An uncensored guide to wine…
2023 Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese, Beechworth, Victoria Where I reside has been a bit stormy of late. Trees down all around. ‘Riders on the Storm’ has been the soundtrack. This masterpiece, fusing poetry and music, of course, has nothing to do with tempests. It is a striking metaphor for life. And a fascination of killerContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #444”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Aunt Alice Night Sky Pinot Noir, Tasmania I never knew I had always longed for an Aunt Alice. It appeared very recently, in the night sky, much like Mary Poppins. In fact, it is quite a lot like Mary Poppins. Creative and playful, enchanting and magical. As for me? I would be closer toContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #443”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Lowboi Riesling, Porongurup, Great Southern, Western Australia The early onset of frost can be a vintage killer. Those little buds that advance ahead of perhaps when they should, can be exposed to dry, freezing conditions. Some mechanical movement of air will help. Small heater pods can too. A site with an exposure to seaContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #442”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Billy Button “The Groovy” Grüner Veltliner, Alpine Valleys, Victoria Apparently, there is a desk at Vienna Airport for passengers arriving there thinking they have flown all the way to Australia. Paradoxically, the town of Bright in the Alpine Valleys of Victoria has had to install a desk for those wine drinkers who, after sippingContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #441”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Delinquente Wine Co Tuff Nutt Pet Nat Bianco d’Alessano, Riverland, South Australia Petillant Naturel, or Pet Nat, is a wine style with a light fizz that may seem to be new, but is in fact ancient in its method. Pet Nat starts much the same way as all winemaking – pick, crush, ferment. Almost alwaysContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #440”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Kalleske Zeitgeist Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia Perhaps the least memorable member of the X-Force was Zeitgeist. His mutant power was spewing acidic vomit with deadly accuracy. This was reportedly discovered during a drunken night out with a girl on a beach. His uniform was a pale blue tunic with yellow highlights. A moreContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #439”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Giant Steps Bastard Hill Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria The term “bastard” in the Australian vernacular is a term of endearment. Think of “you little bastard!” Or, “what a bastard!” Both of these can be heard on the sporting field or even in the workplace. So, imagine coming across a vineyard with a slopeContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #438”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2022 Aphelion Confluence Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia Louis Pasteur, the creator of pasteurisation, is said to have described a bottle of wine as containing more philosophy than all the books in the world. Perhaps as a case of one-upmanship, Ralph Waldo Emerson philosophises that a man will be eloquent if you give him aContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #437”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2017 Pimpernel Shiraz, Yarra Valley, Victoria The scarlet pimpernel has become much more than a flower. It is, of course, the symbol of the original superhero, Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel. An expert swordsman, master of disguise, and deft escape artist, all wrapped up in a daring double life. Pimpernel Winery, started by aContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #436”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
2023 Luke Lambert Crudo Shiraz, Yarra Valley, Victoria One of the most terrifying scenes in The Godfather was Jack Woltz waking up to a horse’s head in his bed. As raw as it comes, the head was real having been secured from a local pet food manufacturer. You could even say as crudo as itContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #435”
View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.
The Unexpurgated Wine Code