a girl and a glass

I've reviewed wines from d'Arenberg or Darries before .  They are a bit of a go to staple in our house hold at times.  Easy drink, accessible, good prices, and consistent in taste.  What's not to love.   Today I'm drinking The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon .  Darries has several ranges of wine - The Stump Jump at the value end (under $15 a bottle and a great drink) all the way through to the premium single vineyard drops at around $100 a bottle.  If you can't find a wine to suit both your taste and budget you may as will stop drinking wine.  I've actually tried a lot of their wine and really value both the premium wines and the value wines.  It's rare for me to feel that way about a winery, but I don't think they've compromised on quality with any thing they are producing - which is great.   The High Trellis Cab Sauv is a good drop.  The nose is quite fruity with lots of blackberry.  The colour is rich cherry with...

In case you haven't noticed I have a thing for Adelaide... well more specifically I have a thing for wineries in the vicinity of Adelaide.  So much so that I have seriously contemplated moving there and reverse commuting to Sydney - but I think I'd never leave.  Anyway enough about Radeliade... I mean Adelaide and on to the wine. Today I'm talking about another winery I love, this one in McLaren Vale - d'Arenberg .  I'm particularly partial to their red's - the Stump Jump Shiraz is a goto fav for Friday night pizza & movies - but today it's all about the riesling.   The Dry Dam Riesling .   There's a nice little story about how it got it's name... something to do with a cursed neighbours dry dam, but I'd rather talk about how it drinks... and smells.  When you first pour it into the glass there is a lot to like in the light colour and scent. There is definitely some floral notes but nothing too heavy, more like a summery flower...

This month I'm talking about rose.  I never really liked rose when I first tried it many years ago in Australia.  The first few I tried were very sweet and had too much honey and fruit for my liking.  However times have changed and in summer I'm loving the drier styles that we've seen develop in more recent years. On a recent trip to Adelaide we had lunch at Coriole  in McLaren Vale.  If you haven't visited the cellar door it's definitely worth it.  The location is fantastic and the gardens surrounding the building are beautiful.  Ring ahead to book a table if you want to stay for lunch though - it fills up fast.  Lunch is a regional platter to share and is delightful.  It was on this lunch visit that I most recently had their Rose and took the photo above. Ok on to the wine... now this is from memory and some notes on my phone as I didn't have a bottle here with me to crack open. The colour was very pale berries, like a pressed...

It's that time of the week.  The mid-week hump.  And to help you get over that I'm reviewing a great bubbly today & it's an absolute bargain.   Primo Estate's Primo Secco . I have to admit I first came to know Primo Estate's wine via their olive oil .  I'd had some at a friends house and they casually mentioned they make wine too, and had a delightful cellar door I could visit next time I was in McLaren Vale.   Anyway to the wine.  This bubbly is made in the style of a prosecco.  It's fresh, fruity, light and refreshing.  Thankfully for me it's drier than many prosecco's (I like wines on the drier side).  When you first pop the cork and pour a glass you'll get lovely fruity notes and a hint of citrus.  (I swore I  smelled a hint of apricot the first time.... but maybe I was dreaming).   It was great to drink as is, but I also enjoyed drinking a bottle the other day after adding some added rasberries to the...