May be a young wine still, but it drank a beauty last night. Mature fruit, less savoury but still Italianate because of the style, and really, really approachable tannins. Drank with Matt Harrop and wife Tamara once the kids had gone to bed. The 2008 is now sold out and the 2009 is out in store. Ha ha I got to drink the last one!
Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo 2008
Available from Enoteca Sileno, 920 Lygon Street, North Carlton
Not bad for an after work drink
Was drinking the Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2009 at my work today. Super intriguing wine and one of a kind in Australia. Also a big fan of his 2009 Gamay. Sorrenberg’s Barry Morey’s humble offerings earn praise year after year, whether it is for his Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon, or his stunning Chardonnay which I constantly pine for. His latest Gamay continues this strong tradition. Intriguingly it contains a small portion of Pinot Noir to combine two French styles of Beaujolais and Burgundy. The result is seamless but remarkably distinct with red berry aromatics tied to a hint of fresh cherry. For something made in the depths of a cellar underneath Barry’s house, the wine is a true delight said by those who know all about it.
FRANKLAND ESTATE Isolation Ridge Riesling 2010
Frankland River, Western Australia
The hardworking team at Frankland Estate have been showcasing the best from this prime vineyard site at Isolation Ridge, which sits on an ironstone ridge with ancient duplex soils of gravel and loam. Not only does it grow their stunning Isolation Ridge Shiraz, but it is also home to their dry-grown vines that are consistently producing a beautiful Riesling. There are graceful floral notes that then pull you into its juicy citrus palate and distinctly spicy ironstone minerality. An absolute cracker from these guys, and one with the bonus potential to age just as distinguishingly.
PUNTERS CORNER Spartacus Reserve Shiraz 2002
Coonawarra, South Australia
Well we all got a bit excited this week at my work when we decided to pull the almighty Spartacus from out of the cellar! It collected a number of accolades back in the day when it was first released, promising the prospect of ageing beautifully. Do you know what? It is still a commanding wine. There is an unmissable dense blackberry and spice core but the tannins have now smoothed to provide a more refined and delicate finish. I’m sure there’d be plenty of people willing to be a slave to such a stellar wine…
Note: You have failed if you did not get the Spartacus reference there…
© All Rights Reserved. By [scara] Andrea, May 12, 2010
(G. Arpino)
Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with a lemon twist.
Don’t let the color fool you. With its gentle pink hue, the Jasminemay look as prissy and cute as a Hello Kitty armband, and its unassuming appearance and sprightly color has no doubt appealed to many drinkers of the once-ubiquitous Cosmo. But unlike that candy-colored alcopop, the Jasmine is all business, its alluring tint supplied not by the Cosmopolitan’s innocuous red cranberry juice but by the intensely garnet Campari, an Italian aperitif famous for its powerful bitter flavour and its racy advertising campaigns.
As anyone who has sampled it will attest, Campari is an acquired taste–some drinkers love its complex bitterness in a Negroni or an Americano, while others are put off by its assertive flavor. Consider the Jasmine a bridge drink: Campari lovers often find this a welcome addition to their cocktail list, while those averse to Campari’s flavour find that its intensity is nicely tempered, and that the Jasmine tastes more like grapefruit juice than the dark red amaro.
1. Mixing OJ and bubbly
Why ruin a good glass of fizz with orange juice? Just serve half a glass on its own, and leave the OJ to those who really need the taste. Same goes for Midori and bubbly. Eeek!
2. Having ice with white wine
Not even on the hottest of days is this allowed – unless the wine is under $5. It ruins the taste and looks stupid. Sink your feet into an ice bucket if it’s that hot, and sink your palate into the real flavours of the wine. Spritzers excepted.
3. Sparkling v champagne
Champagne is the bubbly that comes from the region of Champagne only, in France. That $12 bottle of Jacobs Creek is not.
4. Red wine with lemonade/coke/water
The only people allowed to do this are Italians – usually with their own home brew because it was made in 1986 and there’s still heaps of flagons in the shed.
5. Pouring a bottle straight away
Wine is full of rich, complex intense flavours. You need to let it breathe/decant before it’s at its optimum. I don’t need to explain the concept of foreplay here, but it’s the same thing essentially.
6. Hibiscus flowers and strawberries
Sure it looks fancy mixed with bubbly at those B-list parties but, c’mon… They go to waste and then we’re left to dispose of them on the floor when no one’s looking.
7. Small wine glasses
We’ve come a long way in recent times in realising that wine evolves better and quicker in bigger glasses (see point five). But some restaurateurs still insist on serving top-notch wine in those archaic, shapeless 200ml things. Open up!
8. Drinking wine too cold
The colder your white wine, the less flavour it will impart on your palate. Most whites are drunk way too cold. The more expensive whites should be taken out of the fridge and drunk about 15 minutes later. Try it – you’ll find the flavours are more robust. The same rule can apply for heavily-flavoured, Belgian-style beers.
9. Cheap New Zealand sauvignon blanc
There’s such an over-supply of this NZ grape, particularly from the Marlborough region, that people are confusing good value with good wine. If you really want to try a cracking sauvignon blanc from NZ, give the Cloudy Bay Te Koko a ride. Then try going back to drink that $15 crap.
10. Being scared
It might seem unnatural, but swirling and sniffing your wine (in a big glass) will make the experience of drinking it doubly enjoyable. Get into it, don’t worry about looking like a wine snob. Or of spilling some on your clothes. Embrace what’s in your glass and let it fly open to your senses.
Courtesy of your Daily Wine News
"'Just living is not enough,' said the butterfly. 'One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.'" - Hans Christian Andersen
La Donna del Vino 