Wine lovers musings, amusings and news


a staggered five-day road trip targeting more than a dozen of Victoria’s premium appointment-only wineries, across several key wine-growing regions:

Beechworth
  • Giaconda
  • Savaterre
  • Castagna
  • Golden Ball
Heathcote
  • Wild Duck Creek Estate
  • Jasper Hill
Bannockburn

Mornington Peninsula
  • Principia
  • Staindl Wines
  • Portsea Estate
Yarra Valley
  • Mayer
  • Luke Lambert
  • Yeringberg
  • Giaconda
  • Sorrenberg
  • Castagna
  • Savaterre
  • Fighting Gully Road
  • Golden Ball
  • Piano Piano
  • A. Rodda Wines
  • Domenica
  • Traviarti
  • Sentio Wines
  • Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown


 
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Smallfry Virtual Tasting @ 5pm AEST next Thursday - 3pk $90 delivered ($30/bt) @ Notwasted:
  • 2021 Smallfry 'Pimpernel' Trousseau
  • 2020 Smallfry 'Jellyfish' Grenache
  • 2020 Smallfry 'Stella Luna' Cinsault Shiraz


8pm AEST today:
  • Steve Baraglia - Pikes Wines
  • Stephanie Toole - Mount Horrocks Wines
  • Hilary Mitchell - Mitchell Wines
  • Matt Paulett - Paulett Wines
  • Jeffrey Grosset - Grosset Wines
  • Adam Eggins - Wakefield Wines
 
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National Wine Centre at Home Weekly Virtual Masterclasses @ 8.30-10.30pm AEST Thursdays
A-Z of Australian Wine Regions Masterclasses - 6 wines from 6 wineries per class - Hunter Valley this Thursday
  • Thursday 8th July - Tasmania: Shy Susan Riesling, Stefano Lubiana Primavera Chardonnay, Mewstone Chardonnay, Small Island Pinot Noir, Pooley Pinot Noir, Shiny Wines Syrah
  • Thursday 15th July - Yarra Valley: Hoddles Creek Pinot Blanc, Punt Road Chardonnay, Mac Forbes Woori Yallock Chardonnay, Payten & Jones Pinot Noir, Wantirna Pinot Noir, Oakridge Pinot Meunier

 
This might turn St. Emilion on its head. Cheval-Blanc and Ausone to withdraw from 2022 classification.


Are they worried about others joining the group or potentially failing to stay in classe A? Call my a cynic, but why else would you kick up a stink?
 
I believe the general consensus among critics is that they are still the top 2.

I have read elsewhere that the classification is becoming more about $$$ and how well you promote the region (size and quality of winery carpark was mentioned as a factor in another source).

The % attributed to the wine itself was not as large as I would've expected
 
Len Evans' Theory of Consumption/Capacity - 10 points or longform:
  1. There is an awful lot of wine in the world, but there is also a lot of awful wine.
  2. No sensible person drinks to excess. Therefore any one person can drink only a certain predictable amount.
  3. There are countless flavours, nuances, shades of wine; endless varieties, regions, styles. You have neither the time nor the capacity to drink them all.
  4. To make the most of the time left to you, you must start by calculating your future capacity. One bottle of wine a day is 365 bottles a year. If your life expectancy is another thirty years, there are only 10,000-odd bottles ahead of you.
  5. People who say, "You can’t drink the good stuff all the time" are talking rubbish. You must drink good stuff all the time. Every time you drink a bottle of inferior wine it’s like smashing a superior bottle against the wall. The pleasure is lost forever. You can’t get the bottle back.
  6. There are people who build up huge cellars, most of which they have no hope of drinking. They are foolish in overestimating their capacity, but they err on the right side and their friends love them.
  7. There are also people who don’t want to drink good wine and are happy with the cheapies. I forgive them. There are others who are content with beer and spirits. I can’t worry about everybody.
  8. Wine is not meant to be enjoyed merely for its own sake, it is the key to love and laughter with friends, to the enjoyment of food and beauty and humour and art and music. It rewards us far beyond its cost.
  9. What part is wine of your life? Ten percent? Then ten percent of your income should be spent on wine.
  10. The principles of the theory should be applied to other parts of life. A disciple of the theory kissed a beautiful young lady, who demurred. He was aghast and said, "Don’t get the wrong idea. I’ve worked out that I can make love only another 1,343 times... and I’m bloody sure I’m not wasting one on you."

Penfolds Australia Collection 2021 Release Masterclasses - $155 @ 6.30-8.30pm:
Canapés and cheese platters will be served throughout.

United Cellars' Yarra Yering Online Tasting with Sarah Crowe @ 6.30pm AEST Thursday 2nd September - 3pk $298.99:
  • Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2018
  • Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2018
  • Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 2 2018



Chenin Blanc: the world’s most underrated grape

online tasting 3pk $92.66 delivered ($30.89/bt)

  • Thursday 15th July - Yarra Valley: Hoddles Creek Pinot Blanc, Punt Road Chardonnay, Mac Forbes Woori Yallock Chardonnay, Payten & Jones Pinot Noir, Wantirna Pinot Noir, Oakridge Pinot Meunier
now Thursday 26th August with:
  • Hoddles Creek Pinot Blanc
  • Santolin Chardonnay
  • Mac Forbes Chardonnay
  • Payten & Jones Pinot Noir
  • Wantirna Pinot Noir
  • Warramate Cabernet Sauvignon



 
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This might turn St. Emilion on its head. Cheval-Blanc and Ausone to withdraw from 2022 classification.




Is this Stalin’s secret cellar?



The greatest achievement in the history of wine marketing and the biggest blunder may be one and the same: Casting Champagne as the singular wine of celebration.
Although the Special Occasion Syndrome is understandable, the result of it is madness: Those of us who love wine and prioritize it in our household budget don’t drink anywhere near as much Champagne as we should, or as often as we should, or on less-than-special occasions…as indeed we should.
aside: the Olympics are now coming to Brisbane in 2032 :)
 

As Tyson explained recently, some wine scores this year are a little more conservative than in recent editions.
Similarly, a new system for calculating winery star ratings has been introduced in the 2022 edition, which Tyson outlined here.
Tyson will be hosting a webinar at 11am AEST on Thursday August 19, to answer any general questions that wineries may have around the Companion’s evolution in wine scores and star ratings.
Webinar details:
Join Zoom meeting here.
Zoom meeting ID: 952 6537 2125
Password: 429584

Penfolds Australia Collection 2021 Release Masterclasses - $155 @ 6.30-8.30pm:
Canapés and cheese platters will be served throughout.

Penfolds's scorecard - The Real Review

 
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If anyone is interested in discussing the 2015 Peter Lehmann Masterson Magnum, please reply if you are a SERIOUS wine collector

MASTERSON embodies the strength and spirit of the Barossa community and camaraderie forged over decades with generations of family grape growers. Today these enduring relationships enable our winemakers to hand select the most exceptional parcels of fruit from the length and breadth of the region, culminating in this very special wine. The inaugural release of this wine is limited to only 1,000 magnums.


80444E26-C76E-4FD6-BB9D-FA24BF2BB33C.png
 
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If anyone is interested in discussing the 2015 Peter Lehmann Masterson Magnum, please reply if you are a SERIOUS wine collector

MASTERSON embodies the strength and spirit of the Barossa community and camaraderie forged over decades with generations of family grape growers. Today these enduring relationships enable our winemakers to hand select the most exceptional parcels of fruit from the length and breadth of the region, culminating in this very special wine. The inaugural release of this wine is limited to only 1,000 magnums.


View attachment 256620

I'm a serious wine collector but this looks like a scam. Well not a scam but what the heck?! $2k for yet another Barossa shiraz with no pedigree/history. No thanks. Unless this is available for tasting at the cellar door so a buyer can make an informed decision, what's the point?
 

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