New Year Resolutions?

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:29 am

Anyone making any vinous NY resolutions this year?

Mine is to "Rediscover Riesling".

...

Yes that's right, I have 5 bottles of 98/99 riesling somewhere in my cellar, I need to rediscover them in time for a white-drinking friend's birthday so I can give them to him as a present. :lol:

RogerPike · Post by **RogerPike** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:19 pm

Mine is to "Avoid Viognier"

Happy New Year to all.

Roger

n4sir · Post by **n4sir** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 10:49 pm

Mine is to get back to Roger's place again soon so I can recover my Coopers Club baseball cap.

Cheers,
Ian

RogerPike · Post by **RogerPike** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 9:38 am

n4sir wrote:Mine is to get back to Roger's place again soon so I can recover my Coopers Club baseball cap.

Cheers,
Ian

I wondered where that came from. It would appear that my head is larger than yours. I shall keep it safe.

Cheers,
Roger

bacchaebabe · Post by **bacchaebabe** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 6:34 pm

Mine is to stop buying so much bloody wine. I'm sure I'd be rich if I didn't have this obsession!

Davo · Post by **Davo** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 6:48 pm

bacchaebabe wrote:Mine is to stop buying so much bloody wine. I'm sure I'd be rich if I didn't have this obsession!

Yeah, I lasted 1 day, then had a CD visit at Peel Estate. Geez that Zin, oh hell that Cabernet, poop on that VP, and blow the Liqueur Shiraz. And then the b..... has the temerity to make a SS that is a blinder.

Oh well, next year perhaps.

Pelican · Post by **Pelican** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:05 pm

Mine is to drink a bit more wine ( after many many AFD's in 2005 in order to save some dosh ) - I decided on increasing consumption again after reading The Red Bigots/TORBS article on the "Theory of Capacity". I did the sums and it seems Life is too short !

On the plus side in 2005 I did save up enough money to buy myself a nice artisan Italian DE ROSA road bicycle that I'm yet to fall off of ( unlike the Red Bigot ) NB - some white wine ( especially ryesling ) is good for your balance on the bicicletta I reckon.

Jordan · Post by **Jordan** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 9:55 pm

Mine is to expand my drinking horizons: particullary in reference to Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Chianti.

I am taking 2 uni economics tutes on top of my regular part time work in preperation for the expense!

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:41 pm

Pelican wrote:Mine is to drink a bit more wine ( after many many AFD's in 2005 in order to save some dosh ) - I decided on increasing consumption again after reading The Red Bigots/TORBS article on the "Theory of Capacity". I did the sums and it seems Life is too short !

On the plus side in 2005 I did save up enough money to buy myself a nice artisan Italian DE ROSA road bicycle that I'm yet to fall off of ( unlike the Red Bigot ) NB - some white wine ( especially ryesling ) is good for your balance on the bicicletta I reckon.

Admirable aims. Life is indeed to short to have many AFD's. Re falling off bicycle, I was run off the the bike path by other inconsiderate riders, I find the magneto stationery frame very good for balance now.

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:54 pm

I've found another worthy aim, I have 180 single bottles listed in my cellar database, many of them ready to drink. I think I should try to get that down by at least half this year.

I hope many of them are better than the Bannockburn 99 Shiraz from this list that we are drinking tonight, it's fairly bretty, but initially it seemed to go with the Rhoney style and was Ok with food. After the food it is fading in the glass, acid showing, brett not worse, some cedary oak, not enough fruit or backbone.

BTW, the food was an eclectic bangers and mash mix of smoked lamb sausages (Poachers Pantry), smoked chorizo (Eco Meats organic butcher) and chinese pork sausages with potato and kumara mash and broccoli. An odd combination, chosen by groping in the fridge, but surprisingly it works, with hot English mustard and a dash of smokey Chipotle chile sauce on the side. :-)

Davo · Post by **Davo** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:59 am

Red Bigot wrote:I've found another worthy aim, I have 180 single bottles listed in my cellar database, many of them ready to drink. I think I should try to get that down by at least half this year.

Bring em over with you and we will give it a bash :lol:

GraemeG · Post by **GraemeG** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:10 am

bacchaebabe wrote:Mine is to stop buying so much bloody wine. I'm sure I'd be rich if I didn't have this obsession!

My theory (as explained to my wife) is that the money isn't really spent until you pull the cork. After all, fine wine is readily convertible into cash - sometimes more than you paid for it!

(Besides, 'rich' is determined on assets, and the wine counts there. Just ask Heritage investors.)

cheers,
Graeme

JamieBahrain · Post by **JamieBahrain** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:14 am

[quote="Red Bigot"]

Bannockburn 99 Shiraz from this list that we are drinking tonight, it's fairly bretty, but initially it seemed to go with the Rhoney style and was Ok with food. After the food it is fading in the glass, acid showing, brett not worse, some cedary oak, not enough fruit or backbone.

Brian

Was this wine from your cellar? I have had three bottles of this wine in the last few months- one corked & two seemed spotlessly clean ( and enjoyable to my palate I must add ).

At a recent event in Hong Kong, both Bannockburn & Farr's 01 shiraz smelt very animally. I recall discussion about this on the forum, a few had similar experiences, but the wine improves.

A sunbaking accentuates brett if I recall correctly. My Bannockburn 99's went straight from release to professional storage. Hence, the direction of my question.

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:34 am

JamieBahrain wrote:
Red Bigot wrote:
Bannockburn 99 Shiraz from this list that we are drinking tonight, it's fairly bretty, but initially it seemed to go with the Rhoney style and was Ok with food. After the food it is fading in the glass, acid showing, brett not worse, some cedary oak, not enough fruit or backbone.

Brian

Was this wine from your cellar? I have had three bottles of this wine in the last few months- one corked & two seemed spotlessly clean ( and enjoyable to my palate I must add ).

At a recent event in Hong Kong, both Bannockburn & Farr's 01 shiraz smelt very animally. I recall discussion about this on the forum, a few had similar experiences, but the wine improves.

A sunbaking accentuates brett if I recall correctly. My Bannockburn 99's went straight from release to professional storage. Hence, the direction of my question.

Jamie, it was from my cellar, but only bought early 2002, so probably a while after release and from a shop that doesn't have much in the way of aircon, so may have gotten a bit warm before I bought it. The brett was tolerable for a while, but the fruit seemed to fade and the acid took over, the last quarter-bottle went down the drain. I only bought 2 bottles, I've never been a Bannockburn fan, but try them occasionaly for the stylistic variation in tastings etc.

manning · Post by **manning** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:25 am

Red Bigot wrote:I hope many of them are better than the Bannockburn 99 Shiraz from this list that we are drinking tonight, it's fairly bretty

Oh wine gurus - what are the signs of brett? I wouldn't recognise it if it pitched one up at me at 160ks.

(...that reference should confuse the Americans...

)

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:51 pm

manning wrote:
Red Bigot wrote:I hope many of them are better than the Bannockburn 99 Shiraz from this list that we are drinking tonight, it's fairly bretty

Oh wine gurus - what are the signs of brett? I wouldn't recognise it if it pitched one up at me at 160ks.

(...that reference should confuse the Americans... )

Description. A mousy, horsey, sweaty, wet dog, leathery, stale hamburger, barnyard character. Similar character to Belgian Lambic beer. Adds complexity at low levels.

Cause. Contamination of grapes, wines and equipment by the surface yeast, Brettanomyces spp. and its production of tetrahydropyridines.

Have a look here:
http://www.wineanorak.com/brettanomyces.htm

Davo · Post by **Davo** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:42 pm

To me I get mousiness, slimey ham, and bandaids, just like in the Montrose Sangiovese I had yesterday.

In my early days as a plonker I always associated the smell and flavour as a standard for imported wines especially from France , and if it was lacking in the wine I thought it was off or poorly made.

Even today, if I detect Brett (as I now know it to be) in a wine in a blind tasting I am immediately biased towards it being imported.

manning · Post by **manning** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:38 pm

Red Bigot wrote:Description. A mousy, horsey, sweaty, wet dog, leathery, stale hamburger, barnyard character.

Isn't that also the description of a Hunter Shiraz...?

(PS - thanks)

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:48 pm

manning wrote:
Red Bigot wrote:Description. A mousy, horsey, sweaty, wet dog, leathery, stale hamburger, barnyard character.

Isn't that also the description of a Hunter Shiraz...?

(PS - thanks)

Yeah, used to be, they called it "sweaty saddle" or "regional character". I believe they've cleaned up their act a lot in the last decade or so, but like any other region or winery, it can bloom if the proper procedures are not followed and can affect wine at any level or price range, see the articles on TORBWine about the 1998 Henschke HoG.

If it's present at all, it seems especially to bloom in reds that get a bit warm and have low sulphur levels, so there can be great variation for differnt cases of the same wine under differing delivery and storage conditions.