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Wine Week 214: Grand (prix) wines

wineweek — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:12:25 +0000

The Grand Prix is on in our hometown of Melbourne this week, and while we record the F1 cars head out for a bit of practice.

The first across the line is a M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône that is a reliable everyday driver. Next is the Radenti from Freycinet, a high end sparkling that is a proven endurance performer. Taking out third place is a newer model from a stable with a host of followers, the Moppa Shiraz by Kalleske.

This week’s recommendations are:

M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône 2008 ($16-$18)
Freycient Radenti 2000 ($55-$60)
Kalleske Moppa 2009 ($25-28)

Download the video: (5 min 30 sec)
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Have you seen our Best Dozen purchase offer? You can purchase 6 of our Best Dozen of 2010! Details here.!

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 206: The Best Dozen of 2010!

wineweek — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:53:41 +0000

Update: Just announced – our friends at Boccaccio Cellars are offering 6 of our Best Dozen in a special pack at just $130 plus delivery!

It’s that time of year again! Yes, that time when we announce the 12 wines that impressed us the most over the last year…. and then give them away to a of lucky fan of the show!

If you’re an email subscriber you get one entry into the draw to win the complete set of our Best Dozen automatically. If you’re a Twitter follower you’ll get another entry into the competition. And if you’re a fan on Facebook then you’ve got another chance to win! Retweeting on twitter, or posting on your facebook wall with a link to the competition will get you another entry too! There are heaps of ways to give yourself the best possible shot at taking home one of the Best Dozen of 2010 packs!

The Best Dozen of 2010 are:

De Bortoli Rococo Blanc de Blancs NV
St. Hallett Eden Valley Riesling 2010
Toolangi Chardonnay 2008
Andrew Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2010
Scion Vineyard Durif 2008
Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 2008
The Story Grampians Shiraz 2008
Ben Glaetzer Wallace 2008
Teusner Riebke Shiraz 2009
Yalumba The Cigar 2008
Penfolds St. Henri 2006
Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2007

Download the video: (11 min 11 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 194: Spring? What Spring?

wineweek — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:53:44 +0000

Spring is supposed to be in the air, but all around Australia people are rugging up as a blast of chilly weather hits the sunburnt country. A Shiraz is a lovely drop when the weather is cold, so we check out two beauties this week.

The first is from Scotchmans Hill on the Bellarine Peninsula, a great wine with a definite sense of place. The second is the Pirathon Shiraz, a side project by one of our favourite winemakers; Troy Kalleske.

One thing is also certain is that a bit of bad weather won’t stop the races, so we get to grips with a new Non-Vintage sparkling from Blue Pyrenees in the form of the Luna.

This week’s recommendations are:

Scotchmans Hill Shiraz 2008 ($20-25)
Blue Pyrenees Luna NV ($18-20)
Pirathon by Kalleske Shiraz 2009 ($20-$23)

Download the video: (5 min 12 sec)
Windows Media (16.8 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (30.7 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.3 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

Wine Week 176: World Cup Wine.

wineweek — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:49:35 +0000

With the World Cup kicking off tonight, we look at a couple of wines from the competing nations – and announce our tipping competition where you could win a dozen great old-world wines! The first wine is a German Riesling, and while we Aussie hope they don’t do well in the first game, we know they make great wines.

When talking France and football we’re certain that if they win the big gold trophy that there will be lots of corks popping. So we look at a grower Champagne from Pierre Peters that is worth celebrating with.

The World Cup wouldn’t be what it is without the Italians, and we look at a great Chianti Classico from Castello di Monstano worth diving into.

Want to win more than $400 worth of great old-world wine? Just join our tipping competition! The winner will take home a dozen brilliant wines from Italy, Germany and France thanks to the guys at Mondo Imports.

This week’s recommendations are:

Dönhoff Riesling Kabinett 2008 ($38-$41)
Pierre Peters Cüvee Reserve Blanc de Blancs NV ($70-$75)
Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico 2007 ($37-$40)

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

Wine Week 167: Cheap, inexpensive and great.

wineweek — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:26:31 +0000

Inexpensive bubbles are to be avoided at all costs… or so says Danny. But this week we look at a blanc de blancs from De Bortoli that will have the approval of your wine-snob friends but is cheap enough for even midweek celebrations.

Brad follows up with another of the classic Aussie blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Lake Breeze number shows just how Australian it is with an Aboriginal name for its blend.

We’ve been talking for a few weeks about some of the wines we showed off at the Seddon Wine Store at our recent tasting event, but we’ve saved the best for last. The Kate Hill Pinot Noir impressed everyone on the day, and the judges at the recent Tasmanian Wine Show. Not so easy to get, but worth hassling your local wine store about!

Want to join Danny & Brad in the Wine Week AFL footy tipping competition? Sure you do! Well, come on and be part of it!

This week’s recommendations are:

De Bortoli Rococo Blanc de Blancs ($18-$20)
Lake Breeze Bernoota Shiraz-Cabernet ($18-$22)
Kate Hill Pinot Noir 2008 ($30-$34)

Download the video: (4 min 35 sec)
Windows Media (14.8 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (26.9 Mb) | Mpeg4 (14.3 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 161: A midsummer night’s dream.

wineweek — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:20:35 +0000

The hot days down under aren’t done with just yet. And vintage, when vineyards are picking their grapes, is in full force too. With both those things going on at once we look at a sparkling wine from Blue Pyrenees which is picked in the cool of the night to make sure they get the best from their grapes.

We also look at a super bargain priced Rosé from Angoves great for warmer days, and a classic quaffer from Pepperjack perfect for matching with lamb on the BBQ.

This week’s recommendations are:

Angoves Nine Rows Rosé 2009 ($8-14)
Blue Pyrenees Midnight Cuvée 2002 ($22-$26)
Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($18-$23)

Download the video: (4 min 31 sec)
Windows Media (14.9 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (26.8 Mb) | Mpeg4 (14.7 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 154: For starters…

wineweek — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:32:07 +0000

2009 is done, and we’ve started a new decade. And what better way to kick things off than with three bottles you might open at the start of a an afternoon or evening with good friends and good food.

But, not everyone starts off with a wine… so this week we kick things off with that most Aussie of aperitifs, a beer. But not just any beer! This is brewed on the grounds at one of the great wineries of the Clare Valley, Knappstein. We also look at a lovely rosé from Yering Station that isn’t just ‘cotton candy in the mouth’. And we round out the starting field with a great, inexpensive, bottle of bubbles from Jansz.

Don’t forget you can still win one of our Best Dozen of 2009. You’ll go into the draw if you’re a subscriber. If you’re a Twitter follower or a fan on Facebook then you’ve got another chance to win! Retweeting on twitter, or posting on your facebook wall with a link to the competition will get you another entry too! There are heaps of ways to give yourself the best possible shot at taking home one of the Best Dozen of 09 packs!

This week’s recommendations are:

Knappstein E.B. Premium Larger ($13-17 per 4 pack)
Yering Station E.D. Rosé 2008 ($18-20)
Jansz Premium Non Vintage Cuvée ($20-$23)

Download the video: (5 min 39 sec)
Windows Media (18.0 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (33.6 Mb) | Mpeg4 (17.6 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 146: Cups of wine.

wineweek — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:04:10 +0000

It’s Melbourne cup next week: The race that stops a nation! And people all over the country will be breaking out the bubbles and barbie wines as they host Cup Day parties. With this in mind we’re looking at three wines that might help you qualify your day as a winner even if the horses you back come last! The first is a classic red quaffer from Fox Creek. We also check out a really inexpensive sparkling from Yarra Burn, and a more expensive bottle of bubbles from Quartz Reef – an international raider on the cup!

This week’s recommendations are:

Fox Creek Red Baron McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 ($13-18)
Yarra Burn Premium Cuvée NV ($13-$20)
Quartz Reef Methode Traditionelle NV ($30-$35)

Download the video: (4 min 51 sec)
Windows Media (15.8 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (28.5 Mb) | Mpeg4 (15.2 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 121: Three ways to make Mother’s Day.

wineweek — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:13:59 +0000

It’s Mother’s Day down under this Sunday, and we present three wines that are sure to make your Mum happy this weekend. The first is a Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc blend from WA’s Margaret River region that Brad thinks is brilliantly named. The next is a Pinot Noir from the Macedon Ranges with great flavour and style and not too much alcohol. Lastly we look at a Yarra Valley sparkling Rosé that mums everywhere will love the look and the taste of.

Join the Wine Week footy tipping competition! (Entry is free and the winner receives brilliant Kalleske wine!)

This week’s recommendations are:

Wine by Brad semillon/sauvignon blanc 2008 ($20-25)
Bress Macedon Ranges pinot noir 2008 ($18-20)
Dominique Portet brut rosé LD NV ($25-27)

Download the video: (4 min 22 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Wine Week 109: Wine, bushfires and how you can help.

wineweek — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:05:54 +0000

Last weekend saw a series of horrific fires around parts of Victoria, Australia. More than 180 lives have been lost and more than 1,000 homes. As well many wineries have been effected, with some losing everything. With this in mind we focus on a couple of wineries touched by the fires and tell you how you can support the rebuilding process. The first wine is a pinot noir, a classic Yarra Valley grape, from Punt Road. The second is a non-vintage sparkling from Domaine Chandon. Check below for how you can help those affected!

This week’s recommendations are:

Punt Road pinot noir 2006 ($19-25)
Domaine Chandon Brut NV ($18-23)

How can you help those affected by the Victorian bushfires?

Spend a little less on wine this week and donate the difference to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire appeal
Book a ticket to the Stones of the Yarra Valley fundraiser
Head along one of the charity dinners honouring wine merchant Rob Davey at Charcoal Grill on the Hill or in North Melbourne.
Buy a Yarra Valley or Heathcote wine this weekend!

Download the video: (5 min 29 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny