The joy of old wines
Part of the charm of great old wines is that they evoke memories.
Wine Spotlights
Akarua’s cracker pinot
This newsletter is groaning with great value AUD $35 pinot noirs – two of them!
Gamay at home on the Peninsula
Their fellow Mornington Peninsula vignerons thought David and Wendy Lloyd of Eldridge Estate were mad planting gamay.
Chatto’s Isle holds its own against big gun Burgundies
Each year for the past three years Jim Chatto has conducted a blind comparative tasting of his Chatto Tasmanian pinot noirs against top-level Burgundies.
Craggy Range Le Sol vertical
I was recently invited to a vertical tasting of every vintage of Craggy Range Le Sol by Air New Zealand, which had purchased the wines at auction.
Hoosegg hears a Hoo
Hoosegg is the new wine of the indefatigable Philip Shaw, a man who is simply one of the most extraordinary characters in the Australian wine industry.
Taylor’s Port – declaring a vintage
Nick Heath, worldwide marketing director for Taylor Fladgate and their sister brands, visited me recently to give me a chance to taste the recently released 2016 vintage port from Taylor’s and Fonseca.
Bags full of Super Tuscan
The call went out from the Brown Paper Bag Club: BYO super-Tuscans to the suburban pizzeria, Napoli In Bocca, and we’ll have some fun.
Mouton and more
Tony Forsyth, founder of Te Whau winery on Waiheke, is a lover of Bordeaux with a particular fetish for the wines of Château Mouton Rothschild.
Te Mata Coleraine in top form
Te Mata Estate Coleraine is one of the greatest New Zealand wines, with a 37-year span of vintages, and, most surprisingly it was a great wine from the very first vintage.