Victoria


No particular theme, just four wines that needed tasting…. Tahbilk Viognier 2009, Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia (£9.99 The Wine Society, Jeroboams, City Beverage, Stanton Wine Company, Morecambe Bay Wine Company, www.everywine.co.uk, Goodrich Wines, Posh Plonk, Rodney Densem, Cambridge Wine Merchants) Quite heady, almost creamy peach kernel aromas, but then […]

Shiraz and Viognier from Australia + reds from Rioja and ...


Leaping Lizard Cabernet Merlot 2007, Western Australia (£7.99-£8.50 Seckford Agencies) Vibrant, crunchy blackcurrant nose, then slightly pippy blackberry flavours, with a tar-like streak, easy fleshy wine, quite powerful and ripe but finishes dry. B Ferngrove ‘Symbols’ Cabernet Merlot 2008, Frankland River, Australia (£8.99-£9.50 Seckford Agencies) Fresher and tangier than the […]

Aussie Cabernet, with a Chilean interloper




Domaine du Tariquet Les Premières Grives Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2008, South West France (£9.40 slurp.co.uk) Off-dry, fresh and zippy white, packed with fruit – peach, pear, apple – with a herby edge and a clean fresh finish. Lovely summer day wine, good with fruit salad. B+ […]

Five sweet wines – France, Chile, Spain, Australia


Blason de Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2007, Burgundy, France (£9.99 Sainsburys) There’s some light cherry and raspberry fruit here, but it’s swamped by a weird dusty/stale chocolate edge. Hope this is a bad bottle… 0 Louis Latour Givry 2007, Burgundy, France (~£12.99 Ann et Vin, T Wright, Forth Wines, Hailsham […]

Pinot Noir – the world’s greatest grape, or just its ...


Just had this photo through from the folk at Villa Maria, along with a copy of their 2009 Harvest Report (it’s here), showing the damage that working a vintage can wreak on your mitts. I’ve never actually worked in a winery but I did end up with similar coloured hands […]

Hands to the pump