Tag Archives: Australia

April 11, 2013 · 9:10 am

Domain Day – 10/04/2013

Garganega 2011
Nice clean slightly oily, a touch sea salty and blossomy. Fairly crisp, forward on the palate, fresh texture, balanced through the palate.

Viognier 2009
Bright and fresh citrus blossom and almond, some oily minerality. Quite intense and full, warm texture and weight, creamy robust fruit.

Rose 2010 Pinot Noir Sangiovese
Quite dark, approaching Beaujolais. Dark cherry notes, full character. Dark full-bodied, more red wine than rose.

Sangiovese 2009
Dark and intense colour. Over extracted and fruit sweet, pleasant enough but made like a Shiraz.

Lagrein 2010
Really full inky black, lots of dark plum blackcurrant fruits on the nose, raspberry liquorice. Soft mellow full, round and juicy but also very warm and sweet. Nice clean finish, more in the merlot vein.

Saperavi 2005
Dark earthy concentration, sweet intense blackcurrant fruit, soft dark and full. Teeth-staining.

Dolcezza Garganega 2008
Honeyed citrus notes. Nice balance, not overly sweet, fresh and soft, good lines and complex sweetness on the back.

Domain Day Cellar Door

Domain Day Cellar Door

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April 11, 2013 · 9:04 am

Massena – 10/04/2013

Barbera 2012
Nice and dark, but not too intense in colour. Characteristic spicy pepperyness, dark red fruits but still extremely lively, intense but not at all heavy, and great acids with enough warmth.

Primitivo 2012
Dense spicy pepper black fruits. Really intense and full but not too clingy or heavy on the back. Great expression and energy, broad on the palate but clean and straight.

2012 Tannat
Quite dark and smoky, subtle spice. Very dense but wonderful structure, full on the palate, nice and broad, firm tannins but not too hot or extractive. Acids and savoury notes there.

2012 Saperavi
Lovely and intense dark and full sweet spice. Sweet fruit but still amazingly fresh and soft,

2013 Barbera
Juicy and bright but lacking in spice and acid.

2013 Primitivo
Dark and sweet black fruits. Dark juicy but perhaps lacking in fruit.

2013 Saperavi
Exceptional structure and velvety tannins. Good fruit weight.

The Massena Barbera and Primitivo

The Massena Barbera and Primitivo

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April 8, 2013 · 4:20 pm

Beeched as (Beechworth, Victoria – 5/04/2013)

Something that surprised me on my trip was when I met people who had been to Australia had not been to my hometown of Melbourne. Of course I am biased but I couldn’t understand why, considering it is consistently voted as the most livable city in the world, has a rich and diverse culture and history, is the home of sport, nightlife  parks, and most importantly cuisine. When I thought about it I realised that Melbourne doesn’t have astounding attractions like Sydney, beaches like Perth or the Gold Coast, opals like Cairns or Uluru. It is hard to know what to do in Melbourne if you aren’t familiar with it and you are unlikely to find those hidden gems that are the hallmark of Melbourne. It is also quite spread-out and not easy to get around without a car. The best thing to do is to know someone there. The real problem though is that the climate is very different this far south and the weather can be a bit disappointing and certainly not what you expect of Australia.

Beechworth post office

Beechworth post office

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April 8, 2013 · 3:52 pm

It’s good to be the King (King Valley, Victoria – 4/04/2013)

I think it’s time for an embarrassing confession. In spite of the fact that I have now travelled all around the world visiting almost 100 different regions I have actually been to very few regions in Australia, of which there are almost 50. What is possibly worse is that there are about a dozen regions within a few hours of Melbourne alone, only three of which I had visited outside of work. I have had the chance to visit the major wine regions in South Australia, thanks in some part to working in the trade previously and being invited, and also visiting some regions around Adelaide with my father before I left. There is now only one state in Australia that doesn’t produce wine, and that is the Northern Territory, so there are still four states I still haven’t visited wineries in. Returning home I was determined to remedy this and the first new region to visit (finally) was the King Valley.

Gorgeous view into the King Valley on a lovely day

Gorgeous view into the King Valley on a lovely day

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April 6, 2013 · 12:10 pm

Castagna – 5/04/2013

Adams Rib The Red 2010 Nebbiolo Shiraz
Rich yet soft, dark red fruits but some earthy savoury notes, very delicate sweet spice. Mouth filling rich, good middling palate weight, nice extension, round yet focused with good acids. Very slight spice pepper notes.

Un Segreto 2010 Sang Shiraz
Very subtle cured meat earthy savoury notes. Brightness freshness lively raspberry zing and sweetness, exceptional balance.

La Chiava 2010
Super intense nose, almost sharp red fruits and soy. Bright and intense yet complex nose. Fresh fresh yet concentrated and dark, wonderful acid savoury components, length and carry-through yet still eminently approachable.

Julian Castagna opens some bottles to taste

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April 6, 2013 · 12:07 pm

Brown Brothers – 5/05/2013

Limited Release Prosecco 2012
Slight struck-match riesling-style flint minerality, nice crisp apples. Quite fruity with a little residual sugar, consistency and approachability, solid and reliable.

Prosecco NV
A little more vibrant in fruit, slightly creamier. Rounder, broader and more fruit sweet, most definitely palatable and serviceable than most Italian prosecco.

Vermentino 2012
Nicely bright vibrant and crisp. Balanced, good fruit, a little brisk and spritzy, slightly round but still very fresh.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Slightly talcy, crisp fresh clean and vibrant. Nice crunchy acidity, light and fruity, has character which is good to see in a wine of this style and volume.

Limited Release Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio 2012
A little fuller and more textured on the palate, density and concentration, crunchy, good extension but still fresh and vibrant.

Montepulciano 2012
Lovely and soft, bright approachable and fresh. Good style, slight savoury edge to things keeping it interesting.

Brown Brothers Italian varietal wines

Brown Brothers Italian varietal wines

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April 6, 2013 · 11:49 am

Sam Miranda – 5/04/2013

Prosecco
Clean crisp apple and lime, bright and fresh, just the right amount of fruit vibrancy, quite dry.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Quite shy on the nose, barely there. Thin and watery, doesn’t offer much at all in flavour nor texture.

Pinot Grigio Arneis 2011
A tad sweaty and funky but generally somewhat flat. Dull on the palate but quite easy drinking. Again doesn’t offer much.

Arneis 2012
Presenting a tad more character on the nose, some nice crisp stone fruit citrus.

Mothers Little Helper Rosata 2012 (pinot grigio sangiovese)
Cheerful easy drinking wine, nothing more.

Barbera Shiraz 2010
Dark soft mellow nose, straight light and clean, good purity but generally pretty nondescript.

Sangiovese Shiraz 2010
Quaffing wine. Not a lot more than that.

TNT Tempranillo Nebbiolo Tannat 2010
Sold yet soft and savoury. Serviceable. Food wine.

Moscato 2012
Nice clean and classic. Good acids, nice balance, but just sweet enough.

Sam Miranda Prosecco

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April 6, 2013 · 9:57 am

Pizzini – 4/04/2013

Arneis 2012
Honeydew vanilla cantaloupe. Wonderfully fresh focused and clean, good lines get light finish.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Nice clean apple and melon fruits. Vibrant clean pure and straight.

Whitelands Pinot Grigio 2011
Honeyed intensity, slightly more concentrated. Fuller and more intense, denser and somehow sweeter fruit. Still very pure and fresh.

Lana Pinot Grigio 2011
Lovely floral tones, very vibrant. A slight toasty biscuit character. Lovely and clean, good acidity and nice texture.

Verduzzo 2012
Generous fruit nose. Grapefruit citrus razor sharp with some nice texture. Full of fruit but still fresh and crisp.

Rosetta 2012
Fresh bright inviting red berries. Vibrant fresh acids, friendly fruit sweetness, generous length and food pairing adaptability.

Sangiovese Shiraz 2011
Clean pure and fresh, good fruit and far too drinkable. What more do you need?

Sangiovese 2011
Red fruits galore, lots of life to it, very lively and friendly juicy.

Barbera 2011
Solid soft full but building on the palate.

Il Barone 2009
Full but wonderfully balanced, plenty of good fruit, acid and tannin, but balanced and a little bit savoury too.

Nebbiolo 2009
Soft solid focused structured, wonderfully deep and long.

Rubacuori 2005
Rustic old world nose, a little funky but plenty of raspberry notes. Wonderfully full and juicy but long and savoury on the back, great extension.

Rubacuori 2008
Quite closed for now, but certainly plenty of vibrancy. Juiciness all locked up.

Coronamento 2005
Focused driven quiet serious nose. Purity finesse elegance building on the palate, extremely vibrant and plenty of acids. Still wonderfully tight.

A variety of red wines produced by Pizzini

A variety of red wines produced by Pizzini

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April 6, 2013 · 9:53 am

Dal Zotto – 4/04/2013

Arneis 2011
Light green apple citrus pith, hints of kiwi. Full and bursting, quite rich and intense of fruit.

Pinot Grigio 2012
Nice clean salty citrus notes, apple blossom quite light. Nice lines and purity, builds a little in the palate, elegant length and finish.

Rosato 2012 (sang, barbera)
Nice fresh full strawberry, bright and slightly creamy. Round yet focused, clean light finish, just savoury enough but RS keeps it friendly.

Sangiovese 2011
Slightly savoury spicy on the nose, nice red fruit tomatoes. Great lines, good volume, a bit of fruit sweetness on the back but great savoury dryness making it food friendly. Good depth.

Barbera 2011
Quite dark and intense, a little spicy and brambly, blackberries. Soft mellow rich long and yet spicy and savoury with some nice warmth.

Nebbiolo 2009
Very quiet and subdued, a little savoury sour cherry. Light and clean and fresh but packs a whallop with great length and staying power. Excellent balance with a nice soft fruit sweetness.

Dal Zotto red wines waiting to be tasted

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March 25, 2013 · 11:29 pm

Where’s the beef?

Being an Australian wine traveller gets you in a lot of doors around the world. For one thing Australians have been loved as travellers a long time as they tend to be open-minded, fun, aware and generally up for a good time. I’m concerned that this positive image is starting to lose its sheen but that’s another topic. As one of the world’s major producers and the largest exporter outside of Europe you would struggle to find anyone in the global wine industry that isn’t aware that Australia makes wine.

In fact most are aware of the meteoric rise of Australian wine in the ’90s in Europe and North America thanks to the strong marketing and communications of varietal labelling. Not to mention the major strides made in large-scale commercial production reducing costs whilst making clean fruit-driven wines. Australia became the number one country imported into the United Kingdom and in many cases second only to Italy or France. It’s brands seemed indestructible.

Wine Australia uses its most familiar symbol

Wine Australia uses its most familiar symbol

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