wbw #54 - a passion for Piedmont

It was all planned. Our monthly Wednesday-night catch-up fell on 18 February and we were good to go. Down to the City Wine Shop was the plan, browse the shelves, enlist the help of the staff to find ourselves a good Piedmontese wine, sit at the bar or outside overlooking Parliament, put the world to rights, and do our selected bottle proud.

Then, on 7 February, our world changed utterly. As the bushfires raged all around Melbourne, we got to work and didn't look back. WBW, in fact everything else in life, took a back seat. We worked fourteen hours a day, fell into bed, did it all again the next morning.



Ten days in one of us saw the diary entry reminding us of our original date. We were still swamped in Red Cross operations but decided to make our best effort to meet that night for a few hours of normality amidst the madness.

City Wine Shop was too ambitious an objective: too far away even though it is only a couple of miles. We needed somewhere closer to the office.

In the end, we grabbed a couple of hours at a local restaurant, Rubicon, on Errol Street. It has recently changed hands and the food was average at best but we didn't care.

Piedmontese wine was not in evidence on the limited wine list. No matter. We chose an old reliable, a bottle of 2006 Buckshot from Heathcote - nothing in common with the Piedmont region but the best we could do. That winery would have faced its own problems on 7 February. Much of Victoria's wine industry has been seriously affected, with vineyards gone up in flames and a lot of what is left shrivelled in the intense heat.


We sat quietly and raised our glasses, to each other, to those much more deeply affected than us, to the future.

WBW #50 - The Great Outdoors

Russ Beebe from Winehiker Witiculture asked:

Imagine you and your significant wineau walking in the cool woods of Autumn. An
amber glow lights your path, golden leaves fall around you, and as you walk,
you’re working up a sizable hunger for that post-hike picnic you’ve got planned.
Not to mention that sizable thirst! Which wine will you pour in the Great
Outdoors?

So what are my thoughts on this wine blogging question?

Well, I have lived in Australia for the past three years. Having lived in Ireland and the UK most of my life, the novelty of living slap-bang in the centre of a major wine-growing region has not worn off yet.

To my west I have Shadowfax winery not 30km away, my sister’s local wintery and one of my favourites. Further west into the Grampians we have amazing full-bodied reds. East to the Yarra Valley gives us plenty of pinot noir and excellent sparkling wines – Domaine Chandon has a winery there. Up in the King Valley and Rutherglen the reds are wonderful but the tokays and muscats are breathtaking. North-west of home brings me to Heathcote, one of my favourite areas for picking up reds of great quality.

Closer to home, about an hour’s drive away are the Macedon Ranges. A beautiful ridge of mountain overlooks the city. Walking trails criss-cross the landscape, or you can head a little further over to Daylesford, the heart of spa country, for a more lazy sort of weekend.

Hanging Rock is an extinct volcanic outcrop made famous by the movie “Picnic at Hanging Rock” back in the eighties. It’s a good place for a Sunday afternoon yomp in summer or winter. You’ll see plenty of wallabies hopping around, and the cockatoos are cheeky but entertaining.

Nearby, Hanging Rock winery is small and welcoming. John Ellis and his wife run a tight ship, with their grown-up son and daughter also playing key roles in the business. A good day out would be to park at Hanging Rock, climb to the top and take in the views, then stroll down the Lancefield-Woodend Road to the Hanging Rock winery on Jim Road. It’s only about forty-five minutes at a comfortable pace.

There, the wines to be tasted abound, but reserve a place for their 2005 Heathcote Shiraz. I have a magnum of the stuff which I could use for my wine hike, which I won at Hanging Rock Winery’s 2008 winter luncheon.

It is coming into spring here in Australia, so our picnic would be a more hopeful springtime event. Our wine would be accompanied by plenty of local produce – olives, salamis, fresh local bread, and eaten under a flawless blue sky with plenty of sunscreen to protect against our hole in the ozone layer.

We could use the barbecues at Hanging Rock to cook a few Bullboar sausages, a rare recipe handed down from Swiss-Italian immigrants who live nearby. They don’t make them on the Swiss-Italian border anymore, so Australia is the keeping place for this ancient tradition.

However, they recommend not to open this huge wine for at least five if not more years… what to do?

The Cambrian Rise 2005 Heathcote Shiraz is not a bad second choice. Drinking well now, and about a third of the price of the Heathcote Shiraz, it is worth opening two or more and sharing with friends. And that is what I shall do.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #49

Dhonig of 2 Days Per Bottle hosted Wine Blogging Wednesday #49. He chose a politically-themed topic for September’s tasting: A toast to the end of the Bush Era:

"What will you drink to toast the end of the Bush era? Will it be something to honor the 43rd President, or are you just looking forward to 44? Will it be something from Texas, which Bush calls home, or Connecticut, where he was really raised? Maybe a nice French champagne, a bit of a poke in his eye? Or do you prefer Italian prosecco, since they supported the “War on Terror”? Whatever it is, get ready to lift a glass and toast the end of an era that America will never forget."

I missed the deadline for posting, but here were some of the suggestions from Melbourne and further afield:

Sam wrote:
What shall I toast the demise of dubbya with? That’s easy. The same wine I toasted the downfall of John Winston Howard with. A wine of commensurable quality for these scumbags: Cat’s Piss Reserve, matured for a couple of days in Footscray rotted fence wood and left to decant for a couple of weeks in a VB tinny! Anyone thirsty?
But what if McCain gets in?...
On a serious note I would toast it with a lovely Pinot Noir of Mornington or Tassie persuasion. Nothing takes my mind off politics like a good wine….

Mena wrote:
I would love to be able to celebrate Obama’s success with a bottle of pinot NOIR from African-American winemakers Esterlina Vineyards in California.

John wrote:
Something French and vinegary for the downfall of the 43rd.
Something sweet and cosmopolitan for the Obama victory, perhaps a late harvest job.
Arsenic for a McPalin victory.

Eileen wrote:
I think we have to go for an Australian wine and it has to be Shiraz for the middle eastern link.
How about Bush Bike Shiraz from WA? We could rename it 'Bush, on your Bike' Shiraz for the day!

Annette wrote (the only serious response!):
Craggy Range single vineyard from Gimblett Gravels vineyard in Hawkes Bay NZ. It is called Te Kahu and is from 2005 - what a wine - 78.8% merlot and 21.2% cabernet sauvignon - mmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!

I am still thinking about my final response: my shortlist for the Demise of the 43rd includes:

• Regardless of who wins, to bid farewell to Dubya, perhaps Touch O' Coffin Chardonnay or Supreme Afterlife Shiraz from Little Morgue Winery on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Australia's quirkiest winery has a sense of humour: this one-time morgue has been transformed into one of the most unique cellar doors in the country, with its original Gothic chapel serving as a wine tasting room and art gallery. You can even dine at the Cadavery Cafe!
• Anything from Giant Steps winery in Healesville, if the USA takes the giant step we want them to and elects Obama... their sister winery is called Innocent Bystander (motto: "It wasn't me" which is probably what Bush will insist for years to come)
• If we are waiting on a knife-edge for the Supreme Court to give us a result (again), we can say a prayer and sip on a Last Ditch viognier from d'Arenberg in McLaren Vale.
• And if the worst happens and McCain-Palin get in, it has to be Wirra Wirra's The Angelus cabernet sauvignon (because God help us) .

WBW#30 - the verdict

WBW this month was right up my alley. Living in Victoria, Australia, I am surrounded by more shiraz wineries than I know what to do with. Luckily, I had just stocked up on two of my favourites just before WBW#30 was announced.

A girls’ night in at Glenda’s house was just the venue for our tasting. We had three bottles to hand:

Paulett’s Polish Valley Shiraz 2001 (Clare Valley, South Australia) – one of Noela’s favourite drops
Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2003 (Grampians, Victoria)
Candlebark Hill Shiraz 2005 (Macedon Ranges, Victoria) – my favourite

We started with the Mount Langi. This is the affordable shiraz in the winery’s range, and it is a classic shiraz, all berries and pepper (other tasting notes refer to coffee flavours but I didn’t get that). The grapes for the Cliff Edge wines are selected from local small producers with younger vines, who do things by hand. While 2003 was a late vintage in that region, Mount Langi Ghiran was one of the last to harvest, and it shows.

The result is a smooth, classic Shiraz with the signature spiciness/pepperiness so often found in Grampians wines.

Our second bottle was the Paulett’s Polish Valley Shiraz 2001. It followed on well from the Mount Langi, and the few extra years in bottle were apparent: a really smooth red. Lots of fruit flavours, less spicy than the Mount Langi but more loaded with tannins. I liked it.

Our final bottle was my local hero, the Candlebark Hill Shiraz 2005. I love this little winery in the Macedon Ranges – it is one of the closest wineries to our house, and I buy direct from the winery owner, David, at Victoria Market. They say that the Macedon Ranges is at the “sharp end” of cool-climate viticulture, but it turns out the soils of the northern Macedon Ranges is perfect for cool-climate shiraz. And Candlebark Hill is a classic example.

I brought some of this wine home to Ireland last year. My brother opened his two bottles on Christmas Day, and subsequently told me it was the best wine he had ever tasted (and he has drunk his share of shiraz). This wine is rich, full-bodied, and almost assaults your taste buds from the first mouthful. After the highly-regarded 2001 Paulett’s one might have expected to miss the nuances, but Noela’s first sip stopped her in her tracks. The Candlebark Hill shiraz may not be long past bottle-shock, but it displays an unexpected maturity and roundness of flavour that is hard to beat. It’s what brings me back to this boutique winery again and again: they have not let me down for six or seven years now.

They make pretty delicious muscats and tokays too, but that’s for another WBW…

Next evening we continued our WBW weekend (as it was turning out to be) at our local Thai restaurant with our mates Sam and Amanda. Sam had brought along another favourite of mine, Pepperjack Shiraz. Pepperjack is a stalwart of the Barossa Valley area in South Australia, taking its grapes from fairly old vines in the Barossa and Eden valleys. It is another firm favourite of mine. It is a beautiful ruby red in colour and never fails to impress. Another classic shiraz with plenty of plummy fruits and spices, and maybe a touch of liquorice. Pepperjack is consistent and elegant and will always have a place on my wine rack.

WBW#30 kicks off

Winecast is hosting this month's WBW, which is on the wonderful topic of New World Shiraz. Now, this is a topic I can really run with.

I already have a girls' night out lined up for Friday night, and I happen to two have to fantastic local Shirazes to hand, so it is looking good.

The first is my old favourite Candlebark Hill from the Macedon Ranges north of Melbourne. We will be trying the 2005 vintage which has already been drinking quite well. I stocked up at the Queen Vic night market the other night, served by the owner himself, David.

The second is a new favourite of mine, the affordable shiraz label from Mount Langi Ghiran in the Grampians region north-west of Melbourne (we also love their main label shiraz but at $55 a bottle it's certainly a special occasion drink). We passed the winery on the way home from a trip to the mountains last weekend and I picked up a few bottles of their 2003 Cliff Edge shiraz. Arlene and I had a bottle of this at Stokehouse the other night and it's gorgeous.

Read the official tasting notes here next week! If you want to participate, simply head over to Winecast and read the rules, then either send your tasting notes to him directly, or I'll be happy to post your opinions here on FUOB.

wine blogging wednesday #28

City Wine Shop is a lovely new addition to Melbourne's wine world. Right next door to the famous European restaurant, it is a small but friendly place to buy wine by the bottle, partake in tastings and classes, or simply enjoy a great wine platter with a glass or two of an evening after work.

Noela, Mena and I took our wine blogging work seriously. We'd researched where we could be sure of getting more than one sparkling wine by the glass, so that we could try more than one on the night without breaking the bank. On a warm summer's evening we convened seriously at a sidewalk table, and our waitress Theresa helped us choose.

Our first choice was a Yering Station Yarrabank 2001, the most expensive on the list at $11 a glass. Australia is well known for its excellent quality sparkling wines (although to be honest we seem to keep the good stuff for consumption on these shores). We were hoping for a Party Sparkler or even a Special Sparkler from this one.

How disappointed we were. After the first sip we looked quizzically at each other. It actually didn't taste of anything much. Our notes of the evening stated: "Neither dry nor sweet. Bitter after-taste. Bland."

Theresa could see we were disappointed, and offered us our choice of any of the sparkling wines being poured by the European as well as the City Wine Shop's selection. We chose a Pol Clement Brut, a French "vin mousseux" but not from the Champagne region. It was $8 a glass and I was expecting a Dud or perhaps a Party Sparkler if we were lucky.

Sensational! This wine had a fresh floral aroma and a crisp taste. The bubbles persisted for as long as it took to drain the glass. So we did. Then we ordered another, and then we threw caution to the wind and ordered a bottle: At $16 a pop (plus corkage), who wouldn't?

We sat for the whole evening watching the world go by, the Pol Clement flowing along with the conversation.

Every twenty minutes or so the Indian tram they commissioned for the Commonwealth Games floated past, lights ablaze. The lights of the Parliament building opposite made a fitting backdrop in the summer night.

Count us in for the next WBW!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #28

Brenda at Culinary Fool is the host for the December WBW. And what a topic it is!

Festive Sparkling Wines must be the very best topic for a pre-Christmas excuse for a drinking - sorry, tasting - session.

Who's with me?

If you're in Melbourne let me know if you are up for a Sparkling Night Out, and if you are elsewhere in the world why not stock up on an interesting bottle of bubbly or two amongst mates, taste and test and send in your report!

Wine Blogging Wednesday: WBW#26

I was on vacation for the first opportunity to get involved with this, so my sister Mena obliged.

As I prefer white wine and as there was no chance of even sampling something nice from Long Island (I'm in Australia), I decided to go with an Italian white.

There were a total of TWO Italian wines at my local bottle shop !! That is to say that they actually came from Italy - we're very lax in our descriptions over here and there were quite a number of "Italian" wines. They were both around the same price - the same price I paid for a box of six bottles of locally grown cleanskin chardonnay by the way - and didn't seem noticeably different, so I picked the one in the prettiest bottle.

The wine I selected was :
CANEI
Vino Prizzante
Mellow White Wine
8.5% Alc./Vol.

The description on the bottle said : "The semi sweet white wine generously rich and full with a delightful clean aftertaste : the ideal companion for good food and every happy occasion".

By the time Wednesday came around I was looking forward to enjoying my nicely chilled bottle of choice with some Garlic Chilli Prawns and a Greek salad.

Boy was I disappointed !!! First thing I noticed was how light the colour was (think water) and that it seemed to be slightly effervescent. "Okaaay - refreshing" I thought and took an initial swig. Let me describe the taste like this ...... you know the really cheap sickly sweet Asti Spumante that you swigged by the neck in secret before High School dances (or was that just me) ? ... think sweeter, sicklier !! Think molasses mixed with water in a bottle !!

I had to leave it alone that night ... it was ruining the taste of my prawns ... but I tried it again the next day with the same result. Then not wanting to give up, I left it to try again as an afternoon drink with lunch on Saturday, which somehow didn't seem so bad.

I can't say what else it tasted of because the treacle/molasses/sugar taste overrode every other taste.

If this wine were a tree it would be a sugar plum.

As far as I am concerned this wine would only be nice if used as an addition to trifle.