Wine without BS

Wine without BS in Wine Business Monthly

Sorry to bore you with this potentially self indulgent post that is nothing more than a link to an article written about myself and published in the May edition of Wine Business Monthly magazine. I post this mainly as a way of keeping the article on file but it was nice to have a forum to get my message in front of the industry, instead of the consumer for once.So far all feedback from readers of the article has been very positive.

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Thanks to Anthony Madigan from WBM for his interest in Wine Without BS and a great job on the article!

Best's Wines 2010 Pinot Meunier

If you're a Pinot Noir fan then get ready to be blown away. Even if you are not a huge fan I strongly suggest you try this as while closely related to Pinot Noir, what I experiend while drinking this wine was unlike any Pinot Noir I've had to date! Pinot Meunier is more commonly used as one of the three grape varieties used in a traditional Champagne blend. Seeing it as a single varietal red wine is rather rare and Best's Wines are the only winery in Australia that I could find making such a wine. It is thought that their plantings of the variety in the Great Western region of Victoria are the oldest in Australia and possibly the oldest Pinot Meunier vines in the world! 

It has a nice, transparent cherry red colour that will appear similar to many Pinot Noirs. In the aroma I actually got a noticeable hit of olives, along with some fruits and oak. When it comes to describing the experience of drinking this wine below is word for word what I wrote in my notebook at the time I was drinking it.

"It's smooth, smooth, smooth, smooth. Did I say smooth? It is like nothing I have ever had before"

Another line that I will never forget came from a guest at my recent Odd & Rare varieties tasting event who took one sip and said "oh that is naughty... just so naughtily smooth" 

So we can pretty much summarise that this is an incredibly smooth wine. It has blended flavours of fruit and oak and is a wine that lovers of red wine simply must experience!

Best's Wines 2010 Pinot Meunier
Price - $60 from Best's Wines
Region - Great Western, VIC
Final Sip - 'Noir' may mean black, but once you go Meunier, you'll never go back!

Mandoleto 2009 Sicilia Nero d'Avola

This wine was introduced to me by Fourth Wave Wine Partners and was the only international red wine available for tasting at my recent Odd & Rare Varieties tasting. Experience has taught me not to get overly excited about imported red wines under $20 but I've finally found an exception!

The colour is a perfect cherry red and the aroma reminds me of dark fruits and includes a slightly, but not unpleasant, musty, mushroom like smell. It is lovely to drink, fruity and faintly oaky with some savoury elements and nothing over the top. Very easy drinking and as a reference point for those unfamiliar with the variety, it is not unlike some Aussie Shiraz. 

 

Mandoleto 2009 Sicilia Nero d'Avola
Price - Normally $15 but my friends at Fourth Wave Wine have been kind enough to offer a special 'NoBS' price of $10 a bottle Simply download and complete this order form
Region - Sicily, Italy
Final Sip - Before the special offer was made I would of said it was hard to think of a better sub $20 imported red. At $10 a bottle it is definitely one of the best reds for the money I can think of, imported or local! 

No BS Events - Odd & Rare Varieties tasting wrap up!

Saturday 28th April 2012  was a completely perfect Sydney Autumn day for wine tasting and the beautiful rooftop space at Luxe Studios provided the perfect venue for this unique event. After incredible support from over twenty Australian wineries and one international importer, the tasting featured no less than 48 different wines made from over 36 different alternative grape varieties!

Around 70 people attended the event and I was thrilled to see a few of the producers turn up to see their wines in action. 

From all the feedback sheets that were handed in I can confirm the below results.

Most loved white wine was the K1 by Geoff Hardy 2010 Arneis

Most loved red wine and the overall most loved wine at the event was the By Jingo 2008 Montepulciano 

Another indicator of some crowd favourites is the fact that the following wines had no leftovers whatsover!

Elefante 2010 Blanco 
Cleggett Wines 2011 Shalistin/White Cabernet Sauvignon
Cleggett Wines 2010 Sparkling Bronze Cabernet 

I must say on a personal note, the Best's Wines 2010 Pinot Meunier was my pick for the day and a full review of this wine will be posted shortly!

I would like to take this opportunity for thanking all the wineries who participated in this event, as without their support and generosity and event with this much diversity simply wouldn't be possible. I would also like to thank everyone who came along to the event, Claudia Bowman from McIntosh & Bowman Cheesemongers for the amazing Cheese platter and a very special thank you to Laura, from Luxe Studios, who made putting on this event so incredibly simple and one of the most common comments was how perfect the venue was!

And, for anyone who thought this was my biggest and best event yet... watch this space!