Lark Hill Chardonnay 2008 $35 Lake George Escarpment, Canberra District, New South Wales If Lark Hill makes chardonnay this good in a warm year, then we’ve much to look forward to in the 2011, now bubbling away in barrels at the winery. At three years the 2008 seems barely to have begun life, it’s so … Continue reading Wine review — Lark Hill, Red Knot by Shingleback, John Duval and Pewsey Vale
Over the last few decades the boasting theme of Australian wine show organisers changed fundamentally. “My show’s bigger than yours” gave way to “mine’s better than yours”. Canberra’s National Show, held each November, boasted longest and strongest across those decades. It billed itself as the grand final – the last major show of the year, … Continue reading How Winewise beat National Wine Show to the punch
In 1987 Peter Lehmann, with winemaker Andrew Wigan, produced the first Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz (current release 2005 vintage about $90), a magnificent but comparative newcomer to the blue-chip wine ranks. Behind it lies an extraordinary winemaking and viticultural heritage, reaching across generations. Fortunately the heritage survived traumatic changes of company ownership over the years, … Continue reading Long history behind Lehmann’s brilliant Barossa wines
Every five years, Langton’s, a wine auction specialist belonging to Woolworths, updates its classification of Australian wines. Unlike all the other wine-rating systems, based on the judgement of individual palates, Langton’s derives its classification from the volume and value of wine it sells at auction. The rankings are therefore based on perceptions of value and … Continue reading Langton’s classification of Australian wine — the market’s scorecard
The late Douglas Lamb, wine merchant and bon vivant, delighted in serving Cognac balloons of single malt whisky to dinner guests. The power of suggestion being so great, few twigged to Lamb’s little trick. Indeed, they often congratulated Lamb on a fine Cognac selection. Presumably Lamb served one of the less peaty malts, perhaps The … Continue reading In quest of a good malt whisky
Thanks to my old friend, Jeremy Stockman for collaborating on this feature. Jeremy is a wine show judge, wine consultant and former fine wine buyer for Vintage Cellars WHY WE CELLAR AND CONDITIONS FOR CELLARING Chris Shanahan There’s terrific pleasure in cellaring wine, whether for two years or twenty. It’s about savouring the lovely changes … Continue reading Cellaring for pleasure
Riesling in Australia – the history, the regions, the legends, and the producers Ken Helm and Trish Burgess. Published by Winetitles, South Australia, 2010. $49.50 plus postage at Winetitles. Spike Milligan might have called “Riesling in Australia” a book of bits, or a bit of a book. Written by Ken Helm and Trish Burgess, the … Continue reading Book review — “Riesling in Australia”
In 1385 Tuscany’s Antinori family commenced winemaking, Giovanni di Bicci de Medici, founder of the famous dynasty, turned 25 and Columbus hadn’t been born, let alone set sail. And given the squabbles on the peninsula, the notion of a unified Italy might’ve been less imaginable to a fourteenth century Florentine than a fabulous new world … Continue reading Antinori comes to Canberra
Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Vat 47 Chardonnay 2007 $40 Coldstream Hills Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2008 $29 Printhie Orange MCC Chardonnay 2008 $35 Voyager Estate Margaret River Chardonnay 2008 $38 This is a run of beautiful, luxurious chardonnays, all fermented and matured in oak barrels – but in every case the oak simply disappears into a wonderful … Continue reading Wine review — Tyrrell’s, Coldstream Hills, Printhie and Voyager Estate
There was no phone call, no email, no press release. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for a tip-off from one of the judges, Alex McKay’s success at Sydney’s 2010 Royal Wine Show might’ve escaped our notice. His Collector Reserve Shiraz 2008 won a gold medal and four trophies, including the Dr Gilbert Phillips Memorial Trophy … Continue reading Trophy Collector — how a Canberra shiraz stole the Sydney show