With 35 vintages in the Hunter Valley under his belt, there’s little Phil Ryan, Chief Winemaker and Manager of McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Estate, doesn’t know about the region.
Recent Posts
Recently dined with Stephen and Prue Henschke (not forgetting son Johann) at Vintners Bar & Grill in the Barossa. Henschke is best known for its red wines, but the whites – and the Riesling and Semillon in particular – are also splendid. And as you’ll see from this video, Prue […]
Henschke – a chat with Stephen and Prue
All you need is a bottle of sparkling wine (Champagne is traditional, but there are so many alternatives these days), a sabre or equivalent and a steady hand. Thank you to Wolf Blass for providing the wine for this episode…
Sabrage, or how to open a bottle of sparkling wine ...
When I first tasted these wines early in December 2010 the day before disappearing to Australia for a fortnight, I thought they were excellent. But what made them all the more remarkable was that I retasted them when I returned, and they were still delicious, even the Sauvignon. No fancy […]
Muscadet – it’s time to take a fresh look
Stone Barn Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California (£7.99 Bibendum, House of Fraser) A manufactured feel about this jammy black fruit, complete with pips, and a ripe but rather forced/baked finish. C- Delicato First Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£17 Bibendum, Whole Foods) Oddly disjointed, with one side that shows […]
Californian Cabernet – the world’s greatest…?
There’s another video review out there at the moment from a UK writer of the wine from ex-Cloudy Bay man Kevin Judd’s new venture – have a feeling that this is the only one to reference children’s literature, three-legged cats and front bottoms. Details on the wines here and on […]