Wine & Musings

Come and share my passion for wine and food.

Brockenchack, Zip Line Shiraz 2014 Review

Brockenchack, Zip Line Shiraz 2014

Australian wine consumers are a fortunate bunch.  Not only do we have a wide range of varietals to choose from, but we are blessed with remarkable quality for the prices we are asked to pay.  And no more so than amongst our vigneron’s Shiraz offerings where the Brockenchack Zip Line Shiraz 2014 is one of…
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Two Sisters, Pinot Noir 2011 - Review

Two Sisters, Pinot Noir 2011

I’d normally expect to pick a Pinot Noir wine simply from its (lighter) rufescent colour in the glass, but even by Central Otago standards, the Two Sisters Pinot Noir 2011 is more than just a little beguiling. From a distance, there’s a definite dark ruby depth in the glass and only the slightest garnet tinges…
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Bird in Hand Pinot Rose 2015 Review

Bird in Hand, Pinot Rosé 2015

Call it pink, salmon, pale red or rosy, the Bird in Hand Pinot Rosé is certainly a light and lively rosé colour in the glass and wears its strawberry cloak from the nose right through to a semi-dry finish. Hailing from the cool Adelaide Hills vineyards of Bird in Hand, the Pinot Noir grapes were…
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Steels Creek Estate Cabernet Franc 2013 Review

Steels Creek Estate, Cabernet Franc 2013

Cabernet Franc is not a style that we often see vinified as a single varietal, but when it’s done well, it can be at least the equal of its better-known cousin, Cabernet Sauvignon.  Most frequently, Cabernet Franc is used in the classic Bordeaux blends to provide charm, aromatics and fragrance to what is my all-time…
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A GOOD DROP: Seville Hill No. 8 Shiraz Review

A Good Drop – Seville Hill No. 8 Shiraz

What was once a small apple and cherry orchard near Seville in Victoria’s Yarra Valley is now Seville Hill Estate; a six-hectare vineyard producing low volumes of high-quality pinot gris, chardonnay, cabernet and shiraz grapes. Agriculturalists John and Josie D’Alosio removed the fruit trees and planted cabernet sauvignon vines in 1991, then expanded their range…
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Cumulus Climbing, Pinot Gris 2015 Review

Cumulus Climbing, Pinot Gris 2015

The cool climate, dry autumns and elevated vineyards in Orange, New South Wales, make it an ideal environment for growing Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, but it may be the Alsatian inspired Pinot Gris grape that puts it front and centre of the viticultural map.  In the United States, Pinot Gris is now the second biggest…
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De Bortoli - Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2015 Review

De Bortoli, Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2015

The value end of the retail wine spectrum is a busy if not duopolistic space, but if you can look past the “specials” promoted by the Coles and Woolworths operations, there are some Australian made wines punching well above their weight. Like the De Bortoli Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2015. It’s a product of the Riverina…
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Chard Farm, River Run Pinot Noir 2013 Review

Chard Farm, River Run Pinot Noir 2013

Whilst wines stored in your cellar need constant, if not coolish temperatures, it’s an entirely different rule for winemakers applying their viticultural skills to the developing fruit in the vineyard.  Around the world, growing regions with the greatest variation in daily and seasonal temperatures tend to produce the best fruit for winemaking purposes and there’s…
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Pepper Tree Estate - Wrattonbully Merlot 2013 Review

Pepper Tree Estate, Wrattonbully Merlot 2013

The Wrattonbully wine region is sandwiched between Coonawarra and Padthaway in South Eastern South Australia and, just like its neighbouring districts, enjoys regionally distinctive terroir and abundant underground water.  The Terra Rossa soils and limestone ridges have proven to be an ideal environment for growing Cabernet and Shiraz, but also Merlot wines of unusual power…
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Mount Michael, Pinot Gris 2015 Review

Mount Michael, Pinot Gris 2015

Chardonnay may still be the world’s biggest selling white wine varietal, but at least in the United States, the star of Pinot Gris is well and truly on the rise – so much so that it’s now comfortably the second biggest selling white wine in that country. Amongst Australian wine consumers the style lags well…
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