The Auswine Forum

Craig your a gem. I'm sending you the dates, you can plan the itinerary for us! Seriously thanks for the info, it really does most of the planning for us.

Thanks again everyone for the comments and suggestions. Can't wait for the trip.

Cheers,

Mark

Thanks for the replies, gentlemen. Craig, that trout WAS in New Zealand, a beautiful little brownie from a small South Island stream! Don't worry, I've caught bigger in NZ and I'm well aware of the potential monsters I may see in the Tongariro (I wish!). Having looked at the plan a little more caref...

I'm headed to North Island NZ in October. Much of the trip is taken up fishing (come on, this is the home of Tongariro, a true pilgramage ) but have a couple of days to head for the wineries. Is Hawkes Bay region my best bet for two days and if so, what are the must visits?

Cheers,

Mark

Just collected all my wine from my friend's passive cellar to transport to professional storage. A fun time to find surprises. Amongst these is a dozen Classic Mclaren La Testa '01 Chardonnays. About five years ago I tried these with Andrew Braithwaite, winemaker with CMC. The oak was overpowering, ...

Wine is the healthiest and most health-giving of drinks.
Louis Pasteur.

See? Absolutely nothing to worry about. Get that second bottle of Grange ready for next week.

Cheers,

Mark

And no Eclipse next year ..

"The Grenache crop was almost entirely lost in the heatwave"

Low quantities and options available!

Thanks for the suggestions. Weather's looking good, should make for a enjoyable day out (pity about the redeye flight!).

Cheers,

Mark

I've got a few hours to kill Friday afternoon in Sydney CBD. Any suggestions for a good place to enjoy a few glasses of wine?

Cheers,

Mark

Monghead, thanks but if it doesn't include a fly rod or a wine glass (with a few exceptions ) I'm not interested. Dull I know. Drives my Aussie Rules nut General manager crazy! Thanks for the tips though.

Cheers,

Mark

Thanks for the replies and tips. Looking forward to the trip!

Cheers,

Mark

Called the Victory to book accommodation. The guy answering didn't know anything about the event. It IS 20th September, isn't it? (I've already booked).

Sounds like a great event. Looking forward to it.

Cheers,

Mark

Nothing involving bloodsports (although a little fly fishing wouldn't go astray). I'm heading to the Hunter Valley for the first time in years (only been there for work before). Just a quick trip, drive from Sydney Saturday morning, stay two nights, drive back Monday. Any suggestions on where best t...

Actually Monghead, I'd continue. It must certainly add interest to the drinking experience.Especially when you're entertaining!

Cheers,

Mark

Ross, I paid $312 at auction. Purchased as one of a few wines we took up to FNQ for a trip to celebrate 20th anniversary. Sorry about the vagueness in the description, there was a feature that I just couldn't quite identify. It was probably a couple of notes together that stumped me, there niggling ...

Purchased at auction. Surprisingly dark with pale edges. Some sediment and a crumbly cork. Subtle nose, soft blackcurrant & plum with a light spicy subnote. Something slightly earthy and rich (leather?) in the back ground. Palate showed soft but consistent fruit throughout. At first I thought th...

I have the HTC Touch Diamond. Prior to this I had the HTC (iMate) with slide out qwerty (stolen in Mumbai!). The touch diamond is very compact, runs powerpoint well (which I need for my work) and has a great screen. Also has a very good "sub" qwerty keyboard which works well for note-takin...

A lovely (and funny) article in Vanity Fair by Christopher Hitchens quote John Mortimer (Rumpole of the old Bailey) with some words of wisdom particularly relevant to those of us who imbibe... “there is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward.” m Ch...

Oops! $45. Sorry.

Cheers,
Mark

I called Tony earlier this year and mentioned I missed out last year, so wanted to know when the offers were coming out this year. When told early July I groaned because I'm away for most of July. After the huge response for my post I'm beginning to think they sent my letter a little early. The offe...

Anyone going for the Magnums?

I missed out last year (overseas). Any recommendations (apart from buy all I can get my hands on )?

Cheers,

Mark

Michael McNally wrote:

cuttlefish wrote:Should we have the right to bear arms ?

I wear a singlet whenever I choose, with or without official sanction.

yes, but above .08?

I like Riedel, but then i like using Schott Zwiesel too. In fact any of a number of well made, fine lipped glasses can make the experience of drinking wine more enjoyable. I pick "B" as best given option . Took Riedels camping on the Murray on the weeekend, enjoyed the wine immensely. Chee...

I'll second Mark Wickman's auctions, great service, nice guy.

Cheers,

Mark (not Wickman!)

22 sounds like a few too many for a quiet evening of tasting. I'll take my name out. Thanks for organising, hope everyone has a great evening.

Cheers,

Mark

Michael, my workplace recently asked me to do some research on available wine fridges (why does fridge have a "d" yet refrigerator does not?). I've found many of the less expansive Chinese products are now extremely good, often using the identical components the branded manufacturers use (...

If it's looking like too many I'll drop out.

Cheers,

Mark

At last a date I can attend. Food sounds great, I'm in. Thanks.

Cheers,

Mark

Like all countries' cuisine, Indian is quite varied. Beef curries (rare up north) can match well with some Pinots. If you are mainly concerned with what goes with the spicier dishes, an off-dry reisling or similar is a good choice, but avoid obvious oak. After three months of Indian food I found bee...

Luke, you're right, it is a huge wine. I didn't say it was fading, just more developed than I thought it would be if cellared well. The "bright" fruit up front has softened remarkably. It's actually very nice drinking, I just expected it to be completely stuffed. Actually I'm amazed it's n...

Cork.