Wine thread

[PaarlBok]

Thought you should enjoy this one. Sorry in the skoonste, soetste taal!
http://www.dieburger.com/Stories/Features/Leefstyl/16.0.3528967494.aspx

 

[Spook]

Now, let's be frank here; you're an uncivilised bunch in the Great South Land. You're not subtle. The fecking Boere have more Nobel Prizes for Literature than you, and that's a bad state of affairs

Wrong, we both have one (Patrick White, Nadine Gordimer) and shared another - John Maxwell Coetzee was an Aussie citizen living in Oz when he won but I'm willing to share it with the Saffs ;D

Ireland have won 4 for Literature I think (All those drunken writer getting inspiration from Guinness). Australia have overall won more Nobel prizes than Ireland by 11 to 10 (5 of Ireland's are for Peace which is a bit ironic given they are a result of conflict in Ireland). Oz has also won the booker prize more than Ireland.

Back on subject:

Australian Shiraz - The grape and its varietals

Grape Varieties

There's a story that at the Vienna International Exhibition of 1873 the judges were tasting the red Hermitage wines from Australia. After the second bottle was tasted they judges began to mutter out loud 'this can't be Australian Wine, it's too good, it must be French'. This may have been the first recorded moment when Europeans were surprised at the quality of Australian wines, but it wasn't the last.

The Hermitage they were drinking was, of course, Shiraz. It's just an old Australian term for the grape that has dominated the industry there for so long. The legendary Penfolds's Grange was called Grange Hermitage until 1990 when the 'Hermitage' was dropped, but the wine is made as ever it was from Shiraz grapes. It's possible that 'Hermitage' was adopted as a synonym in Australia for Shiraz as a kind of an homage to the northern Rhone hills of Hermitage, where the grapes ancestral origins lie.

Shiraz has a long history of cultivation in Australia and still today it's the most widely planted grape variety in Australia. But its history hasn't been one long success story. Back in the 1980s the Cabernet Sauvignon was at the peak of its popularity and Shiraz was so out of fashion that the wines hardly sold and many vineyards were uprooted and replaced with the upstart Cabernet. It took the export market to begin its revival. Just as consumers around the world were discovering the intense drinkability of the Shiraz, growers in the Barossa valley were uprooting their vines. Thankfully the demand created from abroad stopped the trend and the Shiraz has gained its place as Australia's major red grape.

Like most grapes different characteristics are highlighted in different climactic conditions. In the warmest regions, like the Barossa Valley, it produces big, robust wines that are powerful and rich in flavour. In places like Coonawarra and Margaret River, where the climate is slightly cooler, the wines are more medium-bodied but with intensity and elegance. In the cooler regions, like the Yarra Valley and Canberra, the grape produces a much tauter wine, one in which the spiciness and the pepperiness can predominate.

Because the Shiraz produces such a deep red wine with intense berry flavours, it responds well to oaking. In the best wineries the wine is matured in new American oak barrels, which imparts tannin and hints of vanilla - a mix that at its best can be remarkable. In the cooler climates subtler French oak barrels are used and the resulting wines are more elegant than robust. The cheapest, but least effective, way to oak the wines is to add oak chippings to the fermenting must.

Suggested wine

Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz 2000

 

[Scotty]

Ah the wine regions are some of the best places in the world. I proposed to my girlfriend in the Hunter Valley, and we loved it so much we decided to get married there, which is actually happening in 3 weeks. The ceremony and reception is being held in one of the best restaurants in the area, Roberts, which is on the grounds of the Tower Estate winery.

We are making a few days of it with golf at the Vintage (Greg Norman designed course), wine tasting and bbqs surrounding the actual day! Probably shouldn't do too much wine tasting before the ceremony though...

 

[Thomond78]

JM Coetzee is from Wellington. He's a Boer. Thing is, he also has massive father issues, which is why he's in Australia now - check out Boyhood to see why.

Also, I'm genuinely amazed that with five times our population we've nearly the same amount of Nobel Prizes. 3/10, Australia, see me after class...

I've a Dutchman mate coming over for the weekend, so I'll be using my Paddy's Day exemption for being on the dry for Lent for this one. Expect reports. ;D

 

[PaarlBok]

JM Coetzee is from Wellington. He's a Boer. Thing is, he also has massive father issues, which is why he's in Australia now - check out Boyhood to see why.

Also, I'm genuinely amazed that with five times our population we've nearly the same amount of Nobel Prizes. 3/10, Australia, see me after class...

I've a Dutchman mate coming over for the weekend, so I'll be using my Paddy's Day exemption for being on the dry for Lent for this one. Expect reports. ;D

Ja Nee Coetzee is as Boer as you can get!. Why dont you take you Boer friend to Croke Park, boet, thought you wont miss this big match!

 

[Thomond78]

1997 Chateau Musar. Cashed in my Paddy's Day exemption on this little beauty.

Pencil shavings, cigars, old leather upholstery, dark berry fruit, all present and correct. Everything you'd expect from a perfect Musar. It's a cracker, it's just about ready, I've half a case left, it's exquisite now and still improving, and I'm back on the gargle come Sunday. I can't fecking wait to spend part of Easter Sunday proving that Jesus was dead right about Cana - Lebanese wine rocks.

2001 Clos Malverne Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Limited Release (SA). Bordeaux-style wine, with a bit of grunt behind it. So covered in award stickers, you can hardly see the label. It's glorious, absolutely perfect, everything you'd hope for from a beefy Bordeaux blend. Loads of black-berried fruit, astonishing length. Tannins are now perfect, soft but just enough still there to give it a bit of grip and traction to drive the length of the wine on and on. About 20 euro a bottle, maybe one, two years left in it, but in the meantime, I'm buying and drinking as much as I can of it.

2006 Dewetshof Chardonnay sur Lie (SA). Danie de Wet is a genius, end of. This is one of the most reliably glorious wines I know of, and it's cheap as chips. Nutty, creamy, slightly honeyed taste, goes on for ever. Had it with free-range chicken and white pudding risotto, a combination that'd send most wine off whimpering. It was glorious with it. Like I said, a genius. If you think you don't like chardonnay, try this. About ten to fifteen yoyos a bottle. How can you go wrong with that?

 

[Scarfman]

I think I speak for Mr JM Coetzee when I say:

Aussie Aussie Aussie.
Oi. Oi. Oi.
Aussie Aussie Aussie.
Oi. Oi. Oi.
Aussie.
Oi.
Aussie.
Oi.
Aussie Aussie Aussie.
Oi. Oi. Oi.

 

[Thomond78]

Which, since you lot nicked that from Max Boyce, shows why you need to nick your Nobel laureates from other, more civilised countries. 8)

Right, deep breath for this one, because it's not a short name:

Hessische Bergstr??er Winzer eG Heppenheim Schlossberg Karten Kabinett 1999. German, if you hadn't guessed. Absolutely magnificent. Citrus flavours, then a lovely petrolly taste, leading into a honey finish that goes on even longer than the name. First time I've tried old German white wine (and it's not Riesling, it's Grauburgunder), and I'm converted. Got it for under a tenner in a sale. I'm going back to see if I can get more first thing Tuesday. And some of my German Riesling is now going away for a loooooot longer. :grin:

 

[Pfitzy]

Nobel Prizes? : Jesus wept. How many fecking world cups have you got?

5 of Ireland's are for Peace which is a bit ironic given they are a result of conflict in Ireland

"Mick - whatcha tink is da best way to get one a dem dere Nobel Peace Proizes?"
"Well Paddy, I reckon if we stort a foight wit dem Ainglish we'll be on da roight track!"

:lmao:

 

[Thomond78]

I can entirely understand why such rank bad form as to go against the Crown would deeply, deeply upset such loyal colonial subjects of Her Britannic Majesty like NtA so shortly after their loyal vote of support for her.

In fact, not all of them are for the North; from memory, Se?n McBride got one for sorting out peace-keeping details and a deal that stopped the Congo descending even further into the lower circles of hell - at least temporarily. And the odds on one of that family stopping warfare in Africa are sufficiently low to justify his getting it, I may add. :lmao:

Back to the wine; Norton Malbec 2005. Argentinian. Tried it with barbecued t-bones (just to make it feel at home, sort of thing...). Lovely wine. Just enough tannin, lots of fruit to drive it through the barbecued bit - I reckon blackberry jam is the leading taste note, with, somehow, violets in there as well. Decanted it, and it opened out very fast. I wasn't a fan of Argentinian Malbec before, based on a Los Cardenas that I frankly disliked, and this has changed my mind. One thing I would say is that, like SA wines, I suspect it needs to be drunk warm - it claims 18C, and I'd not disagree. Tenner a bottle, and I'd definitely bring it out to Ms. Thomo's parents again next time her dad is braaing.

 

[Pfitzy]

I can entirely understand why such rank bad form as to go against the Crown would deeply, deeply upset such loyal colonial subjects of Her Britannic Majesty like NtA so shortly after their loyal vote of support for her.

Clearly you don't understand the reason for the vote failing - the common folk were duped by the Royalist scum into voting against the model, not the concept

 

[Thomond78]

I can entirely understand why such rank bad form as to go against the Crown would deeply, deeply upset such loyal colonial subjects of Her Britannic Majesty like NtA so shortly after their loyal vote of support for her.

Clearly you don't understand the reason for the vote failing - the common folk were duped by the Royalist scum into voting against the model, not the concept

Silence, Roundhead traitor! Scarfman, to the block with him! ;D

 

[Thomond78]

Go easy boys, even the Poms themself tried doing away with a King for awhile (OK, he was a Scot - kinda - and the wrong religious leanings at the time). Didn't last too long though, although there was the whole Glorious Revolution Dutch invasionthing in 1688, which gave us, even the Colonials, a Bill of Rights as well as a Dutch kingbeing used as a source of cash to fight the continental wars for the Dutchthe Magna Carta.

Sorry, but the Whig version of history gets right up my nose. :lmao:

See new thread re whiskey and whisky.

 

[formeropenside]

Go easy boys, even the Poms themself tried doing away with a King for awhile (OK, he was a Scot - kinda - and the wrong religious leanings at the time). Didn't last too long though, although there was the whole Glorious Revolution Dutch invasionthing in 1688, which gave us, even the Colonials, a Bill of Rights as well as a Dutch kingbeing used as a source of cash to fight the continental wars for the Dutchthe Magna Carta.

Sorry, but the Whig version of history gets right up my nose. :lmao:

See new thread re whiskey and whisky.

Sorry, forgot about the Battle of the Boyne a few years later, and that doubtless there is a different Irish perspective on events.

I must say too T78, that I just finished Tars by Tim Clayton: the title is a little misleading in that it purports to focus on the common seaman duting the mid-1700's and seven years war, but really focuses on the captain of HMS Monmouth and HMS Dragon, one Capt Hervey. Excellent read though.

 

[cyclopath]

Ah the wine regions are some of the best places in the world. I proposed to my girlfriend in the Hunter Valley, and we loved it so much we decided to get married there, which is actually happening in 3 weeks. The ceremony and reception is being held in one of the best restaurants in the area, Roberts, which is on the grounds of the Tower Estate winery.

We are making a few days of it with golf at the Vintage (Greg Norman designed course), wine tasting and bbqs surrounding the actual day! Probably shouldn't do too much wine tasting before the ceremony though...

Scotty, enjoy. The restaurant was very nice last year when I was there - great setting. If you get a chance also try the Rock (at Pool's Rock Vineyard) which is a great feed too.
I hope you keep 'em straight and long at the Vintage - it can be a bear from the back tees! I played there once in 45 degree heat...man, that was interesting. Took 2 days to rehydrate!
Have a great wedding.

 

[Pfitzy]

The only issue with the Hunter for the last few decades has been the long convoy of trucks hauling vino into the place, with not much of it actually being grown there.

 

[Scotty]

Scotty, enjoy. The restaurant was very nice last year when I was there - great setting. If you get a chance also try the Rock (at Pool's Rock Vineyard) which is a great feed too.
I hope you keep 'em straight and long at the Vintage - it can be a bear from the back tees! I played there once in 45 degree heat...man, that was interesting. Took 2 days to rehydrate!
Have a great wedding.

Was a great event all round. Perfect weather. Ceremony out the back in the alley of trees, dinner inside the main area of Roberts followed by dancing under the stars in the courtyard.

The food and service was fantastic and the musician we hired really got everyone going. Golf was played ambrose, so it wasn't too punishing. Fantastic course though - very different front and back nines. Gave out a few bottles of various pepper tree wines as prizes.

 

[Thomond78]

2006 Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc (SA). Give the devil his due, the Boere are fecking brilliant with this grape. Lovely crisp, zingy wine - apples and honeysuckles, fading into pears - with a long, long, long finish. Big bucket of shellfish, this one, how bad! Well worth looking for, as it comes into summer time.

2004 Louis Jadot La Couvent des Jacobins Pinot Noir. It's a Beaune. Only a half-bottle, but lovely wine, soft fruit, beautiful colour, long finish, tiny, tiny bit of tannin to give it some grip; that said, it faded fast enough for a Burgundy, after only an hour or so. May have been due it being a half-bottle as well, as it was if anything over-aerated in the glasses we had. I'd be happy to search it out and conduct a proper test of it. It also struck me as being a much more SH-style pinot noir, which, as Jadot is a negociant, could be really good evidence that the Frog fightback on value, style and quality is really gathering pace. More and more of late, more and more of the really good, really good value bottles of wine I'm drinking are French or Seffrican. There may be a Marais thing going on here...

Also, out for dinner on Monday night with my master. Had the following:

Chalice Lake Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (NZ - Marlborough). Now, my master's son-in-law is a Kiwi, and he's planning to move there when he retires. Both of us agreed, after the first sip, that this was one of the very best Kiwi SBs we've had. Lovely, lovely wine. Bit of minerality, but not the agressive, vicious, beaten-around-the-head-with-a-sockful-of-limestone-pebbles you get with some. Grassy, balanced fruit, long, long finish, a very elegant wine. More like very good Sancerre than a stereotypical Kiwi one. And, from memory of seeing it in the shops, it's about ?15. A snip, as it's more like a wine twice that. Would definitely recommend it - as Eoin put it, a perfect wine for a summer's evening, a good book and the garden.

Goedverwacht Crane Merlot 2005 (SA). Eoin ordered this, not me, and I only knew he'd ordered it when it arrived. Both of us were on lamb, and it went with it beautifully. I'd not drunk their single-grape one before, but it was excellent. Not, I would say, as good as their Triangle blend, which, for mine, is more subtle and more interesting. Perfectly good, slightly chocolately, big fruit, some small tannin to balance it but virtually unnoticeable with the meat. Thing is, I was expecting it to be as heavy as it was, as I'm familiar with the sandbagging qualities of some SA reds - Eoin wasn't, and found that, while the first glass was dangerously smooth and quaffable, the second one suddenly hit the breaks half-way down. It's not a problem with the Triangle blend. A very good wine, if you like big Merlots, go for, as it's excellent, but be warned.

 

[Thomond78]

Okay, quick question for you lot; Tahblik Shiraz 1999 and 2000, and D'Arenberg 2002 Riesling - anyone know anything about them? :nta:

 

[Lindommer]

Thomo, haven't tasted these three, but can comment on the wineries. Tahbilk (formerly Chateau Tahbilk, "Chateau" was dropped after some pressure from the frogs) is one of the gems of the Australian wine industry. They have, arguably, some of the oldest shiraz vines in the world, dating from 1860 with trunks as thick as a man's thigh. Most Victorian shirazes have a hint of mint, similiar to cabernet, which is unique to them in the Australian wine panorama. They also have a history of lasting a bloody long time, ten years minimum. Another small quirk: the winery, Tahbilk, is near the village, Tabilk. Well worth a visit.

Anything d'Arenberg produce is worth respect. The best Australian rieslings come from the Clare and Eden Valleys in South Australia and from Frankland River in Western Australia. Although d'Arenberg are in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide, they source fruit from all over South Australia, usually playing to a region's strengths. If it's from Clare or Eden Valley you can presume it's an excellent wine and should now be drinking beautifully. Aged Australian rieslings get a "burnt toast" characteristic about them as well as a whiff of kerosene on the nose. Traditionalists look for these features in old Australian rieslings and semillons.

There's a nice piece of historical trivia at Tahbilk. The Purbrick family purchased Chateau Tahbilk in 1925 and commemorated 50 years' ownership in 1975 with a memorial stone unveiled by Malcolm Fraser. Note this was in November 1975. Preparations would've been put in place some time before the ceremony on 20 November, and a stone ordered with the inscription "Unveiled by the Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser, MHR". However, come the day, Fraser had been installed as Prime Minister after the dismissal of the Whitlam government on 11 November. That memorial stone with Fraser's incorrect title is still there today.