a girl and a glass

Quintessa is in the heart of Nappa Valley, in Rutherford.  It's a very pretty part of the world, not one I get to frequent often but I always enjoy it when I do.  On this occasion it was purely luck that brought me to their vineyard for tasting and a visit.  It was back in 2007 and I was with a colleague driving around Nappa.  We saw the sign and just drove up.  Typically they don't allow walk ins - you have to book in advance for a tasting experience.  Very different to most Australian vineyards.  We got lucky and were able to have a modified experience with just a tasting.  Still nothing there is 'just a tasting'.  It's a full on seated experience with decanted wines & cheeses. They really go all out to make it enjoyable.   Quintessa is unusual.  They have 5 varietals that grow on the estate - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. The wine is a blend that can include all or some of ...

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...

Today I'm talking about another local Cab Sauv.... well local to me that is.  RidgeView is in the Hunter Valley just a little over 1.5 hours north of Sydney.  I've got to admit I don't get up there very often, but it's always fun to get to visit somewhere new when you do.  I've written about my visit to RidgeView before .  One of the things I enjoyed about our visit was how relaxed and casual the staff were.  They were friendly and relaxed - which is not something you always get at every Hunter Valley cellar door. They also don't take themselves too seriously as you can see by the way they've brought humour to their day to day & their labels.  (Love that "Effen Hill") So on to the wine.... Well as the label says above the colour is a very deep purple red.  There is definitely lots of berry fruit reflected in both the colour and the nose.  Taste wise its a good robust wine.    Berries as you would expect, but not too ove...

To kick of the month of Cab Sauv I thought I'd start with something close to home - from the Hunter Valley - de iuliis Winery .  This is a winery I'd never been too before last year, but I really enjoyed my visit and have enjoyed all the wines I've tasted there.  We only tasted 3 or 4 wines on our visit but we came home with the Cab Sauv and the Chardonnay. The Cab Sauv is a beautiful cherry colour in the glass.  It's smells like black currents and red berries but isn't overwhelming with fruit.  The taste was smooth - but I'd like to try it again in a few years and see how it goes after laying it down for a little longer.  Right now it's drinking well - plenty of red berry flavours that you would expect from both the smell and colour, and lots of tanins.  It's got a long smooth finish which is enjoyable.  At only $18 a bottle it's a pretty good deal and I'd be happy coming home to a glass of it any night this winter.  In fact I might po...

A new month calls for a new flavour of the month.  In honour of the colder weather and the fact that I just want to curl up on the couch with a glass of red I've decided that July is the month for Cabernet Sauvignon.  Or as us Aussies like to say Cab Sauv. Cheers Sally

Last time I wrote about a wine from Ashton Hills I was talking about their chardonnay .  Today I want to tell you a little bit more about their winery and their Pinot Noir.  I mentioned how much I enjoyed my first visit to Ashton Hills in my last post, but I forgot to mention how pretty the winery is and the fantastic artwork Stephen has displayed at the cellar door (and just outside in the case of the image above).  Perched on the side of a hill you arrive to sweeping views of the valley and vines.  The cellar door is small and cosy.  We arrived just as the previous tasters were wrapping up so we didn't have to wait too long and had the place to ourselves.  It's always fun when that happens because you really get to find out a little bit more about the wines, and the winemaker. Anyway on to the Pinot Noir.  Actually there are 3 - the Estate, the Piccadilly and the Reserve.  All equally wonderful and deserving of their own reviews. ...

Today I'm going to tell you about one of my favourite Pinot Noir.  And it comes from just across the pond in New Zealand - Ata Rangi's Pinot Noir.  Now I can't tell you a lovely story about how I've visited the cellar door - because I haven't.  Yet!  From what I hear though it's a wonderful experience.  What I can tell you is the wine is awesome.  That's the technical wine tasters word for wine's that rock ;-) The colour is sublime - dark cherry with tinges of purple if you tilt your glass just so in the light.  (Trust me you'll do this by the time you open your second bottle - it's a stunning colour gradation in the glass).    The smell is all cherry and spice, with some floral notes and vanilla.  It's very very easy to drink.  Smooth with just the right amount of tanin.  The thing about it is, the more you sip the more you discover in it's subtle taste.  It delivers some spice - but not too much.  Some plum a...

I'm excited that the weather is getting colder... not because I like the cold.  I don't.  I hate it. The thing I like about the cold weather is we make a lot of slow cooked hearty food.  Food that goes well with red wine.  Everything from lighter reds all the way through to my favourite big, bold shiraz.  So for the next few months I think I'll be in red heaven sharing with you some of my favourite reds. This month is kicking off with Pinot Noir.  Later today I'll be back with a post telling you about my favourite Pinot Noir. Cheers Sally

Better late than never... it's still Wednesday in the US :-) This week I'm talking about a Rose that I discovered on my last trip to the Barossa in November.  Hubby and I were heading down that way and taking some friends for the first time.  Our flight landed early and we had a little time before our lunch plans to visit another winery so we went to Bethany .  If you haven't visited Bethany you should.  It's situated on the side of a hill on the outskirts of Tanunda in the Barossa and is just stunning.  You could spend quite some time there... and we did (see our tasting wines lined up below). Anyway on to the Rose.   It's actually a Cabernet Franc Rose.  It's a little unusual in that it's made with a the red variety of Cabernet Franc.  The colour is a beautiful pink - not at all pale - more like crushed rasberries.  And the nose is lovely - lots of berries and floral nose.    It's pretty soft to drink, fruity but n...

I'm so excited to share my favourite Rose with you today.  I've talked about Turkey Flat Winery before and this is just one more reason that I love them.  They have been instrumental in helping Rose's make a splash on the summer wine lists of many in Australia. This beautiful salmon pink rose is made up of a blend of Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Dolcetto.  It smells like berries - lots of strawberry.  The palette is fresh and fruity - berry fruity (see what I did there?) but without being sweet.  Served chilled on a hot summers day you could sip it forever.  It never surprises me when we go through 3 or 4 bottles at a BBQ.  It's just so easy to drink.  James Halliday rates it a 94 (if you need more convincing on how good it is).  And the best bit... well if you pick it up at the cellar door it's just $18 a bottle - BARGAIN.   A few years ago they released it as a magnum.  Same cool bottle - just on steriod...

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 was hubby's birthday last week.  As it was a significant one we had several special events planned - family dinners, party with friends, and a birthday meal at home that puts most meals we have to shame. Sunday night in our household is usually roast night.  Not just any old roast mind you, a standing roast, crusted in pepper, with fresh home cut sweet potato chips (standard spuds for the boy) and steamed greens.  We typically have a pretty decent red open and drink a glass or two of wine.  It's preparation for the week - fortifying our spirits as it were.  Last night however was a little different.   Sure we had all the standard fare.  Standing roast - check.  Home cut chips - check.  Good bottle of red wine - check... no wait a minute... make that an exceptional bottle of red wine.   Yes you guessed it.  Last night we cracked open a bottle from the wine fridge.  We broke open the reserves.  We opened.... a Grange...

On Wednesday night I had a surprise.  Hubby and I carpool and drive in to work.  We start pretty early in the morning so we can leave before the worst of peak hour really takes hold.  On Wednesday afternoon he arrived at my office and informed me that the traffic was 'banked up for miles' due to the rain.  (Don't get me started on the driving habits of Sydney-siders in the rain... Unless you have a bottle of wine for the rant!!!)  Making the most of the opportunity we decided to grab a quick bite to eat in the city and wait out the worst of the traffic. This lead to a delightful dinner with another colleague, a delightful steak, and a lovely surprise bottle of wine.  I must admit I've had this one before, but the thing that made it so nice was that I wasn't expecting dinner out.  In fact I was expecting to have to cook.  I wasn't expecting to have wine.  In fact I was expecting to go for a run.  I wasn't expecting delightful company -...