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In wine, as in property, the one thing that everyone wants is a prime location. The best vineyards give the best fruit. But it’s not always easy to get the best locations. Two of our wines this week come from producers who have decided location is the key to the best grapes, while the other has helped define their region as one of the best Chardonnay areas in the land.

Between the Jim Barry Cover Drive and the Wyndham Estate George Windham Shiraz Grenache you can see why regional blending has become a key part of the winemaker’s arsenal. At the other end of the spectrum, the Voyager Estate Chardonnay continues to gain favour as a stand-out example of just what Margaret River can produce with the white grape.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Jim Barry Cover Drive 2007 ($18-23)
• Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2007 ($38-42)
• Wyndham Estate George Wyndham Shiraz Grenache 2007 ($17-$22)

Download the video: (5 min 45 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

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!

This week’s recommendations are:

• Tyrrell’s Lost Block Semillon 2008 ($10-15)
• Xabregas Show Reserve Shiraz 2007 ($23-26)
• d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie 2007 ($24-$29)

Download the video: (4 min 34 sec)
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Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

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

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

Instead of our normal look at three wines we love this week Danny is on his own and has something different to talk about. With every wine store in the country selling Sauvignon Blanc like hot cakes Danny asks “Why?” To make things interesting Danny opens a NZ Sauv Blanc and an Aussie Riesling and puts both through their paces. The result? Not a lot of love in the room for the “Cats wee” flavour of the bigger selling Savvy. Controversial? Sure! Eye opening? Hopefully!

Download the video: (9 min 06 sec)
Windows Media (29.6 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (53.8 Mb) | Mpeg4 (28.7 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

This week we kick things off with a classic Aussie Shiraz from Mount Langi, a producer who seems more than capable of churning out great value quaffers and ripper top end wines too! We then look at the Heemskerk Coal River Riesling. A few weeks back we interviewed Anna Pooley at the Young Gun of Wine Festival tasting and thought it about time we looked at one of her wines too. It’s not the standard Aussie fare, but it’s a great drop that many of you will love. Our last wine of the week is a straight Malbec, something we haven’t done a lot of. In this case it’s from Harcourt Valley and Brad thinks it’s a great drop for now, or for laying down for a few years.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Mount Langi Cliff Edge Shiraz 2005 ($24-27)
• Heemskerk Coal River Riesling ($40-45)
• Harcourt Valley Limited Release Malbec 2008 ($18-$20)

Download the video: (4 min 29 sec)
Windows Media (17.4 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (30.8 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.7 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny

This week we look a three wines that won’t be the easiest to find. The first is a Cabernet blend from Sorrenberg, a Beechworth winery who sell most of their wines via a mailing list. We follow this up with a Gamay from Roundstone, a winery that earlier this year was destroyed in the Victorian bushfires. To round things out we look at a Fiano, an Italian white grape variety, which is being made in very small batches by one of our favourite smaller wineries, Oliver’s Taranga.

If you’re around Melbourne this weekend, why not drop out to the Shed Fest in the Yarra Valley? Support the small local wineries after the tough start to 2009 that saw bushfires destroy so much of the area. Details on ShedFest are available on the ShedFest website.

This week’s recommendations are:

• Sorrenberg Cabernet 2005 ($38-40)
• Roundstone Gamay 2008 ($20-15)
• Oliver’s Taranga Fiano 2008 ($22-$24)

Download the video: (5 min 04 sec)
Windows Media (17.4 Mb) | Quicktime/iPod/iPhone (30.8 Mb) | Mpeg4 (16.7 Mb)

Cheers… and happy wine buying!

Brad and Danny