Tag Archives: Wine Critic

The Vincast with Curly Haslam-Coates aka Vintage Tasmania

Though it was working in hospitality in Yorkshire that first introduced her to wine, working for Majestic Wine gave Curly Haslam-Coates more opportunity to explore. It was also here she began her wine education in WSET, something she has continued to put great value in, as she has been one of the most important wine educators based in Tasmania. Her love of the Apple Isle and sparkling wine has recently seen her join the team at The Wine Front.

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Curly Haslam-Coates

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The Vincast – James Scarcebrook with Marc Malouf from Wine Worth Writing About

For the 150th release of The Vincast I thought it might be interesting for the listeners to find out more about the host of the podcast, James Scarcebrook aka The Intrepid Wino from Vino Intrepido. Recently I caught up with Marc Malouf from Wine Worth Writing About via Zoom, as he was keen to interview me. With his permission this is the audio from that interview, touching on my own background, influences and my recent exploits in winemaking. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions yourself!

Follow Marc on Instagram

Follow James on TwitterInstagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Intrepid Wino channel on YouTube and watch a few videos!

Follow The Vincast on Twitter and Facebook plus find all the previous episodes here

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, StitcherPlayerFMPodbean or iHeartRadio, and don’t forget to rate and review!

James Scarcebrook

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Let’s Taste – Freeman Rosso 2017 & Robusta 2013

Based in the Hilltops region of New South Wales, Freeman Vineyards has been on my radar for some time, mostly because they are working with Italian varieties that you don’t see very much planted in Australia. When they reached out with the offer of some samples I was thrilled, and I really appreciated the opportunity. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Wines tasted;
Freeman Rosso 2017 – RRP $20.00
Freeman Robusta 2013 – RRP $70.00

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January 15, 2019 · 12:31 pm

Let’s Taste – Opawa Sauvignon Blanc 2018 and Pinot Gris, Rosé & Pinot Noir 2017

Opawa are a range of wines made by Nautilus Estate in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Meaning ‘Smoky River’ in Maori, the ‘Opawa’ vineyard is 25 hectares planted on stony soil, ripening earlier and producing an ‘intensely fruity and fragrant style of wine’, blended with fruit purchased from other vineyards. On this edition of Let’s Taste I am tasting the entire range currently available, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Wines tasted;
Opawa Sauvignon Blanc 2018 – RRP $23.00
Opawa Pinot Gris 2017 – RRP $24.00
Opawa Rosé 2017 – RRP $24.00
Opawa Pinot Noir 2017 – RRP $27.00
Website – https://www.opawawine.com

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January 15, 2019 · 9:21 am

Let’s Taste – Brand’s Laira ‘Blockers’ Shiraz 2014 & Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

On my wine podcast The Vincast I recently interviewed chief winemaker for Brand’s Laira, Peter Weinberg (https://intrepidwino.com/2018/12/20/the-vincast-episode-141-peter-weinberg-from-brands-laira/). Peter spoke a bit about the history of this Coonawarra producer, and something interesting about one of the founders Eric Brand, was that after acquiring the Laira property in 1950 he worked for 16 years as a ‘Blocker’, the Coonawarra name for a grower who sold their fruit and didn’t make wine. This range of wines is named after this period, and I was interested to see how Peter expressed the two most important varieties for the region, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Wines tasted;
Brand’s Laira ‘Blockers’ Shiraz 2014 – RRP $25.00
Brand’s Laira ‘Blockers’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – RRP $25.00

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December 22, 2018 · 3:13 pm

Let’s Taste – By Bodega Geelong Shiraz 2017

I truly love visiting my wholesale customers in Geelong and try to do so as often as I can. They are some of the most welcoming and open-minded wine people I meet, and they have been incredible supporters of my own Vino Intrepido brand. One of my favourites is Union Street Wine in the middle of town, a fantastic wine store and bar that always has new and exciting things to try. I love that Lewis and Andy make some of their own wine as well, and was thrilled to have a chance to taste another wine from their By Bodega range, I’m keen to hear what your thoughts are in the comments below!

Wine tasted;
By Bodega Geelong Shiraz 2017 – RRP $35.00

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December 20, 2018 · 3:47 pm

Let’s Taste – All Saints Estate ‘Bloss’ 2018

Not only have I interviewed Eliza and Angela Brown from All Saints Estate for my podcast The Vincast (https://intrepidwino.com/2017/02/07/the-vincast-episode-115-eliza-angela-brown-from-all-saints-estate/) but I’ve also tasted a few wines submitted by them on previous editions of Let’s Taste. The ‘Bloss’ is a brand new wine released from them recently, so I was thrilled to try something completely new from them! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Wine Tasted;
All Saints Estate ‘Bloss’ 2018 – RRP $26.00
Website – https://www.allsaintswine.com.au

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December 18, 2018 · 2:38 pm

Let’s Taste – Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ 2018 White & Rosé Wines

Nine months after opening the 2017 vintage of the Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ white and rosé wines, I’m looking at the 2018 vintages. For me this is some of the best value on the market as far as Australian wine goes, and as always it is a privilege to be able to share my impressions. Similar to the 2017 wines there are some that stand out over the others, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Wines tasted;
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Riesling 2018 – RRP $15.00
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Sauvignon Blanc 2018 – RRP $15.00
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Pinot Grigio 2018 – RRP $15.00
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Viognier 2018 – RRP $15.00
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Chardonnay 2018 – RRP $15.00
Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Sangiovese Rosé 2018 – RRP $15.00

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December 3, 2018 · 5:10 pm

Let’s Taste – Heartland ‘Director’s Cut’ Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The final in a series looking at new releases from Heartland Wines based in the Langhorne Creek region of South Australia. Ben Glaetzer has been crafting exceptional wines at various price points for many years, and these new ‘Directors Cut’ wines are no exception. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Wines tasted;
Heartland ‘Director’s Cut’ Shiraz 2015 – LUC $33.00
Heartland ‘Director’s Cut’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – LUC $33.00
Website – https://heartlandwines.com.au

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November 26, 2018 · 9:49 pm

Let’s Taste – Heartland ‘Foreign Correspondent’ 2018

I’m always grateful to receive samples from Heartland Wines from the #LanghorneCreek region, as much as I appreciate the opportunity to look at alternative varieties and interesting blends. The #ForeignCorrespondent 2018 encompasses all three of these things, being a blend of Dolcetto and Lagrein, two varieties you are highly unlikely to see together in Italy being that they are from different regions. Here are my impressions of this wine, let me know what your thoughts are, or if you’ve seen these varieties together before!

Wine tasted;
Heartland ‘Foreign Correspondent’ Dolcetto Lagrein 2018 – RRP $25.00

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November 26, 2018 · 12:56 pm