinking of eyefillet wrapped in pancetta, first seared, then roasted to medium, then sliced and placed on a cake made of mashed potato and parmesan cheese, topped off with some of those cute thin small mushrooms.

OR

Half a rib fillet sliced half way through lengthwise and stuffed with spinach, fetta and semi-drie tomato, tied back together with string, seared and then roasted. All veges are just thrown into the same pan and roasted together with about 5 whole cloves of garlic.

What do you think? Either way I think a nice cabernet sauvignon will go down well - any suggestions? A Penfold's Bin 407??

For just the family (later over the weekend) I am thinking of preparing lamb racks encrusted in breadcrumbs and pine nuts. I have never tried it before but I saw a photo somewhere of it and thought it looked great. I will let you know how I get on. It will have to be a shiraz or a cab sav/shiraz blend. Maybe a Penfolds Bin 28 or 128? Any suggestions are welcome?

food and drink
wine

Food matching

2006-04-06T18:20:00.000+10:00

Some people make a big deal out of matching food with wine or wine with food. I know there is something to it but I can't quite get it all the time. I know that Pinot Noir is supposedly great with duck but after that I am floundering a bit.

It is common to hear that you drink white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. I guess that is a good rule of thumb, but as mentioned earlier I am a red man. I enjoy drinking red wine with almost anything.

Anyway, recently I have been experimenting with trying to cook special dishes to go with certain wines or finding wines to go with special dishes. As we are moving towards winter I was wanting to attempt to cook Cassoulet (I saw it on Rick Stein's French Odyssey) however I can't find where I can source preserved goose (or duck) in Brisbane or Toulouse sausage either. The other problem I have is what is the perfect wine to drink with a cassoulet? Can anyone help? I am salivating at the thought of the cassoulet - never tried it but know I would love it.

HELP!!!

food and drink
wine

Wedding Anniversary - Bordeaux

2006-04-03T14:20:00.000+10:00

My wife and I will celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary on Wednesday this week. No! I didn't take her to the Bordeaux region of France as an anniversary gift! I opted for the less expensive version - ie bring the Bordeaux to us.

Last Saturday evening my wife and I sallied forth and infiltrated a local place of purveyance and sought the vending of some tasty combustibles - we went out for dinner! We went to Olivetto's at Red Hill and took with us a 2001 Chateau d'Armailhac (see Chateau here http://www.wine-journal.com/armailhac.html ).

The Wine Journal said of this wine "First tasted in Jul-03. Very deep colour - almost opaque. Pure cassis and blackcurrant on the nose. Tannic as usual with substantial grip. Masculine, a little brusque but with an attractive austere feel. Lacks the finesse of Clerc-Milon but a good wine. Drink over 5 years. (18/25) Then at the IMW 2001 tasting in Nov-05. The nose is broody, sulky and laden with toasty new oak, lacking definition. The palate is very rich and corpulent with notes of black cherries and cassis. Good acidity, markedly less austere than a couple of years ago, with an abrupt finish and seems a little overdone. Not bad if you like a modern, opulent style of Pauillac, but it lacks "soul". (18/25)" My wife and I simply enjoyed it, regardless of the critique. Sure, it was not as good as a Pontet Canet and some others, but we liked it.

The food and service at Olivetto's was superb! It will rate highly with us and thus will require a return visit.

The rest of the evening was ........ well, I'll leave it to your imagination!

food and drink
wine

Red Man!! Red Wine Jus

2006-03-28T17:34:00.000+10:00

I am basically a red man!! Red meat and red wine. My fortieth birthday was billed as Mal's Big Red 40th and requested gifts were 'any bottle of red wine'. Now I do enjoy a good Semillon or Riesling, even the occasional Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but red is best!

Because of my enjoyment of red wine I have taken up cooking to try and develop dishes that complement red wine. I have been having a ball each weekend experimenting on my family. They are not complaining, mind you - they love it!

One week I just threw some ingredients together to make a red wine jus and now my wife and eldest son ask for it almost every other weekend. It is simple - I made it up myself.

(1) Either (a)Take the juices left over from roasting pan (if doing a roast), or (b) simply add small amount of olive oil in frypan and bring to high heat and add diced garlic and fry for a 30 seconds to a minute;
(2) add half a bottle of Shiraz (a guzzler will do - but a nice guzzler, not el-cheapo rat poison) and boil vigorously for 3 -5 minutes or longer to reduce to about 200 mls
(3) whilst boiling stir in small amount of balsamic vinegar and small amount of soy sauce;
(4) once reduced, turn to simmer, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste (only if required)
(5) slowly mix in heaped teaspoon of butter or margarine (for a shine to the jus)
(6) mix a half teaspoon of corn flour with 20-30mls of water and slowly pour into jus whilst stirring - should thicken nicley - turn off heat and pour into gravy boat

FANTASTIC!!

food and drink
wine

1998 Penfold's BIN 389

2006-03-27T08:53:00.000+10:00

I only have about a dozen of these left. I know, I know, James Halliday said they were best for drinking 2008 - 2018. I just can't help myself!

I had staff from work over on Friday night - I was cooking a BBQ (our favourite - grain fed rump - $9.99/kilo from Rode Road Meats). It was a beautiful evening on the deck with a gentle breeze with just a hint of coolness in it. I had a 'hankering' for a big red!

The Bin 389 almost jumped into my hands (at least that's how I remember it)!! It was fantastic - big and spicy aromas and big bold taste!! It was a real hit with everyone. Even though it may improve with more time in the bottle, it is still great now.

I hope I can hold on to the remaining dozen for a while yet. However a friend once told me that it is better to drink a wine too early and appreciate its potential than to drink it too late and lament its demise.

food and drink
wine

McLaren Vale Shiraz

2006-03-24T16:36:00.000+10:00

Even though I have only been drinking wine for 5 or 6 years I am beginning to believe that my favourite Australian wine variety is any Shiraz from the McLaren Vale region. Whilst I love Cabernets and Pinots there something about the Shiraz grown in McLaren Vale.

Shiraz from Barossa, Yarra Valley and even Hunter Valley are wonderful in their plummy or chocolate flavours, however it must be the intense berry flavours that often show through in the McLaren Vale Shiraz that really knock me over. It is not that I dislike any of the others but it is just that I have noticed myself gravitating towards these wines over the last few years.

I do not know the McLaren Vale region - I have never been there! I can't even recall seeing any photographs of it but I do so love the Shiraz that comes from there!

What is your favourite wine variety and from what region - and why do you like it so much?

food and drink
wine

What do you want?

2006-03-20T13:59:00.000+10:00

When I began this blog I wanted it to be useful to anyone reading it. I am happy to discuss any topic dealing with wine that you wish. Remember I am no expert but I thought it could be fun to discuss wine ejoyment with other amateurs.

Do you want articles on Wine storage/wine fridges? Guzzlers (under $15) or any other topic you wish.

You comments are more than welcome they are desired!!

2006-03-18T11:55:00.000+10:00

Wine is meant to be enjoyed!! It is meant as a perfect companion to good food and good company!

Getting Assistance

2006-03-18T11:24:00.000+10:00

As I have said in an earlier post, I was fortunate to have friends to help introduce me to various aspects of wine enjoyment. I think it is important to have a wide variety of viewpoints when it comes to wine but it is also important to have some contacts with people that are not just enthusiastic about wine but are also very knowledgeable.

When I first started there were some very good people working in some of The Grape stores and Vintage Cellars in Brisbane. Also there was a Cellar Manager at the Gap Tavern (I can't recall her name) who was excellent. However, in recent times it appears that The Grape and Gap Tavern have gone down-market (the Cellar Manager moved to Mr Corks at Jindalee - I believe) as the two big retailers (Coles-Myer and Woolworths) fight each other for market share.

I have recently discovered a new place at New Farm (Fortitude Valley??) called The Wine Emporium. They are INDEPENDENT of the major retailers and I have met two of the guys there (Tony Harper & Stewart Plant) who are extremely enthusiastic and very knowledgable about wines - not just Australian Wines but French, Italian, Spanish etc. They both conduct courses (I did one one recently on wines from Bordeaux - fantastic!!!) and write articles and appear on radio. I believe they may be part of the ownership of the store but I have thought it rude to ask them. They have always been keen to serve and ensure that your experience, not just in the store, but later drinking the wine you have selected is as good as it possibly can be.

Compared to the 'salespeople' that the other stores trot out, the guys at the Wine Emporium are almost 'Gods'!! I have been so impressed with their service, knowledge and range that I have included a link on the blog.

Sorry to be so effusive but I am extremely happy with this 'find'. The excitement of finding a good wine store with good staff is akin to the excitement you feel when you find a super-enjoyable wine for a ridiculously reasonable price and you are on your way back to the store buy a couple of cases! I really am a hopeless case - wine does that to you - it is very seductive! YUM!

In the Beginning!!

2006-03-16T17:39:00.000+10:00

I have not been drinking wines for very long. My first purchase was a bottle of Penfold's "Rawson's Retreat" sometime in 1998 or 1999. My first case purchase was a case of Penfold's1998 Koonunga Hill (Shiraz-Cab) closely followed by a case of Rosemount Split Label (Cab-shiraz?).

As you can see I didn't really plunge in at the expensive end of the market. In fact for a couple of years I couldn't see why you would ever want to pay over about $15 per bottle when there were so many good value-for-money wines around under that price. However, as some of you might be aware - wine is more than a little seductive. Gradually your palate changes and you can taste the difference between a $10 and $20 of wine and you find you prefer the $20 one, and then $30 and so on. This does not mean that you do not like the inexpensive wines - you buy them for every-day drinking and then buy smaller quantities of more expensive wines for special occasions. ....... and so on and so on.

It is funny how some things stick with you. We drank so much Rawson's Retreat that my family now has a nickname for Rawson's Retreat - "Ronnie's". How this came about I am not sure, but I do know for a while we called it Ronny Rawson's. I ended up buying a couple more cases of the Koonunga Hill and still have one or two bottles of the 1998.

I still have the occasional bottle of "Ronnie's" and Koonunga Hill and it is not bad - for a 'guzzler'. This is another term we have picked up somewhere to denote inexpensive but good value-for-money wines. There are plenty of these out there. I may even dedicate an article to the "guzzler".

It has been my great fortune to have a number of family and friends who are also 'into' wine. One of them invited my wife and I to a function at the Queensland Cricketer's Club hosted by Bruce Tyrrell of Tyrrell's Wines. What a great evening with great food and wine! There were many things I took away with me that evening, but the greatest thing I have remembered was something Bruce Tyrrell said. He said that "we would do well to remember that there are really only two types of wines - ones we like and ones we don't like"

Sometimes when I think I am getting too much like a "wine wanker" (a difficult term to really define well) I think back to that brief lesson from one of the 'great's' in Australian wines.

Find wines you enjoy and drink them!! Cheers!

food and drink
wine

Welcome!!

2006-03-14T19:12:00.000+10:00

I am definitely not a wine expert!! I am simply an amateur who enjoys learning about and drinking wine.

I am interested in discussing wines with you and sharing my experiences, likes, dislikes etc on all things relating to wine, their making, their drinking, their sales etc.

You are welcome to come on a journey with me and maybe we can learn some things together and help open each others minds (and taste buds) to new experiences.

Cheers!

Mal