Apologies for the lack of notes this week, I have been unwell with the flu and as such, unable to taste wine (or anything else for that matter). Fear not, for I hope to have a pair of notes up on two rather contrasting Chardonnays by the end of the weekend, plus maybe something from my offline archives.
February 2005
Monthly Archive
A lack of updates
February 26th, 2005
WBW #6 - Blind Tasting
February 17th, 2005
Wine Blogging Wednesday #6 is upon us, with the theme being set by Cook Sister - “South African Red”. As mentioned in the previous post I decided to have a blind tasting. The selection of South African reds was not great at my local bottleshop, and so I decided to get a mainstream Australian brand that would be available broadly overseas in an effort to try and not use my knowledge of more boutique Australian wine to give it an unfair advantage. The price of both bottles was $11.95 Australian, I would have liked to sample a more expensive duo, but the limited range of South African wines made it difficult.
Both wines were 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2002 vintage. Read on to find out how things went.
Wine Blogging Wednesday #6
February 16th, 2005
 |
Wine Blogging Wednesday #6 presented a slight dilemma for me. With the theme set by Cook Sister! as “South African Reds”, how was I to keep my Australian theme going and still participate? It was obvious in the end, purchase a bottle of South African Red from a well-known producer and obtain a similar priced bottle of Australian Red from a well-known producer and let them face off against each other in Appellation Australia’s first blind tasting.
Check back tomorrow for the results of this showdown. |
Mount Pleasant “Elizabeth” Semillon 2000
February 14th, 2005
 |
Fast Facts: Country: Australia Region: Hunter Valley, New South Wales Winemaker: Phillip Ryan Variety: 100% Semillon Closure: Cork Oak: Unoaked RRP: $ 18AU |
Outside the Hunter Valley, Semillon is infrequently bottled as a single grape varietal wine. Most commonly it is blended with Sauvignon Blanc, making two classic French white wines, White Bordeaux/Graves and Sauternes. Hunter Valley Semillon could well be our most underestimated wine variety, when young it will often be closed and hard to approach, but given enough bottle age, it will slowly transform into an absolute delight and something quite unlike any other varietal wine. It’s something that I think Australia can be proud of as a unique world-class wine. The best examples of Hunter Valley Semillon need at least 10 years to open up and will still be improving after 15-20 years and often well beyond…
Gartelmann “Jessica” 2004
February 12th, 2005
 |
Fast Facts: Country: Australia Region: Hunter Valley, New South Wales Winemaker: Monarch Winemaking Service Variety: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon Closure: Screwcap RRP: $18 AU |
Finally! A wine from my home state of New South Wales (with another coming up later this weekend baring any unforseen cork issues). I haven’t seen Gartelmann wines in retail stores, and so I assume that most sales are either via mail order, restaurants or via cellar door where I obtained mine in a trip to the Hunter Valley mid last year…
Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers 2005 - Wine Notes
February 6th, 2005
The conditions at these events can be a bit unforgiving to wines, there is often a large crowd of people, it can be noisy and some people may be wearing strong perfume or aftershave. The glasses are frequently undersized, and no matter how much water you drink, your palate will eventually become fatigued from the sheer volume of wines tried. I have a feeling that some of these wines would show better under more conducive circumstances.
However, that being said, I’ve done my best to rate what was in the glass at the time…
Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers 2005 - Summary
February 5th, 2005
Well it was certainly an interesting and informative night, with a line-up of over fifty of Victoria’s smallest and biggest wineries showing off over three hundred examples of their wines. I went along not knowing a whole lot about Victoria as a region (with New South Wales wines being more readily available in Sydney and with the big stars of Western Australia and South Australia taking much of the rest of the spotlight) but came out rather impressed overall.
Continue reading for some insights from the winemakers of Victoria on a number of issues facing the Australian and worldwide wine industries at the moment.
Annie’s Lane Cabernet Merlot 2002
February 1st, 2005
 |
Fast Facts: Country: Australia Region: Clare Valley, South Australia Winemaker: Caroline Dunn Variety: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot Closure: Screwcap RRP: $19 AU |
Some readers may have been wondering if I was going to get around to reviewing some red wines. I assure you that I will, in due course review a balanced mix of red and white, it’s just that on the 40+ degrees Celsius (104+ Fahrenheit) days that we have been having recently, I have not felt inclined to pop the cork on too many reds. As the days grow cooler, more reds will be reviewed.
Read on to find out more about this wine from an exceptional Clare Valley vintage.