Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[TheRealTMA]

Fabulous Mornington Chardonnay. Cellared well, could take another 5-10 years. Excellent drinking, mellow melon nose,nice peach and lemon on palate, very well integrated wine.

 

[afro]

From cellarmaster eotysale,under $19 a bottle , why not open one?.

Very drinkable at this young stage ,no sign of any green herb or grass on the palate,good dark fruits and long finish.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Just opened to breathe for 2 hrs. Quick taste just now- extraordinary.

 

[boomy]

Starting the week with Shiraz. Much like it’s big brother ‘Block 6’, this 02 Hillside is a big and heavy drop that needs to be decanted for at least two hours. By no means an easy drinking red, better have it with food, preferably something with rich sauce.

 

[afro]

Starting the week with Shiraz. Much like it’s big brother ‘Block 6’, this 02 Hillside is a big and heavy drop that needs to be decanted for at least two hours. By no means an easy drinking red, better have it with food, preferably something with rich sauce.

View attachment 131869

This is a really good buy from auctions, bought mine at around $26, had one with slow cook chuck steak,can’t say it was a prefect pair but it taste great together.

 

[JohnM]

A Brazilian Merlot at my pousada in the Pantanal tonight. Surprisingly good, given the limited selection at this mid-level accommodation. Classic Merlot chocolatey notes and richness.

 

[Sedimental]

Wasn't that keen on the 2012 Thousand Candles Shiraz/Pinot Noir but the rest of the line up was good.

 

[blackcat20]

Quite the lineup with TV, ALH and GPH.

 

[Steady]

Quite the lineup with TV, ALH and GPH.
View attachment 132319

Very nice, how was the Devils Corner sparkling? Haven’t tried it but I like their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

 

[JessicaTam]

Quite the lineup with TV, ALH and GPH.
View attachment 132319

Ten bottles! I'm not surprised you couldn't finish them all.

 

[blackcat20]

Ten bottles! I'm not surprised you couldn't finish them all.

The last one had turned and we elected not to consume it.

There was also a Two Hands dessert wine not shown in the photo

 

[blackcat20]

Very nice, how was the Devils Corner sparkling? Haven’t tried it but I like their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

I'm not sure I drank any of it, sorry.

 

[JohnM]

When in Brazil, slurp the local product. Another very good Merlot with Sunday night gorgonzola-rich pizza. Worked a treat.

 

[JohnM]

More slurping a little Brazilian in Brazil...

First, last night at The Belmond Hotel within the Brazil side of the Iguassu Falls park.

It turns out that Merlot is regarded as Brazil’s specialty red wine, which I must confess I hadn’t been previously aware of - and it supports my experience of trying Merlot here.

This one was more refined and a little lighter-bodied than what I had tried previously. An old-style not-PC descriptor may have been ‘feminine’.





Tonight it was back to the Italian trattoria as it seems to be the go-to place in my area (Vo Bertila Pizza & Pasta).

Foz do Iguacu is tourist central, so it’s hard to find somewhere with a bit of style. They queue up at this place like you would not believe. Clearly they have identified a market. I had to wait about 30 mins even at about 1900h - but a caipirinha, as always, made the time slip by.

This one was a Cab Sauv/Merlot blend (60:40). The cork disintegrated, so the waiter decanted it - to the amazement of the guy on the adjacent table.

An interesting wine that took a while to open up. Astringent and tannic typical of CS on first taste, but that was quickly washed away by the plush feel of the Merlot that filled the mid and back palate. A quite distinctive two-stage feel. Rather nice and a bit different.

Hmmm - one more night in Brazil. I think I’ll go back to my favourite place tomorrow night and rummage further in their wine list.

 

[JohnM]

For my last night in Brazil an absolutely outstanding Brazilian Merlot at my favourite trattoria right now. While all the other Merlots I’ve tried have been good, this is head and shoulders above the pack. Outstanding balance, flavour and texture.

The top priced Brazilian Merlot on their list at c. $100. That quality/price quotient would be just about impossible to get in an Australian restaurant, I reckon.

Phwoar...

 

[JohnM]

Down to the last half glass of my wine after this pizza. Wine and food just sooo good.

I got here right in opening time tonight to avoid a wait. Within 15 minutes, people were pouring in. It’s school holidays here, so a lot of families.

Three families plonked their six kids in the 10-15 age range on the adjacent table while the parents sat opposite. Let me just say that animated Brazilian yummy mummys make excellent eye-candy.

A very good night.

My struggle through life continues...

 

[CLT Aussie]

Had this last night for a 'friend's' birthday. Still drinking well.

 

[JohnM]

Interesting article on Merlot in The Australian today: Nocookies

 

[Steady]

Interesting article on Merlot in The Australian today: Nocookies

Paywall’d for me

 

[JohnM]

I thought it would be, but rather than copy the whole text into a post, I was really putting it up as an alert for anyone who wanted to rummage around. Basically it says that Australia has suffered in the Merlot stakes by a poor single-clone choice years ago dominating production here, but that is now changing.

I can post the whole text if required.