The Auswine Forum

Ageing NV Champagne is definitely worthwhile. They don't have the complexity of aged Vintage Champagne, but a good house/label stored in decent conditions will develop the classic aged Champagne characters. For example, I've aged Lanson Black Label for 15 years and served it blind to wine lovers who...

but aside from visual what is the use? Does it stop oxidation or is there another reason? Purely cosmetic (unless you have mould/insects/etc actively attacking an exposed cork). It doesn't reduce oxygen transmission through the cork. By the way, from plenty of experience- definitely just insert the...

on WineFront GW stated that he would prefer normal cork to diam. He made his point strongly. I've been very happy with DIAM too. I've opened hundreds of bottles under DIAM and have never experienced any TCA (so their promise holds up). They offer oxygen transmission control (e.g., DIAM 5 vs 30), wh...

Virgilius sits on wine lists in the Barossa for about $80. The mark up is small whereas a cheap local rielsing would be the same. Perhaps it's not popular locally? {...} Honestly would have turned my nose up if SPC apricots! Could be vintage dependant or as you mentioned palates. I get the impressi...

I'd dispute the great mineral driven Condrieu is loaded with apricots. I also tended to age them as appropriate ( if it has oak it needs a few years ). Even the fruit driven styles are more "peachy". I wouldn't say they're "loaded" with apricots, but I do think even the great mi...

I'm not a fan of Australian Shiraz Viognier for some of the reasons previously outlined in this thread, but I do think it works in the Rhone. I don’t like apricots, so I tend to avoid I like apricots, fresh and ripe as well as dried, however, like you, not in my wines, and there is a marked scent of...

I'm a fan - been buying them continually for about 5 years now. I think their Italian varietal wines are better than the others (for my taste, which tends towards the more savoury), and their Vermentino is very good (one of Australia's best IMO). But in all honesty, I'd prefer they remained under th...

felixp21 wrote: Grosset Gaia a good candidate for Australia's most under-rated wine. In good years, very hard to tell apart from decent Right Bank Bordeaux. Fantastic value.

Which vintages do you consider to be "good years"?

Interestingly, Australia is the main country who has challenged Canadian wine laws and policies. In 2018, Australia filed a complaint to the WTO, saying a range of distribution, licensing and sales measures (e.g., product markups, market access and listing policies) and duties and taxes on wine app...

I wasn't being sarcastic with that comment. I like the aromas that Brett imparts and it's extremely rare that I find a wine so Brett-ridden that it's undrinkable for me (which does happen for me when the Brett completely obliterates the palate to the point that it goes metallic). The Brett-derived c...

I'd say the concerted effort by wineries to rid their wines of Brett took off (internationally, but much more so in the New World, and certainly in Australia) in the 1990's. It is definitely less common than it used to be (across the board, internationally). I'd say it's presence is more down to win...

(think wild cherry rather than a cultivated cherry, for example) Sorry, what? I am not sure I have had a wild cherry, but according to Treegrowing.org they "taste just as good, but more bitter"? OK, so you can't really know what I mean then. They're less sweet, less "fruity" and...

I am not sure if there are examples of Australian Pinot that meet the 'traditional' style {of Burgundy, presumably?}. Not sure why you ask. No one has said there were any or made the comparison. I didn't say that. Please read again carefully (emphasis added): would you mind naming a few Aussie prod...

It is drawing a long bow to compare the savoury aspect of Burgundy to wine that is simply faulty, which has been the case with several of the Bass Phillip wine I have tried. I struggle to think of one BP I have had (and there have been a few) that were not faulty. That's different to savoury. I'm n...

I've never understood what all the fuss is about with this producer. I don't think I've ever had a good one. They're one of the few Aussie producers of Pinot Noir that manage a traditional Burgundian style IMO (wild, savoury-fruited, elegant and with suave tannin texture). If by faulty, people here...

What about Coonawarra? I know some have a preference for MR, thinking it delivers Australia's best Cab, but I think Coonawarra can show distinctive Aussie character and the best can show beautifully with age. I’d also throw an aged Lakes Folly into the equation. A risky option? A high risk of Brett ...

No love for Boireann?

I'm happy to try some more and have my opinion swayed. Any particular ones you think I should try? Cheers guys. Mike, perhaps our differences come down more to taste (or luck / exposure to individual vinatges/cuvees) then. I don't rate Lubiana (but perhaps I've missed the releases that perform bett...

Ozzie, with all due respect, I don't think that a data point of one is sufficient to make such a generalised statement. That's also why I'm interested in which sparklers Mike is basing his opinion on.

With the exception of aged vintage Champagne, England makes the best sparkling wine in the world. Disagree... yet to have one (and I’ve had many of them) that would get within cooee of say Arras Interested to know which English sparkling (which were among the "best" for you?) and which no...

I'd actually agree with that, though I think (as a generalisation) unaged non-vintage Champagane remains a competitor too.

Nick, as you say, budget is important. Why not take advantage of some of the lesser appreciated Old World classics, because the advantage with them is reduced price. Although I have to say that some of the traditionally lesser values regions have really got a rep these days, so it very much depends ...

I think most responses here have focussed on particular wine styles/regions. The unpopular opinions that I hold are probably more to do with winemaking/viticultural approach and stylistic appreciation in general. Some examples might be: Brett can add interest and its character can make a wine beauti...

A major (if not the major) influencing factor in the perception of "best"/preference is, IMO, the atrocious wine taxation regime in Australia - it's one of the worst in the world. As others have mentioned, this skews Australian's perceptions significantly. Access to foreign wine is also a ...

I prefer them with at least a bit of age (5 years minimum), and feel like they used to (under cork) hit a sweet spot closer to 10 years. I think the last I had was a 2005 (under screwcap) a few years ago - I was seriously disappointed. Perhaps it needed time, but it seemed a bit like the style had c...

Afraid I'm out for this now due to a work conference next week.

I'm leaning towards wine making/bottling procedure as having a bigger impact than the closure itself. If bottling is undertaken in the presence of oxygen, then the bottling procedure has a bigger impact than the closure over the short term (the influence of the closure then becomes more significant...

Please put me down as tentative for both dates.

Stelvin/ROTE screwcap was introduced into the Australian wine industry (on a commercial scale) in the 70's. There was a dip in usage in the 80's (though many wineries were using it then) and was far more widespread by the 2000's.

The stylistic change and non-Hunter fruit isn't just the tourist traps, it's quite widespread. (Although I recognise it's perhaps more of an issue in the Pokolbin/Lovedale area - well, that's considered the traditional Hunter, right? - which is also why I suggested Broke-Fordwich.) For example, trad...