The Auswine Forum

Love Tuscany, but for what it is worth I reckon the most Italian vibe you can get is to go to lunch at an agriturismo on a Sunday when everyone is doing there first communion. Everyone in their best, great early spring eating, families laughing, great experience.

HI Gavin, Thanks for running this forum over the years. I have never really posted much, but enjoyed others insights. I initially came to this forum when I was living in Italy, with four kids at home, now back in Australia with the last leaving school this year. Cant really see the point in arguing ...

Hi Ian, The Aeolian Islands are lovely, My wife and kids had a week on Salina, whereas I being mid harvest, could only get there for a weekend, I was quite jealous. Great snorkeling though, and as ever the food was great. Am about to plant some Italians here in Oz over the next 12 months, I will kee...

Agree on the Ben Rye, Sicily's best wine. Would hold its own with any dessert.

Is it part of Warren Randells group?

At the start of the crisis there was a lot of talk about how pandemics had often acted as catalysts for radical change in societal structures, etc etc, but beyond a bit of pot banging for the NHS and a few more people likely to keep working from home I don't feel like we have really seen it play ou...

At the start of the crisis there was a lot of talk about how pandemics had often acted as catalysts for radical change in societal structures, etc etc, but beyond a bit of pot banging for the NHS and a few more people likely to keep working from home I don't feel like we have really seen it play ou...

See that TWE plan to direct fruit back to Seppelts and Wynns to off set the China losses...and supposedly to improve the quality of these wines, that have had fruit 'stolen' from them for years Perhaps they can let Sue Hodder and Allan Jenkins have a run at the Pennies vineyards in Coonawarra :wink...

At the start of the crisis there was a lot of talk about how pandemics had often acted as catalysts for radical change in societal structures, etc etc, but beyond a bit of pot banging for the NHS and a few more people likely to keep working from home I don't feel like we have really seen it play ou...

If anyone thinks that a $350K rebate to producers under WET allows Treasury to 'dump' wine in China they are kidding themselves. This will be a disaster, and as someone who has skin in the game, it makes me sick that the 20 years it has taken to develop the Chinese market will be gone with the strok...

Sorry, I havent changed that since I registered, I used to be in Sicily, but am now in Vic, the vineyard is going in near Ballarat,

Cheers
Sean

Can we keep this topic going for at least 10 years, as I am in the process of planting a vineyard that will, I reckon, getr a mention in discussions such as these,

Shame you missed Lecce Ian, it really is a beautiful city, as is Oria, Sava, Mesagne...

Country a bit flat/dull though.

HI Ian, I think primitivo is a very underrated gem. On the best soils (terra rossa) old vine alberello (bush vine) has produced one of the best parcels of fruit I have seen, and went into a stonking wine. If a wealthy investor wanted to dump some money in my lap to do something special Puglian primi...

HI Ian,
It can be a variety that is hard to keep under 14%.

Also a lot more grafting of vines over to different varieties or just off the original rootstock. In the 70s and 80s there was much more Cabernet on the peninsula. A lot of that has gone now. It’s all about pinot and trying different clones. A lot of MV6 however and it is probably the workhorse of ...

I have a fair bit of experiance with NdA and have yet to see a great example of Australian wine. Might sound counterintuitive but I reckon we are planting it in too hot/too irrigated regions.

Good wine this. I am based in the Pyrenees, if anyone comes up once this craziness is over get in touch, happy to share knowledge and a bottle
Cheerss
Sean

Yarra Cabernet franc might work better...

Thats not unscrambling the egg, thats more like trying to pull the egg back out of a iced sponge cake, and keeping the rest of the sponge intact. LOL, but I suspect rather accurate Back in the days of Southcorp, I would have applauded such a split. Now I really don't care. I will only offer specula...

Thats not unscrambling the egg, thats more like trying to pull the egg back out of a iced sponge cake, and keeping the rest of the sponge intact.

Thanks Matt, yes, Beringer, Blossom Hill et al. I imagine the difficulties Ian may be referring to in the US is the complex three tier import/distribution system required in the US. It works well for established players but can be a barrier to entry. That said it can be a barrier to every new wine ...

I'm confused, why are we talking about US sanctions and penalties? I thought this thread was about TWE and their difficulty in the United States. If I can summarize, the culprits identified were the three tier import system, lazy marketing, and the need for producers to visit the US. From my perspe...

Thanks Matt, yes, Beringer, Blossom Hill et al. I imagine the difficulties Ian may be referring to in the US is the complex three tier import/distribution system required in the US. It works well for established players but can be a barrier to entry. That said it can be a barrier to every new wine /...

Hi Ian,
I think the problems in the US are their US wines, not necessarily AUS wines going there, and secondly, but more importantly, the cantine\buffet at Palermo Airport was always very good. I used to go early before flights as an excuse to go there.

Maccas have struggled since the big crash early 2000's. Steady sales of assets over that time, failure of their joint venture with Gallo, shotgun approach to marketing/branding, continued cash flow issues causing destruction to brands a la Barwang, apparent production led business. It looks like poo...

Well the other obvious choice would be Champagne (Reims / Epernay), as the region is right on the doorstep of Paris, indeed close enough to do as a day trip if you want to forego changing your Paris base. An opportunity to explore grower champagnes and throw in a visit to a big champagne house by w...

Or how about emerging regions for grape varieties. If I were looking for areas (and I am/have) that will be the great wine producing regions in 20 years I would be looking for - A bit cool/marginal now but with climate change.... -Good strong soils, on slopes to deal with increased frost risks -Good...

IT is a big problem. We have had upwards of 500 kangaroos in the past with nowhere near the problem of about 20 deer. We didnt harvest about 7 ha of fruit this year due to deer.

By the way, our roos prefer SAB, merlot and cab. Not at all interested in shiraz, pinot and CHR

Not much to add to the old chestnut that is wine shows other than try not to get between a winemaker and a big trophy, you may be crushed in the stampede.