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”
Tag Archives: White Wine
Wine Code Breaker #441
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”
Wine Code Breaker #432
2022 Ironcloud The Alliance Chardonnay, Ferguson Valley, Geographe, Western Australia The use of the word “iron” in front of another gives it a suggestion of strength. The use of this in more recent times leads you to thoughts of security, which may further prompt thoughts of “the Cloud.” “The Cloud,” of course, is a metaphoricalContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #432”
Wine Code Breaker #428
2021 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Victoria Perpetual motion is the concept of a machine that can continue to operate indefinitely without any external energy source. Of course, this is theoretical as its greatest enemy is friction. Friction, however, is the friend of wine. We experience this through mouthfeel and the textural sensationContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #428”
Wine Code Breaker #422
2020 Tonic Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Victoria To white ant someone is to subvert or undermine from within. It is an Australian slang expression often used in reference to political groups. Of course, it comes from the action of termites that surreptitiously eat away at wooden structures from the inside, only for you to discover tooContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #422”
Wine Code Breaker #416
2022 SC Pannell Fi Fi Fiano, McLaren Vale, South Australia Fiano, as a grape, is a producer of a sugary pulp that is highly attractive to bees. Its origins are thought to date back to ancient Roman times, evolving from the grape Apianum, which of course is a Latin derivation of bees. Being a relativelyContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #416”
Wine Code Breaker #414
2022 Mayer Chardonnay Yarra Valley, Victoria The first recorded tasting note for a wine is credited to Samuel Pepys in 1663. His description of the wine was, “hath a good and most particular taste that ever I met with.” This description leaves a lot to the imagination. “Good” can mean many things. I do though likeContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #414”
Wine Code Breaker #410
2021 Eden Road The Long Road Chardonnay, Tumbarumba, New South Wales There is a Latin saying, in vino veritas. In wine, there is truth. Of course in too much wine, there is ruin. Too little, and there is a riot. This is precisely what “International Stab Someone in the Back Day” advocates. Not heard ofContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #410”
Wine Code Breaker #409
2022 Pewsey Vale Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia Australia’s early economy was said to have ridden on the sheep’s back. John Macarthur is credited as the first to introduce the merino breed that led to the boom on the back of wool. What is less known is that in 1847, Riesling cuttings from his CamdenContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #409”
Wine Code Breaker #405
2022 Tupelo Pinot Gris Riesling Pinot Blanc Gewurtztraminer Stargazer, Tasmania “Would you like some fruit salad”? “No thanks, I already have some” as I sniff and swirl a glass of wine. Does a wine with four or more varieties count as fruit salad? Blending multiple varieties together is to build on the synergies, ensure theContinue reading “Wine Code Breaker #405”
The Unexpurgated Wine Code 