Wow. It’s not often that I try a wine for the first time and immediately search for descriptive superlatives, but the Deisen Barossa Grenache 2010 left me in an adjective free zone and bordering on speechless. Grenache is a style that is normally used in Bordeaux blends which on its own can be floral and…
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The $15 to $20 price point is a crowded and competitive space amongst Australian wines. And our iconic Aussie varietal, Shiraz, is no exception. At least in my house, it is normally the Barossa and McLaren Vale Shiraz that dominate the quaffing space in the cellar, but having recently sampled the Heartland 2012 Shiraz, all…
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Maybe it was the cheap Chianti cloaked in a straw basket that we drank in the ‘90s that gave me such a poor first impression of Italian wines but having recently tried some of their modern-day reds, I am glad I gave their viticulture a second chance! Where the old-style Chianti was very dry, loaded…
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Inspired by a recent trip to France and Germany, I couldn’t resist reaching for the Dopff Au Moulin Pinot Blanc 2013 when I recently spotted it on the shelf at a major retailer. The Alsace region from where the wine hails is near the French/German border and is responsible for producing some of Europe’s best…
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I am not normally an advocate of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, but if the style floats your boat, you may as well drink one that is made by Australians and in a palate-friendly form. The Niche Regional Reserve Sauvignon Blanc is made by a boutique winery based in Tanunda in South Australia’s Barossa Valley but is,…
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Australia’s most widely recognized wine brand, Penfolds, have generally made their wines in three different styles. There’s the single vineyard approach (like the Magill Estate Shiraz), the single region (aka Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz) and the multi-region blends such as their iconic Grange and Bin 707. But since 2008, winemaker Peter Gago has also been…
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Riesling from South Australia’s Clare Valley has been putting the area on the viticultural map for years, but it wasn’t until I recently took a field trip to the region that I realised the emphasis that local winemakers place on their red wines as well. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz do very well in the Clare,…
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The Barossa Valley is synonymous with Shiraz and while there are any number of sub-regions around the townships of Lyndoch, Tanunda, Williamstown and Nuriootpa, it’s impossible to fault any of them for the quality of their vineous produce. So, when I recently visited the Langmeil Estate near Tanunda, the reasoning behind the creation of the…
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Once upon a time, the Hunter Valley produced enjoyable wines that only became top shelf once you got past the forest floor dirtiness that tended to dominate the nose and taint the front palate. But the new generation of Hunter Valley winemaker has purged the barrels of any yeasty residue and developed a clean, unadulterated…
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When I threw together a prawn and avocado risotto for last Sunday night’s dinner, my recipe needed a cup and a half of a dry style of white wine. While it’s not difficult to find an ingredient of that description, I wanted one that was aromatic enough to give flavour to this delicate dish, yet…
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