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pouring rapid tips

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!

Danny & Brad

The final wines are:

• Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
• Savaterre Chardonnay
• Wynn’s Davis Cabernet
• Penfolds Grange
• Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port
• All Saints Museum Muscat
• Riesling, almost any Riesling
• Kalleske Greenock Shiraz

Download the video: (13 min 30 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (83.7 Mb) | Mpeg4 (44.8 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Sometimes money is a bit tight, sometimes it’s just not the sort of night you need to spend too much. Either way, there are great options of making sure you end up with a quality wine without spending too much dosh!

This week we check out the Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon, the Wirra Wirra Church Block and the Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz. All under $20, all ripper wines!

This week’s recommendations are:

• Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2010 ($12-$16)
• Wirra Wirra Church Block 2009 ($18-19)
• Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz 2008 ($14-18)

Download the video: (4 min 59 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (31.9 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.4 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

Many years ago we talked about a winery producing quality wines but which most wine drinkers considered a bit of an old, tired brand. Back then we asked people to look beyond the old-time brand and enjoy the wine.

These days that winery, Best’s Great Western, are definitely not seen as daggy! Danny looks at the Best’s 2011 Riesling as many people did online yesterday.

Brad checks out a new single vineyard shiraz from boutique producer The Story and a 2007 Cab/Merlot from Voyager Estate that has been worth the wait!

This week’s recommendations are:

• The Story Sableux 2009 ($43-$45)
• Best’s Great Western Riesling 2011 ($22-25)
• Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2007 ($60-65)

Download the video: (5 min 43 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (35.1 Mb) | Mpeg4 (18.8 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

There’s an old song by Aussie band Cold Chisel that includes the line “Cheap wine and a three day growth”. It brings to mind some not so good inexpensive tipples.

But this week we’ve tracked down three cheap wines that won’t leave you struggling to get out of the bathtub. We kick off with a Thorn Clarke Riesling, move on to an Oakridge Pinot Noir and finish up with a Shiraz from Hardy’s with a name like a number plate.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Thorn Clarke Sandpiper Riesling 2010 ($12-$15)
• Oakridge Over the Shoulder Pinot Noir 2010 ($16-18)
• Hardy’s HRB|D641 Shiraz 2007 ($19-22)

Download the video: (4 min 25 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (28.0 Mb) | Mpeg4 (14.5 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

It’s all about triples this week on episode 222 of Wine Week. We start by looking at Penfolds Bin 09A, the third vintage in a row from this wine that has us asking if it is the best Chardonnay in Australia?

We then head over to Margaret River to recommend the Vasse Felix Cab Merlot from 2009, the third of three stunning years for the WA hot spot. And rounding out the week Danny suggests you grab a wood fired pizza this Friday night and combine it with the Paxton AAA Shiraz Grenache.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Penfolds Bin 09A Chardonnay 2009 ($70-$90)
• Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2009 ($18-20)
• Paxton AAA Shiraz Grenache 2009 ($17-$18)

Download the video: (4 min 29 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (28.5 Mb) | Mpeg4 (14.7 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

As we sat down to film this week’s episode the rain started falling outside. No shock there, as Melbourne has been wet for months it seems. And when it’s been raining this much you can’t just stick to the usual suspects of big reds.

So this week we match the rain up with a Riesling from Larry Cherubino, a cool climate Shiraz from Plunkett Fowles and an inexpensive Pinot from Garry Mills at Jamsheed. Who needs sun with wines like these?!

This week’s recommendations are:

• Ad Hoc Wallflower Riesling 2010 ($18-$20)
• Ladies who Shoot their Lunch Shiraz 2009 ($28-32)
• Jamsheed Pepé le Pinot 2010 ($18-$20)

Download the video: (3 min 50 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (23.5 Mb) | Mpeg4 (12.6 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

This week the theme is all about the letter C. We start with Mount Langhi Ghiran’s mid priced Cliff Edge shiraz, a beautiful cool climate red from 2006. We then take a look at a Chardonnay from Coldstream Hills that sees just the right amount of oak for a young, drink now white. And to finish we check out a 2007 Cabernet from Mildara that shows that Coonawarra Cabernets from 2007 weren’t all hard work.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz 2006 ($25-$28)
• Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2010 ($26-$30)
• Mildara Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($21-25)

Download the video: (4 min 29 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (29.1 Mb) | Mpeg4 (14.7 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

The best known wine ‘valley’ in Victoria would have to be the Yarra Valley, but a little further afield there’s the King Valley, where winemakers such as the Dal Zottos have been working wonders with Italian varietals.

This week we look at their Pinot Grigio before popping over to the Barossa Valley for a bargain shiraz from Thorn Clarke. We finish up by looking at a Cabernet not from Margaret River or Coonawarra but from the stylish folks at Balgownie Estate up around Bendigo.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Dal Zotto Pinot Grigio 2010 ($15-$16)
• Thorn Clarke Sandpiper Shiraz 2009 ($15-$20)
• Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($30-35)

Download the video: (4 min 04 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (25.4 Mb) | Mpeg4 (13.3 Mb)

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

To some the Hunter Valley is not the first place they think of when talking about great Australian wine. We’re not so parochial that we don’t recognise brilliant wine from Sydney’s closest wine hotspot, and this week check out two rippers from region.

The first is a new Shiraz from Andrew Thomas – the Motel Block, and the other is a bargain Semillon from Mount Pleasant which is too good not to drink. In between we catch up with an old Port style favourite from Rutherglen legends, Stanton & Killeen.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Andrew Thomas Motel Block Shiraz 2009 ($48-$50)
• Stanton & Killeen Vintage 2005 ($25-$28)
• Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005 ($12-17)

Download the video: (4 min 50 sec)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (29.7 Mb) | Mpeg4 (15.9 Mb)

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

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)
Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (35.2 Mb) | Mpeg4 (18.1 Mb)

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