The Auswine Forum

I would add that there are certain wine regions in the Old World (Châteauneuf du Pape and Bandol spring to mind) where an element of "animal" flavours, whether brett in origin or not, is considered by most wine-lovers as a desirable part of the wines' normal character. Absolutely, but ...

However maybe my understanding of terroir (or Brett, for that matter) isn't quite right, but I'm curious as to how a fungus whose presence is a typically a reflection of the sterilisation regime of your equipment and barrells can reflect the terroir of the vineyard (3rd poll option). I think that t...

This poll was devised by Brady Daniels and he posted it initially on two different wine boards (the mostly British Wine Pages and mostly American Wine Berserkers) to see if there are any culturally different attitudes towards brett. With Brady’s permission and encouragement, I then posted it ...

It's about as desirable as low level TCA taint. Daz, I respect your view if you genuinely dislike brett related flavours but I think that your analogy with TCA is a poor one. I know nobody who likes the taste of TCA; indeed corkiness has been universally disliked and condemned as a wine fault ever ...

Some winemakers, critics, and drinkers believe that Brettanomyces is a flaw and should be minimized or eliminated in wine, because they find its aroma offensive (cow pats, farmyard, tractor-filled hay-barn, stable or sweaty saddle) and it can mask other aromas. Some believe it is traditional, benefi...

Attila wrote:My daily drinking comment was meant for those who drink Burgundy regularly...for them $55 is bottom end...

Nice notes. AUD55 is about three times what I would expect to pay here for Montagny in our fast depreciating Euros.

Be careful. I just tried a very ripe Banon, a goat cheese from Provence, - m - with a delicious dry and mineral white Jurançon, and its pungency quite ruined the wine which was excellent with less aggressive goat cheeses like Sainte-Maure. On the other hand a young Époisses surprised me by be...

HI all, some recent talk of cheese prompted this thread... It's such a compliment to wine (and a flatterer), be great to hear of some new cheeses to seek out and try.... My all time favourites off the top of my head. St Agur - best blue on earth, no question. Creamy, rich and delicious. Very hard t...

Shiraz works well with a dash of Pinot. Very well. But Shiraz is not just Shiraz..depends on where it's from. Hunter Shiraz works well with Pinot, for example. Tempranillo works well with Grenache or Cabernet..I'll try a splash of Pinot in a few Temps. while tasting..it's made me curious. And for t...

Can't help but wonder how it'd blend with pinot noir in a still table wine. Mountain X shiraz pinot seems to have been fairly well-received but haven't tried it at the price. Cheers daz Neither of those blends sound like marriages made in heaven. Indeed I have never come across a successful blend w...

I'd pay £25-£30 for this wine (in fact I paid £25) based on in-the-bottle quality. For me that's based on pricing versus it's peers (Rockford BP is about this range in the UK, as is Clonakilla SV, Penfolds St. H, Edelstone is £40 etc) and the price range is comparable to very good Hermi...

Jay, what is a semi-reasonable price? This wine is on offer by a Belgian merchant for.....€99!! In the early 00s, the price was already about €70 at a time when Lay & Wheeler were offering a vintage of it for £15. I planned a detour via Colchester to pick up a few but got late for...

I don't think wine is made in Scotland or ever has been even in the Middle Ages when vineyards were found quite far North in England. But it's not a stupid notion. Apparently some wine is made in Sweden which I guess has an even more unfriendly climate m . If global warming proceeds at the rate pred...

Rhone Valley - Shiraz (Syrah) and Grenache based wines with a number of other grapes (Mourvedre, various white grapes) blended in. Again should have reasonable facilities for tourists. Wines range from the prestigious/expensive (Chateauneuf du Pape, Hermitage) to cheaper stuff (Cotes du Rhone). If ...

Here is my TN on a remarkable Moroccan wine - not too expensive either at €10,30 over here. Syrah “Tandem” 2007 - Domaine des Ouleb Thaleb (Morocco), Alain Graillot . Alain Graillot is a magician. His 2006 was very good in a Southern rather candied and spicy style. This 2007 is eve...

The way I look at this is to ask myself the following question. If by some mishap a wine growing country got wiped off the map, for which would I weep the most bitter tears? For me, it is undoubtedly France for the reasons already given by Eurocentric and Jeremy. Over here, if one stays away from to...

Do the French wineries sell their wines from winery? If so, how do the prices compare to their bottle shops? Cheers, Monghead. Most French wineries sell wine retail ex-cellars at prices lower than at wine merchants; indeed it is their most profitable business as trade customers, especially supermar...

In my (quite dry) cellar, mould under the capsule is usually the sign of a leaky cork. If it is combined with a lower than normal level of wine, then it has been leaking for some time. The wine may still be good but probably more forward than with a sound cork and proper level. I would drink the lea...

I agree with Cuttlefish and Mahmoud Ali but would emphasise what he says about storage. I have a passive cellar with quite wide but gradual seasonal temperature fluctuations. 12°C most winters, but as low as 9° this year, up to 19° most summers peaking at 21° for a few days in torrid 200...

orpheus wrote:

Shiraz Man wrote:With all due respect Eboracum, this is a wine forum, not a music forum.

True, SM, but the title did warn you that it was not wine related, and I agree, it is a great achievement. Who taught him, Eboracum, do you know?

Here is Ray Chen's brief biography detailing his teachers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Chen .

If it hasn't been reported, let me break the news that 20 years old Ray Chen, an Australian of Taiwanese origin, won this year's prestigious international violin competition, Concours Reine Elisabeth, in Brussels. Normally I hate the acrobatic nature of music competitions (not too keen on wine compe...

I do know that good whites can/should be consumed only slightly chilled, but have never appreciated Chardonnay this way. Fine white Burgundy, particularly when mature (if Premox is avoided), loses most of its aromas and complexity below about 13°, IMHO. I don't have enough experience of Aussie C...

I do know that good whites can/should be consumed only slightly chilled, but have never appreciated Chardonnay this way. Fine white Burgundy, particularly when mature (if Premox is avoided), loses most of its aromas and complexity below about 13°, IMHO. I don't have enough experience of Aussie C...

30°C is 10° too warm for ANY wine, white, red or pink. Here in Europe it is far commoner to have whites served numbed by excessive cold and reds so warm (22°+) as to become heavy and dull. It seems that the majority of consumers except wine geeks like it like that. However, in some areas wi...

Yes, La Biondina would have been well worth buying at €7-8. Of course, shipping a bottle of La Biondina costs the same as shipping a bottle of Grange, so it is scarcely surprising that it is relatively expensive here. On its showing at the tasting, I would not buy the Joseph sparkling Shiraz a...

Canon is reputed to have gone through a bad patch in the early to mid-90s. A 1990 which I opened recently was excellent but apparently the '94 and '95 were particularly bad with off flavours suggesting hygiene problems in the winery. From 1997 the new owners, also of Chanel, starting getting their a...

Damn that seems expensive. It is!! Transport of relatively small quantities from boutique wineries is no doubt expensive but I also suspect the importer of deliberate high pricing as part of an effort to establish the quality credibility of these wines in an initially sceptical market. It seem to b...

Prunotto is owned by the prestigious Antinori group, which makes some excellent wines in Tuscany, but I never been excited by their efforts from Piemonte. 1994 is not a highly rated year but I had some excellent bottles of Barbaresco from Gastaldi. It sounds as if your have got another one here from...

The enterprising firm, which organised this tasting, was the first in Belgium, which I know of, to go big on Southern Hemisphere wines, particularly Antipodean, building up a wide and good selection of boutique wineries. Lately, however, the emphasis seems to be moving towards Spain and Austria wher...

I wouldn't expect any of the Burgundian vintages in that line up to be at their best yet, except the 2000, 1990 and perhaps 1998 and 1988. Both 1993 and 1988 were slow maturing years but should be showing well now albeit with more potential in the top wines. The 1995 reds all round France tend to ha...