2009 Penguin Good Aust. Wine guide

[drunkenbum]

Has anyone read this??
Does anyone place any emphasis on it??
Does Nick Stock bring anything new (or good) to it??

So many questions I know!

[Rawshack]

I've only ever flicked through previous editions and never paid it much mind. Tempted to buy it though

[Gavin Trott]

Has anyone read this??
Does anyone place any emphasis on it??
Does Nick Stock bring anything new (or good) to it??

So many questions I know!

Something new, well, that's in the eye of the reader.

However, I do think he (Nick Stock) has a terrific palate, great experience tasting very widely throughout Australia, in wine shows and many publications and he has a high level of integrity.

He is a wine critic I take notice of, and value the opinion of.

My 2 cents worth (Oh, and I bought a copy, for whatever that's worth)

[Gary W]

It's excellent, if not a little lacking in the humour (or perhaps bonhomie is a better word) of the HH/RKP combo. Stocky is a brilliant taster. Very consistent and one of (if not the) best locally (at least for my tastes). I just wish someone would let me know what soulful peaches taste like..maybe a little like spiritual melons ??
GW

[Rawshack]

It's excellent, if not a little lacking in the humour (or perhaps bonhomie is a better word) of the HH/RKP combo. Stocky is a brilliant taster. Very consistent and one of (if not the) best locally (at least for my tastes). I just wish someone would let me know what soulful peaches taste like..maybe a little like spiritual melons ??
GW

I'd like to say I've experienced soulful peaches, but I dare say I'd be lying. Aren't they a three piece revivalist combo out of Wisconsin?

[Grant]

Rawshack,

They folded three years ago and the core of the group moved to Arkansas and became the Chickasaw Mud Puppies. Less soul, more roots.

[Daryl Douglas]

It's excellent, if not a little lacking in the humour (or perhaps bonhomie is a better word) of the HH/RKP combo. Stocky is a brilliant taster. Very consistent and one of (if not the) best locally (at least for my tastes). I just wish someone would let me know what soulful peaches taste like..maybe a little like spiritual melons ??
GW

You're just jealous he used "soulful peaches" before you - so tell us about spiritual melons

[underwraps50]

I have been buying the Penguin Guide for over a decade and this probably tells you that I find it both useful and relevant. I have bought the latest by Nick Stock and I am pleased to hear that he is well regarded as once again my 2009 purchases will be guided by his reviews.
I have my usual grizzles which include too many expensive wines and not enough 'daily drinkers' (unless you are James Packer). Too many makers I will never see outside of a Capital City. I would prefer to see all the wines arranged under the Maker (like Oliver) but that is just because living up here in the sticks I have to focus on whats available locally rather than what is out there.
I think the value of these 'Guides' depends upon how much wine you drink. If I drank a bottle every night I would probably just go out and buy it and make up my own mind, but drinking only a couple of bottles a week I need to be a bit more selective.

[Waiters Friend]

I used to buy the Penguin, and the Halliday Companion, annually in the 1990s. I gave them a miss (and Oliver, too) after 1999, on the grounds of repetition.

Since then, I have only bought JH once (2007) and I use this with some frequency. I tend to get my information on wines from other sources (incuding this forum) and if a label piques my interest, there's always their website.... and then back to the forum

Having said that, I could be persuaded to have another go at 2009 JH and Penguin. However, they would have to add significant value for them to return to my annual bestsellers list.

Cheers

Allan

[Waiters Friend]

An ironic twist on my previous post - I've just purchased the Penguin - as a gift for a friend - and I will have a flick through it first before wrapping it

[Mahmoud Ali]

I liked the Penguin guide for its wine notes but preferred JO's OnWine for its back vintage ratings. And yes, for me the Penguin Guide had far too many notes on ordinary wines.

I still refer to my old 2003 On Wine for ratings and drinking windows.

Mahmoud.