The Auswine Forum

I was reading the post recently about the best bottle of wine ever and got to thinking about the wine I tried that got me hooked in the first place - and set me on the slippery slope to becoming an incurable wine tragic!

It was a 21st party back in 1985 where the birthday girl worked for Wolf Blass and brought out some of the 1976 Black Label. Until this moment I had thought that wine was much ado about nothing, but that first taste pretty much changed my life. I have enjoyed and collected wine ever since.

Maybe others have similar stories.....

Not really an icon but won gold/trophy and hence my uncle purchased some; 94 Nautalis Sauvignon Blanc. It was the wine for me that illustrated some are better than others

I can't remember exactly what mine was, it was either an Elterton Shiraz or a Shadowfax

My (soon to be) father in law sent me (while I was in the UK) a case of good Australian wine from Berry Bros. He must have been harbouring some ill advised idea that I may actually be good for something, and actually a catch for his daughter. If he'd actually met me first, I fear a 6 pack of VB may have been sent

Anyway, until this point I'd always drank cheap shit wine. Actually, I still do, except now I do so grudgingly - and I think it was the Shadowfax that just made me think, 'this is actually really good, and a world away from than the cheap stuff I've been drinking. It was that case that made me interested in wine and become the self righteous boring pr*ck that I've become today.

I actually have a 04 Shadowfax in the cellar and I think I'll open it tonight in rememberence

Good thread BTW

A Bin 707 1998 drunk too young on my birthday back in 2000/01. My first really good wine and while oak dominated it then, it was still so yum, I hungered (or is that thirsted) for more and more tasty wines. Got a couple more in the cellar now, but waiting as long as possible..... and hoping corks are good.

Now I'm permanently in trouble for spending too much on wine!!!

Cheers
TiggerK

19 years old, beer and spirits drinker, a girlfriend opened a flagon, yes that's right a flagon, of Sveta Maria Dry Red. The wine had picked up a gold medal at the Perth Wine Show and her father had received several flagons as a gift for helping them with designing the labels for their bottles. The vineyard was a tiny affair in nestled among the houses in suburban Bassendean at the entry to the Swan Valley, cranked out quite superb wines of the time, but sadly no longer exists.

John,

Not quite sure of the moment but I do know that it was not on January 6th.

Roger

More a series of defining moments for me that could possibly be termed an evolution.

1988 - worked for Cellarmasters in Sydney in the customer service dept until they started getting us to tell customers about the daily 'special' which was usually a few cases (possibly hundreds) of leftover wines from campaigns that didn't warrant a new campaign in itself. I was living at the Coogee backpackers and paying rent in cheap wine to the owner. My preferred drop at that time was the fantastic Bin 666 which I could pick up for $36 per case. I was very popular at that backpackers. The education guy at CM at that time was none other than Nick Bulleid who is now the chairman of the MW Institute of Australia, and hence Nick Bulleid MW. My weekly wages were $356 but I earn't an extra $2 for every case I sold over the phone. Most weeks I was taking home $900 - an absolute fortune at the time when you consider that a 1/4 acre in Byron Bay was selling for $30,000. However I managed to squander most and save some for the big OE. When I was approached by David Thomas (then owner of CM) to head the Outbound sales force as they were getting some new fangled software, I knew it was time to pack my bags and get going.

1989-2001 - Cycling around Europe drinking 4 franc wine from water bottles on my mountain-bike, and guzzling Retsina with the naked Swedish girls in Greece - seeing the countryside here was where the appreciation for the great wine regions initially came from.

2002 - Fast forward to Auckland where I am wearing my Thai-dyed shirt and hippy pants doing my best to look like Jesus reborn with my Uncle who had a house on Takapuna Beach sipping Cloudy Bay when he said "So what are you going to do with your life now that the party's over?" It was at that exact moment I was looking into my glass of wine when I stopped and replied "Wine", with all the self-assuredness and wisdom of someone that had been contemplating their destiny for years and finally had an epiphanic moment. My next sentence was something like this "This is good shit, what is it?"
"Cloudy Bay" my uncle replied.
"Never heard of it" I said, which was a matter of truth as I hadn't.
Then with my thoughts firmly concentrated on where to study wine, I said "I may not make a million dollars but I will definately save a million" as I thought of never buying another bottle in my life. How wrong I was, the bug had well and truly bitten!

Wow great story Glen.

and naked swedish girls in Greece woudl have to be many mens' dreams.

he defining year was 1990. I think the moment that started it all for me was a 1980 Mt Edelstone. The next defining moment was one night where I drank my first Grange - a 1987 and also an 89 Chateau Rieussec. A few months later I went to a dinner which include a 10 vintage vertical of Chateau Mouton Rotshchild. And it was all over from there.

Hmm, my formative experiences was not nearly as illustrious but probably equally impactful:

Drinking a Chain of Ponds Novello Rosso with a flatmate who was just getting into wine at the time. It was enjoyed on a warm evening on cramped cream-brick balcony with the sound of the nearby McDonalds drive through buzzing away in the near-distance.

A case of Best's Pinot Noir cleanskin did the trick wayyyyyyyyyyy back in about 2003. It was either that or a bottle of that Porphry sweet wine on New Years Eve sometime in the late eighties or early nineties. I was a late starter.

RogerPike wrote:John,

Not quite sure of the moment but I do know that it was not on January 6th.

Roger

Not surprising that you dont remember - your brain cells are shot! More surprising that you still have your original liver! Intrigued about the January 6th comment?

A Wise Man would remember..

1986, age 15! Dad opened his one bottle of 1954 Tulloch Private Bin Hunter River Dry Red.
all these years later it is a dim memory of the first great wine I tried

2001 when I was doing my first Barossa tour, didn't know much about the difference between producers, only can tell they're good/bad, sweet/dry etc. but when I went through the whole Henschke range bar HoG, the process got me thinking about different varietals from cheapish to expensive... so now i treat wine more like tasting experiments

For myself there was no defining moment. It just evolved. It started in my early twenties when I was trying to impress the ladies. The ladies were from a ‘well to do’ background. I was raised a Bogan and thought the world of wine to be eclectic and somewhat represented my aspirations. So if I knew a bit about the social drink of the ‘well to do’ I would have better chance of moving in those circles (read seducing one of them). Anyway I sampled much in my quest to impress and rum and coke was replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon. I really look out of place at a family BBQ. My glass of something red in amongst VB and UDL’s talking about Holden cars, girls named Cheryl and the latest in Ugg boot and tight black jean fashions.

My wife's uncle in 1979 made me feel about an inch high when he poo pooed a wine I suggested at an evening meal at a restaurant. From then on I wanted to know more about wine (mainly just to avoid being re-embarrassed).

In terms of incredible experiences with wine that have defined my view of quality, a look between my wife and I the same year when we opened a 1975 Leo Buring Private Bin Riesling and the turning point for my brothers and some friends when we knocked off a 1955 Grange (which is still probably the best wine I've ever drunk) in 1983. Around the same time my mates got into the 1976 Wynns Black Label and we had tastings of all the old Wolf Blass's that were just wonderful.

A defining moment for my cellar happened also in 1983 when the local liquor barn sold all the Wynns and Seaview wines with a promo of 2 for 1. This meant that the 1979 Wynns BL was 2 for $4.50 and the shiraz 2 for $3, the Seaviews even cheaper. I went around with my combi and filled it up with 45 dozen bottles of wine, many of which lasted about 10 years. This was the start of my cellar and the concept that wine could actually last at my house for more than a week.

Cheers

Luke

A few...
1972: Melbourne, after bottling a 22 gallon drum of Tollana Cabernet with a couple of friends, we drank a bottle of 1962 Bullers Calliope Shiraz with a good spag bol. One of the wines that will stick in my memory until dementia takes hold and started my lifelong love for big Aussie reds.

About the same time, trips to Rutherglen and having Mick Morris fill your flagon with Old Liqueur Tokay from a barrel (after carefully sniffing it to make sure it was clean). About $6.40 / gallon if I remember correctly. Ah, the good old days before the world discovered these gems.

1985: Dropped in unannounced at Ch Pommard in May, cold and miserable, got the full winery tour and tasting of their wines, 1982 vintage. Couldn't believe it was Pinot Noir, it was too good, in a bigger style though. We broke the budget and bought 3 bottles, drank one in Italy, one in Singapore as it leaked on the flight and brought one home, I still have the empty bottle in my cellar. Resolved never to get on the slippery slope of Pinot addiction unless I became suitably rich, which never happened.

I have a few moments I can think of that have definitely defined my wine enthusiasm:

2000- First real date with my now wife. I cooked a nice little creamy chicken dish that at the time I thought was brilliant. She bought a bottle of wine, a Mount Adam Chardonnay (cannot remember vintage). Until this point I had NEVER drank wine or even thought about drinking wine. We each had a glass. Actually I kind of sipped it reluctantly. My wife could only have one glass as she had to drive home. Therefore at the end of the night, in front of my wife, I proceeded to pour the remainder of the bottle down the sink. I had no idea that wine could be consumed next day. She said nothing at the time. We laugh now at the real possibility that it could have been the last date I ever had with her.

2002- A mate invited my wife (still girlfirend at this stage) & I around for dinner with his now wife. He cooked a fabulous roast lamb & opened a 1998 Penfolds Bin 389. I had by this time learnt that wine could be good and drinkable. But this bottle shows me that wine could be mesmerising, engaging and thought provoking. I was hooked. This mate & I are now truly wine tragics.

2003- Same mate had his bucks night and over a juicy medium rare brontosaurus fillet at the Storey Bridge Hotel in Brissie I found myself with two glasses in front of me. One glass was a Penfolds Bin 389 (vintage unknown) and the other glass was a Penfolds St.Henri (again vintage unknown). I was caught between pleasure and ecstacy. I do not recall eating & drinking more slowly & thoughtfully ever before in my life. My mate still laughs at watching me with a grin from ear to ear.

2003- Proposed to my wife. Fortunately she said yes as I had arranged for a bottle of 1998 Penfolds Bin 707 to be delivered to the table. I had been saving this bottle for a few years for a special occasion. I took it to the restaurant hours earlier with strict instructions to open it in front of me. We had already ordered mains and as I knew what we were going to drink I obviously ordered the rack of lamb. My wife, not knowing the wine to come ordered the fish. My wife thought I was a tight arse by only ordering a glass of water to begin the night with. She realised why after the wine was opened. In true form we called in to our friends place on the way home (same mate as before) to share the remainder of the bottle & celebrate the evening.

2004- Wine & food night at same mates place to share a bottle of 1992 Henschke Hill of Grace. WOW...... My only regret is that I am unable to travel back in time to taste the wine with the appreciation I now have for fine wine.

2005- After a great night out in Sydney with a friend of my wife, he opened a bottle of Chateau Latour (vintage unknown. I think it was a 2nd label, not their top range). This was my first experience of french wine. After the bottle was empty he reached into his cellar & pulled out a Latour (top of the range). I cannot believe what I did next. I suggested he should put it back for another occasion. We were very tired & had already consumed enough wine to dull our senses. What a nice (or daft) bloke I was.

2008- Shared a bottle of 2006 Lakes Folly Cabernets. I can vividly remember commenting to same mate as before that this wine highlighted why we should buy & cellar really well made wines. For me at this price point it's not a wine I would readily drink on an everyday occasion, but one that I would share for a special occasion.

2009- Shared a bottle of 1990 Petaluma Coonawarra with same mate. Could not believe that this wine was made when I was in year 10 at school. It still had so much life. Again this wine demonstrated to me why I drink wine. It thoroughly engaged me.

That's but a few examples of my defining wine moments. Many more, but I need to keep working.

Chad

I can't match naked Swedish girls in Greece, but I do vaguely remember in the mid-late 60's being drunk under the table at a Uni Ball by a gorgeous Lithuanian blonde named Baiba. Sparkling Rinegolde and Leibfraumilch was the fashion in those days.

And there was the time in the early 70's we went to the Wynns Coonawarra tasting at (the original) Dan Murphy's in Chapel St and on entering I wondered why the cleaners had used so much disinfectant - there was so much mint in the air from the Coonawarra reds. Didn't like them much at the time.
I had a friend who worked for Prahan City Council and whenever a licensed grocer changed hands we would drop in and ask to check out any "old stock out the back". We scored a fair amount of decent reds cheaply, including Yalumba Galway (it was good in those days), Yalumba Signature and Orlando Barossa Cabernet.

And one more.
First week at Melbourne Uni, 1964, sherry parties were the go, hadn't learned to pace myself and wound up dead drunk on one of the grassed dividers in St Kilda Road after being thrown off a tram. What was worse I and a nearly as drunk friend missed out on an arranged double-date with a couple of very nice girls who never really forgave us for standing them up. Took me many years to not feel queasy just smelling sherry and to this day I seldom drink it.

Brian,

I remember once getting drunk at a Uni of Newcastle Cricket BBQ at the oval and deciding to walk out to the centre wicket for a sleep. Next club newsletter reported that I was found "just outside offstump on a good length." Impeccable.

John

PS Been an evolution for me still continuing: eg drank my first Alsace Gewurtz. and Reislings this year and my first Charlie Melton Rose of Virginia. Just gradually drinking more wines >$25 is a progressive education in how much better very good wines can be.

Sick of drinking too much beer went I got home to unwind and having a bloated horrible feeling after dinner, the girlfriend (obviously more refined than me at the time) suggested she go down to the 5 star hotel she worked at and grabs a good wine for me to try. Long story short she brought back an Annie’s Lane cab/merl off the mangers suggestion and I immediately sent her back for another. After quite a while thinking no matter what happens nothing could beat anything over $15 per bottle and would never need to pay more, I managed to then try an aged Willespie cab/sav and a Maurice O’shea shiraz. Thousands of dollars and hundreds (maybe thousands) of bottles later it is now a passion, my hobby and hopefully future career path……..

For me it was a 1986 St Henri purchased in 1991. I still remember feeling sick shelling out $15.99 for a bottle of wine. Once I opened it, I realised it was the best 16 bucks I'd ever spent - certainly better than 7 or 8 schooners at the leagues club. I went and bought every bottle the local Theos had at the time, and am sadly down to my last one. It's still a magnificent wine.

Then a week later a mate asked me over and he said he was going to open a 'nice bottle'. I expected Jacobs Creek, so thought I'd outdo him by bringing a 1988 Jamiesons Run (it won the JWT when that was a big deal). My mate, who passed away just a few years later, opened a 1971 Grange Hermitage (as it was called back then). After I got over the shock of VA and crushed ants, I recognised greatness. It remains in the top 10 wines I've ever had. As such, I rushed out to buy whatever Grange I could find. Fortuitously, the 1986 had just been released, at the outrageous price of $60 pb. That 1971 Grange ulitmately led to living in a modest apartment so I could afford to buy good wine.

Cheers

Mike

gosh i guess my first real defining moment was at my 21st when we had a 96 Dorrien Cab Sav. From there i was stull a student for many years, so it was a matter of buying bargains rather than icons (not that much has really changed). I remeber having alot of Pikes Shiraz for about $15, and RBJ for about the same price.

Since then, there have been a few defining moments that have changed the direction of my taste.
I was a very big shiraz person, and wondered what the big deal was with pinot, until i had a K1 by geoff hardy. I know, it;s not a classic pinot, but it was enough of a bridge between the big and more delicate reds, that it enabled a transition. After years of driking shiraz, it's a bit like trying to go backwards in a tasting order, and waking up the other tastebuds

since then there have been a few other special moments.
a 1994 Devil's Lair Chardonnay changed my mind on that grape, and though i'm still not a prolific drinker/buyer, i am curious about it.
That led to the 2004 LEAS. Gosh that was like being able to see the entire spectrum of the rainbow for the first time.

A petaluma coonawarra (96?) at a perth offline took me back to cabernet, and cabernet continues to be a favourite.

oh and a shameful admission - I have a new housemate, that seems to react badly to many wines so tends to stick to savignon blanc. Had a Villa Maria the other night, and it really highlighted that no matter how much a grape is overproduced or maligned, there can still the occasional standout

Out at dinner with my family and my uncle, who was a red wine drinker.
He ordered the wine, and it was a Saltram Bin 88 Selected Vintage Claret.
Not sure of the exact vintage, but it would have been around 1968.
It was my first taste of real red wine, and that was it for me.
I still have a few unopened bottles, but they have been cooked.
B

Working cash-in-hand in a bottle shop in Freo in the late '80s, about the time Redback Beer shirts were popular and we were selling around 20 cartons of beer for each bottle of wine we sold, my boss, who's sole educational advice to me had been 'see all this expensive cognac - it all tastes like cat's piss but the tourists all buy it so put it somewhere easy to see', threw a party and I snaffled a bottle of Moet and drank it down with my girlfriend. Before that I think the best I'd tried was something out of a cask as wine was almost unheard of in the house I'd grown up in. All of a sudden I realised why people wanted to pay money for it.

To his credit, my bottle-shop boss did have a great selection of Margaret River wines, it's just that we hardly sold any. Later that year I took my old car and went on a little tour of Margaret River on my own to see some of the places where this wine came from. In my meanderings I bowled up to Happs mid-week, and Earl Happ spent an afternoon showing me 'round the sheds and tasting out of various barrels and tanks. I think that was the day.

Dave

Holidaying on a mate's property in Broke in 1979. Draytons had 10 and 20 litre casks (bag in a box) of red (shiraz no doubt). Once you develop a taste for these babies, almost everything must be an improvement. So it has been.

I admit I grew up tasting wine from family friend's who were winemakers. So, for me there was no huge defining moment.

I do remember some outstanding Bordeaux tastings when I was there .. I was 17 I think. Yes, that might have been it!