The Auswine Forum

Very sad news. I never met Cameron, but appreciated his contributions on this forum.

In general, Margaret River has been remarkably consistent over the past 25 years. The 14s are drinking very well now but a are pretty well structured and I'd be inclined to drink the 15s before the 14s. 2011 was a super vintage, especially in comparison to most of the rest of Australia's red output ...

FredericoWines wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2024 12:30 pm What about '18 & 19? I have few bottles of these vintages of Moss Wood

I'd be waiting a few more years before I opened either of them

Funnily enough, I opened my oldest table wine last Friday, a 1998 Reilly's Dry Land Shiraz. Not super old by any means but older than it was ever meant to get to, and it was also pretty solid. On the 44 Royal Oporto, if it says Coheita on the label and it is a port, then it is a single harvest tawny...

Mostly, I've been underwhelmed when I've tried the DM. There was one that was to my taste. I checked my cellar records and I have 4 Margaret River cabernets form 2014, none of which made it to this tasting (Juniper, Houghton Gladestones, Howard Park Leston and Fraser Gallop Parterre). I haven't trie...

1993 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port Holding up very well. Slight bricking round the edges but still a deep colour. On the first day there was quite a lot of menthol on the nose, even after an 8 hr decant, but after a day spent in an open decanter that had mostly dissipated. On the palate is pret...

This would have been a fun tasting.
I have seen Australian examples of Carmenere, Mencia and Schioppeitino but they are few and far between.

Coincidently, I opened one of these over the Easter weekend too. I agree with your note and found I very much enjoyed that it had dialled it back a notch. I have been working my way through a dozen of these for a few years now, and going back a couple of years I wasn't sure I liked where it was at, ...

That will be Kevin McCarthy, not Andrew. I'm from down that way originally, and crossed paths with him a couple of times back in the 90s I definitely agree on the Treasury Supply chain optimisation thing. I'm not convinced it is good for the brands that no longer have a winemaking home base, at leas...

I never felt that St Huberts was considered an important brand for Treasury/Berringer-Blass/Mildara Blass. It's interesting that Gerry Ryan purchased it then leased it back. I'm curious what is in it for him and what his long term plans are. It's a little sad when Treasury make the wines elsewhere, ...

I had a few of these that I bought at auction for not very much. I think I drank my last one last year. They were decent and filled a gap until the bulk of my port collection hits 20 years old, which is this year.

I hadn't caught up with price increase at Grand level at Morris, but just had a look at their website and they have certainly taken a jump. I don't think we can complain too much at their pricing though. I haven't been up that way since pre-pandemic but the best value I found was the Andrew Buller 3...

Nice tasting as always*Allan... What is the story with the slightly disturbing sounding "hybrid ale" can? Ah, yes, the can. This was brought along as a curio by one of the tasting group, because of the inclusion of shiraz into the sour beer. I haven't had that particular beer, but Beerfar...

Agree with Heaps Normal beer - it’s excellent. I simply enjoy the bitterness and taste of beer so welcome a good zero beer from time to time. If I am going Alcohol free, then it is most likely to be the Heaps Normal XPA or Bridge Road Brewers Free Time. The other one I do buy with some regularity i...

I had a sample bottle of Mcguigan Alcohol free Sauv Blanc turn up as a sample with my Woolworths delivery a few months back, and it smelt so horrendous I didn't bother tasting it. Having said that, I'm not sure I feel any different about Sauv Blanc in general. This did smell stewed to me though. I'd...

If I was heading to Clare, I'd be looking to book a tasting with Koerner.
I've enjoyed their Rieslings and are making some interesting wines I'd like to try.

I had a feeling that Voyager had gone off a bit - this wine used to be their best one, and the 2004/2005 vintages were stellar, but quality had deteriorated by the early 2010s. Your tasting note however is encouraging! 2011 was an extremely good vintage in WA (unlike pretty much everywhere else in ...

I can't say that I have tried that. The closest I have come is having a shiraz bottled under diam and screwcap from 2006 I think, so it might be time to open up another couple of bottles side by side and see how they looked. I probably have a couple of each closure left. Pfieffer aren't really known...

In recent years, I have bought the Rutherglen Estates Renaissance Durif, Andrew Buller Wines Cannobie Durif and Scion Durif Viognier The Campbells Barkley is usually pretty good. I agree the Morris is very solid for the price they charge and I'll trying to put a few bottles away. I do have a 2001 I ...

How many have tried to bring your own food into a bar ? My Local actively encourages it, and I know of a few others that also do around Melbourne. Over the years, when we've done birthday dinners with friends, I'll often arrange to bring a port. If I'm booking, I'll arrange it as part of the bookin...

I've had a few like that Alan. I had one arrive on Monday from NSW for an order placed on the Oct 15th and dispatched the next day. I have an order from the 20th that still hasn't arrived. My general experience over the last few months is that anything that is coming from interstate to Melbourne wit...

I'd be in a similar situation Scotty... I guess I have just hit my late 40s and I am probably sitting on 850 or so bottles. Of that, I'd say about 250 are fortified and many of those are a long way from peak. I've always had trouble matching consumption to purchasing with the later outstripping the ...

I'm not sure whether or not to be surprised that I don't have a single Cab/Shiraz in the cellar. I like them well enough but it isn't something tend to buy obviously.

Freshness is a big factor in olive oil so a bit more of it is muck by the time it hits our shores. I can attest to the quality of Spanish and Portuguese Olive oil when in those countries but if it is going to be shipped out to Australia it is either going to be stored well and super expensive or poo...

I think the 80/20 approach works for me too. I'm pretty geeky about a lot of things and I also tend not to want to follow the mainstream, but that geekiness has to be inside a budget, so I think that makes me search out the new and interesting, before popularity either changes something for the mass...

I don't have experience with the Mount Ida, but I do own some Hanging rock Heathcote shiraz from 03 that took a long time to come around. It was well over a decade before it was anything other than stern and impenetrable, which hasn't been true of any of the other vintages I have owned of this wine

I like having some Cabernet Franc on hand for a bit of variation although I don't think I have tried any of those. It might be time to have a look at the first bottle of my 2014 Blue Poles Reserve Cabernet Franc and see how that is travelling.

yeah, that amused me too

Alex F wrote:A very sad state of affairs: https://www.peterlehmannwines.com/wine/2019-the-king-vp/

2019 The King VP ... VINTAGE 2019 VARIETAL Tawny

Must have been the work experience kid.

Here's mine... Sparkling: 2010 Hanging rock Sparkling Shiraz - It had been a while between sparkling reds. Had this with American BBQ and it did a great job of cutting through the fattiness of the meat Red Wine: 2011 Flametree Jeremy John Cabernet Malbec - Made in tribute to their winemaker who died...