Wine without BS

Chapel Hill - 2009 Savagnin

After the highly publicised Albariño debarcle in Australia earlier in the year Chapel Hill were quick to rename there Savagnin exactly that and the 2009 White variety is part of their Il Vesco range. In the glass its almost clear but does have that pale straw colour (forgive the overused colour descriptive), yet it goes beyond being just a little pale.

Flavour wise it's very subtle,  feels fresh and you can pick up the citrus without trying to hard. To drink it on its own you'd have to be really keen but it is a great food wine that will compliment many dishes. While its traditional pairing would be seafood I enjoyed it with a Harissa marinated chicken merryland on couscous and it was a big success!

Chapel Hill - 2009 Savagnin
Price - $20 at www.winedirect.com.au
Region - McLaren Vale, SA
Recommended - Yes, as both a great food wine and to try something new.

No BS Wine Clubs 2nd meeting in summary

From intimate beginnings at our first meeting a crowd equal to a case of wine gathered for the second meeting for the No BS Wine Club in what turned out as a lovely evening! I would personally like to thank everyone who took their time to come along and as always a BIG thanks to Stuart Knox from Fix St James, for being the perfect host and the food that night is still being talked about amongst attendees!

Three wine's where thoroughly enjoyed that night and below is a quick run down on each wine for those interested in extra information and where to buy them at the best price I can find!

1. Capital Wines "The Whip" 2009 Riesling - This Gold Medal winning Riesling started us off for the night and a few bottles down no one in the group was anything but impressed! Priced at $18 a bottle you can order on-line directly from Capital Wines at www.capitalwines.com.au

2. By Farr 2007 Chardonnay - You can read my review of the 2006 By Farr Chardonnay here. The 2007 is equally as good and was rated 97 points by James Halliday, which equals the score given to the more publicised Leeuwin Estate "Art Series" Chardonnay of the same vintage. At $55 it is also much better value than the benchmark Chardonnay from Leeuwin Estate, so in my opinion the smart money should go on By Farr if your after top notch Australian Chardonnay! While you'll find it for $55 at both the on-line cellar door at www.byfarr.com.au if you going to order a complete case then save yourself the $15 freight charge and order it from www.winestar.com.au who sell it also for $55 but waive freight to major area's on orders in even dozens! (That includes mixed dozens as well!)

3. Diemersfontein 2008 Pinotage - A Full review of this wine can be read here. Having found this unique South African while available for sale in Sydney I just had to bring it along to show the group. If you want to try it for yourself then it is available for $38.95 plus freight charges or purchase in store at Ultimo Wine Centre located at Shop c21/99 Jones St, Ultimo NSW. Order online at www.ultimowinecentre.com.au

Outside of the above commentary I would love to see some of the attendees from the night post their own thoughts, opinion and comments on the wines they enjoyed the most that night!

Round two for the No BS Wine Club

Were you part of the overwhelming majority of people who missed out on the first ever meeting of the No BS Wine Club? If so, you're in luck as we are doing it again. If instead you were one of the special few who made it along, then I hope I will be seeing you again!

Just the same as last time I will introduce all attendee's to two of my personal favourite wines, one white and one red. I am also confident, Stuart Knox, from Fix St James can yet again introduce us to something he is liking at the moment.

Details are

When- Thursday the 15th of October 09 - 7pm start
Where - Fix St James Wine bar & Restaurant -
111 Elizabeth Street, SYDNEY
Cost - $55 per head will cover food and wine