Todays tasting was the 2016 Silhouette Sangiovese from South Australia’s Riverland. For around $30, give or take a couple of bucks, this wine is an extremely dark red for a Sangiovese and exhibits lovely cherry and herb aromas. Once on the palate, it is quite sweet, and I could definitely pick up the slight chocolatey taste amongst the predominantly heavily weighted fruit taste. The journey in the mouth ends rather quickly with softish tannins making it a light to medium bodied wine. I would love to pair it with a Spaghetti Bolognese dish next time to really take advantage of the wines strengths.
After a bit of a break over the holiday period, it was time to get back in to it. With the hot weather in Adelaide it is a bit difficult to get the right temperature for tasting reds so bubbles and whites were the go. I’m a bit of a fan of Geoff Merrill Wines and they’ve produced a beauty in their 2016 Chardonnay. I keep all my whites in the fridge and just crack and pour when required. For Geoffs whites it’s best to leave them in the glass after pouring for a brief time as the notes from the chardonnay grapes take a little time to expose themselves when cold. But when they do and the wine warms with hands around the glass, the beautiful oaky, buttery flavours become sublime. With quite a smooth acidic finish to match the beautiful fruit flavours it was a great drink while relaxing by the pool.
2016 Geoff Merrill Chardonnay, Welly’s Wine Score is 82/100
Well 2018 has been and gone and what a wonderful year it was. In celebration a couple of mates and I decided to crack open the special stuff we all had tucked away for years.
2009 Torbreck Runrig Shiraz, 2010 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz, 2010 Kangarilla Road Q Shiraz
Obviously these wines are way beyond the regular stuff you buy from the local bottle shop. We started with the Torbreck as we wanted to go from most expensive to least expensive. Wow did this wine nearly blow our heads off with a huge fragrance of oak and almost porty smell. It was extremely dark in colour, big, powerful, fruity and had a nice toasty oak flavour. 10 years on and it’s cherry ripe for drinking!
Next up the St Henri. It’s a terrific, classic Shiraz from the Penfolds stable. It didn’t have that old oak smell of the Torbreck, but on tasting it still had the typical black fruit with a nice amount of spice. Along with the fine tannins, it is no surprise this wine had such a high rating when released.
Last but certainly not least, the Q had similar oaky notes to the Runrig but i would say it sits right in the middle of the other two. The oak really shines through when tasting and also has the spicy pepper which was very much to my tastebuds. It was smooth as silk but beautifully balanced with the fruit. Delicious!
Was there a winner? We were all winners tasting these three wonderful wines, but the St Henri stood taller on the night, followed by the Q, and the Runrig in third. If anyone wants to enjoy these wines with someone, I’m only a message away 😉.
With a lot of the wineries offering all sorts of specials on previous vintages at the moment, I took the chance to visit a couple of wineries I haven’t visited for a while. A favourite of mine, Woodstock Wines, have a great history of doing Friday Pizza Nights, but I was here just to try out their latest Sparkling variety.
Set amongst the gum trees just outside of McLaren Flat, Woodstock creates that feel good country vibe as soon as you arrive. The cellar door is set apart from the main restaurant and is a very nice setup with separate tables for either couples or groups.
With an extensive range, my main focus was the 2016 Ruby Velvet Sparkling Dolcetto Lagrein. With a berry note and a taste of cherries and raspberries, this Sparkling shined bright with just the right amount of acid from the fruit and a soft velvety finish. It was also great with a few slices of salami and a hard cheddar. For $20 it won’t break the bank, and will sure to please you every time you pop the cork!
Next stop, Graham Stevens Wines, and if you didn’t love the bloke before you visited, you will after, as Graham spends a lot of time in the tasting room for his visitors and guests. Often with great stories he is an encyclopedia of information and his wines are regularly carrying a Gold or Silver medal showing his consistent wine making style. And it is a style I like with his wines bursting with fruit character and often with medium bodied soft tannin finishes. The 2013 Reserve Shiraz is a superb example of a typical fruit driven McLaren Vale Shiraz, with smooth tannin and slight peppery finish. With many fine wines it’s hard to pick a favourite however with a 2010 Magnum available I couldn’t help myself.
With the Christmas period in full swing and the weather warming up, an opportunity arose to start steering away from big bold reds and try something a bit lighter. For around the $20-25 mark, depending where you buy, one such tasting was the Lambrook Spark Adelaide Hills Sparkling Pinot Noir.
First thing I noticed was the pale pink colour of this Sparkling wine in an almost Rose type style. It is definitely not trying too hard to compete with the Moet’s of the world, however a combination of a lovely strawberry taste and that typical acidic burst on the palate showed it is certainly punching above its weight. The best thing I found was I didn’t get that tart aftertaste that I can sometimes get with Sparkling wine.
Hello everyone, I was lucky enough to finally have a night off during last week and a good friend of mine suggested this boutique wine bar (5 O’clock Somewhere) tucked away in a quiet spot of Adelaide’s CBD. The place is a wine lovers visual delight with wall to wall wine bottles on display in custom wooden shelves reminiscent of a library but for wine. First step was the tasting bar where a number of varities were on display and as we were going to stay for a while we chose a bottle of Chardonnay to enjoy with bread, chorizo and a few cheeses.
It was a great choice. The Living Roots 2016 Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills($30) had a lovely pale yellow colour. The smooth slightly oaky buttery notes were there, but they were hidden amongst the more fruit driven characteristics of this well balanced wine.
We ended up staying till closing time, so a great night was had and with plenty of varieties on the menu still to try, it could be a new favourite place to chill out.
Uncle Kev and Dad enjoying themselves at our first stop, Wirra Wirra Wines. With 16 wines to taste at Wirra Wirra plus fortifieds and bubbles, it’s a great idea to have a designated driver, especially if you plan to see more wineries. The best thing about Wirra Wirra is that there is a wine for everyone!
Second stop, Leconfield wines, famous for “A Day on the Green” concerts and terrific platters. We managed to grab a few seats in front of the fire with a superb spread and a lovely smooth Leconfield Merlot to wash it down. The Merlot was a surprise because it was a deep dark colour with minty notes, tasted like black cherries and was oh so smooth! For $26 dollars a great drop and a nice pairing with cold meats.
Moving onto Kay Brothers after a quick stop for lunch at the local bakery, it was time to get a little more serious with a special museum flight tastings of 4 of their superb wines for $15. The 2009 Grenache vs 2017 award winning Griffith Grenache. Then the 2010 Block 6 Shiraz vs the 2016 Block 6 Shiraz. It really is a great idea to try wines from different years as you can certainly taste the lineage of the vines.
All in all, a great tasting experience topped off with some superb fortifieds which Kay Brothers is famous for. Looking forward to returning soon to try a few more of their range.
You have to love the huge old barrels behind the tasting bar!
Geoff Merrill Wines first ever Pizza and Wine Session on Sunday 25 November 2018 was a huge success. The locals had certainly been waiting for this for a long time with many there soaking up the beautiful setting and sunshine. There were plenty of activities set out on the lawn for the whole family which created a very relaxing atmosphere. Chopping Board Catering were given the task of feeding the hungry masses and they didn’t disappoint with a great selection of wood oven pizzas. The usual tasting zone inside the cellar door was the go to area for wine tasting and purchasing of wine, with the 2017 Rose the pick of the bunch on this great day. The Rose also proved to be the perfect pairing with the margherita pizza. All in all a great first up effort and it was even nice to see Geoff himself wandering through the crowds socialising.
2017 Geoff Merrill “Bush Vine” Grenache Rose $24
The Grenache Rose is the perfect summer wine accompaniment to antipasto or pizza on an arvo in the sun. It certainly needs to be slightly chilled when serving and has a slight herbal aroma. After only a few minutes in the glass, it developed quite a smooth and delicious berry taste which just left me wanting more.
