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Wine writer Charles Metcalfe receives the Portuguese Comendador do Ordem do Mérito Empresarial
Good to see Charles Metcalfe receive the Comendador do Ordem do Mérito Empresarial (Classe do Mérito Agrícola) from the Portuguese Government for his sterling work communicating about Portuguese wines. Pictured (right), Charles was presented with his medal of merit by the Portuguese Ambassador in London, Dr João da Vallera on Wednesday. Metcalfe paid tribute to his [...]
Continue reading...Margaret River vintage 2012 & first taste, Leeuwin Estate Prelude Chardonnay 2009
Posted Wednesday 29th February 2012
Sticking with Margaret River after Monday’s write up of Cullen Wine’s 40th Anniversary vertical tasting of Diana Madeline (1981-2010) here, the Margaret River Wine Industry Association sent me a report on the vintage thus far – it’s an early one, two to three weeks ahead of average. And early birds like Cullen have made a start on red [...]
Continue reading...Reaching for the stars: The House of Krone Méthode Cap Classique & Gorgeous by Graham Beck bubbly bar
Posted Friday 24th February 2012
I received a press release this week that Gorgeous by Graham Beck, the first brand-exclusive bubbly bar in South Africa, has opened its doors at Steenberg Hotel in Constantia. I enjoyed a tasting of Steenberg (table) wines at the hotel’s buzzy bistro last November. The Constantia location is ultra stylish so I reckon it’ll definitely be worth [...]
Continue reading...Yarra Valley Shiraz/Syrah: a big thumbs up
Posted Monday 20th February 2012
With no Appellation Controllée system to dictate grape variety, viticulture and winemaking, it’s no holds barred for Australian winemakers. Even if a region shows a particular affinity for a variety or two (take Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Yarra Valley), who’s to say alternative varieties might not be equally exciting? Sure, it makes it [...]
Continue reading...A focus on granite part one: the Dão
Posted Friday 17th February 2012
The impact of soil type on wine is much debated. I’m no scientist, but I was struck by the connections between the Granite Belt in Queensland, Australia (which I visited this week) and Portugal’s Dão region. As you’ve probably guessed, granite is a common feature of both these elevated, mountainous regions. Not just the decomposed [...]
Continue reading...Bucking & following the trend: Spanish steps for Mornington Peninsula’s Crittenden Wines
Posted Wednesday 15th February 2012
I’d had it it mind to have lunch at Movida at the weekend, one of Melbourne’s hot tapas bars. However, it has to be said that, for once, the spirit was unwilling – only because the flesh is all too abundant after two weeks of travelling, eating out and no exercise to speak of! It’s gonna be [...]
Continue reading...First taste: Herdade do Peso Ícone 2007, Sogrape’s new flagship Alentejo red
Posted Monday 13th February 2012
Sogrape is Portugal’s biggest producer. When I say its portfolio is wide-ranging, there’s no better way to lift that off the page than to mention that it makes Barca Velha on the one hand (Portugal’s most expensive wine) and its long time biggest seller, Mateus Rose. With estates hither and thither (and, I might add, [...]
Continue reading...Keep on trucking: a visit with Yarra Valley Chardonnay maestro David Bicknell of Oakridge
Posted Friday 10th February 2012
I caught up with Pinot Noir specialist Bill Downie in the week who reckons it’s high time Australian wines were not referenced to Burgundy et al. Through his involvement in the no expense spared 1000 candles project, he’s set to go red hot at it, making wine which is its own reference point. Though I [...]
Continue reading...First taste: Loire 2011 vintage whites
Posted Wednesday 8th February 2012
It’s the Loire Salon this week which I’m sorry to miss, though looks like I’ve had a lucky escape from a logistical nightmare given the snow. And fortunately, just before I headed down under, Charles & Philippa Sydney’s London Loire roadshow gave me a chance to take a look at the vintage they’ve nick-named ‘Le Grand Ecart’/‘The [...]
Continue reading...England: venue for the next International Cool Climate Symposium
Posted Monday 6th February 2012
I leave Tasmania today after a week of travels. My timing could not have been better - a reference to last week’s International Cool Climate Symposium, not the snow back home! The symposium has given Australia’s only 100% cool climate state a chance to strut its stuff, buoying spirits. With good reason. I’m looking forward to reporting on some fantastic wines [...]
Continue reading...Southern Tasmania – a photo diary
Posted Saturday 4th February 2012
The International Cool Climate Conference in Hobart wrapped up yesterday and I head up Tasmania’s east coast today. I’m told it’s gorgeous but, I must say, the south has been a feast for the eyes! And of course the palate. Here’s a photo diary to give you a feel for my week. [...]
Continue reading...Interviewing Tasmania’s biggest Shiraz producer, Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner Nick Glaetzer
Posted Thursday 2nd February 2012
Drier and warmer than the rest of Tasmania, the southerly Coal River Valley has form when it comes to vinous surprises. Who would have believed Zinfandel could be grown on this cool climate island, less still that Stoney Vineyard’s 1982 Zin (pictured below) would still be in the game. In the 90s, Stoney Vineyard’s then new owners, [...]
Continue reading...February Wines of the Month: Clos Clare Watervale Riesling 2011 & Filipa Pato Nossa Calcario Branco 2010
Posted Wednesday 1st February 2012
There’s a common thread between my February Wines of the Month. Both are made by producers from famous winemaking stock. Clos Clare is made by Sam, Tom and Olivia Barry whose dad is Peter Barry of Jim Barry (their grandfather), while Filipa Pato is Luis Pato’s daughter. Here are my notes on the wines: Clos [...]
Continue reading...Tasmania: toying with perceptions
Posted Tuesday 31st January 2012
Two days in and Tasmania is already toying with my perceptions. On Sunday, Hobart, the capital of this cool climate region hit 31 degrees. And so far, with the notable exception of Pressing Matters (who make four Rieslings ranging from bone dry to fully sweet, pictured), local Rieslings have been bone dry. Most surprising of all, there’s no great [...]
Continue reading...First taste: Clos Clare & Shobbrook 2011 Rieslings, plus other cracking Aussie Rieslings
Posted Monday 30th January 2012
I arrived in Tasmania yesterday, my first visit since 2004. Really looking forward to exploring this great natural beauty over the next week in and amongst sessions at the International Cool Climate Conference. This week I’m based in Hobart (harbour pictured), so visiting southern producers, yesterday, Craigow, today Pressing Matters among others. Jeffrey Grosset selected [...]
Continue reading...The new cabinet: wine of course!
Posted Monday 23rd January 2012
I’ve been on the look out for a freestanding, capacious wine cabinet for ages, especially after a puny pine rack collapsed, adding 1970s style swirl to the carpet! There are plenty of temperature cooled cabinets, but they were too expensive given my budget, unnecessary for short-term storage and not wildy eco-friendly all things considered. My [...]
Continue reading...Ageing very well: New Douro older vintages & maiden wines
Posted Friday 20th January 2012
Wednesday’s New Douro tasting threw up some delightful surprises. Though focused on the latest (red) releases from the 2009 vintage (which I’d already tasted in December), museum stocks had been generously raided, providing an opportunity to taste among the very first New Douro table wines. And they were thrilling, reinforcing what a very prodigious and precocious talent this traditional Port [...]
Continue reading...Beat the clock: Eben Sadie, a man on a mission
Posted Thursday 19th January 2012
You only have to turn the clock back a dozen years to date the Sadie Family’s first wine, Columella 2000, yet Eben Sadie has the air of the wise old man of the Swartland. As well he might. In his quest to identify the best terroir and do it full justice, the man works double-time, [...]
Continue reading...Cool climate Syrah, Riesling and Pais on winning form at the 9th Annual Wines of Chile Awards
Posted Monday 16th January 2012
The results of the 9th Annual Wines of Chile Awards were announced on Friday. Syrah from the now not so new northern cool climate regions of Limarí, Elqui are continuing to make waves as they did when I judged in 2008. Viña Tamaya’s Winemaker’s Selection Syrah 2010 (Limarí Valley) landed the Best in Show trophy and Viña [...]
Continue reading...First taste: Coriole Fiano 2011, ‘Best White Wine in Show,’ McLaren Vale Wine Show
Posted Wednesday 11th January 2012
Say what you like about the 2011 vintage in Australia, but the whites I’ve tasted have been terrific. Coriole Fiano 2011, which recently scooped ’Best White Wine in Show’ at McLaren Vale Wine Show, is no exception. And before I sing the praises of the Fiano, for an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of this atypical vintage, [...]
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Posted Saturday 3rd March 2012
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