After 5 years of talking about wine on our wineweek.com.au show the time has come to wrap things up.
With roughly 700 wines reviewed over the journey we thought we would take the chance, in this our final ever show, to look back a few of the ones that knocked our socks off.
Thanks to everyone who’s been part of the fun and mayhem of WineWeek!
Each year the first week in May sees one of the most anticipated events in Australian wine: the release of Penfolds Icon and Luxury wines. Brad looks at one of the very best wines from this year’s release in the St. Henri Shiraz.
Danny looks at a couple of wines for those of us with a little less spending money however. His first wine is a Chardonnay from Shadowfax drawn from multiple cool climate sites throughout Victoria. The other is a bargain priced Shiraz Viognier blend from Punt Road’s second label, Airlie Bank.
This week’s recommendations are:
Shadowfax Chardonnay 2008 ($27-$30)
Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz 2006 ($75-$90)
Punt Road Airlie Bank Shiraz Viognier 2008 ($15-$18)
Lost your shirt in the financial crisis? Tyrrell’s Lost Block Semillon might be just the answer. It’s a great semillon made by a top Hunter Valley producer but perhaps the best bit is just how inexpensive it is! And speaking of inexpensive, Xabregas have released a show reserve Shiraz from the same vintage as their Jimmy Watson short listed year. But at under $30 for a Great (Southern) Shiraz it’s ripper value. To round things out we check back in on a family favourite. d’Arenberg’s Laughing Magpie certainly hits the spot, and they say laughter is the best medicine!
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.
Some wines are made for special occasions. Some are so sweet or so powerful that one glass is enough. The three wines we look at this week are perfect examples of wines built for everyday drinking. The first is an Eden Valley riesling from one of Australia’s finest wineries. The second is a cabernet that comes in at a bargain price and provides great value for money. The last wine is a shiraz viognier blend from a McLaren Vale producer whose entire range is proving great drinking.
This week’s recommendations are:
Henschke Julius Eden Valley riesling 2008 ($23-25)
Buy a ticket to the massive wine raffle. With $25,000 worth of wine for 1st prize and 33 prizes total you really should be buying a ticket. Tickets available here, here and here to name just a few.
To mark our milestone 100th episode we thought we would have a special episode where we look at four of the best wines in Australia. To narrow it down a little we decided to break it up into four categories.
The first category is a white, and unusually for us the top wine is a chardonnay, and not a riesling. It’s a great drop from the Margaret River region and will be no shock to anyone being named Australia’s best white, especially given the current vintage.
Our next top wine is a cult wine, from a relatively new producer. It’s a big, powerful, red from a Barossa producer who has a legion of fans across the globe thanks to some great reviews from the top wine writers. But it’s not all about power with this red, as a splash of viognier adds subtlety and grace to the super old shiraz vines.
Of course no list of Australia’s top wines would be complete without our next wine. A true icon of Australian winemaking, the name is known across the world. People who don’t drink wine know this wine’s name and know it’s reputation as Australia’s finest drop. This red is ideal for cellaring for the long term, and is the wine that so many Australians have celebrated important milestones by opening.
To round things out we thought we would include a wine that is uniquely Australian. The fortified wines of the Rutherglen region are truly distinctive and recognised as singularly exceptional when at their best. Some producers from the region have stock of old wine dating back many generations. Our pick has dipped into some incredibly old wine to offer a blend that is exceptionally rare and worth every dollar of it’s high price tag.
Sometimes big and powerful wines are just too much for the occasion. This week we look at three wines ideal for those times when you might feel like something a little lighter. The first is a moscato which was a big hit last year and is nice and low in alcohol. The next is a rosé that doesn’t overdo the sweetness. The final wine this week is a shiraz-viognier blend which is a great introduction to the lifted red style.
This week we take a look at three wines that can each be rightly considered great value, but which are lovely drops at the same time. Our first is a Clare Valley riesling which has come up a treat in what was a tough vintage for many growers in the region. Our next offering is a shiraz-viognier which can be had at a quarter of the price of some similar blends. Our last wine this week is a different red blend, this time from Coonawarra. It’s a brilliant everyday drinker which will go perfectly with a range of foods.
It’s that time of year again when everyone heads to the races and we’re offering tips that can’t lose! The first is a sparkling that is a sure bet even if you’ve already done most of your dough on the ponies. The second is a red hot tip for a great shiraz-viognier from a great stable. The last is a coonawarra cab sauv which is a regular favorite that delivers the goods time and again.
As the end of the financial year is upon us, we thought it timely to present a couple of wines that wont break the budget, but will help you celebrate in style. First is a sparkling white with quality well above it’s price. Next we look at a great red blend from the Yarra Valley of a style growing in popularity. Finally we check out an inexpensive shiraz that’s both a good bet for cellaring and drinkable right now – what a combo!
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