Nice wines I have drunk recently - Red or White

[Daver6]

How was it?

Wines like that scare me a bit - the recommended aging means I'll be 700 years old before "optimum drinking". I guess that's where aerators and decanters can help.

None of those are going to do anything to help with softening tannin and/or acid or the development of secondary flavours/aromas.

 

[penegal]

Indeed, they can help a little, but there really is no substitute for time...

I did some serious damage to my credit card at Rockford yesterday, but most of my order won't be touched for years. By the time I get around to drinking these wines I will have forgotten how badly the credit card is hurting

 

[Wozza]

Wish me luck (fellow Wine Thread only people)!! I'm going to deep-dive out of here to the Meet Ups thread (only for the second time)! And see if there are some post-event postings for the Bus, Booze and Barossa meet up that happened over the weekend that I can vicariously and virtually live through!

I have already received some good news from Katy - the Basket Press and Blacks are on their way. And whilst Katy and I wait, Buzzard has kindly gifted a mystery, unlabelled wine for me to try. I can't wait, Buzzard. I'll be sure to report back here. Thanks Katy and Buzzard. Much appreciated.

Here we go ...

 

[penegal]

Wozza - You will have to attend a Buzz tour sometime - They are a fantastic day out!

 

[Wozza]

Wozza - You will have to attend a Buzz tour sometime - They are a fantastic day out!

Thanks mate. I would LOVE to go one day. And Buzz has even kindly sent an invite previously. Alas, with a very young family it would be very indulgent of me to wave them all goodbye for a weekend down South. Maybe next year for my 40th. That might swing it. We'll see.

And for those that haven't checked out the last few pages of the Breakfast, Booze and Barossa thread. I would highly recommend it. There are some great pictures, including of Penegal on a GIANT HAYSTACK!

 

[Sedimental]

Excuse my tardiness in posting of late. Rest assured I'm still imbibing!
Last Tuesday of the month's blind wine tasting options;

The first bracket was a mixed bag.
The Grosset was almost clear, no nose to speak of and had searing acidity! Opened way too early IMHO.
The Brokenback Semillon we tasted was shot. The other bottle only just passable. Cork issues I suspect.
The Paringa Pinot was welcome relief, quite chewy with spice and white pepper. Many were fooled into thinking it was a cool climate shiraz!

 

[NZflygirl]

Drinking a nice NZ cloudy bay sauvignon blanc - helps the pain of sorting finances!!! Definitely better pricing bought from the supermarket rather than duty free if you're ever over this way.

I rank it above oyster bay and wither hills which are 2 of my other favourites - marlborough of course. It's a bit more expensive but worth it.

Cheers!!!

 

[Sedimental]

Bracket 2 was more my speed.

Never heard of Gilberts but it was very good. Elegant nose, spice and black fruits but not jammy. Good acid/tannin balance.
If you haven't been buying the latest St George Cab Sauvs you should. Earthy cigar box nose, vanillin oak, good fruit intensity and a beautiful round finish. Old style Coonawarra.
BVE E&E Shiraz fantastic at 20 years. I can remember buying the 1994 for $14, along with some Mt Edelstone and Mt Langi Ghiran for similar money!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Excuse my tardiness in posting of late. Rest assured I'm still imbibing!
Last Tuesday of the month's blind wine tasting options;
View attachment 67710
...
The Paringa Pinot was welcome relief, quite chewy with spice and white pepper. Many were fooled into thinking it was a cool climate shiraz!

LOL. Cool climate Shiraz? Who were these philistines (rhetorical!).

 

[Daver6]

An American friend deep fried a turkey for lunch on Saturday. Theme was champagne or Burgundy. Group effort from 13 people where two weren't drinking. Lunch finished at 9pm or so. Great day. Great wines.

 

[Foreigner]

I know very little about wines...what are Spanish wines like? I suppose they have the affordable qualities and the premium ones. Are they available in Australia?

 

[penegal]

I know very little about wines...what are Spanish wines like? I suppose they have the affordable qualities and the premium ones. Are they available in Australia?

This Wikipedia article isn't bad actually - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_wine


My two cents:

Spain is a major wine producing nation. The most famous region is Rioja, however many regions and subregions exist, which I am not particularly well qualified in. In the Australian and American vernacular the term "Spanish wine" can also be used to describe a number of grape varieties indigenous to, or frequently grown in, Spain (e.g. Tempranillo, Graciano, etc). A number of these varieties are now grown down under. A few AFFers tasted some Tempranillo grown in the Barossa Valley on Sunday.

As with many European wines, Spanish wines are sometimes composed of several grape varieties blended from one region to deliver quality and consistency across vintages, and are labelled based on the winemakers brand and region, rather than the exact composition of the blend.

A Rioja Tempranillo (or Tempranillo blend or sometimes just "Rioja") is probably the most famous style of Spanish wine. Perfect to wash down some Tapas on a warm day, and often seen on wine lists all over the world including in Australia.

As with any large wine producing country the quality and price varies enormously. There many hundreds (thousands?) of Spanish wines available in Australia at different price points.

Are you looking for a specific recommendation? Or just asking if we get Spanish imports in Aus?

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I know very little about wines...what are Spanish wines like? I suppose they have the affordable qualities and the premium ones. Are they available in Australia?

Main Spanish grapes are tempranillo and garnacha (grenache). Main regions are Rioja, Priorat, Ribera. Spain has a DO/DOP system a bit like France's AOC system for classifying good quality wine.

It seems Dan Murphys has about 100 SPanish reds: https://www.danmurphys.com.au/red-wine/country-spain
Langtons has 54: https://www.langtons.com.au/search?...rerelease=false&sortTerm=Popular&sortAsc=true

Lots of smaller/specialised shops can probably also source what you're looking for.

 

[penegal]

An American friend deep fried a turkey for lunch on Saturday. Theme was champagne or Burgundy. Group effort from 13 people where two weren't drinking. Lunch finished at 9pm or so. Great day. Great wines.

I recognise a few labels there.

Was the Burch from Vinomofo or a separate purchase? I wasn't sure how I felt about that one.

 

[boomy]

Had this nice wine with dinner at La Teverna di San Guiseppe in Siena. Very good restaurant with an impressive old cellar. Some of their interesting dishes include chocolate pasta with wild boar sauce, yum!

 

[Foreigner]

Thanks penegal and AC. I met chap representing winery in Spain. After talking to him I realised you can get wines as cheap as 0.90 euro to somthing 10x as much, for 750 ml. Seems northern Spain has better wines.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Thanks penegal and AC. I met chap representing winery in Spain. After talking to him I realised you can get wines as cheap as 0.90 euro to somthing 10x as much, for 750 ml. Seems northern Spain has better wines.

I would guess that the 0.9 euro stuff probably isn't much better than what you get in casks here. The best stuff will be way more than 9 euros

 

[Daver6]

I know very little about wines...what are Spanish wines like? I suppose they have the affordable qualities and the premium ones. Are they available in Australia?

Others have already answered a fair bit.

One of my favourite regions is Bierzo where the red grape Mencia dominates.

As for whites, a classic is Albarino and can be picked up cheaply.

Asking what Spanish wines are like is the same as asking what Australian wines are like. So any covering the entire spectrum.

 

[Daver6]

I recognise a few labels there.

Was the Burch from Vinomofo or a separate purchase? I wasn't sure how I felt about that one.

I felt average...but that was probably due to all the other wines

More seriously, I (and others) felt it was a pretty good wine and a bargain for a village wine from an excellent vintage. We all thought it was a bit on the young side with quite grippy tannins, good fruit and acid. Well structured and should age without issue. More of a masculine red Burgundy. I split a 6 pack, so down to two bottles. Suspect I'll try not open the next one till about 2020.

 

[Wozza]

My Aussie Bordeaux Blend exploration continues. This time it was the very classy:

Woodlands 'Margaret' Reserve Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec 2012



On Cellar Tracker and Vivino I have just posted the following tasting note:

2012 Woodlands "Margaret", Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River - CellarTracker

http://www.vivino.com/wines/4485607

"Even at 4 yrs old, this single vineyard, Margaret River Cab Sauv, Merlot and Malbec (74/14/12) legend scores a towering 96/100 (4.4/5.0) from me. Tyson Stelzer awarded it 97, saying it was a "great Woodlands for the long haul".

The alluring nose reveals sweet, rich blackberries, as well as blueberries, milk chocolate, violets, dried herbs and smoked cedar. The palate is medium-to-full bodied, and is intense, but smooth and elegant as cassis, chocolate, pencil, earth, violets and smoked cedar oak roll tightly into a classy finish. It's hugely promising, but drinking so well now. And at $39 from MyWineGuy, it was excellent value."

What a fine wine, with such promise. I'm surprised it hasn't got more acclaim than it has. God willing, I am really looking forward to trying the other 5 over the coming years. Highly recommended from me.