Wine lovers musings, amusings and news

[unfunkable]

So this will be my first year into drinking wine that Halliday's awards get released.
Do people go crazy over his high ranking wines, and supplies dry up really quick?
Is it a frenzy?
cheers!

 

[sagittariusdrake]

Recently I invested in Jancis Robinson's Wine Grapes & am thoroughly enjoying picking through the fascinating info. (Though not light reading, quite literally, physically)

But it got me thinking ... just how many of the 1368 varieties have I tasted? I thought 20 , 30 maybe 40?

Then I remembered I had the David Franz Red Rose. 108 varieties! Cracking head start - who can beat that? :shock:

OK, so how many have I actually tasted. One day I'll trawl through the index & count them, so I'm still guessing 30 - 40.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Recently I invested in Jancis Robinson's Wine Grapes & am thoroughly enjoying picking through the fascinating info. (Though not light reading, quite literally, physically)

But it got me thinking ... just how many of the 1368 varieties have I tasted? I thought 20 , 30 maybe 40?

Then I remembered I had the David Franz Red Rose. 108 varieties! Cracking head start - who can beat that? :shock:

OK, so how many have I actually tasted. One day I'll trawl through the index & count them, so I'm still guessing 30 - 40.

An excellent book. The DNA analysis showing lineage of current grapes such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet etc is very interesting!

Read up on Pecorino then go out and find one! Almost lost.

 

[beefarmer]

I think enjoying a bottle of Grange is something that should be on every wine lovers bucket list - one, however I'm yet to do.

It's been quite a while since my last post, but seeing the Grange reference here has reminded me of the Grange 2010 that five of us had over a Friday lunch a couple of years ago.
The lunch was put on by a very special long time friend who got his partner to drive two kilometres to the local dannys and buy a bot. It was decanted for about 10-12 hrs I believe and it was good. I wouldn't say is scored more than a 7 in my eyes, but in Tyzer Steltson, or Stelvin or whatever his name is, he gave it a one hundred saying this 2010 was the best young red he had tasted in his life. However, the wine is not the main issue here, namely I have often referred to that mate, Peter, who suffered from motor neurone disease over the past 42 months, in some of my wine banterings as we both go back nearly forty years enjoying our Aussie wines. No more I wish to advise. Peter's funeral was this Monday and a stunning send off to all of us could not have been any better. The latter stages of this Beast of a disease are terrible, and euthanasia is often thought about. My secondary school mate Peter, being an engineer, often didn't muck about with things and timed his exit exquisitely just over a week earlier. Everything was perfectly planned, even his own funeral, and even though the forecast was for rain, peter even made the sun shine right through the day. Truly an amazing day, but a very tough day. His daughters speech was too touching.

We had a 2001 Tahbilk Marsanne at my brothers place later in honour of him and this was one of his faves. It is holding up beautifully, and once again, as it warmed, it got tastier.

Next night I had a 2017 Jim Barry watervale Riesling for it was Peter who really put me onto Rieslings in the first place. This is a cracker of a wine, almost faultless but not quite as well rounded - yet - as the 2016 was at such a young age.

There is nothing much better nor simpler in life to enjoy than having the company of a great mate or mates who just love their wines and can put together a Queens birthday sunday extravaganza with a barbie, some videos, some great music, hopefully some outside sunshine to feel the radiance from and finish off a dozen nice wines over the course of about 11 hours. That special June day with Peter and Russell will be sadly missed, but should return in memory of our great mate.

 

[Whining&dining]

So nice to see you post on these esteemed forums BF after a lengthy absence, although tinged with sadness at the loss of your great mate Peter. His send-off sounds truly epic and a timely reminder that we all must 'seize the day' while we have breath in our bodies to do so! My encounters with Grange are fairly minimal having only sampled two bottles in my lifetime, an old one and a relatively new one. Unfortunately neither of them knocked it out of the ball park for me and I have had far more memorable reds that have lingered longer in my memory. Couldn't agree more with you regarding the simple pleasures of life, to paraphrase Omar Khayyam " A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou (and possibly a good video and some nibbly bits)" cheers, W&D

 

[Sedimental]

Omar Khayyam " A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou W&D

Our Blind Wine Tasting Club is called Rubaiyat from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
The wines and menu from this year's Annual Dinner, with an excerpt of verse.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubaiyat_of_Omar_Khayyam

 

[Cruiser Elite]

=> Steady

You know what you did.

 

[Steady]

1st yes, 2nd ste667

 

[penegal]

Plus One Like...

 

[Teebs]

Hi Mods - I'm uncertain if I can promote a new wine related touring business I have commenced here. Can I get any clarification if it's allowed and the correct thread if so?

Delete of course if I've already overstepped the mark.

Cheers

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Coonawarra? Wine Tours? Am so interested in where this is going.

 

[admin]

No - this is not permitted. See our Terms of Service.

Hi Mods - I'm uncertain if I can promote a new wine related touring business I have commenced here. Can I get any clarification if it's allowed and the correct thread if so?

Delete of course if I've already overstepped the mark.

Cheers

 

[Teebs]

Thanks for the clarification - won't take it further here.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Teebs I will pm you - MEL dudes - stick your thinking caps on - best we sit / break bread / strategise.

FTR - last Coonawarra trip we did we ended up sitting for 2 hrs with Doug Bowen in has tasting room on a Sat aft shooting the s**t about footy - lovely bloke even though he is a Collingwood supporter!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Hungary used to make a wine called bull's blood so what about dragons?

Game of Thrones wine tasted: How good is it? - Decanter

 

[Sedimental]

An interesting article on winemaker Trevor Jones
No Cookies | The Advertiser

 

[Steady]

The '16 Home Hill Kelly's Reserve Pinot Noir and '16 Tolpuddle Pinot Noir have been released

 

[marsdenman]

The wine known as Bull's Blood, from Eger, is worth tasting. One of those lean but rich wines very unlike the New World jammy fruit bombs.
A bi glass of Egri Bikaver with a plate of goulash. That's a warming thought for a day like today at Bardwell Park, NSW.

 

[TheRealTMA]

What more can I say!

Wine Legend: Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia 1985 - Decanter

 

[TheRealTMA]

The wine known as Bull's Blood, from Eger, is worth tasting. One of those lean but rich wines very unlike the New World jammy fruit bombs.
A bi glass of Egri Bikaver with a plate of goulash. That's a warming thought for a day like today at Bardwell Park, NSW.

The one I remember from 1979 had a small plastic black bull attached to the neck - which is why I bought it! Cost around £3 in U.K. We were postdocs at the time so flushed with funds and could buy quality wine!

It was not of high quality. But I liked the plastic bull!