The Auswine Forum

I think there are some very good Aussie nebs these days, including on the more aromatic end of the spectrum (my preference). Luke Lambert is my personal favourite, though this can be hard to find these days as it usually sells through. Giaconda too, and I've always had a soft spot for the Georgia's ...

Went to Sean's in Bondi last week - $35 for corkage seemed a bit steep, but given the quality of the food I was more than happy to pay it. Seemed like a good compromise.

Thanks Allan. I've had a few of these from the 2010 vintage - most recently last weekend. I'm not really sure how I feel about them - they're definitely 'of a style', pretty big, dense and 'blocky' as I described them at the time. I think the fruit is starting to dry out on these, which can make dri...

I bought my first two bottles of Coleraine this month. I've not tried it before, but heard so many good things and got such a good price ($115) that I decided to jump in.

Depends what level of restaurant you're talking about, I think. If it's local restaurants in suburban areas - even good ones - they'll often be trying to turn more tables. As such, offering BYO might be a lever they could, and often do consider. In my experience though, higher-end restaurants in the...

On the broader theme - the other judgement call is opportunity cost. In a full restaurant, if you BYO, you're not only cutting into the restaurant's margin of what they could sell you, you're also taking a table from someone who might otherwise buy from the list. So I can understand why nominal char...

One other Sydney BYO Recommendation from me - the Herring Room in Manly. They offer $10 BYO per person, and the food is great (international in theory, but in practice lots of Asian influences, local & native ingredients, lots of fish / seafood). I've had a few great dinners there recently with ...

On BYO for those is Sydney we enjoyed a great French dinner at Sous le Soleil last night. $80 for 3 courses of authentic French cuisine and on Wednesday and Thursday nights they have BYO for $5 per person. It's at 60A Clanville Rd Roseville. It's in a converted house in a park so a bit tricky to fi...

Aaah, my favourite topic.... Re: the OP, it depends what you think you'll do with the wine longer term, but I'd seriously consider investing in a better fridge. Hisense is definitely at the bottom end of the market, but I wouldn't rely on it for longevity or providing the absolute ideal temperature....

Can't recommend anyone to guide a tour, but in my experience getting into the Chateaux is relatively straightforward if you book in advance. Most have instructions on their website - some will have contact forms, some booking forms, and some will just need you to send an email. Also chateaux can off...

Cellar12.jpgEvery day is a bonus now. Bought this Transtherm Ermitage plain black door back in 2002 for $3,300. It has been kept in the garage from day one. Touch wood.......... it is still in perfect conditions since the day I bought it. It can keep about 170 to 190 bottles and I use it for long t...

The two Liebherr's I purchased about 6 years ago have been good fridges and seem to hold tenp pretty well. They make a slight running noise. Hopefully they keep on keeping on. I try to leave them alone as much as I possibly can. They're the all-black solid door version (as opposed to glass-door). I...

Yikes. Don't think I'll be locating my fridge in a room that gets above 20 degrees (partially below grade and naturally fairly well insulated), but I don't think I can quite get my head around a product which can't achieve some semblance of consistency on internal temperature. It's just not worth t...

The two Liebherr's I purchased about 6 years ago have been good fridges and seem to hold tenp pretty well. They make a slight running noise. Hopefully they keep on keeping on. I try to leave them alone as much as I possibly can. They're the all-black solid door version (as opposed to glass-door). I...

I'm prepared to pay for quality in this situation. My key concerns are: 1. Performance of the unit, including ability to hold a consistent, even temperature throughout, as well as the usual protection against light & vibration (anecdotally I read much about the former, almost nothing about the l...

Yikes. Don't think I'll be locating my fridge in a room that gets above 20 degrees (partially below grade and naturally fairly well insulated), but I don't think I can quite get my head around a product which can't achieve some semblance of consistency on internal temperature. It's just not worth th...

Thanks for that input redstuff - that does not sound ideal... Is the ambient temperature particularly high around your fridge? I don't think I could accept a 22 degree temp in there...

Asa

Cheers Matt - mind if I ask which model specifically?

Hi everyone - just wondering if anyone has any experience with these?

How is the long-term performance? Do they hold a good temp? They look flash on the website - but reviews are impossible to find, and hard to judge the build quality / spec from what I can find online.

Cheers!

I've bought very little for the cellar in the last 3-4 months (it's full, and had to 'clear' a bit of space over Christmas). Had a bit of a forgetful moment with an expired credit card, so I got my Tyrrell's white allocation a bit late this year: 3 x Vat 1 Semillon 3 x Vat 47 Chardonnay I think both...

Personally... I struggle to believe that your home insurance would actually pay out for your wine collection when considering the biggest risks you face (temperature shock, accidental breakage either through manual handling or racking failure). They might pay you if your wine collection is stolen - ...

On an unrelated note, I've become quite alarmed by the amount of humidity in my cellar over the last few months. Lots of mould and condensation on the bottles. So I've now got my cooler running on de-humidify mode, and moisture traps in the room - but have just started the process of wrapping bottle...

I've started using an app called Vinocell. Seems quite flexible and a huge amount of configurability (much of which you can ignore if you want). Bit of a pain setting it up, but once everything's in there, I've found it incredibly easy to use to keep track of what's where in the cellar. I have about...

[quote="Scotty vino"]my first crack at Kermit Lynch's book 'Adventures on the Wine Route'. Amazing to find this book refreshing considering I'm reading the 25th anni. edition. Love his take on blind tasting early on.[/quote] Loved this book - and also worth reading Neal Rosenthal's book, i...

[quote="Benchmark"]Noble Rot Book: Wine From Another Galaxy.[/quote] It's a beautiful book, I enjoy the magazine, and I used to eat / drink at their restaurant back in London. But I cannot get over how annoying I find the fact that their recipes don't include lists of ingredients - almost ...

Think their auction business and their shop / brokerage are quite separate. The wine is stored in different locations, and will be picked / packed separately I believe, even if it ends up on the same truck. If buying at Auction, I've taken advantage of leaving stock with them for a while until I acc...

Was it an auction, through a broker, or direct from the Langtons site?

Generally works a bit differently depending on exactly how you order the wine, I find!

First, and most important question is - what do you want to use it for? Keeping reds & whites at 'ready to drink' temperatures? Display, or in a garage? Replicating the exact conditions of a subterranean Loire Valley dungeon for 30 years? Or just keeping a few mid-range bottles in good condition...

The problem is that researching and purchasing wine is almost as fun as drinking them. I’ve often thought the only way to reduce purchasing is to unsubscribe from mailing lists, stop going on forums like this and generally read less about wine - which isn’t fun :) To which I would add not venturing...

Mike Hawkins wrote: I always liked the Monday night byo at Hawksmoor, though some of their restaurants are better than others. Sunday’s at Mash were pretty good too

It was responsible for quite a few dusty Tuesday mornings - not always a great start to the week!