When a good mate of mine emailed me to let me know that our 2020 boys wine appreciation trip was a visit to Hahndorf in South Australia, I smiled from ear to ear. I’ve visited the German hamlet in the Adelaide Hills a few times before and I’ve always thought that it’s up there with…
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The Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France has long been the poor cousin of the French wine industry. Grape growing in the area dates back to the Pliocene period yet despite being one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Europe, the district has never been highly regarded by the French as a premier wine-producing region. Such…
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Turns out a good chardonnay runs in the family genes It could be a case of unconscious bias, but I’ve never been keen on writing about the Dan Murphy’s or BWS stable of highly promoted and often, overhyped reds and whites. Leaving aside the big brands like Tyrells, Penfolds, McGuigan, Taylors and De Bortoli, many…
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Sunshine Coast surfer Sam Coverdale paid his wine-making dues to head up a vineyard of exceptional quality. The Sunshine Coast is hardly a region that is considered synonymous with the wine industry, nor does it have many reasons to claim ties to viticulture or oenology in general. So when a local of the region makes…
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It was 1878 when Ned Kelly and his band of bushrangers were drawn to the Strathboogie region in country Victoria by the prosperity of the area from wool production. Our most infamous bushranger and his henchmen successfully robbed the Euroa Bank of $2000 pounds in cash and a stash of gold. Fast forward 100 years…
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Chardonnay is the South African wine industry’s leading light, and those from Stellenbosch are the best. Much to the chagrin of my good south African “buddy” Nev, I love little more than watching the YouTube clip of British comedian Michael McIntyre take the mickey out of the South African accent. It’s not that the accent…
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It may not be a universally held view, but to my palate, there is no more noble white wine varietal than Chardonnay. It’s a style that generally combines attractive fruit characters at the front, luscious mouthfeel through the middle and a gentle acidity to tighten and harness the fruit through the finish. And depending on…
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According to Saint Ambrose, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, when in New Zealand, how could I defy native ideology and look elsewhere than the wares of the vignerons of both the South and North Islands? While visiting their country, would it be churlish to refuse the local offerings in favour of…
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It’s what’s inside that really counts In our globalised, digitalised and highly commercialised world, there seems to be a view among many marketers that “perception will become reality” and that you can almost turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse if you dress it up nicely enough! And the wine industry is not immune…
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Moorooduc Estate 2014 McIntyre Vineyard Chardonnay will enamour your taste buds I may be stealing a song lyric from over a decade ago but, as Fats Domino famously sang, “I’m in love again”! I have always said that Chardonnay is the most regal of white wine varietals, but in recent years, some of the lean…
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