Wine lovers musings, amusings and news

[*A Flyer]

• [email protected]: Think we should use this packaging innovation?

Can’t see what the issue is on a range designed for near term drinking.

 

[petethemoskeet]

Can’t see what the issue is on a range designed for near term drinking.

When a bottle of great wine is finished i'm not going to worry about what happens to the capsule on the bottle,im going to be annoyed about why that was the last bottle of said wine.I would advise the winery to not waste money on new closures.

 

[Buzzard]

SA loses a winemaker. RIP.

'Australia's finest winemaker' identified as house fire victim - News | InDaily, Inside South Australia

SA's wine industry is mourning the loss of one of the nation's 'finest', who was found dead after a house fire in Clarendon this week.

www.indailysa.com.au

 

[WrenchHammerMcTool]

Just in case you haven't spent enough already at this end of the year....

2024 Stonegarden Dutton Single Origin Ale - Stonegarden Wines

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER – SHIPPING IN DECEMBER Soil: Deep Loam over Red Clay / Brew Date: 1/7/2025 Our second Ale originates from the northeastern corner of the Barossa region. Grown on the Deep Loam over Red Clay soils near Dutton. The same malting treatment, hops, brewing method and yeast...

stonegardenwines.com

 

[WrenchHammerMcTool]

When you get an AP notification of an impending delivery and the forecast for next 3 days is 35C, 39C and 32C...

 

[VPS]

When you get an AP notification of an impending delivery and the forecast for next 3 days is 35C, 39C and 32C...

View attachment 485558

and some of us are not looking forward to the next three days. Mine arrived yesterday so I'm feeling relieved

 

[WrenchHammerMcTool]

"NOT HAPPY JAN!"

 

[qaz]

Blood on the Werkstatt winery floor I Campbell Mattinson writes — Campbell Mattinson

A winery accident has put one of Australia’s brightest wine producers – Werkstatt, by winemaker Bridget Mac – in financial jeopardy.

www.campbellmattinson.com

• Supporting Bridget Mac (Werkstatt) - New Release Sekt (Sparkling Riesling)

SA loses a winemaker. RIP.

'Australia's finest winemaker' identified as house fire victim - News | InDaily, Inside South Australia

SA's wine industry is mourning the loss of one of the nation's 'finest', who was found dead after a house fire in Clarendon this week.

www.indailysa.com.au

Peter Fraser, 1974-2025 — Campbell Mattinson

CAMPBELL MATTINSON speaks on the sudden passing of Yangarra Estate winemaker Peter Fraser.

www.campbellmattinson.com

 

[VPS]

Blood on the Werkstatt winery floor I Campbell Mattinson writes — Campbell Mattinson

A winery accident has put one of Australia’s brightest wine producers – Werkstatt, by winemaker Bridget Mac – in financial jeopardy.

www.campbellmattinson.com

• Supporting Bridget Mac (Werkstatt) - New Release Sekt (Sparkling Riesling)

Peter Fraser, 1974-2025 — Campbell Mattinson

CAMPBELL MATTINSON speaks on the sudden passing of Yangarra Estate winemaker Peter Fraser.

www.campbellmattinson.com

There has been a lot about Peter Fraser in the local press with photos of how he blocked the driveway to his house with a horse float and stuff written on the side of the float. Very sad

 

[SOPOOR]

https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/torbreck-vintners-henschke-hill-hentley-farm-exceptional-barossa-shirazes-top-mighty-penfolds-grange-in-new-sa-wine-rankings/news-story/56336552ac3c795b1cb06234ea9a1759?amp

Torbreck Vintners, Henschke Hill, Hentley Farm: Exceptional Barossa shirazes top mighty Penfolds Grange in new SA wine rankings​

An exhaustive review of South Australia's best wines has identified three exceptional shirazes which judges believe surpass the iconic Penfolds Grange in terms of quality.



https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyl...56336552ac3c795b1cb06234ea9a1759?amp#comments

Sky News host Caleb Bond talks about the rise of non-alcoholic drinks. “It’s not actually an alcoholic product,” Mr Bond said. “If you’ve tried any of these non-alcoholic wines, I found them absolutely awful. “It’s a bit to me like vegans who want to eat these fake meats.”
Has the mighty Penfolds Grange met its match?
A panel of wine judges led by the unstoppable Angus Hughson has given three Barossa Valley shiraz vintages perfect scores of 100 points.

In the same tasting they awarded the Grange 98 points.


High on the winners’ list was Hentley Farm Clos Otto Shiraz 2022 ($290) made by Andrew Quin from Seppeltsfield fruit.

Quin’s masterpiece wowed the judges who said it was “a great Barossa shiraz of exceptional definition, density and resonance. Brilliant”.


American and European officials are meeting in Brussels to try and hammer out the details of a new trade deal first agreed to in July. Major sticking points still remain, including European demands for tariff relief on wine and farming products, whilst the US pushes for more access to EU markets. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the US is aiming to “extend and grow” the deal, in a bid to benefit both parties.
The tiny, sloping vineyard above Greenock Creek was planted in the early 1990s by German immigrant Otto Kasper, who later sold it to Hentley proprietors Keith and Alison Hentschke, his next-door neighbours.

Mr Quin, 46, who studied winemaking in Melbourne, said the victory was the culmination of 17 painstaking years in the vineyard and the winery.

The precious grapes have to be harvested, in stages, precisely at the right time.

He may pick the fruit from the 3ha block three or four times depending on the ripeness using his own taste buds and the Baumé measure to gauge sugar content.

The next perfect score went to Torbreck Vintners RunRig Shiraz Viognier 2022 ($330).



It already enjoys cult status with Australian red wine drinkers.

The judges praised its “exceptional balance” with “intense dark plum, blackberry liquorice, mocha, (and) espresso notes” and a palate that “finished gravelly with persistent dark berry fruit and cedar nuances”.

It surprised no one in the wine trade that the third perfect score for a shiraz went to Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz 2021 ($999) from a “landmark” vintage delivering a wine with “wonderful definition, vinosity and torque”.

The judges swooned over the “lovely intense raspberry, blackberry pastille, mocha aromas with herb garden notes” and the palate with brambly textures “superb blackberry fruits” and vanilla notes with “a kick of aniseed”.


An exhaustive review of South Australia's best wines has identified three exceptional shirazes which judges believe surpass the iconic Penfolds Grange in terms of quality. Picture: Getty
Penfolds should not feel too alarmed.

The latest Penfolds Grange 2021 ($1000) has already won 100 points from critics in Australia and the UK.

And the firm has two other reds on the “best of the best” list.

Mr Hughson, the publisher of the Vintage Journal, completed an exhaustive review of 1,300 of South Australia’s best bottles to compile the South Australian Wine Guide 2026.

It is a wonderful digital resource with interesting essays on South Australian wine regions. And it is free to download.


Wine scholar, author and judge Angus Hughson. Picture: Supplied
There has been interest from China, so now he is working on an edition in Mandarin.

There was a fourth wine that achieved 100 points.

The old faithful Seppeltsfield 100-Year-Old Para Vintage Tawny 1925 was in the guide as “a wonderful expression of Australian wine history and ambition. A living curio to share”.

Mr Hughson’s tasting team included Masters of Wine Andrew Caillard and veteran wine critics Tony Love, Ken Gargett and Jeni Port and rising stars like Shanteh Wale, Cyndal Petty and Lisa Cardelli.

Mr Hughson believes South Australia’s superior position in the winemaking firmament is often “forgotten or undervalued” by some critics.

News Corp columnist Angela Mollard discusses the struggles Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand ‘As Ever’ is experiencing as new data show weak sales numbers for her wines. While the Duchess of Sussex has publicly boasted about “selling out” her jams and wines in interviews, the latest data says otherwise. As of Monday, cases of Markle’s wines – including the Sauvignon Blanc she released last week – are available for purchase with no indication of stock shortages. “I don’t think she’s selling that much ... there’s just no interest in it. There’s not the interest in her,” Ms Mollard told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power.
“South Australia is by far the largest state in terms of vineyard area and wine production with a long and proud history,” he said.

“The South Australian Wine Guide has been launched to rebalance the ledger and proudly put every South Australian region on a pedestal.”

Mr Love said: “This year's South Australian Wine Guide clearly shows there is a thriving culture of provenance and increasing awareness of what each site and style of wine can achieve in the right hands. Every vintage brings more wines of higher quality than the last.”

Mr Love spoke of the “exciting trend towards contemporary drinkability” across many varieties.

By numbers: No fewer than 62 wines received exceptional scores of 97 points and above.

Sky News host James Morrow mocks Americans' reaction to the Trump administration stopping shoppers from buying junk food with food stamps. “There's been a lot of controversy over the Trump administration's plan to make America healthy again,” Mr Morrow said. “By making it so, you can't buy junk food with food stamps.“Amazingly, not everyone thinks this is a great idea.”
Of these wines, 42 were from the Barossa, seven from McLaren Vale, four from Clare Valley, three from the Adelaide Hills, two from Coonawarra, two from Langhorne Creek and two from Wrattonbully,

The Henschke team had four wines on the list of the top 62 wines with from 97 to 100.

Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2021 ($275) scored 99 points.

My favourites on the “best of the best list” include Elderton Command Shiraz 2022 ($150), Taylors The Pioneer Shiraz 2019 ($220), Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 2019 ($120), Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz 2022 ($450), Bremerton Old Adam Shiraz 2022 ($60) and Chateau Tanunda 100-Year-Old Vines Shiraz 2022 ($180).