WA Fine Wine Coast Roadshow
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 1:35 pm
Strolled into the WA Fine Wine Coast Roadshow yesterday and did a quick circuit. Overall impressions follow.
This event was not heavily promoted, suspect the participating wineries were disappointed with the low numbers. Great for me, no crowds, bad for them, minimal exposure. They should advertise. Gavin, maybe you should promote Auswine (to the industry) as THE industry promotion site?
Took a while to figure out the programme in relation to the floor plan. Presenters were scattered around the room and the programme was not in alphabetical order. Eventually realised that each stand had a number which corresponded to the page number of the programme.
WA produce a LOT of damn fine wine, and my comments relate mainly to the reds in particular, though I did try 3 whites, hey, time was against me
2000 reds were generally very good, 2001 were generally better. They don’t produce a lot of mid priced wine, relative to what's on offer in total, not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
Shiraz has really emerged in both quality and now quantity.
Without food, palate fatigue kicks in, these events need a bit of food to restore the palate and better show the wines, difficult with large crowds I know. Went back to the Moss Wood stand at the end and the wines tasted very different. It wasn’t the wine, it was my palate.
Sandgropers are warm, friendly, and all round nice people.
Only managed to get to about half the exhibitors. My impressions:
Wines I’d never like to drink again:
Sorry, better not list them, but there were a few
Wines for a ‘barby’ or where I could just as easily have a beer instead, not necessarily bad, just indifferent or not worth the money:
02 Abbey Vale Vat
01 Houghton Rockwell
01 Moondah Brook Cab
01 Moondah Brook Shiraz – I’d go for this over the beer
01 Driftwood Shiraz
98 Willespie Cabernets – another I’d prefer to drink over the beer
01 Pierro Cab Merlot
01 Xanadu Cab
01 Plantagenet Shiraz
01 Platypus Lane Shiraz, didn’t know where to put this one, it’s a lovely soft, well priced, drink now Swan Valley sine. I’d definitely drink this at the Barby.
99 Killerby Cab and Shiraz
Wines I’d happily drink if someone else was shouting:
00 Salitage Pemberton Cab
01 Fermoy Shiraz
00 Houghton Gladstones Shiraz and 99 Gladestones Cabernet, which was slightly better (both good, but too expensive)
00 Houghton Jack Mann, good wine, but again, too expensive.
99 Willespie Merlot
02 Pierro Chardonnay
99 Lagan Estate Reserve
01 Howard Park Leston Shiraz and Cab
00 Howard Park Cab, nearly snuck into the last category, but price is the issue
Wines I’d happily drink anytime:
01 Suckfizzle Cab (massive wine)
01 Ribbon Vale Cab Merlot
01 Fermoy Cab
00 Fermoy Reserve Cab
00 Houghton MR Cab
00 Devil’s Lair, I was going to put this into the next category until I tried the 01
02 Voyager Estate Shiraz
00 Voyager Estate Cab Merlot
99 Willespie Shiraz
02 Ferngrove Butterfly Chardonnay
01 Ferngrove King Malbec
01 Ferngrove Majestic Cab
01 Ferngrove Dragon Shiraz
01 Plantagenet Cab
01 Cape Mentelle Shiraz
01 Howard Park Scotsdale Cab
Wines I really really want to drink lot’s of:
00 Moss Wood Cab
00 Houghton Frankland River Shiraz
01 Devil’s Lair
01 Xanadu Shiraz ‘cause it’s really good and very well priced
This event was not heavily promoted, suspect the participating wineries were disappointed with the low numbers. Great for me, no crowds, bad for them, minimal exposure. They should advertise. Gavin, maybe you should promote Auswine (to the industry) as THE industry promotion site?
Took a while to figure out the programme in relation to the floor plan. Presenters were scattered around the room and the programme was not in alphabetical order. Eventually realised that each stand had a number which corresponded to the page number of the programme.
WA produce a LOT of damn fine wine, and my comments relate mainly to the reds in particular, though I did try 3 whites, hey, time was against me
2000 reds were generally very good, 2001 were generally better. They don’t produce a lot of mid priced wine, relative to what's on offer in total, not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
Shiraz has really emerged in both quality and now quantity.
Without food, palate fatigue kicks in, these events need a bit of food to restore the palate and better show the wines, difficult with large crowds I know. Went back to the Moss Wood stand at the end and the wines tasted very different. It wasn’t the wine, it was my palate.
Sandgropers are warm, friendly, and all round nice people.
Only managed to get to about half the exhibitors. My impressions:
Wines I’d never like to drink again:
Sorry, better not list them, but there were a few
Wines for a ‘barby’ or where I could just as easily have a beer instead, not necessarily bad, just indifferent or not worth the money:
02 Abbey Vale Vat
01 Houghton Rockwell
01 Moondah Brook Cab
01 Moondah Brook Shiraz – I’d go for this over the beer
01 Driftwood Shiraz
98 Willespie Cabernets – another I’d prefer to drink over the beer
01 Pierro Cab Merlot
01 Xanadu Cab
01 Plantagenet Shiraz
01 Platypus Lane Shiraz, didn’t know where to put this one, it’s a lovely soft, well priced, drink now Swan Valley sine. I’d definitely drink this at the Barby.
99 Killerby Cab and Shiraz
Wines I’d happily drink if someone else was shouting:
00 Salitage Pemberton Cab
01 Fermoy Shiraz
00 Houghton Gladstones Shiraz and 99 Gladestones Cabernet, which was slightly better (both good, but too expensive)
00 Houghton Jack Mann, good wine, but again, too expensive.
99 Willespie Merlot
02 Pierro Chardonnay
99 Lagan Estate Reserve
01 Howard Park Leston Shiraz and Cab
00 Howard Park Cab, nearly snuck into the last category, but price is the issue
Wines I’d happily drink anytime:
01 Suckfizzle Cab (massive wine)
01 Ribbon Vale Cab Merlot
01 Fermoy Cab
00 Fermoy Reserve Cab
00 Houghton MR Cab
00 Devil’s Lair, I was going to put this into the next category until I tried the 01
02 Voyager Estate Shiraz
00 Voyager Estate Cab Merlot
99 Willespie Shiraz
02 Ferngrove Butterfly Chardonnay
01 Ferngrove King Malbec
01 Ferngrove Majestic Cab
01 Ferngrove Dragon Shiraz
01 Plantagenet Cab
01 Cape Mentelle Shiraz
01 Howard Park Scotsdale Cab
Wines I really really want to drink lot’s of:
00 Moss Wood Cab
00 Houghton Frankland River Shiraz
01 Devil’s Lair
01 Xanadu Shiraz ‘cause it’s really good and very well priced