For anyone that's been checking the CALENDAR on the Events page they will have seen that there are a few interesting things happening in July. To kick off in Adelaide there is a back to back wine tasting at the Bar on Gouger bottle shop. In Sydney Winestate Magazine hosts their Wine of the Year 2015 tasting. In Melbourne there is the Australian Drinks Festival.
The facebook page (icon) might have been a bit quiet lately as we work away behind the scenes but a bit more activity can be expected through July for these events. Other ways of keeping up to date include referring to this blog, or an E-MAILOUT approximately monthly which is good in case something is missed.
The facebook page (icon) might have been a bit quiet lately as we work away behind the scenes but a bit more activity can be expected through July for these events. Other ways of keeping up to date include referring to this blog, or an E-MAILOUT approximately monthly which is good in case something is missed.
BAR ON GOUGER - JULY 1 & 8 The first tasting coming up this Thursday (1/7 from 6pm) will feature the sweeter wines which I'm grouping under the name 'Bar Drinks' which sums up well their intended purpose. Some of the other wines such as the Shiraz will be available for tasting as well, but mainly this tasting will revolve around the Nebbiolo Moscato and Riesling Forte wines. There is a new version of Riesling Forte which has been blended for the citrus flavours to carry through better when drinking with ice or soda. But in winter time the top recommendation is Mandarinho Original and not too cold. Don't think too much about it, just drink it! The second tasting (8/7 from 6pm) will feature a line-up of styles introducing the potential to broaden the choices available to red wine drinkers. This includes the Viognier which is a richer and structural style with good appeal to red wine drinkers. Also with food it behaves more like a red wine than a white wine. One step further along is the Nebbiolo 2011 a fresher style of red not to be mistaken for a rose which is not a typical style of Nebbiolo but nonetheless has many of the characteristics for which Nebbiolo is famous. Thirdly will be the McLaren Vale Shiraz and this is lighter handed style than many might expect from this region but still full bodied and substantial. Finally the ever popular Black Stump flagship Wine #9 will be available for tasting. |
Nate and the team at the Bar on Gouger have been steadily working away on the presentation of the bottle shop and have made some great strides from a standing start not all that long ago. It's open until midnight so is a good place to keep in mind if you're going out somewhere and need to get something in short notice.
There will be a couple of good offers available for purchases of multiple bottles on the theme of each night, so it could be a good chance top up your supplies.
There will be a couple of good offers available for purchases of multiple bottles on the theme of each night, so it could be a good chance top up your supplies.
WINE OF THE YEAR TASTING - JULY 7 For alternative varieties the Black Stump Viognier Clare Valley 2010 made it into the Top 5 finalists for the Luigi Bormioli Trophy. The other finalists in the class included wines made from Gruner Vetliner (Adelaide Hills), Schonburger (Tasmania) and a couple of Semillon and Sauvignon blanc blends. Having tasted all of these at the Adelaide tasting they are all really good wines and thankfully when tasted in the line-up the Viognier stood well up to the challenge. For this Sydney tasting I'm heading over there and encouraging people to come over to the Alternative Varieties line-up and I'm offering a personal introduction to the grape variety of Viognier; how to pronounce it, it's Rhone Valley origins, blends and styles for which it can be used. Of course all this talk can be done with a glass of said Viognier in hand! |
AUSTRALIAN DRINKS FESTIVAL JULY 16 & 17 This is being held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The Bar Drinks will be on so we'll try our hand at a few different ways of serving these, hopefully with the help of plenty of mixing expertise on hand at the show. But there are a few starting ideas which can be done easily. Also by then it is hoped to have at least one new drink included. Also there'll be 20+ year old Black Stump long barrel aged reds available by the standard and small glass. |