The Auswine Forum

So here's a hypothetical - sort of - case. A one-off. A special event. Two grand to spend on wine, with no-one to please but yourself - what would you do? One bottle of DRC? Two first growths? Half a dozen Grange at auction? Two cases of local (or imported) stuff at $80 each. Or 7 cases of the kind of $25 wines you nomally buy?
What say you all?
cheers,
Graeme

2 cases of $80ish stuff.

2 x LEAS Chardonnay
2 x MP Lovedale Sem
2 x Main Ridge Chardonnay

2 x Rockford BP
2 x Clonakilla SV
2 x Wendouree Shiraz

2 x Wynn's JR
2 x Moss Wood
2 x Lakes Folly

2 x Bass Phillip PN
2 x Paringa Estate PN

1 x DeBortoli Noble One

1 x Campbells Grand Tokay

I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

rooman wrote:You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle.

That depends on how much you want to let it get to you.

Make a list of everything you have resisted buying lately - that should produce a list worth between $5000 and $100,000. Now look through current cellar stocks and work out where things really are a bit neglected.
I'd probably end up with some Tahbilk, Margaret River Cab Savs and a few imports.

I'd have a good look at what's great value in the $50-80 range and buy half case lots. I'd also go for a couple of bottles of Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir.
In fact, I'd get those silly cheap flights that are being offered at the moment, fly to NZ, and grab a six-pack of that wine, have a SSS (s*&t shower shampoo) and fly back.

cellar is full so probably a btl of 05' DRC... or some Rousseau Chambertain 05.

c

rooman wrote:I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

Matt Skinner always recommends three - 6 is too many unless you a) have lots of cash and b) have a liver that can take it

Sounds right to me...

rooman wrote:I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

According to the original post, it's a big knees up. One night with no-one to keep happy but yourself. So I'm thinking we'll have 12 of us there and we'll have Tetsuya manning the BBQ.

dave vino wrote:

rooman wrote:I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

According to the original post, it's a big knees up. One night with no-one to keep happy but yourself. So I'm thinking we'll have 12 of us there and we'll have Tetsuya manning the BBQ.

You are correct, it is a knees up. In that case most of the wines will never hit their straps. Best just to go with heaps of bubbles and lashings of whipped cream and chips.

Rawshack wrote:

rooman wrote:I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

Matt Skinner always recommends three - 6 is too many unless you a) have lots of cash and b) have a liver that can take it

Sounds right to me...

I am slowly pulling back to 4 BUT that is as far I will go!! Space problems, ohhhhhhh dear. I love my addictions. Pills are working though.

Rawshack wrote:

rooman wrote:I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

Matt Skinner always recommends three - 6 is too many unless you a) have lots of cash and b) have a liver that can take it

Sounds right to me...

Stuff that. I buy a dozen and drink them over 5 to 10 years. Nothing to do with cash or the liver. I would prefer to have most of a dozen bottles left of something at its peak rather than open my last bottle of three when I reckon it should be right and find it is corked.

2 cases of $80ish stuff.

2 x LEAS Chardonnay
2 x MP Lovedale Sem
2 x Main Ridge Chardonnay

2 x Rockford BP
2 x Clonakilla SV
2 x Wendouree Shiraz

2 x Wynn's JR
2 x Moss Wood
2 x Lakes Folly

2 x Bass Phillip PN
2 x Paringa Estate PN

1 x DeBortoli Noble One

1 x Campbells Grand Tokay

To clarify, is there only one wine producing country in the world in this hypothetical situation or is this wine inbreeding??

I only drink what I know. I haven't really explored French/Italian/German/Spanish/US and god forbid NZ wines to the extent that I have Australian to have have any real favourites in that price range.

Craig(NZ) wrote:

2 cases of $80ish stuff.

2 x LEAS Chardonnay
2 x MP Lovedale Sem
2 x Main Ridge Chardonnay

2 x Rockford BP
2 x Clonakilla SV
2 x Wendouree Shiraz

2 x Wynn's JR
2 x Moss Wood
2 x Lakes Folly

2 x Bass Phillip PN
2 x Paringa Estate PN

1 x DeBortoli Noble One

1 x Campbells Grand Tokay

To clarify, is there only one wine producing country in the world in this hypothetical situation or is this wine inbreeding??

Craig
I suppose the sad truth is that head to head there really aren't any kiwi wines that could replace any of the above wines and thereby improve the overall beauty of what has been put together, with the possible exception of subing a Schubert B Block for the Paringa.

Mark

Not, not a one-off piss-up, a chance to build the cellar in some way. I'm leaning towards the kinds of wine I wouldn't normally spend that much on; even a select 8-10 bottles; some decent Burgs, Sauternes, a good Barolo or two, top Rhone, that sort of thing. Like a self-selected Len Evans Tutorial...!
Interesting to hear the responses of others in any case.
The real challenge may be finding good value at $140-$200 per bottle...!
cheers,
Graeme

GraemeG wrote:Not, not a one-off piss-up, a chance to build the cellar in some way. I'm leaning towards the kinds of wine I wouldn't normally spend that much on; even a select 8-10 bottles; some decent Burgs, Sauternes, a good Barolo or two, top Rhone, that sort of thing. Like a self-selected Len Evans Tutorial...!
Interesting to hear the responses of others in any case.
The real challenge may be finding good value at $140-$200 per bottle...!
cheers,
Graeme

07 Rhone

cheers

Carl

Hmmm...

No one else but myself to please...

For me, a bottle of DRC La Tache / Richebourg

Monghead.

Craig
I suppose the sad truth is that head to head there really aren't any kiwi wines that could replace any of the above wines and thereby improve the overall beauty of what has been put together, with the possible exception of subing a Schubert B Block for the Paringa.

No, I am not suggesting exclusively kiwi either. france? italy??....

Nothing wrong with the list per se, just gives weight to the generalisation that aussie wine drinkers are more blinkered than most.

Nothing wrong with that of course (they are the ones they have to please at the end of the day) but it does build a profile of a typical aussie wine drinker for an outsider

I only drink what I know. I haven't really explored French/Italian/German/Spanish/US and god forbid NZ wines to the extent that I have Australian to have have any real favourites in that price range.

no worries, gives the background

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Craig
I suppose the sad truth is that head to head there really aren't any kiwi wines that could replace any of the above wines and thereby improve the overall beauty of what has been put together, with the possible exception of subing a Schubert B Block for the Paringa.

No, I am not suggesting exclusively kiwi either. france? italy??....

Nothing wrong with the list per se, just gives weight to the generalisation that aussie wine drinkers are more blinkered than most.

Nothing wrong with that of course (they are the ones they have to please at the end of the day) but it does build a profile of a typical aussie wine drinker for an outsider

I only drink what I know. I haven't really explored French/Italian/German/Spanish/US and god forbid NZ wines to the extent that I have Australian to have have any real favourites in that price range.

no worries, gives the background

Ok, I would still use the change left over to pick up a few bottles of Lake Chalice Crackling Rose.

Ok, I would still use the change left over to pick up a few bottles of Lake Chalice Crackling Rose.

what about queen adelaide chardonnay? surely a better choice?

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Ok, I would still use the change left over to pick up a few bottles of Lake Chalice Crackling Rose.

what about queen adelaide chardonnay? surely a better choice?

Nah, I was after something really styley and noice.

Davo wrote:

Rawshack wrote:

rooman wrote:I agree with the wines but hate having only 2 bottles of something. You drink one then send years agonizing over when to drink the final remaining bottle. Will it be perfect, will it be too early. It is one reason I always try to buy at least 6 of anything.

Matt Skinner always recommends three - 6 is too many unless you a) have lots of cash and b) have a liver that can take it

Sounds right to me...

Stuff that. I buy a dozen and drink them over 5 to 10 years. Nothing to do with cash or the liver. I would prefer to have most of a dozen bottles left of something at its peak rather than open my last bottle of three when I reckon it should be right and find it is corked.

Davo's got it totally spot on. Not just on the cork front, but the arrival at the the peak, to find out that's it, game over. No thanks.

And who is this Matt Skinner guy, and why should we listen to him? We're all individuals, like everybody else.

Cheers

Allan

Its not hypothetical though anymore is it Graeme

probably put it towards a Pinarello FP3 road bike sorry wrong forum


cheers
Seddo

Erm, hookers and blow?

Wayno wrote:Erm, hookers and blow?

About these hookers.....are you going for quality or quantity ?

I'd be on the hunt for good QPR I suspect.

Craig(NZ) wrote:
No, I am not suggesting exclusively kiwi either. france? italy??....

Nothing wrong with the list per se, just gives weight to the generalisation that aussie wine drinkers are more blinkered than most.

Nothing wrong with that of course (they are the ones they have to please at the end of the day) but it does build a profile of a typical aussie wine drinker for an outsider

no worries, gives the background

Craig it is true when I returned to Australa 10 years ago that the average Australian wine drinker was very myopic in their buying habits. However over the last ten years there has been a major shift in the willingness of Aussie wine drinkers to explore wines from overseas. This was evidenced by the fact that the Oyster Bay Sav Blanc was the largest selling white wine in Australia in 2008. So far as NZ reds are concerned, there has been a substantially increased level of interest in NZ pinots whilst the overall quantum of foreign wines imported into the country jumped 64% year on year last year. Hence this kind of stereo typing is a little out of date in 2009.

Can't drink more than two full bottles, even on a special night.

Would have to go with a nice Montrachet and vintage port to finish. That should do me.

cheers

Carl