winemuse

It’s Friday! .. ….

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:16:42 +0000

Enjoy the first week of spring with some little gems to [re]discover!

DON’T FORGET THE SUBSCRIBERS DRAW ENTERS IT’S 3RD WEEK THIS WEEK.

Need inspiration for Friday Drinks! Check out today’s recommendations onFriday Drinks Club.

St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Reserve Shiraz Grenache 2009

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:58:44 +0000

You know how sometimes you find that little gem right under your nose – this wine is one of those little gems. Toby Barlow has worked hard to not only continue Stuart Blackwell’s great work but, coming from the slightly cooler wine region of Central Victoria, to keep St Hallet’s reds focused on freshness. This Gamekeeper’s Reserve definitely rates high on the gluggable scale with plenty of sweet fruit (it has a lowly 1.5g/l sugar making it undisputedly dry). And since this wine has not seen any oak, and has been picked just that little early to retain the acid, Toby and the team have been successful in keeping that fresh liveliness in the wine.

There is plenty of berries with some floral violets coming from the 8.5% Touriga Nacional and a hint of savoury meatiness. It has enough structure and body to go well with food but that sweetly ripe firm fruit gives it a real more-ishness. Having been lucky to taste an ‘04 to compare with the ’09 this wine may continue to surprise you with some cellar time too. I am giving it an extra $ on the value side.

Date: 17^th July 2010 Price: $14 Value: $$$$ Drink: Now – 7 years

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New! Subscribe & Win

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:05:56 +0000

I love giving stuff away and am very excited about our new subscriber draw for the next 4 weeks is 2 tickets each week to see the new movie ‘The Kids Are All Right’ with my fav ladies Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and the gorg Mark Ruffalo!

The tickets are valid from 2^nd September until the film’s season closes and can be used at a selection of cinemas around Australia.

The next 4 Fridays starting 27^th August, one lucky Wine Muse ’subscriber by email’ will win 2 tickets- it is as easy as that.

Not a subscriber yet – click here to subscribe by email. Subscribers will automatically go into the draw.

Tickets are thanks to www.hopscotchfilms.com.au

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Director: Lisa Cholodenko Cast: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska

A sexy comedy of errors about a very modern family. The Allgoods are a close family experiencing life’s typical ups and downs: 18-year old daughter Joni (Wasikowska) is heading off to Stanford University and starting to distance herself from her parents; 14-year-old Laser is hanging out with a deadbeat friend who constantly leads him into trouble. The only difference is that this family has two mums. Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Bening) have been together for years, deeply in love, and had both children through artificial insemination.

This loving but strained home life is thrown into comic disarray when the kids track down their biological donor-Dad, Paul (Ruffalo), and invite him home for dinner. Paul is a bachelor whose sudden longing for a family introduces an interesting sexual dynamic to the not-quite-ordinary equation of the Allgoods. At first Joni is so happy to have a cool, handsome dad like Paul. But soon enough she comes to realise that Paul is fun loving but lacks self-control and when he starts sleeping with one of her mums chaos reigns.

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The Best[‘s] Tweet Up Ever

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:21:42 +0000

Today is the 1^st September, 2010 and there is a definite Spring in the air and that little blue bird will certainly have to get out and take note today. Yes, I am referring to the Twitter Bird. I am looking forward to the outcome of today, not only because I get to see the new releases from Best’s but, putting my marketing hat on, just how much of a twitter-storm Best’s can create today with their Tweet up.

Firstly, for the uninitiated – what is a Tweet up? It is where we twits (sorry, perhaps tweeps is better) have an on-line confab about a topic. Now this can be done two ways, remotely, where the tweeps stay in the comfort of their home and send tweets over the ether or tweeps can actually physically be together and then send tweets over the ether. Either way, the whole point of the exercise is about DIALOGUE.

The wine industry has been dipping their toe in the yet untapped pool of twitter potential in Australia. Indeed, the industry is only starting on it’s evolution into engagement using social media – Kirrihill were the first to get the ball rolling with bloggers in 2008 and Wine Communicators Australia did a great job with the more recent first wine tweet up for Australia.

Best’s are covering all bases with not only the remote tweet up with an open invitation to join in but also with a face-to-face tweet up at Fix St James in Sydney. I am most assuredly not alone with this event with 100+ packs being sent out and 34 joining the Best’s Team at Fix St James. In fact, you could say that just these numbers would indicate that there is growing excitement around the event in a time when it is often hard to get people together in a room for a launch.

I received my three wines weeks ago and I have been very disciplined not to open them early so that the first day of Spring had an added incentive.

So, today I am very happy that I have had the opportunity to part of this ‘first’, thank you Best’s.

Here are my tasting notes:

Best’s Great Western Riesling 2010

This is a Riesling for those who like their Riesling ripe with youthful exuberance. While there is the hallmark spicy floral citrus characters, there is some riper firm stonefruit here that is delivering generously – a bit like getting an apricot, lemon & lime hamper with your flowers on your birthday. All this with a subtle mineral backbone means that this wine is refreshingly crisp and long. Drink it young with a Thai chicken salad garnished with just a few fresh herbs to complement the fragrant zestiness of this wine.

Date: 1^st September 2010 Price: $22 Value: $$$ Drink: Now – 7 years

Best’s Great Western Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Despite a couple of spikes in temperature, the 2009 vintage in Central Victoria was cooler than the previous vintage and, according to Best’s, this meant that the Cabernet needed to be picked later in the harvest. While this could have meant that this Cab may have had more herbaceousness, there is just a hint of earthier dried herbs there under the fresh perfumed currant and red fruit. It is an elegant easy drinking style of Cabernet with a medium body, refreshing acid that gives it foodability. Give it a couple of years and you will get more of the dried herb savouriness.

Date: 1^st September 2010 Price: $25 Value: $$ Drink: Now – 5+ years

Best’s Great Western Bin No. 1 Shiraz 2009

There is no doubt the youth of this wine in its vibrant purple ruby depth. Full bodied sweet blackberry, complete with spice and a light pie crust characters that is not quite as elegant as the Cab Sauv. It is jam packed full of rich fruit sweetness that lasts long on the palate.

Date: 1^st September 2010 Price: $25 Value: $ Drink: Now – 7 years

It’s Friday! …. …. …

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:31:36 +0000

The change of season is upon us as is the change of government as we know it – we have a Freeman, a Joven Spaniard, & an elegant fish as the treat of the week. Enjoy….

Need inspiration for Friday Drinks! Check out today’s recommendations onFriday Drinks Club.

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Mudgee Vino Competition – Win TiX

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:06:44 +0000

Olio Mediterranean Brasserie is giving Sydneysiders a snapshot of the Mudgee region with an interactive food and wine event – where guests will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite wines to include in the restaurant’s first regional wine list.

In collaboration with Mudgee Region Tourism Inc., Olio will recreate a mini cellar door experience featuring boutique winemakers and food producers from the region. Taking place on Wednesday, September 1^stat 6.30pm, guests will have the chance to sample and savour the best from the region and give their feedback at this unique event.

Wine Muse is giving someone the chance to WIN 2 tickets to this event. All you have to do is answer the following question:

Name two Mudgee Wine producers?

Leave your answer in the comment field here or on the Wine Muse facebook page to enter or you can send me an email with the answer. The competition will be drawn on Monday, 30th August 2010.

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Glandore Estate Wines Tempranillo 2008

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:06:15 +0000

Australia is only really beginning to come to terms with Tempranillo despite having it’s partner in Spanish crime, Garnacha, on our shores and in our bottles since early 1800’s. Of course, this was because the Garnacha, or Grenache as it is commonly known, came to Australia via the South of France rather than from Spain. But Tempranillo is finding its feet in the Hunter Valley. This fine example is all cherry and cinnamon spice made in the fruity Joven (meaning ‘young’) style. It is dry, medium bodied and soft & supple. There is enough structure to complement food very nicely – bring out your BBQ. It is mucho bebible!

Date: 17^th July 2010 Price: $25 Value: $$$ Drink: Now – 5 years

Pikes The Merle Riesling 2009

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:34:25 +0000

The brothers Pike – Andrew & Neil have a family name that has long had a connection to the drinks trade of South Australia. First beer in 1886, and now in wine particularly in Riesling. ‘The Merle’ is their flagship Riesling named appropriately after their mother and is sourced from the Polish Hill River sub region of the Clare Valley. This is everything that you should expect from a Riesling – plenty of lemon, lime & mineral character. The typical Riesling acid is crisp and balanced with the ripe intensity of the fruit. This is definitely a wine that you can sit and contemplate the world with – finely textured, lean & tightly structured but not austere and with a long finish. Sounds like a divine companion.

Date: 24^th August 2010 Price: $38 Value: $$ Drink: Now – 10 years

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It’s Friday! … ELECTION SPECIAL!

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:10:43 +0000

Is it going to be a sparkling red (Julia G) moment or a Cab Sav (Tony A) kind of weekend?

Need inspiration for Friday Drinks! Check out today’s recommendations onFriday Drinks Club.

IT’S FRIDAY …..

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:59:33 +0000

3 wines that are guaranteed to help you kick back and roll into the weekend with an affordable treat of the week for the budget constrained (one that will even work if you into putting something away for a rainy day – fiscally friendly all round) .

Need inspiration for Friday Drinks! Check out today’s recommendations onFriday Drinks Club.

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