Category: Victoria

Once again a merry band of men and women from the Winestar Forum met up in order to enjoy some food and wine. The Restaurant: I quite liked the restaurant; my entree of Balmain Bug Raviolo was excellent and was perfect for the white wines. Wasn’t quite as impressed with the main of Char-grilled Sirloin […]

I was pleased to share some excellent wine over a couple of nights recently with some friends who enjoy drinking it, but perhaps aren’t quite as obsessed with it as I am. From left to right: Bannockburn Shiraz 2002 – ($50 – Geelong, Victoria): Earthy and stalky with spice and pepper, well balanced oak lending […]

Fast Facts: Country: Australia Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Winemaker: Nick Farr Variety: 100% Pinot Noir Closure: Cork RRP: $35 AU For my birthday this year, I went to dinner at the brand new Glass restaurant at the refurbished Hilton Sydney. The head chef at Glass is Luke Mangan, well known chef who has opened Sydney […]

Another wine dinner with the good people from the Winestar Forum. This time we convened at the Castel Mola Italian Restaurant at Leichhardt. The Wines: Once again, most wines were served masked. Egly-Ouriet Tradition NV – Disgorged Sept 2004 (Champagne, France): A fantastic way to start the evening. Fine and focused with great length. Visibly […]

Fast Facts: Country: Australia Region: Drumborg, Victoria Winemaker: Arthur O’Connor Variety: Pinot Gris Closure: Screwcap Bought For: $20 AU Wine Blogging Wednesday #10 is being hosted by Alice of My Adventures in the Breadbox and the theme that she selected was white wines that are made from Pinot grapes such as Pinot Gris or Pinot […]

Fast Facts: Country: Australia Region: Pyrenees and Heathcote, Victoria Winemaker: Steve Flamsteed Variety: 95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier Oak: 16 months – French Closure: Cork RRP: $20 AU This is the first time that Yarra Burn has produced a Shiraz with a Viognier component. As I’ve mentioned before, it seems to be the current trend amongst […]

Fast Facts: Country: Australia State: Victoria Region: Blend of Bendigo, Grampians, Pyrenees Winemaker: Arthur O’Connor Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Closure: Screwcap Oak: 21 months in French oak Bought for: $19AU This product marks the re-launch of Moyston Cabernet in Australia. For the past few years it was relegated to an “export only” label and sold […]

Fast Facts: Country: Australia State: Victoria Region: Blend of Tumbarumba, Drumborg, Yarra Valley. Winemaker: Arthur O’Connor Variety: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier Closure: Cork Bought for: $22AU I’m a firm believer in opening a bottle of sparkling wine whenever the mood takes you, even if the special occasion is nothing more than having made it […]

Australians love supporting the underdog against the favourite, be it in sport, music, business or anything else. How come then, all of a sudden, everyone is riding the Seppelt wave, part of the largest wine company in Australia, Southcorp? Even the champions of the boutique wineries have caught on, with Winefront Monthly doing two articles […]

The conditions at these events can be a bit unforgiving to wines, there is often a large crowd of people, it can be noisy and some people may be wearing strong perfume or aftershave. The glasses are frequently undersized, and no matter how much water you drink, your palate will eventually become fatigued from the […]