The Auswine Forum

Danish Akvavit and Russian vodka on 24th, with traditional Norwegian Xmas dinner,

something new we never had before on 25th, TBD

It's quite amazing that I have actually been thinking about which wines I will drop on to the family's dining table this Christmas. And in the spirit of there is no time like right now to enjoy what you have, I've narrowed it down to these:

Champagne:
1998 Dom
Krug NV

Whites:
1999 LEAS ( on Danny's rec'd to drink up )
2001 Moss Wood Chard
2000 Pierro Chard
2002 Petaluma Reisling

Reds:
1986 HOG
1986 JR
1990 Cyril
1991 707
1983 St Henri
1992 Mesach
1983 Lind Bin 3110
1991 Wynns Centenary
1994 Rock BP

Beers:
Peroni

Stickies:
1965 Ch D'quem ( hah, I wish.. )
Seppelt DP90 Rare Port
2000 Noble One

So what is everyone else planning ??

Are you bringing your big guns ??

Don't know what'll be there wine-wise when I roll up on the bike to the niece's place in Rockhampton but I'm not taking anything other than just good solid wines that'll probably be the best there anyway - not bragging! A day's travel each way so only three days there.

This is about the limit of what I can comfortably carry by motorbike anyway. Don't anyone mention travel-shock affecting the wines! They'll have at least a day to recover - so will I.

Stonehaven Rat and Bull 2002
Murdock The Merger 2004
Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz 2004
Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2005
The Wine Society RL Buller and Son Late-Bottled Vintage Port 1991
and a bottle of Glenfiddich 12yo (B-I-L likes it).

I seem to have been drinking a high proportion of McLarenvale, Limestone Coast and Langhorne Creek reds lately. There'll be quite a few red drinkers there so I reckon I'll be lucky to get more than a glass each of the reds I'm taking. Not sure about beer and bubbles yet - I'll visit Liquor Savers there on Sunday.

Hope everyone has a great "crinking" Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

Cheers

daz

Apart from the wines being served up by more discerning palate(s):

NV Piper Hiedeseck
2004 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay
2005 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Gewurtztraminer
2002 Terravin Pinot Noir
2000 Orlando Lawsons Shiraz
1999 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet

and very likely a bottle of Rockford Black Shiraz somewhere along the way...

and a truckload of 1664s/James Squire Pilseners I imagine

Still hoping that some mid 80s Wendourees will see daylight but that's another story.

jeez, you guys ever go off the big reds?? last thing id want to face on a hot summers day is a big shiraz or cabernet...especially in aussie heat! what do you do lock yrself into an air conditioned room and knock it on full blast??

me, i will be looking at NV moet, 05 craggy range prestige Sauvignon blanc, 06 cloudy bay sauvignon blanc, 02,03,04,05 or 06 peg bay riesling, 05 fromm la strada spatlese riesling, 00 Ata Rangi Pinot and plenty of cheap plonkie fizz

xmas years eve the traditional dry river gewurz

Certainly don't reach too far into the cellar as it is no good feeding strawberries to pigs...

But will down plenty of 05 Mountadam Riesling & 05 Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc with the yabbies that I will hopefully catch on Saturday morning.

A couple of bottles of Bullers 'RLB" Sparkling Burgundy with the main event, with a couple of older Craiglee Shiraz for good measure.

And to finish put a couple of bottles of Classic Rutherglen Muscat in the freezer and wait for the pud.

Cheers all,

LL

Craig(NZ) wrote:jeez, you guys ever go off the big reds?? last thing id want to face on a hot summers day is a big shiraz or cabernet...especially in aussie heat!

i tend to agree , perhaps a decent red during the evening or a muscat to close out the day - I will be supplying the following:

Rockford Sparkling Shiraz (for Breakfast)
NV Jansz Sparkling
2006 Wirra Wirra Rose
2006 Howard Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
1997 Petaluma Riesling (hopefully there is life in it still)

we will see what the rest of the family brings??

We usually start the day with the current disgourge Rockford black.

Then Majella sparkling and maybe some Tyrrells Sparkling Cabernet.

Mr Riggs Riesling with the prawns.

More Rockford black with the cold cuts of turkey, chicken, ham and pork.

Then lots of cold beers. I'd like some more of the new Knappstein, Tuborg and Boags light before dinner at night.

Dinner wine to be decided.

Graham

Graham, I'd imagine you'd be quite drowsy by the time dinner rolls around, what with all that turkey and rockford black, then some beer! Anyways, I guess we have to do what we have to do!

Myself, through the christmas festivities, I reckon some moo brew, peroni, and

NV Roederer, Billecart, Pol
96 Veuve
96 Gosset
03 Grosset watervale
04 Mount Mary Triolet
01 Leeuwin chard
04 Wantirna pinot
99 Leas classic clare cabernet
98 Penfolds bin 389
01 Lake's Folley white
95 Cullen
98 Rosemount Balmoral
91 Rockford BP shiraz

Cheers,

monghead
[/quote]

Visiting the parents this year so no doubt I will be drinking a lot even if they don't. Relatives always seem better through an alcohol haze.

Rockford 'Black' - Various vintages, mostly late 90's
Seppelt 'Orginal' - 98's 02's & New Case of 04's

Miscelaneous samples that I have not got around to trying this year. Lots of riesling and even a Frontignac.

Cloudy Bay Sav Blanc 06 - Not a big fan but will be good on a hot day
Clonakilla Viogner 05 - Cracking wine. Great with roast chook/pork.
Giaconda Chardy 00 - Still tryng to convince my family Chardy can be good
Red/White Burgs - Depends on how hot it gets. After the heat wave of last year. I hope this year will be cooler and more suitable to these wines.

1982 De Bortoli Noble One
1982 Hungarian Tokaji (Can't recall name)
1993 Royal Tokaji Essencia

Para Ports 1939 & 1944
Campbels Isabella Rare Tokay
A very old bottling of Campbels Merchant Prince
Bullers Rare Tokay
Bullers Rare Muscat
Taylors (Portugese) Port 1966

We will also be putting a dent in my old mans muscat keg. It needs a little freshen up, we need to make some room for a little more fresh stuff to be added.

Who knows what else we might find. Especially if Santa has been good to me.

Merry Christmas to all.


Billy B

Cant even think of having a big red in this heat (not to say I would knock one back either though).

Have put aside

2006 Two Hands Moscato
Rockford Black
2003 Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Red
NV Piper Heidsieck
1996 Lanson

Cheers
Mal

monghead wrote:Graham, I'd imagine you'd be quite drowsy by the time dinner rolls around, what with all that turkey and rockford black, then some beer! Anyways, I guess we have to do what we have to do!

Myself, through the christmas festivities, I reckon some moo brew, peroni, and

NV Roederer, Billecart, Pol
96 Veuve
96 Gosset
03 Grosset watervale
04 Mount Mary Triolet
01 Leeuwin chard
04 Wantirna pinot
99 Leas classic clare cabernet
98 Penfolds bin 389
01 Lake's Folley white
95 Cullen
98 Rosemount Balmoral
91 Rockford BP shiraz

Cheers,

monghead

I will have plenty of help with consuming the Rockford Black. But by the look of your lineup, I might have to slip down to help you.

Is the Moo brew from Hobart?


Graham

Mal wrote:Cant even think of having a big red in this heat (not to say I would knock one back either though).
Cheers
Mal

According to the forecasters in Sydney it is going to be 14 to 21 and snow is going to fall in the Snowy Mountains for the first time in 40 years. So where is all the heat coming from??????

Merry Xmas all,
Mike.

Muscat Mike wrote:

Mal wrote:Cant even think of having a big red in this heat (not to say I would knock one back either though).
Cheers
Mal

According to the forecasters in Sydney it is going to be 14 to 21 and snow is going to fall in the Snowy Mountains for the first time in 40 years. So where is all the heat coming from??????

Merry Xmas all,
Mike.

Well Mike it is 11:15pm in Melbourne and it is still 30 degrees outside (most likely 35+ in my apartment), and my apartment has this uncanny knack of once it heats up it will take about a week to get back to a bearable level, so Im tipping it will be somewhere around the 30 degree mark by Monday

Mal, get aircon and rely on the boffins to solve the greenhouse effect. Melbourne is near/just hot as Townsville through much of summer and more than sometimes hotter. Maybe that's the reason for the exodus to northern climes in winter where the weather's nicely temperate.

There ain't nothin' wrong with givin' a red a bit of a chill in hot weather. I can assure everyone that it will happen with every red I drink over Christmas in Rockhampton.

Thinking 'bout pickin' up a bottle of the ol' Seppelt Original red bubbles and maybe a Yarra Burn Pinot Chard when I get there.

Merry Christmas to all

daz

Daryl Douglas wrote:Mal, get aircon and rely on the boffins to solve the greenhouse effect. Melbourne is near/just hot as Townsville through much of summer and more than sometimes hotter. Maybe that's the reason for the exodus to northern climes in winter where the weather's nicely temperate.

There ain't nothin' wrong with givin' a red a bit of a chill in hot weather. I can assure everyone that it will happen with every red I drink over Christmas in Rockhampton.

Thinking 'bout pickin' up a bottle of the ol' Seppelt Original red bubbles and maybe a Yarra Burn Pinot Chard when I get there.

Merry Christmas to all

daz

Or you can adopt the solution used in East Timor - Refrigeration and AirCon are rare so they drink wine with icecubes.

Kieran

Only one in mind so far - a 1970 Canon La Gaffeliere (as I've stood it up). Plenty of bottles in though, so we'll have to see what takes our fancy.

Yeah GrahamB, the Moo Brew is from Tasmania. The people at Moorilla Estate have created this side line from a micro brewery on their estate. Tried their beers at wine australia this year, they make a pale ale, pilsner, and a wheat beer. I really like their stuff. I dunno, in time, may even be more popular than their wines!

And as to the line- up of wines listed, they are for the eve eve, eve, day and day after, probably not to be consumed all at the same sitting, though we will see how we go!

Cheers,

monghead

I'm off to Tassie, SA and WA in February and will have some days around Hobart. I will try to get a trade type visit to the winery and brewery.

Graham

Most likely we will start with a special apero wine I mix myself which is

1/3 white port wine and 2/3 tonic water (ice cold) - can easily replace a sparkling wine!

Afterwards we will try a

1995 Calon Segur
1994 Jim Barry Armagh
1996 Rockford SVS Hoffmann

and for the final a

1997 Taylor's Vintage Port

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all from Switzerland.

Cheers.

Nick

Not sure yet but it looks like being out of

Domaine Chandon Green Point Cuvee 1995
Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon 2005
Granite Hills Riesling 2004
Orlando Jacaranda Ridge 1998
Lake Breeze Winemakers Shiraz 1998
Irvine Grand Merlot 1998
Penfolds Grange 1996
Moss Wood Ribon Vale Cabernet Sauv 2001
Gaja Sperss Barolo 2000 (I have a couple and as much as I want to try one it would need years more Id guess)

We're having seafood on the beach with:

99 Kreglinger Sparkling
05 JJ Vincent Burgogne Blanc

and maybe an 06 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Yalumba Black D 98
Bleasdale Sparkling shiraz NV
Brokenwood Semillon 00
Brookland Valley Verse 1 05
Wynns JR 92
Heathcote Estate Shiraz 03
Orlando Lawson 1990
and various stickies and home brew

platinum wrote: Gaja Sperss Barolo 2000 (I have a couple and as much as I want to try one it would need years more Id guess)

Your guess is right (and of course you know it, but are just itching to open a bottle). With the right food and a good aerate, I'm sure it would drink well, but I can't help feeling you'll miss out if you do crack it young.

regards

Ian

I'm just having dinner with my immediate family on Christmas Day, and my mother doesn't drink much, so only two bottles will be required:

Krug NV
Paringa Estate Reserve (Barrel Select) Pinot Noir 2004

Looking forward to it.

ChrisV wrote:I'm just having dinner with my immediate family on Christmas Day, and my mother doesn't drink much, so only two bottles will be required:

Krug NV
Paringa Estate Reserve (Barrel Select) Pinot Noir 2004

Looking forward to it.

I keep wondering about trying the Paringa but the price is more than a Fourrier village wine- post a vibe on it!!!

Just had it with dinner tonight - brilliant wine. Indescribably good nose of cherries, spice, raisins and leather. Smooth, rich and harmonious palate with plenty of length. At least the equal of the better vintages of Ata Rangi. Quite a full-flavoured, new world style so probably wouldnt compare with Burgundy. Well worth a go - I will be buying more of this despite the price tag.

Make sure you give it plenty of air first though - a good four hours in the decanter. And don't serve it too hot - keep it down around cellar temperature (15-20 degrees) or the acid will start to overpower things.

ChrisV wrote:Just had it with dinner tonight - brilliant wine. Indescribably good nose of cherries, spice, raisins and leather. Smooth, rich and harmonious palate with plenty of length. At least the equal of the better vintages of Ata Rangi. Quite a full-flavoured, new world style so probably wouldnt compare with Burgundy. Well worth a go - I will be buying more of this despite the price tag.

Make sure you give it plenty of air first though - a good four hours in the decanter. And don't serve it too hot - keep it down around cellar temperature (15-20 degrees) or the acid will start to overpower things.

thanks Chris- I might sneak one into a tasting group and see how it looks- what was the alcohol level on it ???

Some nice wines there from Gianna and others. Looking forward to the tasting notes....


Mike