Coombe Farm Pinot Gris

view from above. This Pinot Gris looks like my door knob!

Pinot Gris originated from northern France, a cousin of the Pinot Grigio (that originated in northern Italy). This Pinot Gris came from the cool climate Yarra Valley, 45km east of Melbourne and is produced by Coombe Farm in who fermented the grapes in a stainless still barrel (no oak). Pinot Gris is a relatively newer white in Australia having grown in popularity since the early 2000s. I hope it’s one that stays. 

Colour: 
This is one of the ‘darker’ whites… if that makes sense. It’s not just straw coloured, but wet straw coloured and somewhat brassy. It’s quite pretty if you match it with light coloured food. The wine grips to the sides of the glass, leaving a resin-like residue. At this point I actually got excited about tasting this wine, anticipating some sweetness.

you can see the 'legs' of the wine holding to the sides of the glass. The meniscus is high.

Nose:
  It predominantly smells of semi ripe pineapple, not smelling fully ripe because there are hints of citrus in there as well. Breathing deeper, there’s a faint subtle apricot smell as well. Woohoo! No woody/oak smell!

Taste:
  The Coombe Farm Pinot Gris is a semi sweet wine that goes well on its own or with Hainan chicken rice, cheese pizza and cheese platters(I drank it over 3 days). This was quite nice to drink. It tasted of apricots and finished with some citric acidity. When you drink this wine, hold it in your mouth for two seconds, swallow and breath out. There. Did you taste it? There’s one more taste to this wine. It’s savoury! Just like cheese!

If you’re tired of the simple sweet wines or pure dry wines, try the Coombe Farm Pinot Gris 2010 ($17-$25 a bottle). Experience wine that tells a story on your senses

Coombe Farm Pinot Gris 2010. $17-$25 per bottle. 

Punt Road: Airlie Bank 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

This gorgeous Sauvignon Blanc from Punt Road Wines comes at $16-$20 per bottle with its alcohol content being 11.5%.

A perfect wine for lunch or a late afternoon gossip.
Plucked from the Yarra Valley in Victoria, its cool climate grapes were pressed to hold its young pale yellow colour and clarity.
Read more about the wine here at Punt Road's official site.

On the nose: Honey melon and subtle fresh cut flowers

Colour: pale yellow, almost translucent with a hint of green. A colour that screems its youth.
 
Palate: ok. The nose is more memorable than the taste because it's such a subtle wine. I enjoy the mild oak due that is possibly due to its 'partial barrel fermentation' process. It's floral on the palate as well as the nose - as floral as dragon fruit.

What did I drink it with?
I found this went well with Japanese inspired Asian dishes. We had fried salmon cutlets (medium done) with a simple sweet black soy dressing. I found it also went well with the Asian water spinach stirred with garlic, shiitake mushrooms and miso paste.


Would I buy and drink this again?
Definitely. It's a nice wine to have with a couple of friends who appreciate the intricacy and delicacies of life.