The Auswine Forum

I visited the winery a couple of years ago. It's refreshing to see them really focus on single vineyard wines and no American oak. Rioja needs it. They said they weren't even going to continue making the Pagos Viejos anymore as it is a blend of several vineyards. They put on a great little tour and ...

Ian S wrote: Kozlovic Malvasia 2014 (1x 75cl)

Have you tried this before or was it a purchase purely out of curiosity? I really liked the wines from Istria when I was there a couple of years ago. I thought the wines by Roxanich were great. That being said I haven't had much love with Malvasia yet.

michel wrote:

Pej wrote:Some good tips in here. Does anybody know of any good wine bars or good casual places to eat around Auckland and Napier? I have a little 6 month old so formal restaurants probably aren't the best for us.

Dantes pizza in Auckland is v good

Thank you sir!

Some good tips in here. Does anybody know of any good wine bars or good casual places to eat around Auckland and Napier? I have a little 6 month old so formal restaurants probably aren't the best for us.

Sorry guys, I thought the other thread by Calm was older when I did the search. Ignore this and I'll tag on to the end of that thread.

Hey guys, Seems there hasn't been a thread on this for quite a while so I'd thought I'd try get some current information off you good people before I head to Auckland next Friday. We will be around Auckland and Hawks Bay mostly with a a couple other stops in between. My knowledge of north island win...

I found the Domaine A Merlot memorable. I wouldn't call it cheap but it was probably the first Aussie Merlot that made me reconsider the variety. Had the Giant Steps more recently and thought it was pretty solid too. I haven't had the Blue Poles straight Merlot but the Allouran Merlot/Cab Franc is a...

I have to disagree with staying in Haro. Yes, it is close to some great wineries but you miss out on the tapas scene that is famous in Logroño. I would rather stay in Logroño wondering the streets of a night eating incredible food and driving out to the wineries during the day. The tapas scene in my...

I get it worse with beer rather than wine. I cut back my drinking (boring I know) at one stage and it pretty much disappeared completely. Now I'm drinking more often again it comes back, but its no where near a bad. I take prescription anti-acids if I feel it coming on now and it usually does the jo...

I don't think I've heard anybody up there ever pronounce it any other way but semi-lon. I've tried correcting them and usually the response is, "we call it semi-lon".

2007 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Dehesa la Granja https://s12.postimg.org/53iuvewd5/IMG_20170429_190252.jpg 100% Tempranillo from Castilla y León. Medium bodied candied fig, dried cherry, ripe plum, red meat, tobacco and vanilla. Integrated velvety tannins and acidity which nicely balances out the ...

Carmelo is a legend. Such a nice guy and great wines too. I am pretty sure they aren't imported over here though unfortunately. I think I saw that Bressia and Atamisque were showcasing some wine at the event. Both great bodegas but I personally prefer their blends to the straight Malbec. If you do e...

I enjoy my Spanish wines but the options are pretty limited in Sydney and as usual, what is good value in Spain isn't so much once it lands here. I spent 5 weeks in Spain last year and spent a good few days in Priorat and Rioja. Found the good producers in Priorat are creating wines with restraint (...

Do they seriously have dress codes? That's not a good sign in my books.

Most South American wine double in price by the time it lands here. Which isn't so bad for the $5 cheapies but when a $30 good value wine turns into $60, you start looking at other options. I don't think much Pinot gets imported either but I'd be looking out for stuff from around Rio Negro or Neuqué...

odyssey wrote:

Pej wrote:In Croatia they throw them in the pot when boiling octopus.

I guess you could say they... soak the corks?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deqx-Xb-yHY

Ah cock jokes.. they are a bit like farts. Funny no matter how old you are.
Janet was struggling a bit there.

In Croatia they throw them in the pot when boiling octopus. They say it helps tenderise the flesh but I have no idea if there is any science to back that up.

I keep them occasionally but I don't really know why.

Casillero del Diablo reds are generally great value for money. They won't blow you away but they are usually very solid wines for the $13 you pay for it. I have never tried their Pinot but there is good Pinot coming out of Chile in the cooler regions. Maybe not so great when made from a winery pumpi...

I actually think it is an improvement on the old one. It is still pretty bad and full of bugs but the search function is better and the old one was awful. The problem is it is still using the same old platform as the last version when they really just need to spend the cash and redo it from scratch....

How old was the factory second? Was it a current model? Kitchener seems a bit hit and miss from what I have read. Some people really happy with theirs and others disappointed. I don't have the space for a Peltier and it will be in the living area so it needs to be visually inoffensive. Probably lean...

Hey guys, Just looking for some recent opinions of a couple fridges. Seems people have been pretty happy with the Kitchener Levanter range but does anyone have any experience with the Chatelet range? I'm looking at the 204 bottle fridge but I am a little put off by the $600 delivery to Sydney. I'm a...

I'm neither for or against this argument but I opened a 2007 Blue Poles Allouran Merlot/Cab Franc under screw cap the other day. Secondary flavours evolving nicely and the tannins are still firm giving great structure. In a really good place right now. I'm leaning towards wine making/bottling proced...

I think Mike Bennie reviewed a whole bunch of goon bags in the last year or two. I remember seeing photos of all the boxes on Instagram. No idea where it was published though. I'm pretty sure he did all the big brand Aussie beers too.

I spent a 10 months travelling around South America a few years ago and spent a good chunk of time in both Argentina and Chile. I was lucky to make an Argentinian friend in Mendoza that was also a sommelier who had plenty of suggestions of things to try. Surprising I found that despite Malbec being ...

The amount charged to the credit card is just as hard to work out as the processing order.

I didn't realise the cellar was so Hunter heavy.

Lake's Folly Cabernets
Lake's Folly Chardonnay
Mount Pleasant Lovedale Sémillon
Paolo Scavino Barolo
Mount Pleasant Shiraz Maurice O'Shea / Bodegas Caro / Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Sémillon

Japanese whisky with an age statement is almost impossible to find anywhere right now, including Japan, and prices have gone up accordingly. They just can't keep up with the demand and have started releasing whisky with no age statement to fill the gap. It is actually really good value in Japan but ...

Thanks a lot.

I'll be going on a trip to the Balkans and Spain and thought it would be silly not get out to the vineyards while I am there. However my knowledge of wine in those regions is minimal, especially in places like Croatia and Serbia. Is there anyone on here familiar with wine in these countries that cou...

Hacker wrote:

Boyeah wrote:2014 Lake Folly Cabernets x12
2015 Lake Folly Chardonnay 375ml x12

Are Lake's Folly under screw cap? Tempting to buy if they are.

Chardonnay is screw cap but I don't think the Cabernet is yet.