01
Sep
2009
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Wine Australia has always prided themselves on innovation, so on this hot August afternoon what do they decided to do? Celebrate Christmas of course. Now I understand the theory behind the idea – many media types are readying their holiday editions, so let’s put Wines of Australia at the top of people’s minds – but still, Christmas in August (complete with Turkey, stuffing, Christmas pudding and plenty of carols), not sure I was ready for that. Be that as it may, there were some very nice wines that would make excellent gifts for yourself this coming holiday season. The wines were broken down into 3 categories: Under the Tree (gift packs and bottles); Colour of the Season (Reds, of course) and Stocking Your Cellar (bottles with some longevity) … there were also food matching wines … and that’s where we’ll start (the good news is that all these wines will be, or are, available at the LCBO):
Top 3 “Food Pairing” wines … (Read about all my Australian selections )
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
24
Aug
2009
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Another early day, this one had a jam-packed morning. I woke at 5:30am and posted my notes from Day 2 … then it was time for breakfast and out the door for a 4-hour, 4-winery tour. It’s just like it sounds, each winery visited had one hour to show us their wares, then boom, back on the road we went. It’s the wine writer’s version of the smash-and-grab.
First up (9:00), Closson Chase. Now to be honest I have always found Closson Chase to be very pricey for my pocketbook – especially for what they were offering, which was a named (and fairly celebrated) winemaker in a new and unproven region. But with a few years of production and experience under their collective belts I think they are finally beginning to hit their stride and the price to quality ratio doesn’t seem so out of whack – we’re really starting to see what the early envisioners of this winery saw all those years ago. It was here that the $40 2007 South Clos Chardonnay mesmerized all who tried it. Bottom line on this one is, if I bought $40 Chardonnays, this would be my chosen poison, so to speak.
In the ten o’clock hour we found our way to Keint-He, a new winery set to open in early September... (see the rest of the story with pictures )
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
