The Auswine Forum

I visited Sellicks Hill in McLaren vale a couple of weeks ago and had a chat with Paul Petagna. He said he probably won't pick much of his vineyard this year, struggling for ripeness and he has too much in tank/barrel already, having been caught out by the China situation. He said cooler areas of th...

Since the pandemic the number of restaurants allowing BYO in Canberra has shrunk The Boat House, Pomegranate and Rubicon are strict on no BYO now, those that do often don't advertise that and/or charge a high corkage fee, Chairman and Yip is $35 pb now. I don't know if Courgette still allow BYO. Ott...

Very sad day when a great forum is closed by the actions of a selfish few. I thank you Gavin for keeping it going as long as you could, and hope that someone is able to take over. I haven't visited here enough in recent years to see the effect of these "selfish few", so don't know the ext...

Anyone seriously considering taking over the running here probably already knows it's not the expense, it's the time it takes to do it properly. Direct hosting costs should be less than $500/year, could be covered by setting up a donation facility rather than subscriptions. I don't know how much tim...

"You would hope the judges had checked the show samples after awarding the Golds and before they awarded the Trophy. The bottle photo on the Trophy Winners page shows “Trade Sample Only” on the front label. This is something the JWT was panned for. Now the “finalists” go through an audit proces...

I am sure wineries cull out old barrels that display infection with brett. I guess as you work through a winery full of barrels you know which ones are a bit dodgy. It can and does infect some barrels and not others. Almost an everyday part of wine production. Not sure why the mention of brett in t...

There was one story a few years back of stelvin closures that used a thin pad of cork as the seal under the cap (this is usually some inert form of foam/plastic) which led to TCA :shock: :roll: Perhaps this is a version of the (true) story of Seppelt Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz. The bottles were ...

I had some problems a while back (late January), exchanged emails with their support team without result and then I worked out it was most likely caused by their site not working nicely with AdBlock Plus (Cracka had the same issue a year or two ago). I told them my finding and how Cracka had fixed a...

More details here: http://www.cullenwines.com.au/2015/03/c ... n-stelzer/

Kays Block 6 a favorite too BTW but nowadays you have to buy heaps of their other stuff which I kinda get but not practical for my circumstances. I now buy Block 6 from e-tailers, around $10pb cheaper than direct and no need to buy stuff you don't want. Kay's direct marketing and retail strategy ha...

Blast from the past...
http://torbwine.com/rr/Moving%20Around%20with%20Wine%20and%20Glasses.htm

It may sound a little bit 'baby-sitters club', but would perhaps a Marius themed offline of the vintages he has available be a reasonable way to kick in a bit of support? There are only two wines available, the Symposium Shiraz Mataro 2010 and Matarius Mataro 2010 and not a huge amount of them. Bri...

I think there will be some red from Marius from 2011 vintage. When I visited him in late August the wine was still in barrel, a lot longer than usual, but he was pretty happy with how it was going. Maybe if he gets some cashflow he can bottle and label a red or two. McLaren vale reds from 2011 in ma...

i had the opportunity years ago to try a bottle of parallel imported tattinger next to traditionally distributed chalk and cheese. id never buy parallel I bought some Laurent Perrier Brut LP from one of the wine daily-deal type places, very cheap price. The box had a Chinese agent/importers name on...

Chuck wrote:Guys,

Now the most important issue is - Where is TORB? I do miss his special way with words.

Carl

TORB has retired from wine-writing in any form, he's into wood-working and cabinet-making in a big way as a retirement activity.

Ah Craig, there I was hoping to "get the band together" for another stoush or two. Re "amateur sites should be free", I obviously don't agree wholeheartedly with that and it's those people I am successfully keeping away. I much prefer a small and interested/participating membersh...

Seems to me you're touting for customers Brian. Otherwise you wouldn't have made the 2nd post. Your argument in the last paragraph is poorly argued. You are in competition as you recommend other wine retailers. I suggest removing your 2nd post all together and keep with the first. Gavin's being ver...

Current subscription price is $36 (not $40), there are 48 free ongoing memberships to friends, industry people etc, 126 foundation members still on $12/year, many others on $18 and $24, the total income (before expenses) still comes in under the ATO hobby income guidelines, it's not a business. Desp...

There is a nice non-correlation of prices and point scores:
96 pt Cabernet Sauvignon range from $22 to $323, 97 pt Shiraz range from $35.95 to $443 street prices.

Chuck wrote:Yeh. Many thanks Gavin. Without your site we'd have to slum it with those Francophiles with too much money.

Carl

There is another alternative, but you would have to pay for the privilege, against the religion of many wine people apparently.

Interesting to see the statistical spike in 2005-6 which is about the last vintage I bought - looks like many others have drawn the same conclusion. However - I wonder if it's also related to age of people on the forum though as well as the price? I'm pushing 44 ... and even 389 or St Henri from a ...

Brian, thanks for the update on the irascible Ric's current circumstances. It's pleasing to know he's keeping himself occupied and that you're still in touch with each other. Perhaps you could issue a challenge to him to cook a thai-style omelette for you using his free-range eggs! Just a thought b...

Thanks Luke, but I'm busy with my own site and subscribers-only Forum now. I've just passed my post count here on my Forum, not bad for 2 and a half years, only n4sir has passed my count here, although Craig (NZ) is getting close. . Replying to this post gets me even closer I heard you get a bottle...

Hey Brian, nice to hear from you. Hope you and Andrea are both well and enjoying life. Been a very long time between drinks with you guys so let me know if you're down in Sydney or going to Eschallot with Ric and we might see if we can come up for the weekend or something. Same email and same mobil...

Thanks Brian We don't hear enough from you anymore either - miss your pithy comments, no bullshit and good sense all the best Luke Thanks Luke, but I'm busy with my own site and subscribers-only Forum now. I've just passed my post count here on my Forum, not bad for 2 and a half years, only n4sir h...

Ric is fine guys, he sold his pet supplies shop a few years back and is still living in the same place near Berrima with a variety of cats and dogs and some egg-laying chickens. He's spent some of the proceeds on a big array of woodworking gear and spends a lot of time making various items for himse...

Red Bigot's postings about his paid-for forum are just another way of diverting Auswine forum members to discuss alternative wine retailer's prices. Warning, personal slight follows. newworld, I hope you are young, there may be a chance for you, if you were old and this ignorant that is a travesty....

I would love to join your group but again its just another business opportunity for some individual. I resent paying to join a group. Maybe 10 years ago, but not in these days of gmail, facebook and millions of messageboards, forums and millions of other web2.0 sites. All free. Again, I expect lots...

Think about it guys, and if in doubt PM Gavin Trott or Red Bigot before posting - better still, if something's available on Auswine at a competitive price, buy it from Gavin and support the guy who brings you this place. Cheers, Ian No use PM'ing me, I haven't been a moderator here for several year...

Fair enough. Thanks Gavin for this great board. But thanks even more to the wonderful contributers. Without your posts this forum would literally be nothing But I think someone should start a new forum independent of any wine concern as one of the great thrills of buying wine is snagging a bargain....