The Auswine Forum

Thanks Phil. We did send an email off to them but they didn't bother to reply. In our minds this reinforced our view of their approach to customers.

Margaret River We're now entering expensive country. Spent a few days in MR, so copious notes, but somewhat repetitive. So may skip a few? Had some great cellar door experiences here and one shocker. So rather than finish on a low, will get the shocker out of the way. So, hence forth' Xanadu are OFF...

Apologies for typo and grammar, it's late, and limited power, so no time to check. WA Mount Barker/Denmark/Great Southern West Cape Howl Unfortunately I've lost my notes for these guys, but they are definitely worth looking out for, great range of old and new varietals. There's been a complete trans...

Barossa We were heading to Clare from Adelaide, the Barossa not on our itinerary given we'd been there a few of times over the past 5 years or so. However, we left Adelaide early and knew we had a fairly short drive ahead of us and knowing one of our favourite wineries, Rockford was but a short deto...

Leconfield/McLaren Vale (well, some of them anyway) 2011 Coonawarra Chardonnay $25. Lovely wine. 2011 Coonawarra Cabernet $33. This is a big Cabernet. Leconfield cabs have been hit and miss for me over the years, but this is definitely on track, liked it a lot, but needs a good decade plus in the c...

It's been a long time since I've posted here, however, I now find myself with a bit more time due to my changed work commitments i.e. I have non at present! consequently, my partner and I decided to pack the car (Tent, fridge, 5 dozen bottles, bikes and credit card!) and take off on a bit of an Oz j...

I went along to the Melbourne session with a focus on Pinot and was very impressed with a number pf producers, particularly 07 Barringwood Park Mill Block, 06 Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Reserve, 08 Josef Chromy , 08 Stoney Rise , 08 Bay of Fires , 07 Dalrymple Estate , 08 Bream Creek, 07 Cape Berni...

From last night …. both are fabulous wines with the ’96 being the standout at present. The ’98 is also a great wine and will possibly even be longer lived as it’s not as approachable just yet (given the mere 2 year vintage gap). So if you’re contemplating drinking Ã...

Ah, there won't be notes, impressions at best

Tried it a couple of weeks back, excellent and I'm not a Giaconda Chardonnay fan. This one is very approachable now.

I'm attending a mini 389 vertical tomorrow night, both these vintages are 'on the list' will post my thoughts.

John,

Keep an eye out for the Balgownie Cabernet, an excellent wine and still holding up extremely well. The Brown Brothers SMC is another good 1980.

cheers
Ian

Great notes Ian and what a fantastic line-up. Was this organised by your group or was it a promotional event (curious being a huge Moss Wood fan for many years)? Like Fred, I’ve been on the Moss Wood ‘band wagon’ for a long time and they are wines which cellar extremely well. I s...

Lyn, In regard to NZ wines, Hawks Bay included, the hurdles for me are, in no particular order: exposure, availability, pedigree and price. NZ wines in general have minimal exposure here, sauv blanc being the exception, which I don’t drink. My purchasing habits are based on knowledge, track r...

Thanks all, I think that clears it up

Alcohol is much more volatile than water and will quite quickly evaporate from the hot cooking pot. If you don't want to waste it, stick your head over the pot and breathe deeply. Brian, does that mean the rate of alcohol evaporation is determined by temperature. High temp = rapid evaporation, lowe...

I’ve a question for those more science minded than myself. When used for cooking, does wine retain its alcohol or does it loose it? I pondered this as I was pouring half a bottle of Riesling into a seafood dish last night.

cheers
Ian

Well, for those of us who live in the hottest city in Australia – Melbourne it’s also f) pinot, and g) cool the big reds. So my (our – including partner) hot day would go something like this - and quantity would depend on weekend or weekday – icy cold beer; possibly a col...

I also tried the new release range on Friday. Went to taste the 389 in particular with the intention of really wanting to like it and buy some as the local offer price was very good. I ended up with none! It just didn’t scream ‘great wine’ at all. It was ok, just not one that jum...

Looks good, when's it on Andrew?

Great thread, enjoyed it immensely to the point I had to contribute mmmwine, I can’t add any more to what’s already been mentioned re the range of magazines, however, if it’s wine you’re interested in, as an introduction consider getting a copy of a wine guide such as tho...

My apologies Attila, I confess, I’m slack. Take comfort though, the current wines are all travelling very well however, on the night, the 2005 & 2006 showed better. Try Winefront for a more detailed review of the 2004. I’m also a firm believer that many Cabernets enters a ‘do...

Fantastic effort Crusty, I love reading about old wine experiences, almost as much as I love participating in them.

You certainly got into more than a few gems there. Wish I had a few friends who culled like that.

Ian, thanks for the write-up. Majella re one of the most consistent producers around and with their prices hardly rising in 10 years they are one of the few on my "almost automatic buy" list, I only passed on the 2002. I don't understand though how your palate could be "rooted" ...

Majella Cabernet Vertical I was fortunate to participate in a vertical tasting of Majella Cabernet 1994-2006 with nine others at Asiana last week. It was the perfect evening. Wines were provided by some of those attending with the balance coming direct from the winery, thank you for looking after u...

Went to a couple of local wine shop tastings on Saturday, which can be a financial hazard. On offer were Kooyong (Farrago and Faultline Chardonnays, Meres, Ferrous and Haven Pinots); Yering Station – Single Vineyard Series wines (Willow Lake and Combe Farm Chardonnays, Inverness Ridge Pinot, ...

Interesting topic Craig. My two are ’88 & ’91 and I’ve put quite a lot of good wine into the cellar for them, mostly magnums but also bottles, double magnums and imperials. However, herein lies the dilemma – my daughter (‘88) doesn’t drink wine, so do I a...

Such terrible news, I’m shocked. Visiting Yarra Yering was always a wonderful and enjoyable experience. Bailey was a fantastic winemaker and always willing to impact his extensive knowledge and generosity. His reds are amongst the finest in the country which age so well. Time toA night to cra...

Have to agree with your assessment of the ‘05 Vasse Felix Ian, a cracker of a wine. On a recent trip around Margaret River, this was amongst the highlights and offers great value for the price. I’m another pleased to hear the ‘88 JR is travelling so well. I had one from magnum som...

Any recommendations for a top bottle that's already drinking well this year? Any country or colour.[/quote]

2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay .... Stunning

Still haven't worked out the quote thing