Picking a top 10 reds and whites becomes increasingly difficult every year as Australia’s wines increase in quality and diversity. This year’s selection represent wines that appealed at first taste, then passed the bottle test – that is, they held our interest all the way through to the last drop They’re absolutely first-rate examples of … Continue reading Top 10 reds and whites of 2013
Quarry Hill Lost Acre Tempranillo 2013 $18 Quarry Hill vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW In a tasting of eight Australian tempranillos, two Canberra wines appealed strongly in utterly different ways. In the serious, complex, sip-and-savour mould, Mount Majura 2012 topped the list. But Quarry Hill 2013, the first from this Murrumbateman vineyard, strutted the naked … Continue reading Wine review — Quarry Hill, Mount Majura, Balnaves, St Huberts, Brookland Valley and Running with Bulls
Balnaves of Coonawarra The Blend 2011 $19–$20 Coonawarra fared better than many other regions in the cold, wet 2011 vintage. And within Coonawarra, thick-skinned cabernet sauvignon proved more resilient to fungal disease than shiraz did. Balnaves’ blend – comprising mainly cabernet sauvignon, with a little merlot and cabernet franc – captures the region’s fragrant, ripe-berry … Continue reading Wine review — Balnaves, Bay of Stones and Paxton
Masked tastings became part of my life 36 years ago when I joined the liquor trade. The tastings take many forms, involving anything from one or two wines, to competitive wine games, right through to judging hundreds of wines over several days. Retailing and tasting brought me into contact with many wine lovers outside the … Continue reading Masked tastings – the palate stripped bare
Depending on how you view wine shows, Canberra region is either blessed or burdened with a disproportionate number of nationally significant events. These include the National Wine Show of Australia, Winewise Small Vignerons Awards, Winewise Championship, Canberra International Riesling Challenge and Canberra Regional Wine Show. The national show, billed as the grand final of Australia’s … Continue reading Winewise championship — Australia’s grand final wine show
Australia’s sparkling wine king, Ed Carr first put bubbles in wine in 1977. Charged with sorting out “some issues with secondary fermentation”, Carr, a microbiologist, joined senior winemaker Pam Dunsford at Seaview’s Glenloth winery, Reynella. “We got through, though I was straight out of uni”, recalls Carr. At the time, Dunsford made the base wines … Continue reading Ed Carr’s slow road south
The National Wine Show’s new chairman of judges, Stephen Pannell, called in his own troops for the 2012 event, judged at EPIC early this month. In town for the trophy presentation dinner on 21 November, Pannell said, “I picked people I like working with”. He selected judges who’d work harmoniously together, keep their egos tucked … Continue reading Steve Pannell makes his mark on National Wine Show
Campbells Classic Muscat $44 500ml Rutherglen, Victoria Rutherglen’s unique, luscious muscats come in four categories – Rutherglen, Classic, Grand and Rare – each representing a step up in age, richness and complexity. Campbell’s basic version, luscious with raisened muscat grapes flavours, sells for less than $20. But it’s worth stepping up to “Classic”. It’s slightly … Continue reading Wine review — Campbells, Grosset, Kangarilla Road, Deakin Estate, Rymill and Howard Park
At Chateau Shanahan we’ve experienced cellaring joy and disappointments over the years. But consistent pleasure in older bottles of Majella Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon and The Malleea cabernet shiraz, reminded us of this marvellous winery’s interesting transition from farming to grape growing to winemaking. When brothers Brian and Anthony Lynn made the first Majella wine in … Continue reading Majella of Coonawarra — from sheep farming to winemaking
In Denmark, Western Australia, we’re heading out to vineyards thinking shiraz and riesling – the highlights of thirty years’ tasting from the vast Great Southern region. Chardonnay and pinot noir barely blip on our radar; and even cabernet sauvignon’s low on the list, though we’ve tried a few beauties from the area. But our first … Continue reading Marchand and Burch smashes our preconceptions