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
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
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
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
The Morris Winery in the Northern Victorian region of Rutherglen has a significant amount of history, and was an important contributor to the success of Australian wines in the past, particularly in the context of fortified wines. These incredible gems take serious skill and patience to come together, and are woefully unappreciated by wine consumers these days. I was privileged to have an opportunity to taste the Classic Topaque when Casella Family Brands sent me a sample, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below.
Wine tasted;
Morris Classic Liqueur Topaque NV – RRP $25.00 (375ml)
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
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
A podcast about wine, wine culture and wine people. Every week a different guest from the wine industry joins host The Intrepid Wino (aka James Scarcebrook) for a casual chat about the world of wine.
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