Penfolds 2015 release...

[gggaz]

Just attended my local dans for a taste. Approached the tasting area, all the bins out, open and ready go. No staff serving - hesitated for a minute looked around and poured my own. Decent serve I might add.

Not to be a dick but please don't do this. Against OHS and RSA protocol, and Dans are sticklers for this - staff are put through the wringer if something like this happens on their watch. Just ask someone. They're usually more than happy to have a break from stacking boxes to have a chat.
The small pours and the stupid plastic cups and even the crappy ISO glasses are standard issue and the staff have no control over any of it, much less what's on tasting. Just FYI.

[dbyrne4]

Just attended my local dans for a taste. Approached the tasting area, all the bins out, open and ready go. No staff serving - hesitated for a minute looked around and poured my own. Decent serve I might add.

Not to be a dick but please don't do this. Against OHS and RSA protocol, and Dans are sticklers for this - staff are put through the wringer if something like this happens on their watch. Just ask someone. They're usually more than happy to have a break from stacking boxes to have a chat.
The small pours and the stupid plastic cups and even the crappy ISO glasses are standard issue and the staff have no control over any of it, much less what's on tasting. Just FYI.

Woop Woop its the fun police

[Michael McNally]

Just attended my local dans for a taste. Approached the tasting area, all the bins out, open and ready go. No staff serving - hesitated for a minute looked around and poured my own. Decent serve I might add.

Not to be a dick but please don't do this. Against OHS and RSA protocol, and Dans are sticklers for this - staff are put through the wringer if something like this happens on their watch. Just ask someone. They're usually more than happy to have a break from stacking boxes to have a chat.
The small pours and the stupid plastic cups and even the crappy ISO glasses are standard issue and the staff have no control over any of it, much less what's on tasting. Just FYI.

Woop Woop its the fun police

I've never understood this. Are the police themselves fun? Or are they making sure other people don't have fun? Perhaps it's the noun 'fun' rather than the adjective 'fun' in which case they are there to police the having of fun? Surely they would be ensuring everyone has fun, rather than preventing it?

Regardless. It's always fun until someone loses an eye.....

I lost one in a terrible sparkling shiraz incident. It got better, but every time I hear a cork pop my (good) eyeball sweats, which is quite unpleasant.

Cheers

Michael

PS Apologies to anyone who actually has lost an eye, including my mother-in-law and my mate John in Townsville,

[Michael McNally]

Back on topic, I tried the Bin 28, Bin 389, St Henri and Grange at my local. Couldn't see much merit in the Grange, but thought the others were good expressions of their types. Bought four of the Bin 28 and one each of the 389 and St Henri so I can have them in a decade or two and kick myself for not having bought dozens of each.

Cheers

Michael

[phillisc]

Gee whiz, thought I was off the beam, the fun police have been let out, for Gods sake lets hope they never make the public or trade tastings at any of the wine shows.
Tried 28, 389 and St Henri, actually thought these were all excellent, certainly back on form and if St Henri goes sub $70 maybe get a few more.
One of the better 389s on release from recent memory...no overt green characters, which IMHO have been quite prominent in recent vintages.

Have to laugh about punters saying that wine is not worth $450...it was a 2013 Max's promise...not the Max Schubert 2012s special collection wines..fear a $50 red will be lost in the abyss...certainly confused many.

Cheers
Craig

[rens]

OK. So I googled to try and find what you were on about there.
This is a very interesting read about 'Max's Collection':
https://www.bestwinesunder20.com.au/pen ... tion-2015/

[trufflequeen]

Picked up a couple of St Henri 2012, which I managed to find south of $70. Popped up to the Magill Estate cellar door kitchen on Saturday morning for breakfast and noticed that the 2010 they supposedly 'found' recently is still appearing for sale on the list of back vintages - not moving as quickly as I'd expected

[gggaz]

Just attended my local dans for a taste. Approached the tasting area, all the bins out, open and ready go. No staff serving - hesitated for a minute looked around and poured my own. Decent serve I might add.

Not to be a dick but please don't do this. Against OHS and RSA protocol, and Dans are sticklers for this - staff are put through the wringer if something like this happens on their watch. Just ask someone. They're usually more than happy to have a break from stacking boxes to have a chat.
The small pours and the stupid plastic cups and even the crappy ISO glasses are standard issue and the staff have no control over any of it, much less what's on tasting. Just FYI.

Woop Woop its the fun police

Gee whiz, thought I was off the beam, the fun police have been let out, for Gods sake lets hope they never make the public or trade tastings at any of the wine shows.

Astounding... good attitude guys, keep it up. What I said wasn't really that outrageous, just asking for a little courtesy and respect in that environment.

[Scotty vino]

This is like eating grapes off the bunch at the local fruit and veg stall. No big deal.
If DM are that serious about it and wanna show case pennies or whomever then I'd suggest they have
someone there 100% of the time when open bottles are on hand.
If they're leaving it up to the casual shelf filler staff to keep a casual eye on things then don't bother.

[wiggum]

Nothing to see here - move on...... I've said that before. No one fell over injured or drunk. Just a coupla happy customers for a change.

[catchnrelease]

I see where gggaz is coming from, especially because it's not DM that will care about losing wine, it's the poor staffer on (I'm guessing) minimum wage that wasn't there at that exact moment who's gonna cop it because of RSA and all the other little rules that big chains are anal about.

Having been on both sides of the customer-retailer relationship being a customer doesn't mean you're above rules/etiquette. Better to just ask someone instead of get some poor staffer in trouble.

JMO - fire away anti-Fun Police!

[sjw_11]

Actually, I think the RSA side of things would already be breached by leaving an open alcoholic product unattended in a forum where anyone including children may be present, at least in principal (no idea the precise legalities of wine tastings, other than that you need a liquor license to run one).

Interestingly, Majestic wines over here has a pile of bottles open every day (including spirits) for you to help yourself to.

If the shop staffer, whether paid minimum wage or not, is tasked with manning the wine tasting and has instead gone off to do other things then frankly the reason they will get in trouble is because they are already not doing their job!

[wiggum]

Geez you guys are quick to jump on someone. Decent serve equalled about 50% more than the normal crap pour not half a glass. I hardly see how that breaches responsible serving of alcohol. Still I wasn't there to assess my own sobriety at that moment - stone cold sober at about 3.00 p.m. on sat arvo.

I get that the staff should pour but they just weren't there and were busy. It wasn't like I had to be sneaky about it - prob about 5 others did the same thing. No one abused it other than my 40 ml pour!!!

By the way, I am smiling at all the fuss this has caused.

[Hunter]

I would have done the same wiggum
Everytime I go into my local I have to head to the front desk and ask for assistance beacuse it's unattended

[gggaz]

Geez you guys are quick to jump on someone. Decent serve equalled about 50% more than the normal crap pour not half a glass. I hardly see how that breaches responsible serving of alcohol. Still I wasn't there to assess my own sobriety at that moment - stone cold sober at about 3.00 p.m. on sat arvo.

I get that the staff should pour but they just weren't there and were busy. It wasn't like I had to be sneaky about it - prob about 5 others did the same thing. No one abused it other than my 40 ml pour!!!

The intended tone of my message beginning with 'not to be a dick, but...' was more a friendly PSA, in the sense that I've been there, it's crap, the staff have no control or say over anything and are crucified over small trivial issues like this... just a message from the other side of it, just something to be aware of, because I'd hate to think you or any of the guys here are the sort of eye-rolling, condescending type I used to have to deal with.

The size of your pour has nothing to do with it by the way. Self-serve alcohol is in breach of RSA. I've seen a few more 'relaxed' cellar doors that have a self-serve system too, highly illegal. Like I said, just FYI, no need to start name-calling, as if I'm about to call up my local dans and start complaining... sheesh..

[phillisc]

Sheesh indeed.
Most of us here do the right thing every time, all the time.
If staff are too distracted to do their job, or heaven forbid cannot be bothered then you reap what you sow.
Unattended opened wine bottles for many are like a diabetic at Cadbury's...a field day
In terms of RSA, the chains could actually enforce their under 25 no ID policy, with another round of schoolies coming up next month, its never been easier for curvy 16-17 year olds to get whatever they like...and the chains are happy to take their coin.

When you are on the blower to Dans can you line up a hard hat and a high viz..might need it next time.

I'm just waiting for the day when Woollies introduce self-serve checkouts at liquor stores...after all its just another retail product to them, treated like toilet paper...then it will be game on.

Cheers
Craig