Words from a Wine Glass

2013 Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise Shiraz Blend

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Tony Peters

We have been to the Wirra Wirra cellar door in McLaren Vale (which won’t come as a surprise to many who know me) and again we had a great experience. I suppose we were lucky because, being the only ones there at the time, the lady behind the counter was terrific. We had her undivided attention. The other thing that impressed me was, we were able to taste every wine free (we walked away with some goodies too).

When you do taste their range and get to the flagship wines, you tend to forget how good a value this range of wines are.

Firstly, I love the label. I mean, how cool is it! Admittedly there is a story behind it so go to the website and check it out.

As much as I would like to tell you what I saw in this wine, it is much easier for me to say, it is a very easy wine to drink. For the price, it gives you plenty and does so in a humble sort of way. I also have to admit, this is the first time I have bought it since tasting it at the cellar door three or four years ago.

If you want a good wine that has lots of plummy colours and aromas. You’ve got it. If you want a wine that gives you a nice juicy, soft, slightly sweet (fruit), smooth palate. You’ve got it. Anything you want in a great value wine, you’ve got it tucked neatly under a screwcap. Lap it up!

Region: McLaren & Fleurieu Price: $15 Source: Bottle Shop

http://wirrawirra.com/

Posted in Red Blends | Leave a comment

2015 Freycinet Riesling

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Tony Peters

The Freycinet vineyard was planted in 1979 by Geoff & Susan Bull and was the first commercial winery on the East Coast of Tasmania. They started what is now an area dotted with many established vineyards and cellar doors producing great wines.

Claudio Radenti and his life partner Lindy Bull now make the wines under the Freycinet and Louis labels. All of their wines are made with particular attention to detail, great cellaring potential and regularly receive high scores from journalists.

Freycinet produce high quality wines including this uniquely Tasmanian Riesling. Not because it says so on the label but because it is distinctly varietal. Fresh, floral, clean, citrusy, lemons, lemons and lemons with a touch of lime.

It seems to go on forever on the palate, so much so you want the flavours to stop so you can have another sip of it.

This latest release from the Freycinet stable is so young and raw it probably should be called ‘Riesling Tartare’. A truly delightful Riesling that will live, well, probably longer than me if left to rest.

Region: Tasmania Cost: $26 (website) Source: Wine tasting leftover

http://www.freycinetvineyard.com.au/

Posted in Riesling | Leave a comment

2015 Rogers & Rufus Grenache Rosé

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Tony Peters

Go onto the website and read about these two fellows. Rogers (fisherman) and Rufus (surfer) sound like a couple of dudes that clearly are enjoying life and love making wine. The other pretty cool thing is, they make one wine. This wine. And they do a mighty fine job of it.

The (almost) fluorescent pink colour is just great and make sure you have a good whiff of it. It is quite an aromatic rosé and you’ll find yourself wanting to reach for some cream or ice cream because the first thing you’ll get is fresh strawberries.

When I tasted it, I got the strawberries again but with a savoury, sort of spicy, cherry flavour too with a soft citrusy, slightly acidic finish.

The worst part about this wine is you just seemed to want to keep drinking it. This may have been exacerbated by the fact it was 31 degrees in Hobart yesterday when we opened it. Regardless of this fact, it’s extremely moreish!

Region: Barossa Valley Price: $17.95 Source: Gift

https://www.rogersandrufus.com/

Posted in Other Reds | Leave a comment

2008 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Tony Peters

John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon has been around since 1982 and was produced to be a flagship wine for Wynns Coonawarra Estate. It is only released in the years when the grapes are of an exceptionally high quality with less than 1% of the top Cabernet grapes considered good enough for this wine.

I will repeat that. Less than 1% of top Cabernet grapes are considered good enough for this wine. That should tell you just what sort of quality we are talking about.

It is a deep, dark, glossy, inky looking wine that relished being decanted. I think even the decanter straightened its back, puffed out it’s chest and raised it’s chin out of pride to be chosen to be part of this wine.

There are dark fruits galore on the nose and palate with every facet (fruit, wood, tannins) playing a part but working beautifully together.

I found it to be quite a concentrated wine but gee it was elegant, silky smooth and long, long, long on the finish.

Okay it’s not cheap (normally) but, with an iconic wine which is given the treatment it deserves, you are paying for what you get. Quality with a capital ‘Q’.

Region: Coonawarra Price: $150 (my brother & I paid $75) Source: Bottle Shop

https://www.wynns.com.au/

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon | Leave a comment

2015 Main & Cherry Grüner Veltliner

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Tony Peters

Main & Cherry kicked off in 2009 with their own single vineyard shiraz from grapes planted in 1996. Situated on the corner of Main & Cherry Gardens Roads, at Cherry Gardens, in the picturesque Adelaide Hills.

After graduating with an Oenology degree from Adelaide University in 2003, and getting some experience in some McLaren Vale wineries, Mike Sexton was keen to make his own wines including alternative varieties like this one.

Grüner Veltliner does very well in the Adelaide Hills and, coupled with an ethusiastic winemaker, it is no surprise that this is a very good wine.

On the nose, this wine was almost pinot gris/gewurztraminer like with with pear and light turkish delight flavours (something my mother loved) with a touch of spice. At the family gathering where I shared it, somebody said it was like smelling little white flowers at the beginning of Spring.

This was pretty much how it tasted too (except the flowers bit) and it proved to be a big hit with my family and a few other friends who were there. I liked that it finished dry and the flavours hung around a fair bit too. Ticked all the boxes.

Region: Adelaide Hills Price: $25 Source: Swap

Home

Posted in Other Whites | Leave a comment

2015 De Bortoli Bella Riva Sangiovese Rosé

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Tony Peters

The De Bortoli family and their wines need no introduction but what I will say is, they were established in 1928 and are still family owned with the third generation keeping the tradition going producing quality wines in every price range.

Sangiovese is probably the most widely planted grape variety in Italy (155,000 acres) and is used in a wide variety of wine styles. The most common is in Chianti. I was surprised to read on Vinodiversity (www.vinodiverity.com) just how many Australian wineries are using and/or growing sangiovese.

We much prefer our rosé dry and this one fits the bill perfectly for us. It is an inviting blush red colour like the cheeks of my (currently teething) grandson. The nose was a bit closed but when the wine warmed a little, cherries introduced themselves and it just got better from there. The palate was savoury and dry and I detected a hint of spice but that may have been due to the bruschetta I was eating at the time.

We opened this wine just after 4.00pm. We had had a busy day doing things around the house and it was a beautiful afternoon in Hobart. We wanted something to drink but it needed to be more than a white wine and red wine was not an option because we wanted something refreshing. My wife got out some olives, cheese and bruschetta and that’s when I remembered I had this wine in the fridge downstairs. It made for a perfect lead in to our Saturday night at home.

Region: King Valley Price: $18 Source: Gift

http://www.debortoli.com.au/

Posted in Other Reds | Leave a comment

2012 d’Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Tony Peters

In 1912, Joseph Osborn made the difficult decision to sell his most prized horse, Footbolt, to purchase what is now the d’Arenberg property. I’ve no idea how hard it must have been but, dare I say it, I’m glad he did.

This wine is named in honour of Footbolt.

The cellar door at d’Arenberg is a terrific experience. If you are driving, make sure you spit most of what you taste because they allow you to try every wine in their portfolio. Yep, every single one. My memory is a bit hazy but, I think there were a ‘million’ of them.

The make up of this wine can have fruit from vines up to 100 years old. Now, I heard a saying once that went something like, “The vines aren’t good because they are old. They are old because they are good”, and d’Arenberg must have some very good grape vines.

Sometimes I wonder how my mind works but, if you put lots of freshly picked blackberries, blueberries and blood plums into a bowl of full cream vanilla ice cream into a bowl, then a squirt of chocolate ice magic over the top, that about sums this wine up. It is just so (dark) fruity, creamy and a little chocolatey.

I used to buy this wine regularly because of what you get for such a small price and I have no idea why I haven’t done so lately. I will have to change that. Great value.

Region: McLaren Vale Price: $18 Source: Wine Show box (purchased)

http://www.darenberg.com.au/

Posted in Shiraz | Leave a comment

2014 Chapel Hill Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Tony Peters

Michael Fragos, Chief Winemaker at Chapel Hill, has quietly gone about making wine yet most people I know would be oblivious to the fact he has been awarded the Bushing King three times. The most recent, in 2010, was jointly won with Bryn Richards, also a winemaker at Chapel Hill.

In between being awarded the Bushing King, he was crowned the world’s winemaker of the year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London in 2007!

I can remember Michael Fragos when he was at Tatachilla in the 1990’s making the Keystone Grenache Shiraz blend. A wine that was a regular in James Halliday’s Top 100. He clearly has a knack with blending varieties that love each others company.

This grenache (60%), shiraz (30%), mourvèdre (10%) blend is all about enjoying a wine while it is young, fruity and fresh. It sounds strange I know but, it seems such a happy wine. It could easily be the life of your next barbeque. It also has what it takes to cellar for the medium term thanks to having plenty of luscious fruit and just enough tannin but, for a wine that costs $25, why would you. As it says on the back label, “to be enjoyed with gusto”…and I did with homemade pizza built from the base up.

Region: McLaren Vale Price: $25 ($20 if you join their wine club) Source: Swap

Home

Posted in Red Blends | Leave a comment

NV DIVICI Prosecco DOC

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Tony Peters

I have no doubt I’m am going to cop some criticism for my next comment and it may well show my naivety with some wines. I have not bothered with Prosecco because I thought it was in the same category as Moscato just spelt differently. I also have to admit, I didn’t bother to find out if they were different.

Thanks to a good mate, I received this as a gift and, you know what, it was a very pleasant surprise. I may well be convinced to try some others.

Firstly, who has heard of the grape variety Glera? If you answered yes, my reply would be, “Really?” If you answered no, welcome to my world. Wikipedia tells me the Romans were great fans. If the Italians keep making it like this, count me in.

Initially it didn’t impress me but that was my fault. It was too cold. I left it out of the fridge for a short while and when it started to ‘warm’ a lot more flavours appeared. Think of sparkling Chardonnay but with a touch,and I mean a touch, of fruit sweetness. It was quite delicate and, to quote my wife, “soft to drink”. A perfect aperitif I must say.

De Bortoli are the main avenue for this wine but, if you google it, you should find it in bottleshops for around $15 which is a damn good price for this well presented, tasty bubbly.

Region: Italy Price: $15 Source: Gift

http://www.debortoli.com.au

Posted in Sparkling Wine | Leave a comment

2015 Chapel Hill Vermentino

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Tony Peters

This is from the Chapel Hill website. “Chapel Hill winery takes its name from the historic ironstone chapel built on the property in 1865. It has served as a local church, then parish school and now, our graceful cellar door and art gallery.” Cheating a little bit I know but, sometimes, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel.

We have visited the cellar door and it is a terrific setting. The high ceilings and open area for the tasting is very inviting and comfy, the staff are congenial and certainly know their stuff. When you go there for the first time, there will be subsequent visits, believe me.

I received this wine today as the result of a swap and I couldn’t help myself. I was keen to try it.

Now, I have had next to no vermentino (except a very good sparkling & still version from Yelland & Papps) in my time so that added to my enthusiasm. I found it quite interesting. Thankfully, it wasn’t overly cold which I know helps with showing the true flavours of white wine.

It wasn’t shy at all and was quite aromatic straight up. It’s a fruity number that definitely wanted to be noticed because there was a very pleasant texture on the palate that seemed to linger long enough to suck you in (but in a good way) for more. But, sadly, I don’t got no more.

Join the club at http://www.chapelhillwine.com.au and you will only pay $20 for this winner. Good work Mr Fragos.