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18th May, 201315th May, 201311th May, 2013
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A Blend Pioneered Back in the 1950s












Stock Reduction Continues
$47.88 per case
























2013-05-21 18:11:23 - David "It is a point of philosophy for him, but as much as that it is an intellectual challenge. 'This is the way to develop – to impose limits on myself, limits on what I can get. I want to be creative, sure, but more importantly creative here. I don't send out for lobster and caviar. I want diners to feel the slide of the seasons in this village here'." Chef Daniel Berlin, The Independent, 30th November, 2012.
2013-05-19 17:14:13 - David "He believes farmers across southeast Anatolia or the Near East started domesticating the wild Vitis vinifera grape around the same time -- giving rise to the 13 "founders". This, he says, debunks the long-held notion that most Western European grapes were introduced independently from the Middle East, Near East or Egypt, Turkey or Greece, at different times and in different places". DNA sleuth hunts wine roots in Anatolia; Suzanne Mustacich, (AFP) 28th November, 2012.
2013-05-16 17:20:42 - David An earlier version of the Judgement of Paris, 1976. "In Mayet's opinion [1889], Australian wines are superior in quality to the majority of their competitors. The short account takes the form of a description of a wine tasting in a French restaurant ('the field of combat'), in which the author, along with Prince Galitzine and an Australian, judge the relative qualities of Australian wines and their French counterparts" Douglas Stewart, Fine Art dealer, referring to Le Vin de France, Mayet, Charles, Paris, 1895.
2013-05-11 13:07:48 - David "Over the past 25 years, the harvest date for Australian wines has come forward almost one day a year, says, Professor Snow Barlow, agricultural scientist." Herald Sun, 28th November, 2012.
2013-05-08 10:23:35 - David "Through DNA profiling, Vouillamoz says he has isolated 13 of these "founder" grapes by tracing the family trees of European fine wine grapes". DNA sleuth hunts wine roots in Anatolia; Suzanne Mustacich, (AFP) 28th November, 2012.
2013-05-02 16:35:09 - David Devaluing Xmas to save a buck. It can never come back. "He said he had also decided to reinstate Santa Claus at Harvey Norman for the festive season after axing Saint Nick in most of its stores last year". Jerry Harvey, Sydney Morning Herald 27th November, 2012.
2013-04-30 15:36:28 - David "...at the Cape Mentelle tasting all from 2009 an exceptional vintage when local wines are up with these fellows you know you have arrived. When the wraps came off, it was revealed Cape Mentelle, Woodlands Alma May, Chateau Palmer and Chateau Leoville Las Cases were the star wines. In quality and character, they were hard to separate. All scored trophy points from me". Huon Hooke, 27th November, Sydney Morning Herald.
2013-04-26 13:27:51 - David Lift your game retailers! "We see much more dramatic situations around the world than what we see in Australia, in other markets such as Europe, UK and France it is much more aggressive". Veuve Clicquot president Jean-Marc Lacave said 'aggressive pricing' by retailers was a global problem for France's Champagne houses. Eli Greenblat, Sydney Morning Herald, 26th November, 2012.
2013-04-24 08:18:39 - David "Robert McClain, an art adviser, when asked what he thought of the big numbers paid for the evening’s Pop Art, replied, “Never overestimate people’s willingness to pay a premium for the obvious.” Relentless Bidding, and Record Prices, for Contemporary Art at Christie’s Auction, Carol Vogel, November 14th, 2012, New Your Times.
2013-04-21 12:10:38 - David Smelling berry fruits are we? “I am completely opposed to this idiotic reductionism of works of olfactory art to their raw materials, which is as stupid as reducing a Frank Gehry building to the kind of metal, the kind of wood and the kind of glass that he used.” Chandler Burr, New York Times 18th November, 2012.
2013-04-19 12:01:58 - David Take your wine aroma seriously. "For however “brilliant” or “extraordinary” the greatest scents may be, he added, “they’re not recognized as works of art, and the artists who create them are not recognized as artists.” Chandler Burr, New York Times 18th November, 2012.
2013-04-17 13:45:06 - David Oh dear! "Public health experts have a tendency to think of the consumer as someone who is consuming the wrong things because they lack the right kind of knowledge or incentive to consume the right things or because an industry has successfully persuaded them to consume the wrong things. But when everyone sees their social role as, fundamentally, being a consumer, there is little transactional difference between a beverage company or a fast-food restaurant and a public health department. This is something that struck me, as a non-scientist, throughout the conference: there was very little room in the "Harvard" conception of public health for the idea of pleasure as a "good"—as something the consumer values, wants, identifies with, and should be at liberty to pursue even at a personal risk to health". The sugar wars. Trevor Butterworth, 8th November, 2012, The Awl.
2013-04-15 13:34:31 - David The unexpected consequences of public policy. "After three and six months the reduction had disappeared. But that wasn't the really surprising thing they found; it was something else, something you would have struggled to predict: after the soda went up in cost, people bought more beer." The sugar wars. Trevor Butterworth, 8th November, 2012, The Awl.
2013-04-13 20:44:17 - David "Burke claims to be able to cure a hangover in an hour or less. Zack and his friends didn't need much convincing and booked a 'Salvation Package' this morning. For $159 (€125) they got 1.5 liters of saline solution injected into their veins, along with a selection of vitamins and pain killers". Curing the Symptoms of Overindulgence in Las Vegas, Astrid Langer, Der Speigel, 11th November, 2012.
2013-04-11 08:30:16 - David Just like wine. " Inditex is a pioneer among “fast fashion” companies, which essentially imitate the latest fashions and speed their cheaper versions into stores. Every one of Inditex’s brands — Zara, Zara Home, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear and Uterqüe — follow the Zara template: trendy and decently made but inexpensive products sold in beautiful, high-end-looking stores." Zara, New York Times,11th November, 2012.
2013-04-08 08:14:31 - David Applies to wine! “Actually, the customer is more or less the same in New York and Istanbul, she said. There are differences, like Brazilian girls like more brilliant colors, whereas in Paris they use more black. But in general when you find a fashion trend, it’s global.” Zara, New York Times, 11th November, 2012.
2013-04-05 18:46:19 - David "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day" Frank Sinatra and he drank Jack Daniels.
2013-04-02 15:17:21 - David Not yet in Australia but soon. "The future for town centres is no longer purely about how to redevelop old shops, putting smart new stores in their place. In some cases it’s about merging online and bricks and mortar operations, in others it’s simply about waving goodbye to retail for good". Jonathon Sibun, Telegraph UK, October 30th 2012.
2013-03-31 08:13:47 - David "The 2011 Bin 1 shiraz from family-owned Best's Wines, at Great Western in the Grampians region, achieved a rare trifecta last night, winning accolades for being the best shiraz in Australia, the best young red wine and the best Victorian wine entered in the prestigious Royal Melbourne Wine Show." Sue Neales, Australian, October 26th, 2012.
2013-03-29 11:07:14 - David And the winner was? "It was the year from hell - one of the most difficult years we have ever had in the vineyard, with downy mildew, rain, floods and botrytis affecting the grapes, Mr Thomson said yesterday. But when I first tasted this wine, I never thought it was so much better than all the other wines we have made; the furthest thing from my mind was that it would win awards like this."
2013-03-26 09:00:15 - David Yellow the down-under Cristal? 'Yellowglen ambassador and beauty writer Zoe Foster, who will be leading the selection process, said the idea of Yellowglen House was to "celebrate those who embody sophistication and impeccable taste at the races" '. Blair Speedy, Australian 2nd November, 2012.
2013-03-23 17:22:59 - David Carefully saying nothing. “Every journey ends but we go on. The world turns and we turn with it. Plans disappear. Dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are.” Brad Pitt endorsing Chanel No 5; Celia Walden. Telegraph UK, 23rd October, 2012.
2013-03-20 15:52:25 - David "After Brad Pitt’s Chanel advert, there’s no way back to cool. Real men don’t wear perfumes, Brad - and they certainly don’t endorse them". Celia Walden, Telegraph UK, 23rd October, 2012.
2013-03-18 14:15:30 - David The role of soils. "AWRI Fusion is part of the Maurivin ‘Next Generation’ innovative range of yeast developed for the modern winemaker. AWRI Fusion has been shown to contribute enhanced mouthfeel and complexity to a wine while imparting aromas of crushed violets. In white wines it has the capacity to release varietal aromatics including peach, nectarine and lemon zest". AWRI 22nd October, 2013 press release.
2013-03-16 09:48:04 - David What about the soils? The AWRI announced in their 2012 March eNews article; "use of the new hybrid yeasts is an easy tool for winemakers looking to ‘dial in’ innovative aromas and flavours to their wines".
2013-03-15 12:23:17 - David A sense of place? "…at a workshop tasting at the 8th International Cool Climate Symposium held in Tasmania, AWRI Fusion hybrid wine yeast was a clear winner in the tasting with 70% of the preferences." Workshop 2: Taming the Pinot Noir terroir.
2013-03-12 08:29:58 - David Why are cask wine sales falling? "Professor Daube said the tax system was skewed in favour of cheap alcohol, with cask wine available that was cheaper than bottled water". Fairfax Brisbane, 22nd October 2012.
2013-03-09 08:02:09 - David What is a sunrise (tequila), a cosmopolitan (vodka) and a sea breeze (vodka)? "Of the 368,000 cocktail searches Australians make each month, "sunrise" is the highest volume, generating more than 60,000 searches monthly, followed by "cosmopolitan" (22,000) and "sea breeze" (12,000)". Australian, 22nd October, 2012.
2013-03-07 08:06:40 - David "Prohibition drastically altered the legal system of every state, and overturned ordinary citizens’ behaviors and expectations. While claiming high virtue and utopian prospects, it inspired spectacular violations and grotesque criminal violence.........In Oklahoma, no one under 21, not even a baby in its mother’s arms, can be in a liquor store; in Indiana, convenience stores can sell beer only at room temperature". A Look at Prohibition; New York Times, 21st October, 2013.
2013-03-03 09:01:24 - David Masstige (2003) was invented from mass, as in mass markets and prestige and attempts to describe a market between the privilege of luxury and a larger mass market, as in 'premium but obtainable'. I think they are saying between Chateau Lafite and Jacobs Creek lies a huge market. The word was coined in a Harvard Business Review article "Luxury for the Masses".
2013-03-01 14:55:27 - David What is masstige and showing how clever we are? "Our luxury and masstige portfolio contributes between 20 and 30 percent of volume and 60 to 70 percent of EBITS. In this context the 5 percent reduction in luxury and masstige wine available for sale in the first half was meaningful". Treasury Wine Estates half year results, ASX, 28th February, 2013.
2013-02-27 09:08:41 - David "They put odourless, tasteless red dye into white wines and gave it to 54 wine-tasting professionals. The only sense affected was vision. Would their delicate palettes see through the ruse, or would their noses be fooled?" When the tasters encountered the altered whites, every one of them employed the vocabulary of the reds. The visual inputs trumped the other senses." Gottfried J & Dolan R (2003), The nose smells what the eye sees: crossmodal visual facilitation of human olfactory perception Neuron 39: 375 - 386; Morrot, G et al (2001), The color of odors, Brain & Lang 79: 309 - 320.
2013-02-24 10:00:40 - David "Amelia Shaw bartender Lou Dare is committed to the idea of the bar having an Australian flavour and has been scouring the land for quality spirits. "I think what we're doing here with Australian flavours and Australian products is pretty unique". Dare has anointed the Banjo Paterson, the Aussie version of a Bobby Burns, as the best example of Amelia Shaw's spin on the classic cocktail approach". The Age, October, 2012.
2013-02-22 07:44:27 - David Another attack on Barossa wines. "As for the body-shape demanded by designer catwalk castings, Doukas is equally trenchant: They have to conform to a ridiculous ideal. They've got to be exactly 5ft 10in, 5ft 11in at the most, they can only have a 34-1/2-inch hip, maximum - how could somebody of that height be that tight? If you've got a big frame, forget it." Sarah Doukas, Britain's alpha fashion scout, Storm Modelling Agency, spotting fashion diamonds in the hoi-polloi rough, Luke Leitch, Telegraph, 17th October, 2012.
2013-02-20 08:19:52 - David Should our wine-writers try harder? "With everyone calling themselves a fashion critic these days, Horyn is the real deal, churning out sharp, informed copy over unreadable, gushing dribble. Her job is to critique, and she owes no apologies for what she says. And unlike fellow writers Suzy Menkes and Lynn Jaeger, Horne is not afraid to talk about a collection's affordability (or lack thereof)". Kathleen Lee-Joe, writing about Cathy Horyne, Sydney Morning Herald, 5th October, 2012.
2013-02-16 12:07:27 - David Jack and Suzy Welch, Part 2. "Eighteen years ago, legendary Intel CEO Andy Grove coined the phrase, “Only the paranoid survive.” Its meaning, simply put: fear the competitors you don’t see more than the ones you do, and always, always, always put your customers first". Jack and Suzy Welch, Reuters 30th September 2012.
2013-02-15 12:32:09 - David "Regardless, enter negotiations the NFL owners did, only to quickly encounter another immutable law of business: You can’t aggravate your customers. It saps goodwill. It damages trust. It hurts the product. It undermines the brand. It’s just bad business". Jack and Suzy Welch, Reuters 30th September 2012.
2013-02-11 08:42:06 - David "Big beer companies have bet the ranch over the past decade on marketing global brands. But they increasingly face a consumer-led backlash in favour of niche craft beers and microbrewers." Renée Schultes, October 2nd, 2012, The Wall Street Journal.
2013-02-06 10:14:14 - David The UK wine market at a glance (Nielsen data): • Value of the UK off-trade: 5.3 billion • Average 75cl bottle price: £4.89 • Supermarkets’ value share of the market: 81%; impulse share of the market: 19%; independents’ share of the market: 3% • Own-label wines’ value share of the market: 20% • Online value share of the market: 10% Drinks Business, September 28th, 2012.
2013-02-01 08:08:29 - Ben A very busy start to the 2013 production year. Twelve small wine parcels (under 1000 litres each) bottled and four big blends. Heading into vintage now and pressure is on tank space. All pots and pans are full!
2013-01-29 17:56:43 - David Merroir? "When wild oysters were plentiful and cheap, they were a poor man's food. Modern, farm-raised oysters are for upscale eaters. They have catchy names and clever marketing. Consumers discuss the "merroir" of different oysters, the water conditions that determine an oyster's flavour. Like wine connoisseurs, oyster enthusiasts talk about an oyster's mild finish, hints of copper, pleasant melon flavor. What happened to "briny"? Bonny Wolf, National Public Radio US, contributed by Richard Farmer, 28th January 2013
2013-01-28 08:45:15 - David Origin of a brand. "Torbreck’s wines stem from Dave’s Scottish Inverness inspiration—Torbreck is the name of the forest he lived in, Woodcutter his position, Struie the mountain he worked on." Alistair and Paine.com. 27th September, 2012.
2013-01-26 08:58:50 - David "In addition to the five basic tastes – sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami – he said there is a sixth, which is metallic, and “potentially” a seventh, which is fat." Prof. Barry Smith, University of London, February, 2012.
2013-01-23 19:33:01 - David Perceptions. "In particular, they associate red colours with ripe red fruit, and as a result, the same juice, results have shown, tastes 11% sweeter on the tongue when coloured red." The drinks business, Patrick Schmitt, February 1st, 2012.
2013-01-20 10:26:09 - David An entrant for Pseuds Corner, Private Eye. "Live music was played during an Australian wine competition recently in an effort to get judges 'to think, feel and taste in a South Australian mindset'. James Erskine, who runs the judging for the Adelaide Review Hot 100 Wines Show, commissioned an original composition from the percussionist and composer Eugene Ughetti of the Melbourne music enterprise Speak Percussion. The piece, entitled ‘Terroir’, was performed by one of South Australia's most renowned pianists, Gabriella Smart, while the judges tasted wines entered in the category entitled, ‘Wines produced without the addition of commercial yeasts or acids' ". Decanter.
2013-01-17 05:57:25 - David The French paradox-cool climate reds in a hot year. "What can I say about this mammoth wine that is more like port than dry red table wine? The 1947 Cheval Blanc exhibits such a thick texture it would double as motor oil. The huge nose of fruitcake, chocolate, leather, coffee and Asian spices is mind-boggling". R J Parker, Wine Advocate 10/94).
2013-01-13 06:29:16 - David "If cork trees grew in Germany there would be no cork taint." French winemakers thought from the WWW.
2013-01-12 09:09:03 - David An unlikely observation. "After a while, you really do know a natural wine when you taste one, and generally speaking that's a very good thing", David Williams, The Observer, Sunday 23rd , January, 2011.
2013-01-10 08:27:50 - David You find fashions in wine but look for the style. "Fashion may be for followers but style is original is the message of a new exhibit which gives a glimpse into the closets of 81 women who made their mark on Manhattan." Reuters 14th September, 2010.
2013-01-06 18:57:35 - David "Finally, when asked whether the price of a product affects its taste, Professor Barry Smith commented that tests show that a patient who believes a painkiller is more expensive will report reduced suffering." The drinks business, Patrick Schmitt, 1st February, 2012.
2013-01-04 08:58:39 - David Using provacative or extreme marketing images. "Provocation just for the sake of provocation would not be acceptable anymore. I am not saying we did it on purpose, but that is how we ended up being 20 years ago." Alessandro Benetton, Telegraph UK, 23rd September, 2012
2013-01-02 11:18:12 - David The wine business. "Then, I pick up an otherwise sensible newspaper, that admittedly seems to lose its marbles when dealing with "Fashion", another area teeming with loonies and pretence, and see the extraordinary headline, "Is taste the difference between art and porn?" UK Telegraph, Terry Wogan, 27th March, 2010.
2012-12-25 07:17:36 - David "Chinese customers don't drink Bordeaux blends because they like them. It is because they think that's what wine is meant to be."…. "We're not at the stage where people will buy that wine because they like it." Fongyee Walker, expert on wine and china, New Zealand Herald, 22nd September, 2012.
2012-12-22 14:31:31 - David The Other Elizabeth. "If you want to serve only one wine with lunch, choose Champagne, or a light white Burgundy in summer, and a light Claret in winter." Cooking with Elizabeth Craig, Collins (London), 1932.
2012-12-21 07:50:34 - David "Low-alcohol wines are “almost always disappointing” and tend to be far too sweet. Don't make the mistake of thinking these Frankenstein-like creations will satisfy any craving you might have for wine.” Victoria Moore, Telegraph UK 20th September 2012.
2012-12-13 15:20:06 - David A new cocktail? “At the riverport he bought blanket and waterbag and flyveil and with a neatly-rolled swag boarded the coach for the last dreary leg of the journey, eating biscuits and tinned fish in the crowded coach and stopping at wayside shanties where the horses fed and the passengers drank adulterated spirits known as ‘chain lightning’”. The Rush That Never Ended A History of Australian Mining, p 137, Geoffrey Blainey.
2012-12-11 11:35:56 - David For 229 acres? "The US Treasury Department has approved American Viticultural Area (AVA) status for the Middleburg Virginia region. Located 50 miles west of Washington DC, the 190-square mile AVA surrounds the town of Middleburg and is bordered by the Potomac River to the north, with mountains to its east, south and west. Middleburg Virginia AVA currently contains 229 acres of commercial vineyards, including 14 wineries and 10 vineyards." The Drinks Business, September, 2012.
2012-12-08 10:25:00 - David The problem of describing a wine. "Do you think so? How would you describe a painting by an unknown artist? "Oh, it's very blue." Or: "It's a lovely, dark red." Then you get no further than that. We help ourselves out by using the artist's name, and that makes it easier to talk about: "Ah, okay, it's a van Gogh." When it comes to perfume, the industry has helped us out with a similar trick. The moment someone says, "It's Chanel No. 5," then everyone has an idea of what it is". Der Spiegel, 21st September with Jean Claude Ellena.
2012-12-07 09:18:36 - David I prefer Glug. "While there are few screaming buys among the grands crus, 2009 Calon-Ségur, at less than €70, or about $90; 2010 Gruaud-Larose, at less than €60; 2010 Malartic-Lagravière, at less than €50; 2009 and ’10 Lafon-Rochet, at less than €40; and 2010 La Tour Carnet and 2009 and ’10 Cantemerle, at less than €30 euros, all look like decent choices." Shopping at French Wine Fairs, New York Times, Eric Pfanner, 15th September, 2012.
2012-12-03 13:06:32 - David Bunny Yeager on attitude. “I didn’t know anybody else who was doing it, sure, but I wasn’t paying attention to what other people were doing, I just got involved in my work and it took me from one step to another. I was just confident my work was good.” Telegraph UK, 13th September, 2012.
2012-11-30 13:53:25 - David "But small, or the image of small, sells; it connotes authenticity, care, continuity. That holds true even for the big guys: John Hayes, the managing director of Jack Daniel’s, attributes his brand’s global success to “the smallness of Jack Daniel’s". Economist, 8th September, 2012.
2012-11-28 11:26:36 - David Huon Hooke explains. "At Aubergine, reading from left to right, you have the vintage column, the maker’s name, the name of the wine, then, in italics, the grape varieties. Then in the next column, the region of origin, and in the final column, the price. Too easy, and yet you’d be surprised how often this formula is messed with". Sydney Morning Herald, 4th September, 2012.
2012-11-25 12:00:50 - David The alcohol abuse debate. "There is little difference in alcohol-abuse rates, deaths from alcohol-related causes, binge-drinking or drink-driving rates between “control” states and those that license alcohol sales through private shops". Economist 8th September, 2012.
2012-11-23 08:12:43 - David The French 'truth' turns out to be wrong. "If you follow the thinking that cabernet and chardonnay shouldn’t excel in the same region, and a region cannot be both Bordeaux and Burgundy, my advice is to follow your nose and avoid the pitfalls of generalisation." Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald, August 14th.
2012-11-21 07:01:16 - David Extreme marketing. "This isn't the first time that the name "Hitler" has sparked anger in India. There was the restaurant owner who dubbed his new café "Hitler's Cross," and there was the company that designed bed linens with swastikas as part of "The Nazi Collection."" Der Spiegel, 2nd September, 2012.
2012-11-18 09:54:08 - David Fashion and marketing. "Does Jil Sander sell a bag I can barf in, too?" asked Jenna Sauers of Jezebel."Every time I read about a $500 pair of Rodarte socks, a $9,500 Fendi bicycle, a $53,500 Bottega Veneta suitcase, a $700 Margiela t-shirt, a $2,000 Louis Vuitton trashbag purse, I feel a sense of disappointment. Why does fashion always end up giving fodder to the haters?" Los Angeles Times, 1st September, 2012.
2012-11-17 09:46:19 - David That was then this is now. "Some critics find Grosset's own wines too delicate...." 'Clare Valley', p.83 by James Halliday, (1985).
2012-11-14 13:02:40 - David Trashing the work of others. “It’s the sun, the work of men, the soil. It becomes really exceptional when we put a discount price on it.” Bloomberg, August 13th, thoughts of the Web retailer (Vente-Privee), Jacques-Antoine Granjon.
2012-11-11 11:55:43 - David Wine guru's? "It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about shamans, illusionists, faith healers, inventors or politicians and business leaders with a cult following. They all promise extraordinary things. Their appeal is intense because it delivers heady rewards – but also fragile because, when the magic fails, their authority drains away". Damian Thompson, Telegraph, 11th August, 2012.
2012-11-09 10:48:03 - David "And perhaps because there are so many regions producing great chardonnay and so few great cabernet, we should especially respect the great cabernet regions and their wines". Huon Hooke, 14th August, Sydney Morning Herald.
2012-11-03 12:32:48 - David Making great wine. "The best clone is the so-called Houghton clone, which Vasse Felix’s founder Tom Cullity got from Jack Mann, winemaker at Houghton, in 1967. It was also planted at Moss Wood. There are other clones but we’ve chosen the Houghton clone as the core of our plantings, says Virginia Willcock". Huon Hooke, 14th August, Sydney Morning Herald.
2012-11-01 12:16:05 - David “I do understand power, whatever else may be said about me, I know where to look for it and how to use it.” 'Lyndon Johnson, The Passage of Power'. Robert Caro.
2012-10-29 14:14:41 - David The wine critic we never had. "We hope that he knew how he’d changed the game, opened eyes, sharpened perceptions—how he ensured we never confuse value with auction price, how he’d shared the eureka with us who would never have got it by ourselves…". Simon Schama on Robert Hughes, the Daily Beast.
2012-10-26 09:00:38 - David The concept of value 2. "I don't think the art market could survive if you accepted that art objects are intrinsically the same as everything else. There has to be an idea that there is something very special about them, the fact that they have been touched by the particularly gifted sensitivity of the artist." Jonathon Watkins, The Australian, 30th July, 2012.
2012-10-25 08:18:25 - David The concept of value 1. "And if we're going to take that reverence away, what does it say about the dizzying sums that people pay for art? Is it more akin to the futures market, or the tulip mania of the Dutch Golden Age which we now consider unfathomably silly?" Jonathon Watkins, The Australian, 30th July, 2012.
2012-10-23 06:03:27 - David For the record. "Coles now has five home brands across a group of staples, ranging from the very cheap to a gourmet brand - Coles Smart Buy, Coles Brand, Coles Green Choice, Coles Organic and Coles Finest. Woolworths also has an organic brand - Macro - and the Select, Fresh and Homebrand labels". Sydney Morning Herald 29th July.
2012-10-19 12:47:37 - David “ ‘I drank the Mouton ’68 lately,’ [Lichine] said. ‘Felt enormous respect for it.’ “ ‘Really?’ Philippe [Rothschild] said, raising an eyebrow. ‘A mediocre year to say the least. The grapes were all saturated with rain. It was a terrible August.’ “ ‘I meant the 1868, Philippe,’ Lichine replied.” from Coquilles, Calva, and Crème: Exploring France's Culinary Heritage: A Love Affair with Real French Food by G.Y. and Joanne Dryansky, Pegasus Books.
2012-10-17 12:47:30 - David Oh dear-too little too late. ''There have been a lot of inquiries into the power of the supermarkets and more lately politicians have taken an interest, but their power is irreversible. You can't break up [or] slow their spread in non grocery areas. The governments and the ACCC play a role at the edges, occasionally curtailing anti-competitive behaviour with fines, but it is tinkering around the edges.'' Allan Fels, Sydney Morning Herald, 28th July, 2012.
2012-10-14 12:32:14 - David "...it appears that the wines of even the most southern districts of Australia surpass in alcoholic strength the wines of France and Italy, and closely approximate the strongest wines of Portugal and Spain. Thus it is shown that in addition to the excellence of our wine, we possess in its large proportion of alcohol an element of wealth of unexpected and incalculable magnitude." The Melbourne Economist, 22 June 1866. Thanks David Dunstan.
2012-10-09 06:56:48 - David "The most important reason for liking the wine was price. If the wine was expensive they liked it". Professor Larry Lockshin, School of Marketing, University of South Australia.
2012-10-07 12:21:58 - David Do you want to drink this? "A Penfolds nose with all the trimmings—formic/ferric, barrel-ferment complexities, soy and demi-glace pan scrapings. Scents of black licorice competing with corned-beef brisket and peppercorn gravy, mushroom duxelle aromatics. Contented oak backstage; notwithstanding, an important supporting role". Grays On Line, 27th June, 2012.
2012-10-04 14:24:14 - David This applies to wine-think Chateau Lafite. "As I have written for many years, rarity alone is not enough to command a high price, people have to want it ... so the price is determined by the balance (or imbalance) between supply and demand ... It is never one of these in isolation, however, my observation and study have lead me to conclude that of the two, demand is the more important. In other words, a high demand for something more plentiful will normally result in a bigger price than rarity of something that few want to have". Simon Dunkerley, Stamp Dealer, 2007 as quoted on Stampboards.
2012-10-01 18:13:40 - David “It’s a nice bag,” says my editor at Glamour magazine, with the kind of smile reserved for senile relatives. “But very much of the season.” The insult hits me like a blow to the solar plexus. I avoid fashion for this reason: one way or another, you always get it wrong. And in these austere times there’s nothing more off-trend than being on." Celia Walden, Telegraph 3rd July, 2012.
2012-09-28 12:59:38 - David Closures-the UK Vs China. "Notably, while Accolade Park has the capability to bottle under cork and screwcap, it has never been asked to supply wine closed with corks. “We have half a million pounds worth of machinery we have never used,” said Lloyd, referring to the plant’s corking equipment". The Drinks Business, February, 2012. I read today (ABC News) that close to 100% of wine sold in China has a cork.
2012-09-25 15:32:37 - David "More than half (58%) of Britons still think that Chablis is a type of grape when it is actually a region in France, with a further 43% thinking Chardonnay is a region in France when it is actually a grape." Telegraph UK 3rd Dec 2010.
2012-09-22 13:35:58 - David Not a myth! Wine colleague Simon Grant who lives in Beechworth, NE Vistoria has rung to say he has spent the morning picking morels, making the Spring of 2012 the best season he has experienced.
2012-09-22 08:28:38 - David Something fishy here? "I am concerned about the use of violence against women and children being used as bait for political campaigns. Animal rights is very important but let's not muddy the waters...." Catharine Lumby commenting on a PETA fish advertisement. Sydney Morning Herald, 10th June, 2012.
2012-09-20 13:15:43 - David Wrong Again! "Prof Chikritzhs said pricing was "a big factor" in reducing problem drinking, and that targeted levies - such as the alcopops tax - didn't work, as young drinkers sourced cheaper alternatives. Cask wine is a problem because it's so cheap." Australian 11th July, 2012. Why are cask sales declining quickly?
2012-09-18 12:40:08 - David Wrong! "National Drug Research Institute professor Tanya Chikritzhs said there was a "mistaken belief alcohol consumption had flat-lined or fallen in Australia", when it had risen over the past 20 years". Australian 11th July, 2012.
2012-09-15 14:02:11 - David "Larry Gagosian is the Robert Parker of the art world, imposing his taste on institutions across the planet, via a group of nouveau-riche collectors who tend to buy whatever’s expensive". Felix Salmon, Reuters, 13th July, 2012.
2012-09-12 20:11:00 - Ben Today I tasted a wine and rejected it as sharp and acidic - not what the notes read. I took it to Teusner and Lehmo for 'peer review' - they liked it. Surely my palate wasn't disrupted by the salty chips and Pale Ale that came with lunch? The following discussion was very interesting - our palates are not consistent - the wine generally is...
2012-09-10 13:54:04 - David "At the Portland, ASEV, Ellena S. King reported......that when a panel of tasters evaluated wines grouped from the lowest levels of alcohol to the highest, the tasters found the higher alcohol wines to be far more flavourful and interesting than the preceding wines with low-alcohol levels." Wines & Vines, 26th June, 2012.
2012-09-08 14:53:03 - David A marketing story. "Company spokesman Everett Deger said, Hornady's new 'Zombie Max' bullet line - sold with the tagline, 'Make dead permanent' - has quickly become a top seller." Australian, 10th June, 2012.
2012-09-02 13:30:00 - David "New Zealand sauvignon blanc is extraordinary. It’s very nearly 20pc of our still wine sales, whereas in the [wider] market it’s only about 5.5pc." Majestic wines, Telegraph UK, 17th June, 2012.
2012-08-28 13:45:18 - David "The problem is that pure science is not good at embracing the complexity of living things. In wine, you don’t just have science. You have art, culture, many other things". Mumbo jumbo from 'soil experts' Claude and Lydia Bourguignon; Decanter, July, 2012.
2012-08-23 21:18:29 - David Should Peter Lehmann change. "The bottle's unorthodox diamond shape is being dropped because of a belief that it limits Rosemount's ability to attract premium prices as serious wine buffs view it as a gimmick; says Angas McPherson, brand manager." Sydney Morning Herald, 13th June, 2012.
2012-08-19 14:14:43 - David Experts at work. "A statistical evaluation by Princeton Professor Richard Quandt, shows that the rank order of the wines was mostly insignificant. That is, if the tasting were repeated, the results would most likely be different. From a statistical viewpoint, most wines were therefore undistinguishable. Only the best white and the lowest ranked red were significantly different from the other wines". Decanter, June 7th 2012.
2012-08-17 16:27:19 - David "My father started scientific winemaking," says Hickinbotham. "He came out of soil science. He was the one who told Beckwith to look at pH ... (But) I blame him for the split (in Australia) between viticulture and winemaking. When he was teaching oenology, viticulture was a farmhand's job, that's all." Max Allen, The Australian, 10th June, 2012.
2012-08-13 10:36:39 - David "Incidentally, Escoffier and Ritz’s annual salaries, jointly, were worth a million in today’s money. Surely even Heston and Jamie aren’t in that league." UK Telegraph, 10th June, 2012.
2012-08-10 14:22:32 - David Germany as an unfamiliar wine country. "Napa is waiting to happen" says Mr De'Eb. "But I wouldn't be surprised if German Riesling became of interest. As the market is introduced to unfamiliar grape varieties from unfamiliar wine-producing countries, the reaction is always 'This is incredible, what is it?'" Wall Street Journal, 8th June, 2012.
2012-08-05 10:58:21 - David "Following a move by the Hong Kong administration in February 2008 to remove a 40 per cent import duty on fine wine, auction houses including Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams and Acker Merrall & Condit now sell more wine in Hong Kong than in London and New York put together." Wall Street Journal, 8th June 2012.
2012-07-28 12:49:57 - David Damian Thompson on alcohol. "What I’d done was suggest that alcoholism and other compulsive problems are fundamentally self destructive behaviour, not an incurable illness. But, in the eyes of true believers, that amounts to scribbling in green ink".
2012-07-21 12:37:19 - David Naming and selling inspirations for young winemakers? " Designed by Kolt Fashion's Selina Kolthek in a partnership with labels 'An Ode to No One' and 'Blessed Are The Meek', the shoes were dispatched after customers watched live streams of their fashion shows and then clicked to buy." Sydney Morning Herald, 1st June, 2012.
2012-07-18 16:51:00 - David "Many articles have compared Queen Elizabeth II with Queen Victoria. Clearly, the two monarchs shared a sense of duty, but their tastes in food and wine could hardly have been more different. Can you imagine our own beloved monarch regularly tipping Scotch whisky into her claret in order to increase its “goodness”? No wonder Victoria spent so much time being unamused – the morning sunlight pouring through the windows at Balmoral must have been excruciating. Still, you have to admire her fortitude. She reminds me of my late friend Canon Brian Brindley, who would slather his quiche in double cream in order to make it less rich”. 'Victoria’s sore head of state'; Damian Thompson, Daily Telegraph, June, 2012.
2012-07-15 17:39:57 - David Dial a flavour. "Oak Solutions Group has launched the third edition to its Cuvée tank stave series: Cuvée No. 3 Espresso Toast. Just as the Italian masters have perfected the espresso roast, carefully orchestrating a delicate balance of concentrated flavours, this tank stave imparts a rich blend of flavours across the toast gradient".
2012-07-10 11:34:38 - Ben Yesterday we bottled a terrific BV Cabernet 2009 from the eastern side of the Valley. Good enough for Granny?
2012-07-09 16:14:58 - David A receivership story. "Like lots of other publicans, I resorted to getting my bottled beer from the First Choice because it was cheaper than the breweries. Which isn't my idea of a level playing field." Gayle Scowcroft, Publican, Cape York Hotel, Cairns; Sydney Morning Herald.
2012-07-07 08:09:42 - David "Most people consider Oktoberfest to be the biggest drinking celebration in Germany. Often overlooked are the country's Father's Day celebrations, which involve oddly dressed men pulling wagons filled with beer into parks and drinking until they pass out". Der Speigel, 18th May.
2012-07-03 13:34:29 - David Always consider the 'buyers surplus' when buying wine. "Consumers also capture the value of products over and above their cost. A car, for example, is worth much more than its price. Economists call this “buyers’ surplus.” Bloomberg, Edward Conard.
2012-07-01 13:05:20 - David Well said. "Australia produces mostly 'industrial' wine, if you listen to ill-informed commentators in other lands. But more than 75 per cent of our wine producers crush less than 100 tonnes of grapes a year and thereby qualify as micro-boutiques". Huon Hooke SMH 8th May.
2012-06-26 12:36:39 - David "It’s probably not quite the French Grange just yet, but it made me realise there must be a dazzling French Grange out there somewhere, if not several dozen. One day someone will make them." Andrew Jefford, Decanter, pondering the potential for cross regional blends in France. A French Grange, unlikely; though they might discover Lindemans Nyrang Hermitage.
2012-06-22 16:01:38 - David Wine is such a fickle thing. "Last October, the Toronto-born, multiplatinum rapper Drake celebrated his 25th birthday in style with a big bash at Tao nightclub in Las Vegas. But it’s not a bottle of Cristal that the cameras caught him hoisting. Rather, it’s a bottle of Martini & Rossi Moscato d’Asti (widely available for about $10)".
2012-06-19 16:11:37 - David We need a hangover cure for; "that ineffable compound of depression, sadness (these two are not the same), anxiety, self-hatred, sense of failure and fear for the future". Kingsley Amis, On Drink, 1972.
2012-06-15 11:02:08 - Ben Four new single barrels getting preped for bottling. Of particular interest is a 2010 Grenache from around Tanunda and a Mataro from the famous Nev Pfeiffer vineyard. Watch out for this one...
2012-06-14 08:18:53 - David "The worst thing, though, is that word “inclusive.” No right-thinking person could be against anything inclusive. The term demands approval and deadens the critical faculties in the same way as sustainable development, good corporate citizenship and change you can believe in". Clive Crook, Bloomberg.
2012-06-11 08:49:50 - David Toss back a Toohey's or two. "The maker of the cheekily labelled Tosser's Extra Dry has been bombarded with a string of letters from the legal team representing Tooheys, which claims use of the word ''tosser's'' infringes their client's copyright".
2012-06-08 12:45:17 - David The ABC of marketing. "People who pay attention to these things can surely recall the slyly haughty slogan for that label, created by the advertising whiz Peter Rogers decades before Bottega Veneta was swallowed up by the Gucci Group: “When Your Own Initials Are Enough.” New York Times, 25th March.
2012-06-06 16:16:51 - David The advanced KISS principle. "Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, that's a consequence of simplicity. Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object and product. The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That's not simple". Sir Jonathon Ive, Apple designer.
2012-05-30 09:59:55 - David Really! ‘The problem from time to time is that there’s a surprise when the wine is opened. It may be a good surprise but it may not be. Some wines show themselves better depending on the time of year or month.’ Nicolas Clerc, Pont de la Tour’s wine manager on natural wines.
2012-05-29 20:39:03 - Ben Production starts again this week after the vintage lull. Four very small parcels of Barossa wine to prep for bottling - 2 Shiraz, 1 Grenache and 1 Mataro. Starting Friday...
2012-05-25 21:54:12 - David "To bring songs alive for new ears; to break the ice, and find fresh water; to revive again and again the joy of spring, the gleam of green and even the figure of Schubert’s hurdy-gurdy man, playing his heartbreaking tune for someone, anyone, in the snowy waste to hear." The Economist on Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
2012-05-22 10:04:11 - David "Unveiling the latest vintage on Thursday, Peter Jago, Penfolds chief winemaker, said: 'Isn't it nice to know that should you not drink it, that it's sitting somewhere in a cellar or in a friend's cellar and and it's gaining value. And that's a wonderful thing.'" After release the price declined from $620 to $470 a bottle.
2012-05-20 08:05:24 - David Wine as an investement. "At the end of the day, all of these investments are 750 milliliters of grape juice. So at $1,500 a bottle, is Lafite 10 times better than Lynch Bages at $150 a bottle?" Brian Motta.
2012-05-14 12:53:50 - David Role models: "Drew Barrymore launches a wine: It's an unlikely foray for Barrymore, who at the tender age of 13 spoke candidly to People magazine about her addictions to alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. "I'm Drew, and I'm an addict-alcoholic."
2012-05-12 09:53:17 - Ben Our mate Adam from the Clare Valley has found us anbother terrific parcel of riesling. 2012 vintage. Bottling next week...
2012-05-10 08:04:00 - David Fight on."(Brew Dog) has been a frequent critic of what it refers to as "mass market, industrial, generic, lowest common denominator" products manufactured by the major drinks groups. The group has also riled health campaigners by producing high strength brews such as "Sink the Bismarck", which at 41pc is believed to be the world's strongest beer". Telegraph UK.
2012-05-04 13:42:04 - David Is this natural? “60-80% of natural wine should be drunk within the first year, after that they fall apart,” Doug Wregg, director of sales and marketing for Les Caves de Pyrène told the drinks business. Mr Wregg is a flag bearer for the natural or pure wine movement.
2012-04-27 09:44:08 - David "Isak Pretorius, yeast biologist at the University of South Australia in Adelaide adds that scientists have described less than 1% of the estimated 700,000 strains of wine yeast worldwide. That means that yeast researchers such as Danielle Oliva have a lot more work on their hands: “There is still a lot of untapped potential that can be mined.” from Science Now.
2012-04-23 13:43:49 - David "I think well, everyone's trying to do the same thing – that might be one reason why it is difficult. We're all trying to make a style that literally only appeals to your wine nerds, your wine journos, your wine shows, and one per cent of the population." Matt Burton on Hunter Semillon.
2012-04-19 06:58:30 - David Really! "... a recent study of Australians aged between 18 and 24 had found about 94 per cent reported drinking larger amounts or for longer than they intended … but the reason they were doing it was because they were having fun," Louise Mewton, postdoctoral fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
2012-04-17 19:13:31 - Ben Can a vintage end any better than this? No real rain for a month and stable warm days with cool nights. Mean temps for April so far are high of 25.0 and low of 8.7 degrees. Those game enough to leave the late ripeners out should be rewarded. A good year for mataro I reckon...
2012-04-10 11:29:05 - David Kingsley Amis wrote the "The Wine-Resenter's Short Handy Guide." "Not much of a wine man," he nonetheless drank it and wrote about it often and well. He preferred spirits and beer, and complained about wine snobs and the "pro-wine pressure on everybody".
2012-04-05 06:39:06 - David Lovely Autumn weather in the Barossa with a load of grapes still hanging. Mataro and grenache are still ripening and vintage hopes are high. Mostly good news.
2012-04-01 07:48:51 - David The world of fine wine Sotheby's London, late March: "The top lot, three bottles of Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux 1990, eventually sold to an Asian buyer for £42,300 – the high estimate was £14,000." This is not an April Fool's Joke!
2012-03-29 11:48:51 - David An American intellectual talks wine. "The waiter pours him a taster from the bottle of Gavi di Gavi, an Italian white wine. “Mmmm, it’s like a good Montrachet,” “Oh, this is lovely,” he observes mid-mastication. “Yes, really delicious.” I ask him what kind of wine a Gavi di Gavi is. Murray discloses that it is a “varietal”. I nod as though I know what that means. It certainly tastes nice. “Varietal means expensive." Financial Times, 9th March, 2012. Yes, this is nonsense.
2012-03-27 19:26:27 - David The very wealthy investing in the wine business lifts the image for all of us thus I'm sad that the Rathbone family are looking at sale options for their string of wine interests including Yering Station, Mt Langi Ghiran, Parker Estate and Xanadu. I hope another wealthy family steps up.
2012-03-25 17:47:09 - Ben Successful day in the winery - three cracking wines off to bottling tomorrow. 1000 litres Karrawirra 'Single Vineyard' BV Cabernet 2009 from the Andretzke vineyard in the east near Angaston, 650 litres Stockwell Creek BV Shiraz Mataro 2010 based on the puncheon I bought from Abel Gibson, and 300 litres Bengalee Greenock Grenache 2010 which came from "Schwatta". Beer o'clock I reckon...
2012-03-25 11:28:04 - David The drinking culture of men is explained at last: "Sex-Deprived Male Fruit Flies Turn to Alcohol, Research Shows."
2012-03-23 08:36:19 - David The wine view from Gawker. "Professional Wine Snob in Booze Junket Payola Scandal. Scandal in the rarefied and ultimately self-satisfied and pointless world of high-end wine reviewing! Jay Miller has stepped down from his job as a wine reviewer for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate a publication which is considered very well-well-well by the la-dee-da set".
2012-03-21 09:41:29 - David Another wine fraudster, Rudy Kurniawan has been exposed in the U.S. The worry is how long it takes to discover these people. Why is this? Could it be that many would rather not know?
2012-03-19 21:00:17 - Ben Not often that you blow away a BV Durif! 600 litres McLaren Vale Shiraz 2007 ready for bottling - Wow.
2012-03-19 20:38:16 - Ben 1 x Hogshead (300l) Barossa Valley Durif 2010 ready for bottling. Looking very nice indeed. Out Wednesday for bottling Friday.
2012-03-18 08:54:56 - David Rumour has it that the ACCC has serious doubts about letting Woolworths expand its empire by leasing the 30 odd Sydney hotels of the Laundy group. Woolworths liquor is now so powerful it hardly matters much anyway.
2012-03-13 09:32:35 - David The liquor market is changing quickly and American brewers are racing to invent new flavours. Currently being trialled are the Coors Light Iced T, a citrus like tea flavoured beer; and at Anheuser-Busch a Michelob Ultra 19th Hole Light Tea and Lemonade. Over at Smirnoff they have invented the Fluffed Marshmallow vodka.
2012-03-09 10:35:32 - David The American wine expert Robert Parker has released his ratings for the Bordeaux 2009 vintage, giving 19 the perfect score, 100/100. As a reference Parker only gave two chateaus 100/100 from the great 2005 vintage. It seems a long time ago when Parker launched his stellar career by proclaiming the 1982 vintage one of the greatest ever.
2012-03-06 16:10:45 - Ben The inaugural vintage of Brutus Shiraz Durif, the 2008, is nearly sold out. Today tweaking the 2009 for bottling – will be released in June/July after it settles down in the bottle.
2012-03-06 15:57:44 - David Are the days of trashing the prices of newly released Penfolds reds behind us? Owners of premium vineyards will like the following comment of David Dearie CEO of Treasury; " with demand for TWE's luxury wines exceeding supply, the company planned to increase its investment in redevelopment of vineyards and sourcing high-quality grapes from third-party growers."
2012-03-02 15:28:22 - David “After two years of strong growth in 2009 and 2010, indices for investment grade wine closed 2011 down 10-20% for the year, with some wines recording a fall of 45%. The report today suggests that sectors of the market have been oversold, providing some of the best buying opportunities wine collectors and investors have seen in several years.” Wine Yields publisher Jackson Taylor. A nice drink turns into nonsense.
2012-02-29 09:16:02 - David The Sydney International Wine Competition has just finished and up pops the Shoalhaven champion, the Coolangatta Estate Semillon 2006, from the south coast of NSW, with a Trophy for the Best White Wine and another Trophy for the best Light Bodied White. Move over the Hunter?
2012-02-27 09:26:18 - David My suspicion grows that SAB Miller have no idea why the bought Fosters. From The Age, February 27th; "It is expected this strategy will include the introduction of SABMiller's Building Execution Excellence at Retail (BEER) initiative to Australia. Part of the BEER strategy enables SABMiller to measure and improve the quality of service it offers to retailers.." The BEER strategy-get it.
2012-02-26 20:34:20 - Ben Sunday in the winery is very peaceful – normally I get the place to myself. Today spent cleaning tanks ready for blending next week. Bengalee Greenock Barossa Valley Grenache 2010 should emerge from the week. Also have a very tidy 600 litres of McLaren Vale Shiraz 2007 to prep for bottling. Steve Hoff of Heritage Wines was there urging on his red ferments so he can nick off fishing – apparently the whiting are on.
2012-02-25 09:47:47 - David I have just learnt there are 34 clones of Chardonnay worldwide and one of these, the Wente clone, makes up 75% of all Californian plantings. The most popular clone in Western Australia, as used by Leeuwin Estate, is the 'Gin Gin' or Mendoza clone introduced by Houghtons in 1957. I wonder how closely the two are related?
2012-02-23 17:08:13 - Ben Tasted some barrels with Abel Gibson of Ruggabellus. The man is the real deal. I think the wines are sold out but you may find some out in the trade. One to watch.
2012-02-21 12:41:48 - David The UK Financial Times (18th February) wine writer, Jancis Robinson has written a whole article about the wines of Tassie which helps lift the profile. I recall looking at sites along the Tamar Valley in 1970 but this was in the days when I thought the geology and soils were unfavourable. Where is the limestone etc; I know better now.
2012-02-21 09:36:41 - Ben Blended PB Burgoyne Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2009 yesterday. Big, big wine. Worked hard to reel the thing in a bit. Bottling in two weeks.
2012-02-18 11:06:33 - David I draw attention to two results from last week's Royal Sydney Show 2012; the 3 trophies to the Vasse Felix Heytesbury Margaret River Chardonnay 2010 and two trophies, including the Len Evans Perpetual Trophy, to the Coolangatta Estate Shoalhaven Heads Semillon 2006. The latter will have them puzzled up in the Hunter.
2012-02-16 14:56:12 - Ben And on the way out, Schelly tossed a hare carcass on the front seat of my car. Ahh the country life.
2012-02-16 13:41:58 - Ben Tasting Jason Schwarz's odds & sods barrels from 2010. Some very tidy grenache - one or two can be bottled almost as is. Will be on Glug in due course.
2012-02-14 17:12:10 - David Entering wine company web-sites continues to delight me. Today I signed in at Rosemount as a resident of Wallis and Futana Island and faced with the question of 'Are you of legal drinking age' I pressed NO. I was confronted with a scary black page. Why do they bother with this crap?
2012-02-14 12:50:29 - David John Mariani in today's Bloomberg News quoting Corinne Mentzelopoulos, owner of Chateau Margaux; "She says only a few estates in Bordeaux and Burgundy make wines that improve as they age." Oh dear another of the turrets of the 'Wine Castle' structure topples over.
2012-02-11 11:38:34 - Ben Knocked down a Teusner 'Albert' Barossa Valley Shiraz 2004 last night with Kym. Amazing. Still showing bright fruit and that crazy eucalypt character that comes from that specific Riebke block. Not a eucalypt tree in site though so the scientists will have to work this one out.

We bring you birds of Australia courtesy of Singer Sewing Machines and this is matched with Ben's award winning Kookaburra photo taken at Lakes Entrance in 2009.
 


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