Adina Pinot Grigio 2012

Oh! I forgot I had a wine blog!

How horrible of me. And since my last post I have been enjoying a lot of new wines, but always drinking in moderation. In fact, I think I’ve been drinking less. Towards the end of last year I’ve wanted to get healthier and fitter. As a result I’ve started drinking less. But drinking well at the same time.

I’m currently sipping on:

Adina Vineyard

Pinot Grigio 2012

Lovedale (Hunter Valley Region), New South Wales

Wine maker: Daniel Binet

Alc/Vol 12.5%

Approximately $22 a bottle

Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris wines are generally sweeter on the palate. This particular Pinot Grigio tastes like a mix of pineapple, strawberry with an end note of kiwi fruit to give it an acidic finish. It’s a pale straw yellow and as it slowly adjusts from fridge to room temperature it begins to have an ‘oily’ appearance.

It’s really quite a nice wine as an aperitif. I had dinner a few hours ago already but the touch of acidity is making my mouth water!

The nose is floral and sweet. I think it’s a good bottle to introduce to friends who are trying to escape the wave of cider blends and instead are looking for something more delicate.

I had it over several days and it went well with seafood, Asian dishes as well as yum cha.

I've finished the bottle. So obviously it was a good one!

Moorebank "Sheila" Black Sheep Shiraz 2009

Moorebank Private Vineyard

“Sheila” Black Sheep Shiraz 2009

Pokolbin (Hunter Valley), New South Wales

Wine maker: Gary Reed

Price: $30 a bottle

I like winemakers of the relaxed type. Gary Reed, you have done well. Sheila is a deep purple-red shiraz originating from Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley Wine Region of  New South Wales.

I drank this bottle over a few days and I have found it to be a versatile dinner-party-friendly wine. There’s been green chicken curry, roasted five spice chicken, stir-fry, chocolate, bruschetta, and steak (with a jus made from the Sheila Shiraz) The nose reminds me of warm cherry pie I once bought on a long drive from Sydney to Brisbane. It’s relatively sweet and the aromas continue into the mouth and develops depth that is added by the oak it is preserved in (only a slight sweek soft oak.. not like you’re drinking wood at all). The velvety tannins are a genius finish as the wine pulls away so as you swallow you’re left salivating and wanting another taste so that you can experience the journey all over again.

At $30 a bottle I would recommend you to keep 1 or 2 in your cellar to drink in the next year if you want to impress. It’s one of those bottles that will make you look like an avid wine critic as it seems quite hard to find now. Nevertheless, poke around the website and see what you can find :)

 

Chalk Hill 2011 Moscato

Moscatos are lovely for a pre-dinner drink with friends or a saturday afternoon with family (6% alcohol content!).
Chalk Hill is a family owned winery found in McLaren Vale, South Australia. 

Chalk Hill’s 2011 Moscato is a light yellow with a green tinge around the edges. As the bottle opens i get a lovely surprise with the bubbles that rise to the surface. The glass I used also created large bubbles that would rise to the surface.



On the nose it has a very subtle bouquet that becomes more pronounced in the mouth as you let the bubbles fizz to the side of your tongue. It smells fresh like spring sweetened with honey and balanced with citrus notes.
As you swallow the wine, it is refreshing and sweet with flavours of dried fruit (think a mix of apple, sultanas and apricots). Just before you swallow the citrus lemon and lime cleanses most of the palate. After swallowing, pause and you can taste the remaining honey that has coated the insides of your mouth.

You can find the 2011 Moscato for $18 a bottle, or the 2012 vintage here

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.

Rothbury Estate Wine: Shiraz Cabernet at The Little Snail

I'm not a big red wine drinker and I put that down to my level of palate immaturity and impatience. "Oh it gets better after a few swallows" some say. Yeh right. Try a few glasses.
Alas they were right and I was wrong.
My appreciation of the Rothbury Estate Shiraz Cabernet @ The Little Snail did improve after some warmth and aeration.

On the eyes: A beautiful magenta progressing to a fuschia on its meniscus. Its a colour that you can stare at and get lost in its depths. But not too long! My eyes began to burn and water as the high alcohol content of 13.5% stripped the outer epithelium of my corneas. Note to self: Close your eyes when appreciating the nose. Not a wine recommended for those who have undergone corneal transplants, cataract or refractive surgery in the last week.

On the nose: Moderate tannins folded into the sweetness of the shiraz. It was quite rich and fruity.

On the palate: All I could appreciate in the first swallow was the burning eyes and sides of the throat until the tannins subsided. Then the warm rich deep fruit came out. Reminded me of a raspberry-rhubarb crumble on a winters night in front of the tv.
What did I have it with? At first I had it by itself as it was the last bottle standing on the table (not a popular one with my family- and looking around the restaurant it was a similar story). Mum had a glass with her Beef Tenderloin Fillet but shuddered stopped drinking. I guess it must not have matched well - which was quite odd.


I then had it with bites of my dessert a Banana Liquer Crepe filled with mascarpone cream and strawberry compote. I hesitated but i found the wine went well with the dessert. It brought depth to the strawberries but masked and took over the banana liquer which was unfortunate.






On a side note, if you ever do go to The Little Snail while in Sydney you must try the Kahlua infused chocolate mousse. It is amazing. Outer casing of rich dark tempered chocolate and the richest mousse I've ever tasted. It was so creamy with little chocolate shaved flecks mixed in. Ahh... hold it in your mouth and feel it melt :)

Overall we had a lovely night of fine French food with good wine - the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and the Shiraz Cabernet from Rothbury Estate, topped off with an amazing fireworks display in Darling Harbour as we walked back to our car. Thank you Sydney!




The Little Snail can be found at:
50 Murray St, Pyrmont NSW 2009, Australia

+61 2 9212 7512 ‎

thelittlesnail.com.au

 

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Dragon Fly Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2009

Sunday night dinners range from the typical roast beef to Thai out with friends. It’s always a last minute decision as to where and what we’ll eat.

Tonight was rice with sides of:

- braised leek with bacon pieces, shiitake mushrooms and garlic (cook with oyster sauce and soy sauce)

- spicy Asian chicken casserole (accompanying flavours being onions, garlic and sambal olek)

And with that, a bottle of Willow Bridge Estate’s Dragon Fly 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon was opened..

Tasting notes (for 2010 bottles):

http://www.willowbridge.com.au/wines/2010_Dragonfly_Sauvignon_Blanc_Semillon/

Appearance:

This wine has amazing clarity. The photo does not do the colour any justice. Pale and cool straw yellow almost with a slight edge of green. It reminds me of the colour of a lemon seed.

Smell: fresh! Notes of citrus and even a bit of pineapple. Think tropical.

Taste:

-Before dinner: smooth, a typical semi-dry Semi/sav/blanc. It’s ok but nothing special.

- During dinner: ahhh….. The smoothness is enhanced and a lovely sweetness appears and lingers after you swallow. The citrus remains but tropical fruits appear on the taste buds and is balanced by the spicy chicken casserole.

Recommendation:

It’s a must! Drink it young with Asian flavours – anything that is cooked with oyster sauce, soy sauce and a bit of spice.

i like my mug

There’s a time in everyone’s life when they have to ask themselves- who am I?
Am I someone who will drink my Semillon sauvignon from a tall clear glass or a stocky white mug?
I am indeed someone who can unashamedly unabashedly undeniably gleefully drink my wine from a mug.

The chilled ceramic keeps the wine fresh and cold and I swear- I truly swear it changes the taste.

Before going any further, I’d like to add that I’m a responsible drinker, never drink more than 2 serves at a seating and never ever ever drink before driving. I don’t believe alcohol is the best way to have fun, to loosen up or to feel less or more of anything.

I like coffee in a mug
I like ice cream in a mug
I like soup in a mug