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We try not to talk about wines we haven’t tried yet, but this week in an exception. In fact, we’re glad we haven’t tried it yet, because this coming week Best’s are holding a tweet-up where we, along with lots of others across the globe, will be opening some of their new releases and tweeting our tasting notes. It should be loads of fun, so why not join in!

A wine we have deinitely tasted is the Kalleske Clarry’s red blend. This bargain GSM blend underlines exactly why we think Troy Kalleske is such a great winemaker – it’s not just expensive wine that he does really well.

And speaking of blends, Brad checks out the Cabernet-Shiraz blend from Majella in the Coonawarra region known lyrically as the Musician.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Kalleske Clarry’s 2008 ($16-20)
• Best’s Great Western Riesling 2010 ($20-22)
• Majella The Musician 2009 ($15-$17)

Download the video: (4 min 29 sec)
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We are also super excited to announce the brand new Wine Week Radio podcast!

You can subscribe to the Wine Week Radio podcast via iTunes and every week we’ll have a new episode where we look at what’s happening in the wine industry.

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Back behind the desk this week, Danny kicks off with the Jack Mattinson’s Deluxe Dry Red. It’s a great Shiraz-Cabernet blend from one of Australia’s finest wine writers, who shows he’s not just all talk and no action.

Brad follows up last week’s discussion on Wine Week Radio about Chardonnay being back in fashion with a look at Tom Carson’s Yabby Lake Chardonnay.

We round out the week looking at a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Wynns Coonawarra Estate. It’s yet another gem from Wynns underlining why so many people hold winemaker Sue Hodder in such high regard.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Mountain X Wine Co. Jack Mattinson’s 2009 ($15)
• Yabby Lake Chardonnay 2008 ($40-$45)
• Wynns Coonawarra Estate Glengyle Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($40-$43)

Download the video: (5 min 33 sec)
Windows Media (17.4 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (31.2 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.9 Mb)

We are also super excited to announce the brand new Wine Week Radio podcast!

You can subscribe to the Wine Week Radio podcast via iTunes and every week we’ll have a new episode where we look at what’s happening in the wine industry.

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

We often talk about how great even inexpensive Rieslings are at ageing. This week we put that to the test when we open up and taste a 2009 and 2005 of the St. Hallett Riesling. We compare the vintages and give you some idea of what to expect if you can find the time and space to cellar this lovely white. We also look at another Margaret River 07, this time in the form of the Mantra ‘abundance’.

This week’s recommendations are:

• St. Hallett Riesling 2009 ($17-$21)
• St. Hallett Riesling 2005 (Unavailable at retail)
• Mantra ‘Abundance’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($23-$25)

Download the video: (5 min 24 sec)
Windows Media (17.4 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (31.2 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.9 Mb)

We are also super excited to announce the brand new Wine Week Radio podcast!

You can subscribe to the Wine Week Radio podcast via iTunes and every week we’ll have a new episode where we look at what’s happening in the wine industry.

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

This week we look at three wines from the 2008 vintage that are sure to keep you, and your mates, happy. The first is the classy Chalambar Shiraz from Seppelt. This is a wine you’ll see in shops, and on a lot of restaurant wine lists where it’s often one of the best value propositions.

The 2007 vintage was brilliant for Margaret River, but what about 2008? We check out the Capel Vale Cabernet Sauvignon from the more recent vintage and can happily say that the follow-up year is looking like a truly worthy sequel!

To round out the week we grab the Ten Minutes by Tractor Chardonnay from 2008. While the Mornington Peninsula is probably best known these days for their Pinot Noir, there’s no doubting that many of the producers from the region have been turning out beautiful whites from this classic grape.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2008 ($15-$22)
• Capel Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($25-$27)
• Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Chardonnay 2008 ($26-$29)

Download the video: (4 min 29 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

The Barossa Valley is probably Australia’s best known wine region, and the river that runs through it has fame of its own. But Para is better know as the name of one of the country’s finest fortified wines more than it is as a river.

We also recommend an inexpensive Cabernet blend from Cookathama. We also change things up a bit with the Jaluka Chardonnay from Seppelt instead of bashing you over the head with yet another Riesling.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Cookathama Cabernet Merlot 2007 ($15-$18)
• Seppeltsfield Para Grand Tawny NV ($25-$32)
• Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnay 2008 ($22-$26)

Download the video: (4 min 35 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Yesterday Australia found themselves with a new Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. While some have been focused on the fact this is Australia’s first female PM, we’re looking at it a different way.

Yes, our new leader has flaming red hair!

So what better way to toast the new PM than with a few bottles of red?! We first raise a class to the “Power Fox” (as Crikey have dubbed her) with glass of sparkling red. The Fox Creek Vixen is a lovely way to celebrate an early morning coup as it goes beautifully with bacon and eggs. While some make fun of red-heads by calling them “rangas”, we prefer to check out the Ata Rangi Crimson. It has been known as the second stringer for a long time, but it seems good enough for the job at hand. Lastly we pay homage to the outgoing Kevin Rudd with the Brave Faces from Two Hands. A soft, supple wine that pays its respects to history and the people who tended the country’s vines before those in charge today.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Fox Creek Vixen NV ($20-$23)
• Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2008 ($30-$33)
• Two Hands Brave Faces GSM 2008 ($24-$26)

Download the video: (5 min 48 sec)
Windows Media (18.7 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (35.4 Mb) | Mpeg4 (18.1 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

If you’re a fan of red wine, and you should be, then we’ve got a book that we consider to be indispensable. The Big Red Wine Book is filled with reviews of even more wines than we can suggest to you in a year, so go grab one now! Brad looks at the St. Hallett Faith Shiraz, while Danny checks out the Yalumba Cigar Cabernet. These two wines both rate pretty highly in the Big Red Wine Book, with the Cigar getting a spot right at the very front in the “best” section.

This week’s recommendations are:

• The Big Red Wine Book 2010/2011 ($24.95 RRP)
• St. Hallett Faith Shiraz 2008 ($17-$20)
• Yalumba Cigar Cabernet 2008 ($25-$27)

Download the video: (5 min 11 sec)
Windows Media (16.9 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (30.7 Mb) | Mpeg4 (18.4 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

We’ve got three great wines and a great giveaway this week, so let’s get straight into it!

The first wine of the week is the Campbells Bobbie Burns Shiraz. It’s a great table wine from Rutherglen, a region probably better known for its brilliant fortified wines. Danny, a massive Rutherglen fan himself, follows up with another of his personal favourites – Coonawarra Cabernet. This week he talks about a single vineyard wine from Wynns. The Alex 88 might be getting a new name from the next vintage, but grab this one while you can. To end the week Brad checks out a Riesling from Western Australia’s Great Southern. The Xabregas Show Reserve Riesling is perfect if you’re looking for something that will handle a bit of cellar time.

We’ve also got 5 double passes to the Melbourne Good Food & Wine Show next weekend to give away. To be in the running to win just subscribe to our free email newsletter, or if you’re already a subscriber reply to this week’s email (full details in the email itself.)

This week’s recommendations are:

• Campbells Bobbie Burns Shiraz 2008 ($20-$25)
• Wynns Coonawarra Estate Alex 88 2006 ($35-$39)
• Xabregas Show Reserve Riesling 2009 ($23-$28)

For more chances to win, tweet “I want @WineWeek to pick me to win tix to @GoodFoodWineMel (for Fri/Sat/Sun)”. Only include the “for Fri” if you can’t attend one or more of the days, including the day(s) you can.

For yet another chance to win, follow us on Facebook and comment under the competition details post. Make sure you include what session(s) you want to get along to!

Download the video: (5 min 39 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Last weekend Danny dropped past the Coonawarra wine region on his way back from a wedding in Adelaide. So this week we’re looking at three wines from the region that caught his eye. The first isn’t a true Coonawarra wine, coming from the Wrattonbully vineyards of Yalumba, but this botrytis viognier is a lovely little drop. Brad then looks at a Wynn’s favourite that can be had for bargain prices. Danny rounds out the week with the 2004 vintage of the Highbank Coonawarra, a wine that made our very first Best Dozen back in 2007.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Yalumba Wrattonbully Botrytis Viognier 2008 ($20-$22)
• Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2008 ($14-$18)
• Highbank Coonawarra 2004 ($43-$48)

Download the video: (5 min 14 sec)
Windows Media (16.9 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (31.1 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.4 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Generally when we’ve talked about wines from the Mornington Peninsula we’ve looked at Pinot Noir. But in doing so we’ve missed on the other great variety from the region: Chardonnay. So we start this week with a look at the classic white grape offering from Red Hill Estate. We also check out a McLaren Vale Shiraz from Shingleback’s second label, Red Knot. And ahead of Danny shooting off to the Coonawarra this weekend he looks at a bargain red blend from Balnaves called, aptly, The Blend.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Red Hill Estate Chardonnay 2007 ($15-$19)
• Red Knot Shiraz 2008 ($9-$15)
• Balnaves The Blend 2007 ($17-$19)

Download the video: (3 min 59 sec)
Windows Media (12.8 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (23.4 Mb) | Mpeg4 (12.4 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny