Why do winemakers add acid to wine?

Australia’s a funny place to make wine. You see, it’s so darn hot in some wine regions, it beggars belief that anything drinkable can be made at all. Did you know there’s even a vineyard and winery in Alice Springs. ALICE SPRINGS!!

While we have our fair share of cooler climate regions that mimic Europe’s most famous; for those regions that are classified as ‘hot’, the winemaker has to throw an array of tricks to make the resulting wine taste decent.

You see, without these tricks, hot climate/outback wines can be as subtle as a brick. Full flavoured, big, fruity, ripe, overblown and rich are all common descriptors. When the weather is hot, grapes grow fast, sugar levels are high and the natural acid levels are low. And while the flavours may be big, they can also fall short.

Obtaining the perfect balance of acids, sugars and tannins is the winemaker’s goal. When a wine comes from a hot climate – these elements can be out of whack, so careful intervention is needed. And this can be achieved in the vineyard through canopy management or in the winery.

This can be partially achieved in the vineyard by limiting the amount of sun exposure; through selective pruning to provide shade for the grapes or planting the vineyard on a hill away from the sun. The aim is to preserve the natural acids in the wine. It’s these acids that make the wine taste fresh, zippy and alive. You can usually taste this sensation on the sides of your tongue.

Vineyard intervention is usually not enough, so the winemaker now steps in. Did you know the winemaker is legally allowed to add acid to wine! But don't worry, this acid wont make you think the walls are melting around you. No, this acid is the spritzy tasting additive called tartaric acid. This levels out the fruity flavours in the wine to bring about a harmonious balance between sugar and acid. Without this process hotter climate wines will taste dull and lifeless in the mouth.

While acidification is common practice in Australian wineries, in Europe the opposite problem exists. The regions are cooler and sometimes the grapes have trouble ripening to full maturity. Failing to reach full maturity results in grapes with low sugar levels and this in turn results in a wine with low alcohol levels. To combat this some European winemakers physically add sugar (in the form of grape extract) to the grape juice. This additional sugar boosts the alcohol level and also gives the wine more ‘weight’ (ie. so it doesn’t taste thin in the mouth).

Beer o clock - Matilda Bay Bohemian Pilsner

For those of you who don't know, the original pale lager was a pilsner and it heralds from the Czech Republic. It's noted for its zingy hop bitterness and floral aroma. The floral aroma is courtesy of the Saaz hops and also has a malty backbone which I find delicious. If you're looking for a beer with a little bit more flavour than your average lager - this could be the one you love.

This beer heralds from the Victoria's Dandenong Ranges. As this is a lighter beer (but still more interesting and floral than your average lager) I recommend teaming it with a wonderful pasta, especially herb based pastas with lots of basil, garlic and or rocket.

Wine glasses - why expensive is GOOD!

If you're gonna drop a bomb on wine glasses you may as well get all warm and fuzzy knowing you're supporting Aussie jobs. Now you have the opportunity to do both.
You see - the right glassware shape introduces the wine to the right spot on the palate - thereby heightening the whole experience. If you taste the same wine out of a thick rimmed average wine glass and compare it to one of the 'Rolls Royce' wine glasses the experience is out of this world. It's the difference between listening to your favourite song on AM and FM radio. The flavours are amplified - it can make a $12 wine taste like $20.

Plumm is a new Australian company that uses quality European crystal to make its wine glasses locally. Wine glass maker Dana Morris, formerly of specialist wine glass maker Reidel (read between the lines – very expensive), has done oodles of research at the world's best regions to determine you really don't need a wine glass for each grape variety. Unlike Reidel’s philosophy, Dana thinks that's over kill. You only need two shapes for white (light - Sav Blancs/Rieslings and heavier - Chardonnays etc). And in the red there's a similar story (light - Pinot Noir and heavy - Shiraz and Cabernet).

Believe it or not - choosing the right glassware can make or break your wine enjoying experience.

By following a few simple rules even a quaffing wine can be raised to another level.
Let’s say you’re not rolling in coin, but still want to live like a rich man. What are the rules to follow when buying a wine glass to heighten your drinking experience?

1. Make sure your glass is completely plain (no colours and no etchings) so you can view the colour perfectly. A Thin glass will allow a better introduction of the wine to your mouth (chunky glasses should be relegated to the 5 cent table at your next church fete).
2. You’ll need a stem on your glass to hold the wine. Two reasons why, a) it enables you to swoosh to release the aroma and b) it stops the heat from your fingers warming up the wine
3. The ideal glass will taper in towards the top. Once again for two reasons, a) when you swirl, the wine won’t go everywhere, and b) so the wine’s aroma is directed to the one spot where you smell.
4. Try to avoid small glasses, bigger is usually better as it allows you to swoosh the contents around more and release the wine’s aroma.
5. For sparkling wine glasses, always use tall flutes, as these will preserve the bubbles for a greater length of time.
6. An average serve of wine should be around 150mls and never so full that you can’t swirl your wine around to release its aroma. About half full looks ideal.
Plumm.com Hand blown range $70-90/stem. Vintage range $25/stem (approx prices)

[taken from the March 2011 issue of Out There magazine - inflight publication for REX (Regional Express), Airlink, Airnorth and Skywest airlines - written by yours truly]

A beer app for your iPhone

Those crazy people at Cascade have gone an made an amazing iPhone app that has to be seen to be believed. Consider this - there are so many beers in this world - how the hell are you supposed to know what they taste like!

Well, Cascade has set out to change all of this. The Cascade Brewer’s Nose is the world’s first beer app to use barcode scanning technology, allowing users to easily scan their beer using the iPhone camera. It has 500 beers committed to its memory, so even the most obscure beer is in its repertoire. Once the app registers your beer you can view videos about that beer, read and submit tasting notes and keep a log of the brews you've tasted. It even gives you food and beer matching advice.

The best part - it's FREE - search for it in the Apple App store.

The growing cycle of wine - why knowing this will make you choose better wine

It’s the start of the year; time to get your life in order and map out your next 12 months. For the vigneron (the vineyard manager), such flexible luxuries never exist. Instead, they’re tied to a routine where the successful conclusion (i.e. the final grape harvest) is only the last of many steps they must navigate through the year. This growing cycle encompasses three main stages; fruiting, dormancy and regeneration. And while this may seem very boring, understanding this cycle will help you decipher wine labels in bottle shops, so you know what the wine will eventually taste like!

The logical place to start is directly after harvest, at this point all attention is winery focussed; the grapes are crushed, pressed and then turned into wine. In the vineyard as the weather cools, leaves drop to the ground and the shoots of the vines turn into wood. At this point, pruning occurs. This cutting back of the woody growth from the previous season sets up the vine for the upcoming cycle. Doing this correctly will affect the following year’s harvest.

By limiting the amount of new shoots (and therefore grape bunches), the fruit that does grow will be super concentrated with flavour. Too many shoots and the resultant wine will be less concentrated.

After winter, when the weather warms, foliage springs to life from the pruned canes. After about two months of continuous vine growth, shoot growth slows down and flowering occurs.

This is a very important stage and has serious implications of the harvest quality and yields for the upcoming season. If the weather is fine and mild, there will be an even and healthy setting of fruit (fruit set). If excessively high wind, rain or hail bears down on the vineyard, fruit set will be reduced and bunches can form unevenly throughout the vineyard.

Now comes the fun part, tiny bunches of grapes start to form and the berries grow in size as the weather heats up. This period has the greatest effect on the final flavour of the wine. If it’s a very hot season, riper fruit flavours will occur in the wine. If it’s a cooler season, greener, spicier flavours will occur. The warmth and sunshine (or lack of it) has a direct effect on flavour and aroma development. Essential wine elements such as sugar, tannin and acidity are formed during this time.

If it rains heavily during this period, the grapes will suck up the water and the berry’s flavour will become diluted. Similarly if rainfall is minimal, small berries that are super concentrate with flavour will be produced.

Around this time of berry development, the vigneron has a final opportunity to thin the crop out to ensure the right balance of vine canopy and fruit load. This ensures everything ripens on time, before the season ends.

Towards the very end when fruit is almost ready to pick, the vigneron and winemaker monitor the grapes on a weekly or daily basis, tasting the grapes and picking at precisely the right time. And that’s it for another season.

[this article taken from the latest issue of OutTHERE magazine. Witten by me!]

January's taste test

Oyster Bay 2010 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
It's getting to a point now that you can pick up Marlborough Savignon Blancs dirt cheap. 2 litre casks for 20 bucks - no proble. The problem is - you do get what you pay for. ANd the cheaper the wines the more insipid they become. This used to be one of the better value examples, but even now it is being gazumped at $20.

This wine has an intensity the cheaper plonks will never have. Its textural on the palate, tasting of fresh passionfruit, ripped open red capsicum and sweet gooseberry. Still great for the dollars.
Quality: 3.75 stars. Value: 3.75 stars. $20
http://www.oysterbaywines.com/

Swinging Bridge 2010 Orange Sauvignon Blanc
I love that Orange is giving the Adelaide Hills a run for its money by produncing great Sav Blanc. This is zesty, racy and smart. Passionfruit pulp, apple, pineapple and a touch of rosemary! Delish!
Quality: 3.75 stars. Value: 3.75 stars. $18

Clover Hill 2006 Methode Traditionelle
This would have to be one of the best sparkling wines in Australia you can currently buy. With its golden hue, vintage nuances and fine persistent bead, this shold defintely be on your shopping list even if you're looking for French. Think orange marmalde and toasty brioche, creamy hougat and a tinge of lemmon.
Quality: 4.5 stars. Value: 3.75 stars. $48
http://www.cloverhillwines.com/

December's best wines

Yellow Tail ‘Bubbles’ Sparkling Rose
How can you not like something that is called ‘bubbles’ on the label. It’s fun, inoffensive and does what ten dollars rarely does these days. With an element strawberry fruitiness that envelops the whole palate and some lovely bready undertones, the soft finish will make this an easy choice for a party full of people.
Quality 3.5 stars Value 3.75 stars $10
www.yellowtailwine.com

Martini Rose (sparkling)
This Italian producer is renowned for its vermouths that are a staple for any bar. They’ve now branched out by stocking sparkling wines in Australia. This Rose is slightly less alcoholic than we’re used to, with a slightly fruit disposition. The colour is a soft lolly pink and the flavours are jumping out of the glass; think musk, strawberry, elderflower and lemon. Delightful.
Quality 3.75 stars Value 3.75 stars $15

Cape Mentelle 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
This stunner from Margaret River has all the hallmarks of a fabulous WA Classic Dry White. Oodles of fresh gooseberry and freshly sliced tropical fruits play against this fresh zippy backbone. A pleasure to drink.
Quality: 4.25 stars / Value: 3.75 stars / $28
www.capemetelle.com.au

Evans and Tate Gnangara 2009 Unwooded Chardonnay
This WA wine is a joy to drink with oodles of sweet succulent nectarine and rock melon shining through. A biting lick of lemon acidity and this is good to go. Excellent mouth feel – you know you’re drinking this wine when it’s in your mouth!
Quality: 3.75 stars / Value: 4 stars / $14
www.evansandtate.com.au

Scarborough Yellow Label 2007 Hunter Valley Chardonnay
Long considered a big boy's Chardonnay, this wine has managed to reel back its big-ness in recent years to become slightly more refined. With delicious chunks of succulent rockmelon, orange, cashew and butterscotch squares, this wine rarely disappoints. Vanillin overtones and sexy oak maturation means you will love this too!
Quality: 4.25 stars / Value: 4.5 stars / $21
www.scarboroughwine.com.au

Brands Laira 2008 Coonawarra Chardonnay
A scrumptious wine smacking of green apple, honey dew melon and nectarine. Added to this is some crazy flavours of marshmallow and lanolin alongside Brazil nut.
Quality: 4.25 stars / Value: 3.75 stars / $22
www.mcwilliams wines.com.au

Evans and Tate Redbrook Margaret River 2008 Chardonnay
A sexy piquant tasting chardonnay with element of pink grapefruit, nectarine and white melon. This has got such a scintillating citrus backbone it would be a crime not to match it with some delicious line caught wild barramundi. That sounds a tad wankish – but I am in love with this wine, that much!
Quality: 4.5 stars / Value: 4 stars / $40
www.evansandtate.com.au

James Oatley Tik Tok Mudgee and Pemberton 2008 Chardonnay
There are some lovely charred honeycomb aspects to this wonderful wine bouncing with lots of zippitty fresh lemon, melon and peach like flavours. A fabulous mid priced wine.
Quality: 4.5 stars / Value: 4 stars / $18

Cape Mentelle Margaret River 2007 Zinfandel
This truly is a special occasion wine. Dried raisins and mixed fruit play against fabulous ripe plum nuances. There is a very sophisticated element to this wine that stems from the piercing depth of flavour. Deft handling of oak that marries well against the fruit complexity. Truly one of Australia’s best Zins.
Quality: 4.75 stars / Value: 4 stars / $55

Deep River Central Ranges 2008 Shiraz
Such a complete wine for such little money. Lashings plum, mulberry and blueberry with hints of cigar box from deft handling of wood. I don't know how they do it – but just done stop!
www.windowrie.com.au
Quality: 3.75 stars / Value: 4 stars / $12

Barwang Hilltops 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
A wine of integrity with scrumptious blackberry and plum nuances. This wine is the complete package with deft oak handling and depth of flavour that keeps on keeping on.
Quality: 4.25 stars / Value: 4.25 stars / $20

Best Beers: Vale Ale

I think Ive found my Aussie beer of choice. Vale Ale comes from the famous wine region of McLarren Vale in South Australia. The guys behind the label believe good beer is made by small companies with a passion for brilliance. Not unlike the small boutique wineries that have put the region on the map.

These guys go so far as to even proudly tell you how the beer is made;

Malt:
Pale - sweet malty flavour
Wheat - Mouth feel and ‘palate fullness’
Crystal - Caramalised flavour and imparts golden colour.

Hops:
Super Alpha - soft bitterness
Amarillo - passionfruit grapefruit
Cascade - spicy, citrusy.

As it is an ale - it is cloudy in colour and the flavour exhibits a fruitiness - almost tropical inspired with confectionery aromas. The hoppy flavour marries with a wonderful bitterness and toasted.

I'm also a major fan of the packaging. Very cool. Bring on Summer.
cost - $77 case of 24, delivered
www.mvbeer.com

November's tastiest

Barwang Tumbarumba 2009 Pinot Gris
If you love crisp and crunchy nashi pear and zippy fresh granny smith apples, then you're in for a treat with this delicious Pinot Gris from the snowy mountain vineyards of Tumbarumba. Excellent acidity and a great mouth feel means this wine will be very hard to resist.
Quality: 4 stars / Value: 4 stars / $20

Essenze Central Otago (New Zealand) 2008 Pinot Noir
Its very hard to fault Pinots that come from the Otago region of New Zealand (close to Queenstown). Oh, yes you can - the price! They aint cheap, but good pinot never is! the tannins of this baby are so silky and the flavours are dark Christmas cherries and fragrant strawberry. The fabulously long finish just proves its pedigree.
Quality: 4.75 stars / Value: 4 stars / $45

Kingston Echelon 2007 Shiraz
As the name implies, only the best grapes get the best attention in this wine. And you can look at the price in two ways. Bloody expensive considering the region it comes from (think where $10 wines come from)or brilliant value when you consider the flavour that is leaping out of the bottle. I'm going to concentrate on the latter. A truly delicious Shiraz made up of intensely flavoured plum and anise with peppery hints to balance out the vanilla oak nuances.
Quality: 4.5 stars / Value: 4 stars / $25
www.kingstonestatewines.com

Banana Bread Beer and Double Chocolate Stout - WHAT THE!

I was immediately intrigued and very concerned about tasting these beers. Expecting them to be sweetly flavoured beers only a complete beer novice could enjoy.

Well I was wrong. While not my cup of tea, if you love drinking dark beers, you may have found your nirvana.

For a start - the overriding aroma of the banana bread beer is in fact savoury, almost bacon like. Once you dive in for a mouthful, the silkiness of the beer becomes apparent. Full flavoured with malt and barley and a very dry finish. The banana flavour is not sweet nor overriding; it's merely an element that plays along nicely with all other components.

Next we move on to Yong's Double Chocolate Stout. Now this stout does have a very prominent dark chocolate cocoa aroma rising from the heady top. The makers explain the recipe; "Pale Ale and Crystal malt, Chocolate Malt, a special blend of sugars, Fuggle and Golding hops, real dark chocolate and chocolate essence are combined to deliver a stout of with real credentials."
Now that's what I call a recipe. It's not sweet at all and dare I say it - this could be the ultimate dessert beer!

both $7.50-8.00 per 500ml bottle

Australian stockist enquiries...
http://www.internationalbeershop.com.au/

Tried and tasted - September

Rosnay Cowra Region 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Organic
Here's a decent wine that followers of organic wine can rest assured that It tastes just as good, if not better than most regular wines at this price point. The flavour is real inky/intense blackberry with voluptuous tannins and a juicy mouthfeel.
Quality: 4 stars / Value: 4 stars / $20
www.rosnaywines.com.au

Gardners Ground Canowindra 2008 Merlot - Organic
Hints of tobacco and plummy red fruits abound in this little organic wonder. Light tannins support this wine's herb and spice finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars / Value: 3 stars / $20
www.gardners ground.com.au

Evans and Tate Classic Pink Moscato 2008
Here's a whimsical wine overflowing with cherries, strawberries and elements of pink grapefruit – very refreshing fruit sweetness with a whiff of summer breeze
Quality: 4 stars / Value: 3.75 stars / $18

Taylors Promised Land 2007 Shiraz Cabernet
Powerful ripe juicy plum with lots of chocolate and coconut tantalising favours. Very soft and cuddly with chewy tannins. Winner of 2 golds already at the San Francisco International Wine Show
Quality: 4 stars / Value: 4.5 stars / $14

tasted - Weihenstephaner Hefe

So here we have a MARVELOUS beer from Bavaria. This one is unfiltered, so don't be alarmed when you rip the top off and it's all cloudy-like. The murky bits just add to the flavour. If you're wondering what are the label cues that tell you're drinking unfltered Bavarian beer - look for 'hefe', this basically means - yeast. Or beer with the yeast still in it.

Weihenstephaner is considered the world's oldest commercial brewery, having been in operation since 1040 when the local monks were given permission to start brewing. This fruity, creamy banana flavour beer with a smooth hoppy/malted flavoured palate comes from the brewery that also houses the worlds most famous brewing university; so you would expect the beer to be pretty good. The yeast is drawn from the world's most comprehensive yeast library (where else!). No books here, just an array of different yeasts that will impart exactly the right flavour you desire in your beer.

$6 per 500ml bottle
www.internationalbeershop.com.au

Blending wine - it's a true love story

When wines fall in love

In the wine industry there is no greater love story than when two wine styles meet, fall in love, and the union of the two is greater than the sum of the two as single varieties. And nowhere is this love story more apparent than the pairing of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; the Brangelina of the wine world.

Cabernet Sauvignon is highly regarded as the king of the wine world. It claims it can satisfy every wine drinker's desire, but I'm here to tell you often it can't. It suffers from a form of impotence, unable to truly satisfy its drinker.

I ask you to taste a 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon. Let it wash over your tongue and see if your tongue sighs with dissatisfaction. If it does, blame the ‘doughnut effect’. This strange phenomena is common when you taste 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon; the middle of your tongue (or middle palate) misses out on any of the gorgeous blackberry/cassis flavour. It's difficult to explain why, just accept it as one of life's little mysteries.

As in all scenarios like this, there is a heroine that saves the day, and her name is Merlot. We'll call Ms Merlot a whole filler! You see, when you taste Merlot on its own, it will have an abundance of flavour on the middle palate.

Wine writers in all their wisdom liken grape varieties to the masculine and feminine form. Cabernet Sauvignon is considered a masculine grape variety whilst Merlot is considered feminine. And when you put the two together a perfect and natural match is attained.

But why is one considered masculine and the other feminine? Cabernet Sauvignon is powerful and tannic (having a grippy mouth feel). It feels and tastes very structural in your mouth, like a skeleton. Merlot is fleshy, smooth and fruity. When the two are put together it’s like putting flesh onto a skeleton to form one complete person.

A Cabernet Merlot blend is often referred to as the Bordeaux Blend, after the French region that popularised the pairing. But Cabernet and Merlot aren’t the only ingredients to this magical blend. The French have also included several other lesser know components to the recipe.
• Cabernet Franc. feminine: aromatic, fragrant
• Malbec. Masculine: tannic, can taste quite vegetative
• and Petit Verdot. Quite acidic and not often used. Saved for very warm years when the other components are quite ripe and fleshy; this wine balances out the fleshiness with much needed acidity).

Of course Australia has its own version of the Bordeaux Blend; the Cabernet Shiraz. Just as the flavour of Cabernet starts to fall away, Shiraz jumps up and takes over. A blend from heaven and if you’re ever buying red wine under $12 a bottle, I always recommend a Cabernet Shiraz as a failsafe bet.

Pear Cider - dont you mean Perry?

I'm in love with a new drink, and it is called Pear Cider.

In the UK, Pear cider has been know as Perry for a very long time. The only problem; it's naff! The style was popularise in the 1960s and 70s via the very uncool drink Babycham. Perry was the drink you bought the missus when you went to the pub to stop her complaining about there being nothing to drink (this was before wine was served in pubs).

When wine did eventually start to infiltrate pub culture, Perry was left behind. Dowdy, uncool and considered a lady's drink, sales plummeted.

That was until 1995. The makers of Perry decided it was time for an image overhaul. Perry was out and Pear Cider was in. The makers relaunch Pear Cider with a big push at the legendary music festival Glastonbury and sales went through the roof over the next two years.

Australia has only recently caught on. This month Bulmers releases what i feel is one of the most exciting drinks I've tasted this year. If you already love cider - you will love Pear Cider. Gently sparkling with a soft pear like essence, this drinks is going to be my drink of choice over summer. Pour it over ice and you'll see why.

The pears used to make Pear Cider are quite different from regular eating pears; they are more tannic and more acidic. Together these two elements translate to a better fermenting base to work with.

pint sized bottle of Bulmers Pear Cider can be bought for $5,

Cellaring wine - why you should do it; how to do it

Are you a lover of wine that’s soft and smooth with subtle complex flavours dancing over your tongue? Do you get frustrated at tasting wine that’s high in acid and so tannic it feels more like your sucking on a wooden plank? Chances are you’re drinking wines far too young which means you have an expensive habit to adopt. You must start cellaring your wine.
If you’re strapped for space and can’t offer the perfect space for cellaring wines, there are ways to cut corners.
The checklist to follow

• keep your wine in a very dark place,
• it must be relatively cool place away from vibrations
• there must be no fluctuations in temperature.

Probably the biggest killer of wines is the fluctuations in the seasons we experience. Corks expand in the hot weather (pushing the wine out) and contract in the cooler weather (pulling air in). For the first year or two the corks life this shouldn’t be much of a problem as the elasticity in the cork will remain in contact, springing back into shape. Then after the next couple of years it loses its resilience, failing to expand back to its original shape. The resulting wine can start leaking out of the bottle because the seal has been weakened. You can tell if a wine has been affected by temperature fluctuations. Look for the tell tale sign of a leaking, sticky red wine substance around the cork.

If you store a wine in direct sunlight you’re also liable to get a poor outcome. Sunlight and ultra violet light over a long period of time will give the wine flat, lifeless flavours.

And what about temperature? We already know that temperature fluctuations will screw up your wine but excessive short periods of heat will literally ‘cook’ your wine too. So don’t store your wine is the boot of you car – your wine will result in flavours that when you put in your mouth will taste fat and jammy.

Whatever method you chose just remember, it will never be as perfect as a damp, musty, cool and dark hole in the ground. When you read on the back of a label; “this wine will be a joy to behold after eight years of properly stored conditions,” this is what they’re talking about. When you cut corners as above you can expect the wines to mature much more quickly so don’t try and cellar the wines for more than five years.
If you do have a few bottles of Grange kicking around however, you may want to invest in professional storage options. Places such as Millers or Kennards Storage in most capital cities have special wine sections that are perfect for your gems.

Or you can buy the wines pre-aged at auction houses like http://www.langtons.com.au/ or specialty wine sellers like http://www.unitedcellars.com.au/. You’ll be surprised to learn they are not too much more expensive than current vintage wines.

What beer goes with Japanese food?

When in Rome... You guessed it, a Japanese beer, and Asahi Super Dry is just the beer you should be looking in to. And just like many things that herald from the land of the rising sun, Asahi has been designed, researched and test marketed within an inch of its life to ensure it meets customer expectations.

You see, Asahi was a relatively late comer to the world's beer market. Having only been released in 1987, it was developed during a period in the 80's when Japanese beer was extremely heavy and bitter. The kind of beer you KNOW you're drinking. Subtlety - what's that.

So when you consider Japanese cuisine is extremely delicate in flavour, these beers totally swamped the flavours of foods such as sashimi. After researching 5000 beer drinking folk across Japan, an enormous ground swell of opinion convinced the brewers of Asahi to produce a very clean, crisp beer that was 'super dry'. They were to produce the world's first Karakuchi beer.

This lager beer is made using malted barley and rice and uses a special yeast (No. 318 to be precise) which ferments the wort (the sweet liquid that eventually turns into beer) to complete dryness. The resultant beer was an instant hit amongst the Japanese. Finally a beer made specifically with them and their food in mind. And withing 3 years the company was producing more than 100 million cases per annum!

I seriously love this beer, especially with uncomplicated simple foods. It's delicate yet rich hoppy flavours with feint hints of sake mesh together in a refreshing crisp taste.

Another winemaker jumping on the green bandwagon?

OK - call me a cynic, I like my wine in a glass bottle. I like the feel, the weight and I love smashing them when I throw them into the glass recycling; I cant wait for the opportunity to launch a boat! But what are your thoughts on drinking quality wines from tetra packs? You know, the type of containers that cheap orange juice and long life milk gets sold in.

Well stand back, your perception of how quality wine is sold is about to be tested.

One Planet has just released a 2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz and 2009 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc - all for $15 (750 mls).

Why is this important - consider these facts

1 - Op Winepak uses 92% less packaging to deliver the same amount of wine
2 - Op Winepak produces 80% less greenhouse gas emissions
3 - Op Winepak produces 54% less energy throughout it’s entire life cycle
4 - Bottled wine weighs approx. 18 kgs per doz, Op Winepaks weigh just 10kgs per doz
5 - To transport 1 million empty glass wine bottles, 26 semi-trailers are required, BUT to transport 1 million empty Op Winepaks just 1 semi-trailer is required!

So this will be a boon for people who want to travel light (like airlines) or want to really make a difference to the world. I think it's a great venture and will definitely recommend anyone buy the Shiraz.

And the final verdict..
One Planet McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008
Some lovely ripe plum, black current and licorice flavour gallop off the palate here alongside dark chocolate, tobacco and vanillin elements. A cracker wine you will love drinking.
Quality: 3.5 stars / Value: 3.75 stars / $14

One Planet Adelaide Hills Sauvignon BLanc 2009
While you can definitely taste the more expensive regional characters you would expect from the Adelaide Hills, the overall flavour is a bit underwhelming, almost diluted. Good crisp gooseberry, green apple and lime zest characters, I just wish it was a bit more intense. Still, this is only 14 dollars, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh.
Quality: 3 stars / Value: 3 stars / $14

www.oneplanetwine.com

Beer O CLock - Wicked Elf Witbier

This Aussie beer from the Little Brewing Company at NSW's Port Macquarie is trying to emulate the very successful Belgium Witbiers, popularised by my favourite - Hoegaarden.

Witbier, or White Beer, is made using a lot of wheat, but this blend is made also with 50% malted barley. The colour is cloudy and unfiltered, usually due to the type of yeast used to produce the ale.

And just like its Belgium counterparts, the Wicked Elf also uses coriander and orange peel to flavour the ale. This addition is called the 'gruit', and is said to not only act as a preserver of the beer, but also assist in additional fermentation once bottled. As such expect malt, citrus and corriander on the palate.

If you want a refreshing beer, one that will sing when teamed with food and one that is more interesting than any other - look no further.

Wines from old vines - what's all the fuss?

Young upstarts – they’re brash, in your face, show a lot of promise but often fall short of your expectations.

There’s a lot to be said for age and when the topic turns to wine you’ll usually pay a premium for the pleasure. We all know an aged red wine will usually smooth off the edges and give the wine additional bottle aged flavours, but did you know the age of the grape vine can also influence flavour.

I’m not talking about just any old vines – I’m talking about ancient vines and wine marketers love nothing more than to proclaim this proudly on a label. Grape vines can easily grow for more 100 years. After about 20 years the vines start to produce smaller crops. Average yields may decrease but this in turn leads to more concentrated, intense wines. Think about this; with smaller berries, smaller grape bunches and fewer bunches per vine, yet the same amount of nutrients coming from the ground, these grapes become turbo charged with flavour! Well that’s the romantic theory anyway.

Recently I visited California’s Napa valley and tasted the super expensive Cabernet Sauvignons where US$50 a bottle was average. Surely wines commanding such a price come from ancient vines, no? And the answer is NO!

During the 1980’s and early 90’s much of California’s wine regions were wiped out thanks to the vine killing louse, phylloxera. The vineyards that were killed (approx 80 percent) had to be replanted on the louse resistant rootstocks the rest of the world had been using for some time. And here’s the argument, these wines were still super intense and arguably worth the price, but did not come from vines that were 100 years plus.

So that brings me to the point – while vine age is important, it’s not the be all and end all. Once the vine hits 20 years of age, it’s working at optimum. What this youngish vine doesn’t have is a romantic history, a back story you can regale to your drinking buddies that I believe is often just as important.

Australia proudly proclaims some of the oldest grape vines still in commercial production in the world. The Brothers in Arms Cabernet Sauvignon (Langehorne Creek, SA $50 rrp) contains grapes from the oldest Cabernet vines in Australia, if not the world, planted way back in 1891.

The most celebrated ancient vineyard in Australia produces the fabled Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz –a steal at $500 (exponentially more if it was a good year). Hidden away from prying eyes in a forgotten part of South Australia’s Eden Valley, the oldest block of the vineyard is aptly called ‘The Grandfathers’. Planted sometime during the 1860s, it is renowned for being one of the world’s oldest living vineyards still being used for commercial production of wine.

[Taken from a recent edition of OutThere magazine by yours truly!]

Wine school 101

Don’t you hate wine wankers! Whilst novices duck for cover at any unsuspecting dinner party, the wanker will spew out comments such as;
"Janice, the nose on this wine is so complex. Just taste those gorgeous malolactic nuances, the mouth filling generosity and its superb length. It's a true expression of the Margaret River's Terroir."
What!!!
These ‘know-it-alls’ are no better than you or I, they merely know a few select wine terms. So if you want to be handed the right ammunition for next dinner party battle, try these throwing a few of these hand grenades into your next conversation!

Acid:
That fresh, zippy, alive flavour your tongue feels when tasting wine (usually on its sides). Try it yourself, suck on a lemon!

Angular:
When tart flavours tend to dominate the wine you are drinking. This is the opposite to 'round' wines.

Astringency:
That mouth puckering sensation you experience with young wines. This comes from the tannins found in seeds, skins and oak barrels. The sensation dissipates as the wine gets older.

Closed or Dumb:
A wine that has yet to develop obvious aromas and flavours. Young Hunter Valley Semillon can smell closed in its youth. After a few years maturing however, the aromas turn into magic!

Cloying:
A wine that does not have enough acid to balance out its sweetness. This sweetness dominates and leaves your tastebuds feeling out of sync.

Complex:
A wine that has many levels of flavours and aromas. The wine's elements do not overpower one another. They do tend to lead to the other, as one subsides, another may start up.

Corked:
When a wine is contaminated by a 'bad' cork. The cork is tainted with a type of mould that can make the wine smell like wet cardboard (in the most severe cases). A slightly corked wine will merely lessen the wine's fruit aromas. Thank god for screwcaps!

Flinty:
A wine that tastes like you've just licked a stone!

Length:
Swallow the wine, then count how long the wine's flavour lasts in your mouth. Anything over 20 seconds is long and brilliant. You can also describe this as a 'brilliant finish'.

Malolactic fermentation:
A fermentation process where the yeast converts malic acid (which is quite tart and harsh) into lactic acid (which has a creamy flavour). This is used quite a lot in cold climate wines where the wines need to be 'softened'

Mouth filling:
The ability for the wine to touch and satisfy every corner of your mouth and tongue. No part is to feel 'untouched'.

Nose:
The smell of the wine.

Oxidised:
When a wine has been exposed to air for too long. It will turn slightly brown and taste flat or sherry like.

Round:
When all flavours and mouth feeling sensations feel complete. Nothing dominates - not tannins, sweetness, acidity or glycerol. These elements are noticeable but not obvious.

SO2
Sulphur dioxide or preservative 220, is an essential preservative used in most stages of the wine's production

Terroir:
A French term that describes the effect the wine's growing environment has on the wine's flavour. It includes the soil, climate, grape variety, hill aspect, sun shine hours etc

Big:
A full flavoured, gutsy wine. Often high in alcohol, fruitiness and tannins.

Tried and tasted - May

Majella Coonawarra 2007 Cabernet Savignon
Blackberry flavours play alongside spicy pepper and tobacco. A deliciois wine showcasing lots of Coonawarra pedigree. Sexy French oak overtones with good fruit balance makes this wine a keeper for a good 10 years plus.
Quality: 4.25 Value 3.75 $33
www.majellawines.com.au

Brands Laira Coonawarra Vintage No 40, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Its amazing how an an extra couple of years really helps a wine shine. Super ripe casis and mulberry flavours sit comfortably next to coffee essence and tobacco. The fruit flavours are beginning to soften out to reveal a wine with true beuty. Drink now!
Quality: 4 Value 3.5 $45

Kirrihill Clare Valley 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rich and ripe plum and blacberry candy with oodles of spicy ladened cream. God this is exotic - i can see this being teemed with complex indian curries. Magnificent!
Quality: 4.25 Value 4.5 $15

Yellow Tail 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
For 10 bucks i dont expect much - but when the fruit is ripe and tastes even marginally like the grape variety it's suppsed to, i get excited! Here you get that and more, blackberry flavours and cedar rock this bottle well and truly!
Quality: 3.7 alue 4.25 $10

Beer o clock - Singha

Just because a beer comes from Thailand, doesn't necessarily mean it originates from Thailand. Singha is the country's most famous beer, it's also the best tasting and is the only beer that comes with the King of Thailand's seal of approval. And if you know anything about Thai people, that's very high praise.

• The beer is a full bodied, 100% barley malt beer
• It has a strong hoppy flavour with essences of citrus and Thai orchid (I kid you not!).
• The barley and malt is sourced from Europe and Australia
• The hops are imported from Germany
• But don't fear, the water is sourced from Thailand,and fortunately not from the river that runs through Bangkok! It's sourced from deep underground Thai wells

Whenever you eat Thai, so often the wine you drink is not an appropriate match to the food. Especially if it is wood matured. The oak treatment a Chardonnay sees dries out your palate, leaving it exposed to a chili onslaught. A sweeter wine is always best

Beer is different.

Spicy foods such as Thai love crisp and refreshing drinks. The mild hop bitterness complements fuller flavoured dishes like a Thai beef salad or Panang curry. Plus you'll find a touch of sweetness that can help balance the heat of the more spicier Thai meals.

WINE CRIMES – TRIED AND TESTED

I was recently reading the West Australian newspaper online and came across an article where the writer was all high and mighty dictating what you can and cannot do. I for one love breaking rules – and here is his article re-written with my slant on the world.

Mixing OJ and bubbly
Is fine so long as the sparkling wine you’re drinking it with cost six dollars a bottle – never ever French champagne or expensive bubble – you’re literally throwing money down the drain!

Having ice with white wine
Scoff at people who say you can’t – because you can. Who wants to drink wine at the wrong temperature and who wants to wait 30 minutes for a bottle of wine to chill in the freezer? A little bit of dilution is a small price to pay!

Red wine with lemonade/coke/water
Is fine if you’re making cheap sangria and you need to satiate 10 people on a budget of $15. Cheap cask red wine and Fanta with some orange and apple slices. Bingo!

Pouring a bottle straight away
A wine does develop some rounded characters if you let it breathe – but you don’t have to wait for an hour to do so – simply decant it into one bottle and back into its original bottle. It takes 20 seconds and is the equivalent of 2 hours breathing time!

Small wine glasses
throw them away! A wine needs to breathe and this is best done in a big glass. And if do own the big glasses – don’t fill them to the top, you’ll just look cheap, uneducated or a drunk – or perhaps all three!

Drinking wine too cold
If your wine is cheap and nasty, bury it in the freezer and chill the fuck out of it! That will disguise the awful flavours. The opposite is true for expensive white wines – serving too cold will mask the reason why you spent a fortune on the wine.

Shandy (beer and lemonade)
I often drink beer and lime and I always make my toughest friends order it when they buy a round. Needless to say they hate buying me drinks. Whether you’re a purist or not – you need to understand a lot of people hate the taste of beer. So if they are bastardising the flavour in your company – consider this a good thing as they are making the effort to be your friend. Don’t give them a hard time

Cardboard handbag
I draw the line at four-litre cask of Coolabah unless I’m throwing a party for a bunch of uni students and I need to wheel out my 15 second $15 sangria (see above). However there is nothing wrong with 2 litre cask wines, especially the premium Yalumba range. When times are tight, I definitely recommend it.

Barons Lemon Myrtle Witbier

This is the true Aussie version of the famous Belgium Witbier or white beer, which is a barley/wheat beer. This kind of beer gets its name due to suspended yeast and wheat proteins which cause the beer to look hazy, or white, when cold. It is a descendant from medieval beers which were not brewed with hops, but instead flavoured and preserved with a blend of spices and other plants referred to as "gruit". This gruit nowadays consists mainly of coriander, orange, bitter orange, and hops.

And this is where the crafty people at Barons have made their mark by adding lemon myrtle as a flavouring and preservative.

This Barons Wheatbier smacks of coriander, lime and lemon and makes a perfect accompaniment with seafood. It’s the lemon zest that makes it so damn fine!

Flying high - why wine tastes different up in the air

I once went to Qantas' launch of its First and Business Class wine lists. Legendary Len Evans was launching his selection - the year was 1997. When I asked him in front of the 200 media that were flown in from every corner of teh world whether wine did taste differetnly 30,000 feet above the earth - he scoffed at the idea. 'Dont be stupid'; I was quickly shot down and Len quickly moved to teh next question. Admittadly it was 13 years ago and the wine list sported 15 Chardonnays and only one Sauvignon Blanc. How times have changed. Chardonnay is no where near as dominent and needless to say - I was also right, wine does taste different.

Follow this link to the New Zealand Herald to learn more.

Basically - the drier air in the cabins, means the tannins and acids often taste a lot stronger up high so you have to select wines with big fruit, mild tannins and balanced acidity.

Beer O Clock - Monteith's Original Ale

Located in Greymouth on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Monteiths has won more than 70 international awards, including several golds at the Monde Selection in Belgium, copious medals from the Australian International Beer Awards, and a bronze at the 2000 Beer World Cup Awards.

The brewery has become an institution in New Zealand, and was established in the 1800s because of the demand of 30,000 thirsty gold prospectors that suddenly called the West Coast home. In 2001, Monteiths was bought by a national beer company, and the Greymouth brewery was shut down. Due to huge national protests, it was opened again 4 days later.

A new Zealand Pale Ale - Monteith’s Original Ale delivers is full and round with a distinctive hops flavour that has berry overtones. I understand this originates from the female flowers of the Pacific Gem Hops.

To discover the full flavours of Monteith’s beers, try them at a cool 7ºC rather than an ice-cold 1ºC. By pouring with a hearty head, the subtle aromas will be more evident.

Visit the brewery and get free reign at the bar!
Tours are available 7days a week with the $20 cost enabling you to witness the entire brewing process, and feast at an open bar for 10 minutes at the end of the tour. Bargain!

http://www.monteiths.co.nz/

An Olympic wine? It's Canada's Icewine

Canada's gift to the world, apart from Bryan Adams or KD Lang, would have to be its sensational Icewines (yes - it's one word). It you love Australia's sweet botrytis infected Semillions of Rutherglen such as Debortoli's Noble One - then you'll love these.

Originally made in Germany where it is known as Eiswein, this sweet dessert wine is produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other grape solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape juice to be pressed from the frozen grapes. This means a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet wine is produced. With ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which Bordeaux's Sauternes or Rutherglen's sweet Semillons are made, ice wine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis cinerea (noble rot), at least not greatly.

This gives ice wine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high zippity acid taste.

Due to the labour-intense and risky production process resulting in relatively small amounts of wine, ice wines are generally quite expensive.

Natural icewines require a hard freeze (by law in Canada −8 °C) or colder, to occur sometime after the grapes are ripe, which means that the grapes may hang on the vine for several months following the normal harvest. If a freeze does not come quickly enough, the grapes may rot and the crop will be lost. If the freeze is too severe, no juice can be extracted. Some Canadian wineries have even been known to break their grape presses while squeezing the frozen grapes because they were too hard! The longer the harvest is delayed, the more fruit will be lost to wild animals and dropped fruit.

Since the fruit must be pressed while it is still frozen, pickers often must work at night or very early in the morning, harvesting the grapes within a few hours, while cellar workers must work in unheated spaces.

if Canadian Icewine is to difficult to find or too expensive - a fantastic faux example closer to home is Wellington's Ice Wine Riesling from Tasmanian. It's equally delicious!

(with thanks to wikipedia for help with some of the above infomation)

Grape over supply? Rip the vines out!

Have we really come to that stage?

Australia has found itself suffering from a massive over supply of wine and it's flooding the world markets. Two international newspapers are discussing the issue this week, The New Zealand Herald and The Guardian in the UK both suggesting Australia needs to reduce its output by ripping up vines from the ground to strike a balance with supply.

What people need to realise is that we've done vine pulling once before in Australia - with disastrous results.

Back in the 1970s, the Aussie wine industry was suffering from oversupply - and the government actually incentivised winemakers to rip their vines out in order to bring down supply. Because Shiraz and Grenache was out of fashion, some of the country's oldest and best vines were pulled out to make the government bean counters happy.

Big mistake. If those vines were still around today - they would have found a home in some mighty fine wines. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself and only cheap, commercial vines that produce cask wine are pulled.

January - New Year, New You, New Wines

Yarra Burn Yarra Valley 2004 Blanc de Blanc
Apple and sweet white bread aromas coupled with yeasty vegemite nuances make this 6 year old fizz fabulous. A pristine bead and flavour that lasts forever.
Quality 4 stars / Value 3 stars / $45
http://www.yarraburn.com.au/

Starvedog Lane Adelaide Hills 2003 Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Zowie, here's a 7 year old fizz for less than 30 bucks. FYI - The older the wine, the longer it's been maturing on it's dead yeast cells, which give the wine it's bread delicious flavour. Lovely sweet grapefruit flavours mixed with sweet biscuit. An intensly fine bead, this is a great wine.
Quality 4.5 stars / Value 4 stars / $30
http://www.starvedoglane.com.au/

Mudhouse 2009 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Phew - this is intense - imagine ripping a juicy passionfruit in half and getting a whif of the skin mixing with the pulp - now that's m=y first impression of this wine. mixed together with fantastic herbs and grapefruit flavours, it's no wonder this wine was awarded the championship wine at the 2009 Liquorland Top 100 International Wine Competition.
Quality 4.5 stars / Value 4.5 stars / $22
http://www.mudhouse.co.nz/

Nepenthe Adelaide Hills 2009 Sauvignon Blanc
Some marvelous crisp apple aromas bounce out of the glass and mix with tropical fruit and lemon juice. A fantastic long finish too.
Quality 3.75 stars / Value 3.75 stars / $19
http://www.nepenthe.com.au/

Yellow Tail Sauvignon Blanc
this is interesting - i know it's only 10 bucks - but it's in a bottle and there is no vintage. What's more - 15% of the grapes come from NZ!! Who cares - it tastes delicious. There's ample fresh herby aromas that play against a tropical background.
Quality 3.5 stars / Value 4.25 stars / $10

Taltarni Three Monkeys Fume Blanc 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
Here's a wine that has been assisted with a touch of oak maturation - this really adds an extra dimension to wine. White peaches ripped open with traces of lemongrass and some spicy notes.
Quality 4 stars / Value 4 stars / $23

David Hook 2009 Hunter Valley Viognier
There are two types of Viogniers - the ones that are cheaply flavoured and taste like you're drinking a dried apricot smoothie and then there are the ones that work. These ones are refined and are worth your money. The others are good for cooking with! Here's a wine worth drinking - yes it's sublime and has essence of apricot but you'll also find jasmine blossom, custard apple and a squeeze of fresh lime. All in all - very moreish!.
www.davidhookwines.com.au
Quality 4.25 stars / Value 3.75 stars / $25

December's tastiest

Lerida Estate 2008 Botrytis Pinot Grigio
Heralding from Lake George in Canberra wine district, this wine packed with intense sweet flavours such as orange sherbet, passionfruit jelly, apricot and lime marmalade. It hums in all the right places and has scintillating acid backbone bringing everything into squeaky clean balance. Almost faultless!
Quality 4.5 stars / Value 4 stars / $24.50
http://www.leridaestate.com/

Pewsey Vale Eden Valley 2008 Riesling
Packed full of mouthwatering honeydew and lime juice flavours with just a subtle trace of honey. An ever-reliable Riesling .
Quality 4 stars / Value 3.75 stars / $23

Majella Sparkling Coonawarra 2005 Shiraz
It's a great Aussie tradition to be drinking wines such as this over summertime. Juicy ripe plum and blackberry jam flavour are tied together with licorice spice and vanilla. Team with duck or a good ol Aussie BBQ.
Quality 4.5 stars / Value 4 stars / $28

Kalari Cowra 2008 Chardonnay
Located 300kms west of of Sydney you'll find one of Australia's staple Chardonnay growing districts - Cowra. Here's a wine that packs a punch and comes in at a reasonable $17. Stacks of creamy peach flavours mingle with lemon juice and sweet wholemeal bready characters. Very decent.
Quality 3.75 stars / Value 4 stars / $17
www.kalariwines.com.au

Barwang Tumbarumba 2007 Chardonnay
Freshly sliced guava and nectarines play alongside river stone and almond. Cool climate growing conditions means this wine has an excellent backbone of fresh acidity. A very classy Chardonnay from NSW's Tumbarumba region in the Snowy Mountains.
Quality 4.5 stars / Value 4.5 stars / $20

Element of Sandalford Late Harvest 2009 Soft Sweet White
A very peculiar sweet wine - it's not really sweet enough or complex enough to go with the heaviest of desserts, but for lighter fruit based desserts this would be ace! What I love about this is it's WA heritage really shines through. You can definitely taste some herb like characters from Semillon (I think) and this plays nicely alongside some sweet floral and tropical notes. Decent and cheap!
Quality 3.5 stars / Value 4 stars / $14
www.sandalford.com

De Bortoli Windy Peak 2008 Cabernet Merlot
Spirited sweet cassis and blackberry fruit sit comfortably alongside aniseed and mint like characters. Cedar wood like flavours aer also present, thanks to deft handling of French oak in the wine making process. An absolute steal!
Quality 4.5 stars / Value 4.5 stars / $15
www.debortoli.com.au

November tastiest

Let's start with Chardonnay

Tin Soldier 2007 Hunter Valley Chardonnay
The Hunter Valley surprises me occasionally - an it's usually with Chardonnay. This part of the world produces a Chardonnay that has unapologetically powerful. T%his wine, even though it's only 15 bucks, explodes with nectarine, orange and peach. It's got a great citrussy zest to it and is well worth the price.
Quality 4 stars / Value 4 stars / $15

Debortoli Sacred Hill Unwooded Colombard Chardonnay
here's a wine that is so cheap and tastes so fruity that you want to invite to our next party just 'cause you'll know it'll be the centre of attention! It's not serious, but is bursting with character - think floral jasmine notes tacked on to lemon and peach flavours. BARGAIN!!
Quality 3.75 stars / Value 4.5 stars / $7.50

Scarborough 2008 Blue Label Hunter Valley Chardonnay
WOW - this wine grows on me with every sip i take - orange and lemongrass combine with rock melon and peach for a fabulous wine of great elegance.
Quality 4.25 stars / Value 4.5 stars / $19

Domaine Chandon 2008 Yarra Valley Chardonnay
One of Australia's premiere Chardonnay growing districts and a wine made by one of Australia' premiere sparkling wine producers. Showing great restraint and finesse, this wine is fresh as a daisy with a tight backbone of acidity and fruit flavours of honey dew melon, white nectarine and lemon.
Quality 4.25 stars / Value 3.5 stars / $28

Silver lining for cask wine drinkers

Gang, it's time to feel sorry for the poor wine companies of Australia. Why - because the quality of cask wine is currently at an all time high . You're probably thinking why is this a bad thing - well it means the trickle down effect is happening. When there's a glut of wine (which there is at the moment) it means the winemakers and producers are selling at bargain prices. When cask wine is crap - it's because all the good wine is being sold higher up in the 'food chain'. Get it!

You can also blame the Aussie dollar - apparently the value of the dollar has gone up by 50% in the past 12 months - making our wines extremely unaffordable, especially to teh Yanks. Hence a lot less quality wine is being sold overseas - and hence needing to be sold at home. Once again - the quality wine is being forced down the food chain and finding its way into the humble goon bag.

I always say the best bargains are to be found in the premium 2 litre bags - Yalumba has always been a favourite. And now even New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc producers are finding a market for their wines in the ol' cardboard handbag. These wines would usually be found in wine bottles if times were different