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3 years and almost 450 wines later we’re up to episode 150! To celebrate we’re looking at wines that you’d probably only open on special occasions, and only if you’re really splurging!

Penfolds having been looking to produce a white wine that rivals the great Grange, and the Yattarna we check out this week might be that wine. Over the last 150 episodes more than one Kalleske wine has come across our desk, because they are such great wines. This week we look at the very top of the Kalleske range; the Johann Georg. When discussing long periods of time, the wines from Wendouree immediately spring to mind. With vines dating back more than 100 years and producing wines like the Shiraz-Malbec that are long term cellaring gold. To round things out, we finish with a wine that might be the best red in Australia; the Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier. It’s a brilliant drop that we think is still undervalued even as we’ve seen the price rise steadily over the last decade.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2006 ($120-130)
• Kalleske Johann Georg Shiraz 2007 ($90-100)
• A P Birks Wendouree Shiraz-Malbec 2006 ($55-$100)
• Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier 2008 ($75-85)

Download the video: (7 min 33 sec)
Windows Media (24.7 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (47.0 Mb) | Mpeg4 (24.0 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

It’s been hot, really hot, around the south eastern part of Australia recently. Not just warm, but ear-wax meltingly hot! So we thought we’d offer up some wines that go well when the mercury is busting through the top of the thermometer. The All Saints Moscato is light on alcohol, with a light, bright fizz and a touch of sweetness and goes beautifully chilled down or even served over chipped ice. Wirra Wirra’s Mrs. Wigley Grenache Rosé might be your style if you’re not after a white but the day is just a bit too warm for a big red. And to round things out, a Pinot Noir is the obvious choice for a red during the hot months, and Paringa Estate’s Estate Pinot Noir is one of the very, very best you can buy.

This week’s recommendations are:

• All Saints Moscato 2009 ($16-18)
• Wirra Wirra Mrs. Wigley Grenache Rosé 2009 ($16-$19)
• Paringa Estate Estate Pinot Noir 2008 ($55-60)

Download the video: (5 min 15 sec)
Windows Media (17.6 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (30.3 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.4 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

This week we look at three wines that might not be your first thought when looking for a wine this week. The first is an interesting vineyard blend from Pondalowie, made from Shiraz, Cabernet and Tempranillo. The next is an “off-dry” semillon from Andrew Thomas in the Hunter Valley, a wine with a touch of sweetness that’s really hitting its straps. Lastly we check out the new Shiraz from Mike Press, a wine selling at amazingly low prices given the quality of fruit inside!

This week’s recommendations are:

• Pondalowie Vineyard Blend 2005 ($18-20)
• Andrew Thomas Wines Six-Degrees Semillon 2009 ($20-$22)
• Mike Press Shiraz 2008 ($12-14)

Download the video: (5 min 00 sec)
Windows Media (16.3 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (29.9 Mb) | Mpeg4 (15.6 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

It’s to be expected of course. When you have the reputation as one of the best wineries in all of Australia you’re going to have lots of people wanting your wine. So Rick Kinzbrunner at Giaconda sells his wines a little differently. If you want a Giaconda, like the Warner Vineyard Shiraz from 2008, then you need to put your (considerable) money where your mouth is, and pay for it in advance. You’ll get your hands on it next year if you order now! If you’re more interested in something for right now, we check out a great low priced Shiraz from Seppelt, and a regular quaffer for both Danny and Brad: the Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Giaconda Warner Vineyard Shiraz 2008 ($80 en-primeur)
• Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2007 ($18-$25)
• Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling ($15-$19)

Download the video: (4 min 54 sec)
Windows Media (16.8 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (30.9 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.1 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny