The Auswine Forum

Malcolm, I am perfectly OK with it, have actually had a bottle...nice pizza pasta red. Much better than a pet Nat. The 2021 Redman Cabernet Merlot is a very good value for money wine...matter of fact having one right now. Cheers Craig OK with that too - Limestone Coast would be good for the 'Sanga'...

I got caught up with the siren song of the $35 deal on cellarone for Gladstones. I really didn’t need it as I already have six, but was too good a deal to miss. same. I’m an intentional FIFO worker and love a bottle watching the footy . This is $20 USD which is extraordinary value considering what ...

Yalumba 1991 Signature - enjoyed with char-grilled, marinated lamb loin chops.
Great colour for age, as too the complex bouquet and a stunning palate. Perfectly mature and a pleasure to drink.

Penfolds Bin A releases. Great value, relatively speaking of course!

I have it on good authority that the Chardonnay sold out in 3 &1/2 minutes!

Might be an opportune time to conduct a poll for Top 10 Australian Chardonnay, UNDER $50. With Aussie Chardonnay very hot at the moment, there's some opportunistic pricing out there. I love Giaconda - drank many bottles in the late 80's/early 90's when it was a third of todays price. It's a world cl...

2021 Wynns Messenger Coonawarra Cabernet.
A magnificent red: opened and double decanted 2 hours before, to accompany a lovely, medium-rare fillet steak ( peppercorn sauce ) and shared with a friend the day before his open heart surgery. Figured he would enjoy something decent! He did.

Pretty happy - just picked up a mixed doz. - 6 & 6 - of the '24 Drumborg and '24 Leo Buring EV for $15 each. Probably one of my best buys in recent times. Love both these wines. Stock up on the '24's you enjoy, because of the hottest year / driest year in history, '25's might show some stress. ...

6 x 2024 Drumborg Riesling
6 x 2024 Leo Buring Riesling
In a mixed doz., $15 each - rapt.

Pretty happy - just picked up a mixed doz. - 6 & 6 - of the '24 Drumborg and '24 Leo Buring EV for $15 each.
Probably one of my best buys in recent times. Love both these wines.
Stock up on the '24's you enjoy, because of the hottest year / driest year in history, '25's might show some stress.

Wow, what a list .... certainly a trip down memory lane! Few whites - or was someone else responsible for those. Iain would have recently left CLICHY restaurant in Collingwood ( set up with Siggy Jorgensen of Monsalvat fame ) - great bloke. Can you put any prices on those wines - Grange would have b...

Three reds enjoyed over the last few days; 2012 Yalumba 'Menzies' Cabernet Sauvignon - balanced, fragrant and complex, and a good example of a variety growing in right spot. 2004 Castagna 'Genesis' Shiraz - an early Beechworth bottling which has aged gracefully. Long-flavoured - perfumed even - in a...

Andrew Buller 1858 Old Vine Sparkling Shiraz NV - Bottle fermented method and liquored with rare Muscat. Good froth, but can’t see any bead because of the impenetrable purple colour. Lots of rich Shiraz character rather than sweet. Mulberry, blackberry and spice. Fresh and inviting in the glass wit...

We love our fortified's and try as many as well can. A recent trip to Rutherglen a couple of weekends ago was a bit eye opener however. Some not producing a VP anymore at all.... While others producing what can only described as very poor examples, from what we deduced were most likely excess grape...

On the subject of ports - and I love Morris VP's also - finished last night, 1969 Taylors Late Bottled Vintage Port (bottled 1974) .... in a word glorious! Thoroughly mature but not tired, aromatic, racy and showing classic aged Touriga characters with integrated spirit. We love our fortified's and...

On the subject of ports - and I love Morris VP's also - finished last night,

1969 Taylors Late Bottled Vintage Port (bottled 1974) .... in a word glorious!

Thoroughly mature but not tired, aromatic, racy and showing classic aged Touriga characters with integrated spirit.

Grand Final Lunch:
1996 Yalumba Signature Cab/Shiraz - enjoyed with lamb loin chops marinated overnight in a rosemary/mint/honey/red wine marinade, and cooked over a charcoal grill.
The 28 year old red was a classic Aussie 'claret', drinking superbly.

The crazy new paradigm of white under stelvin. I’ve been super impressed. We are now seeing 20 year examples of all the varietals. One factor I’m starting to notice is loads of primary fruit versus a loss of strututal energy. It seems a little lopsided. Look, the result is ways better than cork, it...

6 x 2023 Seppelt 'Drumborg' Traminer - delicate, fragrant and gently persuasive! Probably needs another 6 - 12 months.

6 x 2023 Leo Buring EV Riesling - one of our house whites. Can't get over the price.

6 x 2021 Yalumba Signature
Heard it was good, tasted at the vineyard recently. A fantastic red - stylish, long-flavoured and beautifully balanced.

As reds age, some will yield a crystalline (bi-tartrate) deposit if they haven't been cold stabilized, but all will produce a fine, inky, pigment sediment. Colour is basically anthocyanins (a form of tannin) that with age form long-chain molecules that eventually drop out of solution, especially in ...

Last weekend, a long time mate from Beechworth visited my wife and I in Adelaide (via Kununurra - but that's a story for another day!) so felt it a good opportunity to open some decent bottles. Previously, he's been most generous when visiting direct from Beechworth, but this time any wine would hav...

1980 St Leonards Shiraz, Wahgunyah, NE Vic. A birth-year wine shared with our daughter last night - wasn't expecting much but cork was surprisingly good, about 25% saturation but came out in one piece. Colour, as expected, showed some browning at edge but bright. Decanted just before entree and kept...

Jamie, Direct from cellar door, e.g. Wendouree, Mount Mary, Wild Duck Creek, as only source, or indeed best price Cellar door wine clubs, a few that offer 10-20% off E-tailer arm/club of larger players such as Treasury, Accolade, either through website or phone prices from wine brokers. Small bottl...

2021 Soul Growers 'Hampel' Shiraz. Tried it at a recent tasting at the Lion Hotel, and purchased a bottle for a 'Big Reds' tasting on Sunday. Simply stunning. From a great vintage, it was one of the most complete, balanced yet full-throttle reds I've had in a long time. Palate just went on and on.

I forgot to add that a subscription to 'Decanter' would be very beneficial, as they have many articles on Bordeaux regions, and Jane Anson seem to know her stuff with her many tasting notes on various vintages. Also, there is a wealth of stuff on the web. When I started with Bordeaux, I relied on De...

Would certainly like to get into Bordeaux...but don't really know where to begin. Cheers Craig It's certainly not too late. Couple of steps to begin will give you a great leg-up; 1) Get to know Bordeaux vintages ( repeat their ratings in your sleep!). I cross reference Berry Bros & Rudd vintage...

6 x 2023 Ch. Pichon Lalande.
Force of habit I guess - I hope to be around when it's drinkable!

Went to the same 'shop' but not as cheap as hoped!
Heard the 2019 John Riddoch was great so I bought 3 - ouch!

Visiting the Margaret River soon, for the first time, and looking for recommendations for your top 5 wineries.
Thanks in advance,
WineRick.