January 25, 2012

Australia Day

Tomorrow.

We’re supposed to drink Aussie wines or strip.

That’s the dare put out by Wine Australia.

I wonder if you drink mostly Aussie wines, but throw in a few bottles of champers whilst listening to Triple J’s Hot 100 and swimming in the rain – we’d get an exemption from stripping?

Or not.

filles at 11:47 pm

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January 24, 2012

She came, she saw, she’s still here…

It was a fast & busy weekend followed by work on Monday. I’ve got 2 mins to catch up on emails from Christmas before I head out to do groceries, check on Lucy and then study – before meeting the architect at the apartment at 5, prepare dinner, then head out to a tasting at 9.30pm of Yarra chardonnay.

Work has taken a back seat.  Not so good. Not so many hours, not so much appreciation. I suspect my vision is not the guiding light. However, for the moment it’s head down bum up, do the best job I can and keep my opinions to myself. Ultimately our goals are the same, so their must be a way for us all to work well in harmony.

Have we drunk anything spectacular lately? Not that I can recall.  We had a very ordinary St Joseph, same of a Californian sparkling wine – I did come up against a Moet & Chandon Brut in a blind tasting and actually quite enjoyed it, which is good to know.

A couple of weeks ago we had an amazing syrah from Cortona, Italy. Stefano Amerighi, an organic, unfiltered syrah 2008. Lovely.  Actually that night we did drink well… a d’Meure 2005 pinot from Tasmania – which was good but a bit too much VA for me, a Man O’ War Dreadnaught 2008 from Waiheke Island, New Zealand and a Ca de Noci Vendemmia from Italy – a lightly petillant, very dry white.

filles at 8:51 am

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January 18, 2012

Erica is coming

We have a guest arriving tonight… all the way from NY! Can’t wait.  I’m up early getting the guest room ready, doing my sunshine dance, and next chore – cleaning the pool.

filles at 6:20 am

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January 16, 2012

so…

The interview went well, well enough that Wine Australia have offered me opportunities to work with them on some promotions of Australian wine, but not well enough to win the scholarship. Surprisingly I’m not disappointed at all. It was great to even be included in the process.  As my friend David says (who was also in the running) it was less a scholarship and more a sponsorship since the altruistic side was obviously missing.

Tonight I have my tasting group.  7 people. 9 sparkling wines. Blind.

I’ve got to get moving or I’ll be late for work.  Have a good week.

filles at 7:29 am

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January 10, 2012

Wine Australia Scholarship

I’ve got an interview tomorrow morning with Wine Australia.  I was selected based on my exam results from WSET Level 3 to compete for a scholarship that involves an all expenses paid tour of the wine regions of Australia with other successful applicants from Asia in March, 2012.

It would be a great honour to become an Ambassador for Australian wine, particularly as we travel the world and I spend so much time around European & American wine.  Australian wine is up there.  We more than compete, we just have to get our story out.  Show the world our history, our passion and the wine that makes us proud.

Interview at 8.30am.  Fingers crossed.

filles at 9:21 pm

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January 8, 2012

Torchwood

I’ve become addicted to Torchwood.  I was watching it when we lived in Paris… just a random program on TV but in ENGLISH.  That was enough to catch my attention.  Now, Season 1 is being shown on the ABC or at least on iView, and then yesterday I discovered the first 3 seasons are on BBC iView. It’s a Torchwood fiesta only I’m supposed to be studying.

Top it off, there is a mosquito in the bedroom that is being very elusive.  Just as I’m about to drop off to sleep he buzzes right by my ear. Light goes on, arms flail and he’s gone. I’ve sprayed myself with insect repellent – he’ll never survive.  But I’ll never sleep either…. the stench is so strong.

Goodnight.

filles at 12:27 am

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January 3, 2012

Home sweet home

We’re back.

We had a great new years eve with mum & Pete in Snug.  Slow roasted pork on the weber, with pink eyes and carrots.  Followed by a very gooey, runny, tasty double brie from Tassie.  New Years day we went to the movies, checked out all the sailing boats that had come in and then headed to Taste of Tasmania for dinner and drinks.  Another great evening.  Then on the 2nd, we hung about, had the best fish n’ chips of the trip at the ferry terminal in Kettering and then flew home.

Michelle is on holidays for another week, I went back to work today (the times they are a’changing..).  The weather is gorgeous in Sydney we’ve been hanging about in the sun, swimming in our pool all afternoon and plan to continue doing so all evening.

Anyone fancy a swim or a visit? Last chance this summer….  as I said.  The times they are changing.

filles at 5:59 pm

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January 1, 2012

Snug

The trip started well. Dinner at the Black Cow Bistro in Launceston was amazing. The most perfect blue steak, some truffle bernaise sauce, roasted fennel and rocket salad… divine. Followed by a day of visiting wineries, Native Point, Leaning Church, Brook Eden, Janz, Pipers Brook, Bay of Fires and finished with Arras… and a late disgorged bottle of their celebrated 1999 vintage…

We were staying at some friends of the family who I haven’t seen since I was about 18, they were in Norway and we had free reign of the house in Beauty Point north of Launceston. A sunny & relaxing Christmas day with off the boat fresh lobsters, prawns, salad and the best ever pavlova. The pavlova was so good it kept us going for 3 days…

We took some chipolatas and salad with us for a BBQ in the park at Low Head, and then at 9pm we went to see the fairy penguins surf in to feed their babies. How magnificent! They surf in, waddle up the sand, and regurgitate their catch for the two babies waiting eagerly in the bushes.

That was Christmas.

Boxing day we headed off to see the platypuses & echidnas at the platypus house which was mildly disappointing, before setting off to pick up our campervan. When booking with Brumby Campervans we did think perhaps that we may chosen the backpacker version and that it might not be the most modern of campervans, but whatever, it’s only 10 days. We had great customer service leading up to the holiday, but nothing could have prepared us for the sight of the pathetic van that stood before us. It was old, dirty, rusty and sad. The curtains had seen better days and the clutch was so low I had to sit up on top of the steering wheel just to reach it. Whatever, it will be an adventure.

Then we discovered the sliding door had no roller, you had to drag it closed with an accompanying screech.

We asked for a refund…

Long story short, we didn’t take that refund and we headed off into the distance following mum & Pete and their super modern A van. They zoomed off in the dust while we plodded along sitting on the speed limit with caravan and trucks and old lady drivers passing us one after another.

When we pulled into the next town we were challenged about our speed… It turns out our Tassie Devil campervan was actually only sitting on 79 in a 100km/hr zone despite the speedometer clearly up around the 100. Again… whatever, slow is good. We checked into a caravan park, pulled out all the linen.. reasonably clean, we’ll survive.

A couple of wines, a lovely steak on the Barbie and we decide to sort out the bed. When we determined that only half the bed was in the van and that we would have to sleep on our suitcases and the fact that we couldn’t close the door from the inside… it was game over and I called the company to tell them we’ll be returning their pathetic van the next day.

So the next day we had to drive straight to Hobart. The woman we had dealt with on booking, Jane, was very sorry. Her husband on the other hand was rude, arrogant and had no customer service skills whatsoever. He accused us of lying essentially, he didn’t believe us regarding the speedometer, we had to wait for him to take the van for a 10 minute drive making small talk, before he returned to tell us that yes, doing 100 was actually only 80 but what did it matter we would never get booked like that! The fact that the van was 11 years old and looked it, despite stating in the booking terms ALL vans were between 3-8 years old, that we didnt have all the pieces to make the bed and that he had actually ruined our campervan holiday plans by us having to zoom to Hobart in one day when we had planned to do it in 4… all in all unsatisfactory. We hitched a ride, booked a cabin at the Snug caravan park and we’ve been here ever since.

Not exactly the holiday we had planned but… whatever.

Despite all of that it’s been good. We saw the winners come in from the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, we had dinner at The Garagists, spent the day at MONA ate at The Source and visited The Taste Festival…. along with plenty of relax and resting time. Campervan holiday? Whatever.

filles at 12:27 pm

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December 22, 2011

An ideal holiday?

A campervan. A sore back. Plenty of study to do (albeit it’s on sparkling wine, which is perfect for this time of year). And lots of rain. I’m not sure that this is the ideal trip for most people, nor even for a few people. But I’m really looking forward to it.

Around Tasmania, in a van, with a mattress in the back and a list of wineries to visit.

We’re leaving tomorrow.

filles at 1:23 pm

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December 21, 2011

Merry Christmas from Sydney!

It’s supposed to be summer, well, it IS summer, but the weather doesn’t seem to know that…. rain, rain, rain. Work, rain, shopping, wine. Nothing changes much really…

filles at 12:32 am

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May 3, 2011

Sniff . Taste . Spit

I went to an Armagnac Masterclass this afternoon. Considering my flu symptoms, deep voice, blocked noise and no smelling ability whatsoever. I didn’t do too badly. Probably the best thing for me. Imagine.

Armagnac cured my cold!

Michelle is going to the public tasting tomorrow night with the Ultimo Wine Centre, while I attend a nebbiolo tasting courtesy of M. Bennie. We’re both busy tasting liquor. How the world has changed….

filles at 7:11 pm

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May 1, 2011

Fortified Wines: Sherry

Regional Location:
Jerez (Sherry/Xeres) is in Andalucia, the south west corner of Spain on the Atlantic Ocean.

Microclimates:
The region is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the sea breezes alleviate the extremes. Winters are mild and damp, with most rain falling between autumn and spring (650mm). Sanlucar on the coast can be as much as 10 degrees lower than Jerez, which is 20km inland. The Levante/ is a piercing dry dusty wind that picks up from the south east.

Soils:
There are three main types of soils:
Albariza – white chalky looking soil with a high 40% limestone content, clay & sand. Albariza is dazzling white. It dry’s without cracking, slowly releaseing moisture to the vines during the growing season. 80% of Jerez Superior have Albariza soils.
Baro soils have more clay, they produce fuller, courser wines with higher yields.
Arenas are sandy soils, yields are twice as high, but quality is poor.

Grape Varieties:
There are now 3 authorised grape varieties to produce sherry:
Palomino of which there are 2 types Paolomino Basto (Palomino Jerez) & Palomino Fino. Palomino Fino once grew exclusively around Sanlucar, has now been accepted as the most suitable variety for sherry production. Relatively susceptible to downy mildew, it responds best to warm, dry soils. Regular, high yielding, without irrigation and low in both acidity and fermentable sugars.
Pedro Ximenez thin skinned grapes predominantly grown in Montilla-Moriles, where it accounts for 70% of all plantings. Prone to disease it is no longer grown widely in Jerez.
Muscat of Alexandria (moscotel gordo blanco) A distinctive grapey flavour, used for sweetening.

Viticulture
Originally planted in a hexagon pattern tresbolillo, vines are now planted in rows to aid mechanisation. Vine density is around 4100 vines/ha and yields are set at 80hl/ha. Vines are trained on wires and pruned using the vara y pulgar system which is similiar to Guyot.

Vinification
Palomino is harvested at 11 degrees Baume, usually on or around the 8th September. Grapes are destalked, pressed (horizontal plate/pneumatic). The legal extraction rate is 72.5 litres from 100kg. Acid is adjusted with tartaric acid, settled using centrifugation then fermented in stainless steel. Cold stabilisation is essential prior to bottling. 1st selection of grapes for fino vs oloroso is made in the vineyard. Fino grapes come from Albariza soils and the best free run juice, Oloroso from clay soils. Fermentation takes place at a fairly high temperature (up to 28 degrees) as primary fruitiness and fermentation esters are not desired. Wine destined for fino is fermented at a lower temperature. 2nd selection takes place after ferment. Wines are classified in January, and then again in late spring, when Fino styles are fortified (with midad y mitad: 50% alcohol at 95.5% abv and 50% young wine) to 15.5% abv, and oloroso styles are fortified to 17.5% abv. The wines are stored in casks before entering the solera.

Solera System:
A fractional blending system that helps to maintain a consistent style. A solera contains a number of butts each called a criadera. The last criadera is named also the solera. The size of a solera can range from 3 – 14 criaderas, and only 33% of the wine in a solera system can be withdrawn each year. Running the scales: is withdrawing wine from the solera butt, which is replenished from the 1st criadera and so on…

Fino/Manzanilla: Butts are filled 5/6 of their 600-650litre capacity, because flor needs alcohol and oxygen to feed off. Flor grows thicker and quicker in Sanlucar because of the cooler, humid temperatures which account for the differences between Manzanillo, Jerez Fino & Puerto Fino. Being heat sensitive the flor can die during summer in the hottest zones. Flor is kept alive by the solera system which nurtures the flor by providing nutrients. A fino solera will ‘run the scales’ about 2-3 times per year, which will in turn keep the flor alive for approx. 10 years.

Oloroso: Are fortified to approx 18%, they are aged in contact with air and will turn dark brown and concentrate with age. The alcoholic content may increase with slow evaporation up to 24%.

PX & Moscatel: Pedro Ximenez or Muscat of Alexandria grapes are dried in the sun to become raisins. The sugars are so concentrated, that fermentation stops after around 5% abv, leaving high levels (typically 200-400g/l) of unfermented sugar.

Sherry Styles:
Fino:

filles at 5:55 pm

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April 26, 2011

Fortified Wines: Port

Key Factors Affecting Production:

Regional Locations, Microclimates & Soils
Port as a rule comes from the Douro region of Portugal. Bordering Spain in the North & East and following the Douro River, the Douro vine growing region is one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world (1756) roughly following the outline of schist, hemmed in by granite. The region has a continental climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters and is sheltered from the influence of the Atlantic Ocean by the mountain ranges to the west. The further inland you go the hotter and drier the climate. Summer temperatures frequently exceed 35 C, it’s harder to imagine a more inhospitable place to grow grapes. The topsoils in this mountainous region of Portugal are shallow, stony and low in nutrients. The valley sides are very steep, but terraces have been hacked into the schist and vineyards planted.

Baixo Corgo is the coolest and wettest of the three zones and tends to produce the lightest wines suitable for making inexpensive ruby & tawny ports. Upstream is the Cima Corgo which is the heart of the demarcated region. Rainfall is significantly lower (700mm) and this is where most of the high quality tawny, LBT and vintage port is made. The Douro Superior is still remote and sparsely populated, and a most arid region, but rising costs mean some producers are considering planting the flatter land, which is more suitable for mechanisation.

Grape Varietals
The Fantastic Five…
There are over 100 different red & white varieties planted in the Douro, 29 are recommended, and then there are the 5 most celebrated…

Touriga Nacional
The vine itself has excessive vigour, variable yeilds of small, thick skinned berries. It produces intensely flavoured wines that are dark, tannic and alcoholic. On the nose the overwhelming aroma is of violets, blue & black fruits, roses, sweet allspice, bergamot and cocoa. The palate has rich intense blackberry flavours with hints of wood/vegetal like you might taste from black fruit seeds. Sometimes black pepper, flowers, with chalky fine tannins and good acid. Despite its potential for power and weight, it manages to maintain its underlying elegance and style.

Touriga Franca
The most widely planted grape variety in the Douro Valley, accounting for one-fifth of all vines. With it’s consistent yields and reliable quality it is a favorite of winemakers. Lighter and more perfumed than Touriga Nacional it has a solid structure and plays support to Nacional in the blend.

Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
Second most planted grape, with 16%. It grows easily, buds late, ripens early giving it protection from spring frosts, and pickers a leg ahead of the others. But it is widely inconsistent, tending to over produce and only performs well when yields are low. In a good vintage the grape produces dry, scented, age-worthy wines with firm fruit, a deep-hue and a nice level of alcohol.

Tinta Barroca
Third most planted variety, yields large quantites of grapes with exceptionally high levels of sugar. Easily damaged by heat,this variety gives the blend their intense sweet flavor, and the earthy, rustic overtones, such as mushroom and plum, so familiar in many vintage port wines.

Tinta Cao
Very low yielding, small clusters of medium sized berries, it produces wine that is lower in alcohol with less structure than the other five but as a blending agent, it adds floral characters to the nose, and fruitiness to the palate.

Viticulture
Most vines were Guyot pruned and wire trained, although now most are spur pruned and VSP trained on wires and supported by wooden stakes. Traditionally planted high density on Socalcos, which are walled terraces, often only 2 rows wide. Due to the labour shortages in the ’70′s the newer planting system of Patamares have become more common. Enabling access to small tractors, ramps are built by binding together vegetation and replacing the stone walls and with wider spacing between the vines, resulting in a lower vine density of 3500 vines per hectare. Vinhos ao alto is another system where vines are planted in rows running up and down the slope allowing some level of mechanisation. It is not uncommon to see all three planting systems side by side on the slopes of the Douro. Irrigation is essential for young funs, spraying is only necessary in exceptionally wet years and aside from the usual vineyard pests, wild boars can eat grapes and damage new vineyards.

Vinification
Rapid extraction of colour and tannins is the crux of the various methods used to produce port. Because fermentation is cut short by fortification after just 2-3 days, the must spends a much shorter time in contact with the skins, therefore the maceration process needs to be as vigorous as possible. Traditionally this was done in low granite lagares where grapes were trodden and fermented. The foot is the perfect instrument to break the fruit without crushing the pips and releasing bitter phenolics into the wine. As fermentation began, the alcohol produced and the increasing temperature would encourage the extraction of colour and phenolics vital for the character of port. After 24-35 hours the Baume would be reduced to between 6 and 8 and then would be run off and mixed with 77per cent grape spirit in a ratio of about 1 to 5, killing the yeast and stopping the fermentation and the must becomes a young, sweet, fiery port with an alcohol content of about 19 or 20 percent abv.

Today some of these Lagares have been replaced by autovinification tanks or automated treading machines (robotic lagares).

Styles of Port – Maturation & Finishing
There are two broad categories of port, either cask ageing or bottle ageing. Wood matured ports are ready to drink straight after fining, filtration and bottling. Ports designed to mature in bottle spend a short time in cask and are bottled without filtration. It may take up to 20 or 30 years for such a wine is ready to drink.
Ruby: Aged in bulk for 2-3 years, blended, filtered and bottled young it retains a deep ruby colour and a strong and fierce personality.
Reserve or Premium Ruby: More intense, big deep coloured base wines, can be aged up to 5 years in cask, before being blended, filtered and bottled.
Fine Tawny: Often made from lighter wines from the cooler Baixo Corgo region, sometimes left to ‘mature’ quicker in the heat, sometimes made from a blend of white & ruby ports. Tend to lose the freshness and primary fruit character associated with young port.
Aged Tawny: Wines that have been left to age oxidatively for 6 or more years in cask, begin to take on a tawny colour and a soft silky character. Made from high class wines, and usually matured in cask in Villa Nova de Gaia until the shipper considers them ready to blend and bottle.
Tawny with an indication of Age: The terms 10, 20, 30 or Over 40 years old as seen on the label give an indication of age only as tawny’s are a blend of a number of years vintage.
Colheita: Tawny ports from a single year, bottled with the date of the harvest on the bottle. Regulations state that they must be aged in cask for 7 years, although most are considerably older.
Vintage: Wines from a single year or vintage, bottled after spending between 2 and 3 years in wood. The most expensive style of port, and the simplest wine to make, accounting for hardly 1 percent of all port sold. Once bottled, the consumer takes over the responsibility of ageing the wine in bottle for up to 30 or more years. A vintage is only declared when the wine is of the best quality, usually about 3 per 10 years.
Single Quinta Vintage: Same as a Vintage Port, although from a single estate and not (necessarily) from a declared year, sometimes held back by shippers until considered ready to drink.
LBV: From a single year, bottled between 4-6 years from harvest. Ready to drink earlier than Vintage POrts.
Traditional LVB: Unfiltered
Crusted Port: Created by Symington group, bottled young, unfiltered, but made from a blend of vintages. May be exported after 3 years in bottle.
Garrafeira: From a single year, aged in glass demi johns for 7 years or more, decanted into bottle.
White POrt: Made in the same way, without maceration, and little fermentation. Aged generally for no more than 18 months.

Vintage Variations

filles at 12:03 pm

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Study Tool

I may have lost you. It’s been so long…
Instead of letting this site go to waste, I’m going to use it as a study aide. If you want to follow my learning curve, hang on, it will be a little dry for most of you, but we’ll see if I can’t add some news once in awhile to keep you interested…

filles at 11:11 am

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January 4, 2011

sorry

work. summer. fun. holidays. study. all reasons that i haven’t posted for ages.

filles at 5:35 pm

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