Growing Pinot Noir in Australia is always a bit hit and miss. After all, it’s a grape that shows its best in a cool climate, but even the so-called “cool climate” regions in our sunburnt land can be subject to significant seasonal variations. And the Adelaide Hills region in South Australia is no different despite…
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While it may be the French who can lay claim to producing the best “Méthode Champenoise” (sparkling white that is bottle fermented) white wines in their “Champagne” region, I doubt that many countries can produce a better sparkling red than Australia. After all, our Shiraz and Cabernet grapes are amongst the world’s best and with…
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I may be biased, or it may just be personal preference, but I’ve never been terribly keen on Bendigo as a wine producing region. At least that was the case until a friend slipped me a bottle of the Balgownie Estate 2008 Shiraz ($30-35) from none other than Maiden Gully in the Bendigo region of…
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I’m not sure why Vasse Felix brand it their “Classic Dry White” as the 2008 version of their Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (S.S.B.) is such a fruit driven and aromatic style that you’d swear it was more Sauvignon Blanc than Semillon! The Margaret River region of W.A. consistently produces great S.S.B., but the 2008 vintage was…
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You might call me a “Pinot-phile”, but I can never get enough of those really good cool climate Pinots that present an aromatic nose, fragrant berries and which finish just a touch dry. The Kiwis have always done Pinot well and the Greystone Waipara Pinot Noir 2008 is no exception to the rule. What is…
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Bright as a button, the vibrancy of the colour is overshadowed only by the spicy sweetness of the fruit. Lifted violets on the nose pre-empt the prettiness of the wine but it’s the plump red cherries in the middle that give this wine its mojo. There are fine tannins at the end, but they struggle…
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If you’re a fan of McLaren Vale Shiraz, but don’t appreciate the overwhelming “sweetness” that can creep into some South Australian versions of the style, then this may be a wine for you. The fruit is full and rich and offers a hint of smokey chocolate; the texture is more glide than chew; and the…
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There really is something fishy about the 2008 Fat Fish Shiraz from the irrepressible Barossa Valley. It’s not the dark (if not almost black!) colour of the wine that beguiles the palate. And there’s nothing unusual about a wine conceived in the region showing such deep ripe berries that rise to a crescendo on the…
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Although you’d expect it at the $70.00 plus price point, winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner has crafted another cracker of a wine with his current release 2008 Giaconda Pinot Noir. The blend of Yarra Valley and Beechworth (Victoria) grapes strikes the perfect balance of structure and fruit. It’s mid-ruby in the glass, gamey on the nose but…
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