a girl and a glass

After a long week at work and in anticipation of my husband cooking something lovely for dinner (yes I'm a very lucky woman - I know) I opened this little surprise from my fridge.  I honestly can't remember where I got it from, but I suspect it might have been from a Vinomofo deal. If you're not on that - check it out - ridiculously good wine deals - and all a good drop - FREE to join.  And if you need more of an incentive use this link and get a $25 credit - you're welcome! Anyway.... back to the matter at hand.... The wine. It comes from the Yarra Valley (duh!) - Little Yarra Wines .  Now I haven't visited the cellar door so I can't tell you much about the experience but if the photo on the label is indicative of the location - then it's awesome and you should probably go there.  Apparently (according to the back of the label) they have an emphasis on natural farming techniques also.  Not sure what that entails but ok - awesome.  They only make t...

I don't get up to the Hunter Valley very often but when I do I take it as an opportunity to try some different cellar doors and wines that I usually drink.  Last year I made it to David Hook Wines cellar door in Pokolbin.  We tried a few wines and brought a few more back.  One of those is the de novo bianco 2011 which we just cracked open tonight to eat with our grilled barramundi. The de novo biano is a blend of 4 grapes - Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling.  The nose is very delicate - at least is was for me tonight - with just a few hints of orange blossom.  The palate is light but more robust and rich than a Sauvignon Blanc.  The taste is smooth, maybe a hint of apricot or similar stone fruit.  A hint of spice, but nothing overwhelming and nothing too strong to overpower any food you're eating.  All in all a good choice for our fish tonight. At around $30 a bottle it might not be you're every day quaffer but it's so...

I first tried David Hook wines on my last trip to the Hunter Valley early in 2012.  We'd just bought a brand new car an thought it would be a great opportunity to break it in with a trip up to the Hunter for the day.  I think our stop at David Hook was about the third for the day.  We went there on a recommendation from a friend who spends a lot of time up in the Hunter and thought I might like their wines.  As you can see from the photo of the magnum of Chardonnay sitting on top of my wine rack - clearly I did. The chardonnay is a pale yellow colour with tinges of green that seems to be characteristic of most modern Chardonnay's.  The nose is quite fruity - but more citrus focused with a touch of stone fruit.  The tast is clean and crisp, but not overly light.  It's refreshing with quite a bit of acidity but with no bite.  After the first sip you'll notice a bit of oak and some nuttiness but this just makes it feel very well balanced an ...

Today I'm moving out of South Australian Wines and sharing one from Western Australia - the Vasse Felix Chardonnay.  Sadly I don't have an awesome story to tell from a visit to the cellar door as I'm yet to go there in person, however I think I've tried almost every wine they make.  So that makes me a connoisseur right?  Ok I know I'm hardly that.  I just know what I like and why I like it.  And I also know that my tastes have changed a lot over time, and I'm glad for that.  It means I'm always falling in love with new wines... anyway enough rambling.  Anyone would think I've had a glass or two before sitting down in front of my keyboard. To the wine! The colour is a delightful yellow - not too strong, but definitely not weak and pale.  To smell you'll get some hints of fruit - but nothing too strong, and a touch of oak.  The taste is lovely.  Some complexity without being overwhelming.  A bit of fruit, but there isn't any o...

I only discovered Ashton Hills Vineyard last November on a trip to SA with friends.  It's a tiny little vineyard and the cellar door is only open weekends and public holidays - but the wine is bigger that you would imagine.  The cellar door is situated on the side of a hill and filled with quirky artworks and sculptures made by local artists.  The winemaker, Stephen George established the site in the early 80's and has been producing wines for well over a decade.  It's the kind of winery that you wouldn't ordinarily stumble across because the production is quite small, but when you do discover it you're glad that you did.  (And I'm very glad we did because I have quite a few of his wines on my rack now). Ok on to the wine.  This chardonnay was fantastic to taste.  The colour is bright - think of fresh straw that still has tinges of green.  The nose is pretty funky which is really interesting - think stinky cheese or mushroom notes and you'd...

The Lane Vineyard is one of my favourite places to visit in the Adelaide Hills.  We usually start the day off doing a tasting nearby and make our way there for lunch and tasting.  Pro tip... if you want to go for lunch make sure you book - it's always full.  Situated on it's only little hill and valley the views from the deck are stunning.  Last time we were there for lunch there was a large party out on the balcony for a pre-wedding celebration and they definitely had the prime location to relax over several bottles of wine in the afternoon.   The thing I love about this Chardonnay is that it's a great classic example of what a modern Chardonnay is all about.  There are no buttery, oaky flavours here.  And it's not that horrendous yellow tone that so many Chardonnays in the 80's were either.  No.  This wine is a beautiful pale straw colour. The nose is like the fresh orange blossoms outside my house, with a hint of stone fruit. ...

Well it's that time of the month again... time to change varietals.  Time to spice things up.  Time to make a change and figure out what I'm going to be drinking this month.  I've decided to go with a wine I love.  It's had a bad rap over the years.  I don't blame Kath and Kim  but I do blame some of the overly buttery and oaky varieties I've tried.  To be honest it never used to be one of my favourite wines either. But..... in the past few years I've found a new love for this wine.  There are producers out there doing stunning things with the grapes and the taste is just amazing.  Have you figured out what I'm talking about yet?  It's Chardonnay.  Yep Chardonnay.  Don't expect me to post about big buttery oaky Chardy's though.  There will be none of that around here.  I'll be going for the crisp, full, delicious, drink every drop in the bottle kind.  If you've been keeping the Chardy's at bay I hope that you...

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...

It's time for another lovely riesling from the riesling trail in the Clare Valley - this time from Annie's Lane .  Annie's Lane is a great little winery and I really love their Shiraz (although that's for a future blog post).  The winery was apparently named after a real person, Annie Wayman, who (so the story goes) got bogged along the boundary of a vineyard as she delivered lunch to the workers in her horse and cart.  Now I can't vouch for the story but it does add to the character of the winery. Now to the wine.  Like many Clare Valley rieslings this one is pale in colour, mostly straw with a hint of green.  The nose has hints of citrus and stone fruit.  And the tast is dry and acidic, with a nice finish.  It's the sort of wine that goes well with the lovely summery day we had today.  Another bonus - it ages pretty well, although they probably don't last at our place more than 1-2 years ;-)  (Did I mention we don't have a lot o...

I know it's the start of a new month and I should be choosing a new #flavourofthemonth but I can't.  I've only had the chance to write up 2 rieslings in March and I just don't think that's enough - do you?  So I've decided to extend the #flavourofthemonth for April too.   This week, in case you missed the giant photo above I'm talking about Langmeil's Riesling.   Langmeil is another fabulous Barossa winery.  The cellar door is in Tanunda - my favourite town in the Barossa because of the proximity of my favourite wineries.   I'd love to tell you all about the first time I visited the cellar door, but I suspect it was my third or fourth stop on the day so the details are a little hazy ;-)  Anyway on to the wine.  While the cellar door is in Tanunda the grapes from the riesling come from Eden Valley which is cooler than the Barossa Valley's lower regions.  When you first pour the wine into the glass you'll notice that it's ver...

Riesling.  It's delicious.  It's fresh.  It's crisp.  It's totally under-rated and I'm in love with it.  If you haven't visited Australia's Riesling trail in the Clare Valley , you absolutely should.  It's a wonderful place to discover wines that you may never stumble across in your average bottle shop.  Not only will the cellar doors delight you but the wine will impress. Today I'm talking about another one of those little hidden gem wineries - Skillogalee .  This is another one of those cellar doors that is worth a visit and to stay for a bite to eat.  We first went there on a recommendation from a friend, and have loved every visit since. On to the wine... They have much more than riesling on offer, but as the #flavourofthemonth is riesling what better place to start.  The aroma is definitely floral with lots of citrus - mainly lime.  It's fresh.  It makes you want to breathe it in.  On first sip its crisp. ...

Wow I'm very delinquent.  Life caught up with me last week and I didn't get this blog post out like I promised.  I won't make excuses but I will apologise and just say that my day job won last week.  Never fear I did get to indulge in a few lovely wines after hours to celebrate some hard earned wins so it was worth it. On to my review or story of #winewednesday that I promised.  Grosset's Polish Hill. Grosset is another on of my favourite wineries - I know I have a lot don't I?  The think about it I love is that I'd tried a few of their wines before I had the chance to visit the cellar door and had really enjoyed them.  When I visited the cellar door the first time the staff were so much fun (it was a quiet day and we were the only ones there) and so happy that the experience added to my already good impression of the wine and I decided they were the complete package.  As you may have noticed from my blog I enjoy the experience of trying and...

Ok it's a new month so that means it's time for a new flavour.  I've gone back and forth on this quite a bit and tried quite a few wines in the process... but at long last I've decided that the flavour of the month this month will be riesling. I'm really looking forward to sharing a few of my favourites with you, but first I have to go crack them open and remember to take photos.  Stay tuned next week as I talk about one of my favourites - Grosset's Polish Hill.   Cheers Sally

Trying to think up a good name for this blog post had me stumped.  I can't remember the first time I discovered Henschke wines, or the first time I tried a Joseph Hill Gewurztraminer.  All I can tell you is I have a teeny tiny crush on their wines... all of them... every last one. The thing about this particular wine is it's very easy to drink.  Take last Saturday night for example.  Hubby and I being too lazy to cook, decided to head out to our local Thai restaurant for a bite to eat.  Now our local Thai restaurant is pretty damn spectacular.  They make the food spicy and it's full of the freshest of fresh ingredients.  They have a pretty loyal following - and really look after you.  In fact they know me so well they even bring me extra fresh cut chili (I like it hot!)  The salmon Som Tum salad is delicious, and the scallops are to die for.  We grabbed this bottle out of the fridge (without looking) and headed out with a neighbor ...

I can't remember the first time I tried a Langmeil wine.  In fact I'd be hard pressed to even name my favourite of what they produce.  I am however very partial to this Eden Valley Dry Riesling.  Crisp acidity with a hint of fruit, I thoroughly enjoyed drinking it.  In fact.  I drank it all.  By myself.  Over a few nights. Nope I didn't share.  Not even a drop.  And I'm not ashamed of it. Cheers Sally

After a long day on the road I'm about to open a bottle of De Iuliis 2010 Show Reserve Chardonnay.   "Subtle aromas of vanillin oak and melon, with a hint of green pear" - hear I come..... I'd like to write more and tell you an awesome story about this wine but I think I need to drink some of it first.  It was one of the wines we picked up in January on our day trip to the Hunter .  It was just a little bit successful.... More about that in another post :-) Cheers Sally

There's a little place I know down in the Barossa Valley which I hold dear to my heart.  It's a place that is not only beautiful in both location & spirit, but is at the heart of some of my most memorable meals.  It's a vineyard I visit every trip.  It produces wines I introduce to every visitor.  It's something I treasure and love to share, given the opportunity.  It's Rockford Winery . Now I'm not going to share about all their wines today.  They have so many that I love.... don't get me started on signing the joys of their sparkling shiraz or I'll be talking all day!  Today I'm sharing with you the wine I was drinking at home a few weeks ago.  No special occasion as such - just hubby and I.  But life is too short to wait for special occasions to drink wine you enjoy.  Sure save the Hill of Grace for a special birthday or milestone event.  But wine is made to be drunk and enjoyed, and there is no better time than today ...

I love love.  I love the feeling you get when you are falling in love and you know it has the potential to be something special, you just don't know how special.  I remember when I first started falling in love with my husband.  The butterflies in my stomach.  The excitement from every phone call and text message.  I knew it was going to be big, but I didn't know how big. That's how I feel when I first discover a new wine that I love.  Especially when I'm not expecting it.  When I'm not looking for it.  When it just appears, as if by magic, or fate.  Destiny perhaps.  That's how I feel about my latest discovery.  It wasn't something I picked.  It wasn't something I expected to like.  But I think I might have fallen in love. On Friday I had the opportunity to take a seaplane to Berrowra Waters Inn for lunch. Pics from the flight up and arriving at Berrowra Waters Inn There we were treated to a fantastic degust...

As I mentioned in my first post, this is a blog about wines I try and the story of their discovery - not a blog about tasting notes.  As we're making our way through one of our wine racks at the home I'm finding that each bottle we open has great memories attached to it.  Memories that are about more that the wine.  Memories that involve people and experiences that I've enjoyed, and in some cases cherished.  My discovery of this Jenke Chardonnay is one of those stories, and it wasn't really my discovery at all. We'd headed down for a long weekend in the Barossa Valley and were taking some friends of ours along for their first time.  We spent our first day at a long lunch at one of my favourite wineries in the world ( Rockford Wines ), followed by a slow and lazy dinner at our cottage (with more wine of course!).  The next day after visiting the Barossa Farmer's Markets for coffee and pastries we set off to visit our usual destinations - Ch...