A defining moment...

[Chi]

Hello there,

Initially I was going to write this in the bio section but thought it’d be better suited here for ensuing discussion.
Just a warning that it’s a long one!

Firstly, I am new to the forum and relatively new to the love of wine. My name is Chi and I have been in the hospitality experience ever since I was of legal age. Now, at the age of 24 I feel I am just beginning my love affair with wine.

I suppose my first experiences of wine hold me in relatively better stead then many of my mates at the same age sculling grape juice from bright silver bags…although I am guilty of partaking in such activities at some stages of my teens.

My father was an ‘under the bed’ cellar kind of man. His lack of proper storage space didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for wine collecting and at its height boasted around 1000 bottles crammed under a double sealy posturepedic. He had grown studying in the UK and as such initiated me into the realms of inebriation by letting me drink the head off his Guinness in the bath tub at the age where you still took baths with your parents. Needless to say as the years passed I watched him open bottles and bottles, his face abeam with pleasure at a single sip. As a surly short tempered teenager I never really took notice when he would extol the virtues of his latest cellar drop at the dinner table, all I knew was he was obviously enjoying it!

At the age of 18 I began working in my local pub. I started by gathering mounds of used schooner glasses and cleaning the toilets until a little later down the track I found myself behind the bar. Working behind the bar started my first 2 love affairs with beer and spirits. With the years progressing, so did the level of bars I worked in and I became an avid enthusiast of the cocktail and fine spirits. To this day I am a single malt kinda guy on a usual night out with the boys (their tipple is the bundy and coke) and my liquor cabinet boasts the plunderings of duty free shops around the world…my choices being Martell Cordon Bleu, Hennesy XO, Highland Park, Suntory Yamazaki and Appleton Estate. I know what you’re thinking (jesus this kid has expensive taste) but I guess many years of a life around alcohol (both in work and social circles) means I had a burning passion for the elegance and beauty of it.

Back to wine!

Having firmly resolved that hospitality was something I wanted to do for a living, I undertook studies in it. Having now completed a B. Bus mgt in hospitality I can warmly reflect on some of my ‘better’ subjects. In first year I had the pleasure of gaining credit points for a subject known as ‘food and beverage’. In it we explored the subtleties of beer, wine and spirits production and the product itself. The knowledge fed the inner fire within me and I hungrily devoured any book on the subject. The final part of the subject culminated in a wine course run under the tutelage of Mr. Ian Bailey. I still recall my first class with him, a basics on wine etiquette. He told us all to raise our empty glass. As we all simultaneously lifted our tasting glasses, fingers firmly around the bowl he bellowed ‘I WILL NOT HAVE CRETINS IN MY CLASS, HOLD IT PROPERLY!!!’

My wine knowledge grew then, culminating in a test of our wine matching skills (given the point was to teach us how to run a hospitality business). We were to supply a wine to a given course which would be tasted by 3 of our tutors. My course was to be an entrée of smoked salmon gravlax. Hmmmm…as with any good student my first question fell on the ear of a bemused BWS employee who could do nothing but shrug his shoulders. Ok then I thought…trust your own instincts, you can do this. Nominally, we had a prohibitive budget of up to $30 (Didn’t want any kids bringing daddy’s Grange) and this was coming from my own pocket. I had a think about the flavours…salty,sweet, rich, fatty fleshed fish…

Before I divulge my choice (keep in mind I was 20 at the time!), I know there were probably a million better choices I could have made!

Anyway, back to it, my eyes settled on a sectioned marked ‘chablis’. Hmmmm…my brain went back to the knowledge I had gained…chardonnay grapes, minerally, oyster shell like flavour, nice acidity…sh.t yeah it’ll do. I reached for the cheapest of it, a 2004 William Fevre Petit Chablis. Nice label I thought to myself, very classy.

As the test came around I took my seat at the tasting table and I presented my wine. We poured a small portion and I began my own assessment of the wine. At 20 I still have my scribbled tasting notes;
‘Doesn’t taste like Australian Chardonnay, where’s the oak? Very nice minerally flavour, grassy, apple notes with a sappy, citrusy smell.’
One of my tutors was a Frenchman and with a laconic smile he started proceedings with ‘Zis wine iz too cold’ which made my other two tutors frown. Needless to say the smiles on my tutors faces and the smile on mine left me with a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside (Or was that the alcohol after 2 glasses of wine at 11am at uni?). Regardless to say when my markings came around I was so very pleased with a big fat ‘HD’ written across ‘Food and Beverage’.

Over the last 2 years my love affair with wine has had me yearning to know more and to taste more. My personal tutelage began with the book ‘A good nose and great legs’ by Robert Geddes. I enjoyed his outlook that wine is dictated by the 3 legs of a steady stool; place (the terroir), person (the winemaker) and the variety itself with the drinker perched on top. To this day I favour this holistic approach and like to look at wine not so much as an investment or way to get pissed but a story of where it comes from and what people put into it. I also own the obligatory Halliday and Jeremy Oliver wine annuals but find I use them more to increase my breadth of knowledge of vineyard names, locations and famous labels. I think that in the real world, wine is too subjective to be given a 100pt score and really, if you enjoy the wine then it’s good!!! I realise the may be a slightly naïve view but one that I am happy with at my age where wine for me is the perfect medium for a happy time, great discussions and a way to connect with people (other wine enthusiasts at my age tend me be far and few between).

To that end my own personal cellar is a meager 24 or so bottles, limited namely by my typical lack of funds from a graduate living out of home. Despite that I have collected what I consider to be a few gems and each one opened has been a memorable occasion. My collection namely stems from my dad who I recall distinctly smiling when he asked me what I would like for my 22nd birthday. I replied ‘no dad, not the requisite money for groceries, But…dad, I would like a case of nice wine’. His beaming face was seen 2 weeks later, shoving a case into my hands. He told me, drink some now, drink some later, but just enjoy them.
Amongst my current collection are a single: 99 Wendouree Shiraz Malbec, 04 Craggy Range Sophia, 00 Pyrus, 99 407, 00 Kalimna Bin 28, 2 X 04 Wynn’s black label, a few 00 Leconfield Cab Sauvs and a 04 Cullen Merlot . Sure, not much to boast about but I guess we all start somewhere! I’m rubbish with knowing vintages (which was a good year, one with potential etc) and would love to know a peaky kind of time to open some of these (or drink immediately).

My own additions to the cellar have been the odd cheapy or wine that I loved and thought had some great potential…that being a half dozen or so Tahbilk Marsannes and a few Elizabeth’s. I just have to stop myself drinking them all the time!

My last 6 years or so of drinking wine have given me the privilege of tasting some perception altering and mind blowing (in my opinion) wines. I am lucky enough to have a family that also loves wine and has never hesitated in letting me pour myself an extra glass of ‘the good stuff’ at a dinner out. Wines I distinctly remember as having forever changed my beliefs about wine were drinking a Wynn’s Black Lable 87 magnum at my dad’s 54th, drinking a 99 Mount Mary Pinot Noir at a birthday, cracking an 87 Taltarni Cab Sauv with my mates, a Cullen Diana Madeleine brought by a friend and last night when my dad cracked a 99 Moss Wood Cab Sauv at our local Italian. I know each of these might not be the best vintages or times to open but all I know that each sip was delicious, complex, totally heavenly and something I will never forget. Each wine signifies a happy memory for me.

At 24 I feel that my palate is pretty hopeless. I struggle to pick flavours and particular notes but I do feel I can confidently name a given variety and country it was made in (haha!). I think at 24, naming a variety off the nose is pretty good going! I spent last weekend in the Hunter and had a great time chatting to a guy (name escapes me) who was talking me through the nuances of a 98 Vat 8 he was pouring me. He unashamedly called me out in front of my friends as the only serious wine drinker (holding my glass by the stem) and asked me what I smelled on the nose. I stuttered, stammered and faltered before he said take a deeeeep sniff. Can you smell licorice? By jove, I could. I smiled and he did too, telling me ‘don’t be too fussed if you can’t pick out each smell…be happy if someone tells you it’s there and you can smell it too’.

Another similarly great experience was at Sydney’s Ultimo Wine Centre…I took a good 2-3 hours there just pouring over labels and salivating at the thought of them. It culminated in a tasting at which I did a double take when a label on the tasting wine read ‘$255’. It was a 97 cotes du rhone of which name escapes me but I remember taking a sip and being absolutely blown away by the elegance and refinement of the wine. A tiny sip had my mouth swimming with flavours with a firm tannin undertone and an incredible finish that had my mouth echoing for 60 seconds or more. That single sip was an experience in itself! Another beautiful and very different wine I enjoyed at a later date was a Josmeyer Gerwurztraminer…so different to anything I’d had before. It was wonderfully cloying and full of roses and violets. Very enjoyable stuff!

I find my personal tastes have also changed tremendously over the last half decade or so. My favourite varieties in order are Cab Sauv, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Chardonnay then Riesling. The only variety I tend to say I don’t particularly enjoy is Semillon, which I find has a watery kind of nature to it. At 24 I find myself favouring the bigger, bolder and punchier flavours, although I did thoroughly enjoy a taste of 98 Vat 1 at Tyrell’s (once again changing my perceptions about a certain variety).

After a short year or so intensely and notably trying to increase my wine knowledge I think I had the greatest epiphany and wine-life changing experience over the weekend past. It is what kind of inspired me to write this piece (I have only been reading this forum for 3 or so weeks).
The weekend was at the Hunter. It was myself and 2 other mates of mine who are equally lovers of wine. We are all at the same age and they turn to me for technical questions (which doesn’t really say much) and I in turn bounce my tasting notes off them. We had outlined a brief tour of the Hunter and I had turned to this forums search function for guidance of a few vineyards ‘off the beaten track’. Consequently I found one or two references to one named ‘Chateau Francois’. My friend has a hilarious theory that any cellar that you had to access by dirt road was superior to those with nice paved driveways as they obviously didn’t want to give out as much wine.

As we rolled up to the entry of Chateau Francois my friend was delighted to find a good 300m or so of gravelly dirt road. ‘This is going to be a good one’ he exclaimed gleefully and we were in high hopes.
As we drove closer to the cellar door we turned past a homely looking large cottage requisite with brown spotted dog. The dog bound happily up to the car and gave us a welcome (big tongue hanging out) as good as I have seen at any cellar door. We trudged crunchily through the gravel path up to a big warehouse with tools of the trade strewn here and there, big pictures of brown trout on the wall and bottles lined up dating back to when my father was a teenager himself. A man shuffled out of the cottage and walked behind a small wooden counter, with a beaming smile that instantly made us feel at ease. The man was Don Francois, proprietor and winemaker of the vineyard. He beckoned to us to read a little snippet of paper which saddeningly referred to his stroke some years ago. My heart went out to him in sadness but was lifted by a man who is so friendly and warm I couldn’t help but feel better. As we turned from the paper he could read the sense of unease on our young faces and simply proclaimed ‘It’s ok…SMILE!!!’ which made us all chuckle. He reverently lined up glasses for us and gave us our first drop of 01 Semillon, taken from an ancient and amazingly still working fridge. I took a deep smell of the wine and couldn’t pick up anything particularly forthcoming on the nose but when I took a sip that all changed. I had a beautiful citrusy thrust on the palate and a nice toasty nuttiness that had me asking for more. The second was a sparkling red…Pinot if I recall. I am normally not a fan of the style but could appreciate the tannic nuances in the wine and see how it could be a refreshing change at a summer’s BBQ. The final wine was a 2000 Shiraz. As he poured our glasses a steady stream of sediment and bits fell into our glass. This did not deter us at all, and I think added to the charm of the wine and we happily took our first few sips. As the wine hit my lips I got a beautiful earthy spicy flavour with a nice finish, not being too tannic and just a nice lasting bit of length. I loved this wine, it was so different to any other Shiraz I’d been exposed to. As we dropped our glasses from our mouths the smiles said it all and Don Francois chuckled along with us. What proceeded was a great 2 hour long conversation with a man who had done more in his life then 2 people put together! He took us inside his cottage and showed us pictures of him wrestling in America in his youth, big beautiful trout he had caught and snippets of paper on his kids who had gone on to do great things. We laughed and talked and laughed some more at his great humour particularly in pointing out an old bottle of Australian sparkling named ‘Sweet sparkling sherry’. It was a great time and through it I realised here was a wine maker who lives for what he produces. Someone who puts his all into the wine, letting it show the earth it was grown in and the grape it was made with. A man who single handedly runs a little cellar door for those lucky enough to visit and hold genteel conversations. I was very sad to leave but happy to take home a dozen or so of his wines at a price that resembled theft. To me, a person like this tells so much about the beauty of wine and the joys of partaking in it.

Wine for me will forever be a love affair marking special occasions in my life and special memories. I still want to learn more, want to taste more and hope one day I can take a job somewhere in an industry related to it. It is such a beautiful thing and I am glad to have built an appreciation at my age.

So I guess comes the final part of my very long winded post…

Look back into your past…what was a key defining moment for you that really defined what wine is all about?

I hope you have enjoyed reading my post and laughed along with some memories you might have had growing up in the world of wine. Please do share!

[monghead]

Welcome Chi,

Thank you for the wonderful post. I often don't read anything longer than a couple of lines, as I have the attention span of a gnat. However, your post was truly captivating, and it is obvious you are deeply passionate about wine.

Look forward to seeing your comments...

Cheers,

Monghead.

[rens]

Welcome Chi,

Thank you for the wonderful post. I often don't read anything longer than a couple of lines, as I have the attention span of a gnat. However, your post was truly captivating, and it is obvious you are deeply passionate about wine.

Look forward to seeing your comments...

Cheers,

Monghead.

Agree. Welcome aboard

[Lochness Dave]

I saw it's length and was just going to flick over it, but then I saw Mongheads comments, so I went back to the top and started reading away, I really enjoyed your story and felt your new found passion just like I now have with wine moments

David

[mf]

Great post - although can't lie and say I read it all but did have a good scan (my attention span is pretty short - probably a bit less than a gnat).

On your question regarding defining moments - I suppose what "defines" wine may depend on the person but assuming one of those things that defines wine is enjoying it, I think for me that started when I had a bottle of Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2001 at a Thai restaurant with my girlfriend (which she brought). It probably is no longer the best wine I have had but it is still the wine I remember as changing my perception of wine from just being another form of alcohol and something that can be enjoyed on a number of levels.

Since then I have had a number of "significant" moments with wine (from tasting, visiting cellar doors, reading articles etc.) but one thing I have discovered is that wine is something where you can endlessly make discoveries and have events occur that changes your perceptions and previous pre conceived ideas you may have had (maybe that is what defines wine for me - at least at this stage).

[orpheus]

Great post. Sounds as though your palate is perfectly fine, but, as you are young, you are not that confident about it. Probably a good thing, prevents you being annoying!!

Don't give up on semillon, at least not from the Hunter Valley.

The trick is provided that it has good acidity, if you leave it for 10 years you will understand why it was once called "hunter valley riesling".

[Loztralia]

For me the equivalent moment came a few weeks after I'd arrived in Australia (for good) and a friend of my girlfriend's (now my wife) took us tasting in the Swan Valley. Not exactly the top region in Australia but handy for Perth and we did get to take in Houghton and Sandalford. Anyway said friend is a chef and is into his wine, and he gave the vital first nudge over the line from absolute ignorance (and corresponding fear of embarrassment) to interested interaction.

Being talked through, and then tasting a Houghton Jack Mann was the absolute epiphany for me. I think the bottle was a 99 and I still have the one I bought afterwards - I'll crack it with Marcus one day I think.

The next step was a self-guided Hunter trip after we'd moved across to Sydney. A couple of mis-steps with overly commercial wineries but at some point in the day some kind soul on a cellar door let me try a new semillon against the same label five years or so old. Thus my first real, direct illustration of the ageing process and the source of a renewed commitment to buy and hold (it's odd that it should be a white wine that demonstrated that to me, but then Hunter semillon is good like that).

[bacchaebabe]

Hi Chi and welcome to the Auswine forum. What an inspiring first post. And great to see someone here as verbose as me! Ha ha.

I think my turning point for wine was a 95 trip to SA and touring most of the major areas. No particular wine or winery but just the general ambience, conviviality and generosity. It was a very slippery slope to a house with a purpose built cellar and approx 1500 bottles.

The best advice I can give you is to attend as many tastings as you can. Many wine shops do them for free and it's a great way to extend your experience cheaply. If you get the opportunity to attend one of the offlines herethen do. Again, a great opportunity to taste wines you may not be able t afford or acquire yourself. Most people are very generous at these events and for me the best part is about being able to share your treasures. And finally, buy what you can when you can. The younger you start, the better off you'll be. The prices only ever go up and it won't be long before you're saying, "I can remember when I bought x wine for only $x back in the noughties."

[Julio G]

This strikes a chord with me Chi. I am 30 and my love affair with wine kicked off at or around your age. Good luck - it is an expensive habit.

That Cullen 04 Merlot you have... that was a cellar door only wine... I too have one in my stash - it is a cracker. I spoke to Vanya herself at the cellar door about it. She was very enthusiastic about the 04 vintage and said their Merlot was the grape of the vintage.

[Michael McNally]

Thanks for the post Chi

All it took for me was a nice person at the cellar door at Peter Lehmann when I was 18 back in 1987. She didn't assume I was an idiot (though I undoubtedly was), talked me through the wines, and insisted if I was just starting out with wine that as I was there I should taste everything even if I was only planning to buy a bottle or two, or nothing at all.

Cellar doors are where I am at my happiest, outside the marital bedroom of course.

I still have a soft spot for PL. And on principle I always taste everything available at a cellar door/in store, and feel no obligation to buy (though buy if there is something I really do like). Kris' advice is very sound.

Happy posting.

Michael

[dazza1968]

Welcome Chi..........
Great read

Turning point for me was a 93 Orlando Lawsons , was on super special and bought a bottle and have been collecting wine ever since ....

For me a wine has its own history ie weather,pruning,Harvesting every bottle has its own bit of gold (unless its tca affected etc) and i tend to look for that even when its not my style

Good luck

[Craig(NZ)]

Turning point for me was a 93 Orlando Lawsons , was on super special and bought a bottle and have been collecting wine ever since ....

That was one of my first 'wow' reds too. However I think it was a 1994 Nautalis Sauvignon Blanc that introduced the idea of some wine being better than others

[Chi]

Thanks for all the great comments guys! Really appreciated, been reading more and more of the forum including topics years past. Some great reading, I look forward to contributing more!

[Daryl Douglas]

Thanks for all the great comments guys! Really appreciated, been reading more and more of the forum including topics years past. Some great reading, I look forward to contributing more!

Great to have you on board Chi. This is my favourite forum,
not "cliquey", just about everyone mostly shows respect to all others and any jibes are mostly just joshing, a bit of a razz.

I'm sure we all look forward to following your exploration of wine.

Cheers

daz

[odyssey]

Hi there Chi, your experiences rang a bit of a chime with my own, it all comes from the family!

Grandfather: (no not the port... although now that you mention it...)

My grandfather worked as a driver for Penfolds in the golden years - 50s through 70s, couriering wine about Sydney and occasionally chauffeuring the winemakers when they were in Sydney. This gave him a great respect for wine, and for Penfolds in particular. Since then they stocked up on Penfolds of all kinds including Granges from a number of years.

First defining moment:

The day of my dad's retirement - I was about 18 - he opened a Grange and gave all of us a taste. I don't know the year, I think it was a 1971. The first and most remarkable experience I have ever tasted - nothing that has gone in my mouth since that day has compared to that perfect, mouthfilling symphony of amazing flavours with a finish so long that my palate still remembers it 13 years later.

Second defining moment:

My grandfather gave me two 1974 granges for my 21st birthday and did likewise for my siblings and cousins. Of course I immediately opened one with him and this became another experience which was unforgettable - not for the wine (which was of course remarkable) but for his company - being able to share it with him. For celebrating it with the man who shared his passion and respect for wine with his children and grandchildren, passed that on through us as we will pass it to our children.

The family

We have since made it a tradition to purchase 2 Grange bottles of the vintage year of each child born into the family, which will be given to them on their 21st birthday (my first nephew was born in 1998 and the second in 2004 - what lucky kids!!).

Wine brings our family together - we drive up to the Hunter annually, 3 generations (the 4th generation stays at home with minders!) and all share the experience, creating unforgettable memories.

In many ways wine has made generations of our family into the closest of friends, regardless of age or outside interests.

The Experience:

Thanks to my grandfather's respect for wine, every wine bottle opened for me is a special moment, an occasion in and of itself with a surprise waiting to be experienced.

[Waiters Friend]

Isn't this what wine is all about? How it brings like-minded people together, as well as sharing an unrepeatable experience with friends?

Sorry, Chi, being pedantic, if your father can fit 1000 bottles under a Sealy Posturepaedic, then his nose would have been bouncing off the roof tiles if he sleeps on his back Notwithstanding, I understand where you're coming from, however, in my case, my father's interest in wine has been well and truly superseded by my own, and he has been learning from me as my (semi-professional) wine experience overtook his. A good story, and one that I would like to have written at age 24.

Don't lose the passion

Allan

[Waiters Friend]

As a follow-up, one of the people I have been priveleged to meet in my wine journey turns 50 in August. The delightful Sue and I are heading to Dunsborough for a weekend celebration.

The winemaker concerned worked for Penfolds 20 years ago, and has a stash of what were current vintage Granges, 707s and Riddochs from the mid-to late 80s.

The weekend will be a Saturday night party (so BYO, although there will be a number of MR winemakers present, and I can't imagine they will go to the local bottle-o to acquire their drinkies )

The highlight, however, will be a meal at a local restaurant on the Friday night, at which the dozen or so invited guests will raid their cellars (and at which a Grange or two will emerge). It will be a special one (there's a Warre's 1970 port coming out as well, apparently) and this will no doubt count among the occasions to which we could apply my statement from the previous post:

"Isn't this what wine is all about? How it brings like-minded people together, as well as sharing an unrepeatable experience with friends?"

Time to check out the cellar to pluck out the good stuff.