When we first undertook the task of developing a wine blog from “inside the wine industry” earlier this year, our aim was to create a blog with high quality content for consumers, wine industry professionals and anyone just interested in wine in general.

Things have developed rather quickly though. While there are plenty of online wine retailers around the world, there still was not a website that was so comprehensive that it listed wines from all the online wine retailers in one spot. Of course to do this is a massive task, as there are thousands and thousands of different wines and labels to consolidate and categorise. I have to admit, the journey has been bumpy and at times we’ve all thought “have we bitten of more than we can chew”.

We’ll all the hard work is starting to pay off and to date we have launched our UK online wine store, which now has a massive 5,300 wines on offer, and in the last week we have launched our Australian & New Zealand Store. Our next project is of course the mighty US market, which we are planning at the moment.

I’ve scoured the internet for hours looking for quality wines only to give up. Hopefully now The Wine Blokes stores can provide such a comprehensive range that there is no need to go anywhere else.

Over the next month or so you will also notice that the theme and design of the stores will change, to make them as user friendly as possible, and a fresh new look.

Hop over to either the UK Wine Shop or the Australian & New Zealand WIne Store, and have a look around. If you’ve tasted some of the wines, leave a review to help others to find the wine they desire.

Happy tasting.

I was having a discussion today with a well known former winemaker of a very well known Australian Wine Company, and we both agreed to disagree on the advantages and disadvantages of screw cap closures versus traditional cork. The wine media and consequently the wine consumer in general have overwhelmingly accepted screw cap as the alternative closure and to some extent have gone overboard, where many distributors and marketers do not want to deal with wines that are still in cork.

There is such a wave toward screw cap, that even red wines that have been made to age are having difficulties if they are not in screw cap. The wine media have alot to answer for, but also winemakers have embraced the concept of screwcap that prevents cork taint, and seal the bottle securely. However it has also been argued that wines under screw cap can develop “burnt match” type characters and be overly sulphidic , a function of the fact that they do not breath as well as traditional cork. One of the major problems associated with cork, apart from cork taint, is random oxidation, caused by corks loosing integrity.

However, the interesting observation that this particular winemaker made was quite intriguing. He was observing a bottling of Sauvignon Blanc under cork one day, and they had the vacuum filler turned up quite high, ensuring a strong vacuum was present inside the bottle once filled, to remove any air in the neck of the bottle. He noticed in a bottle after corking that an air bubble was trapped and slowly moving from the top of the bottle between the cork and glass, toward the wine, under vacuum. So essentially, the process they were employing to prevent oxidation of the wine, was in fact considerably increasing the risk.

It empahsises the fact that no matter how well in theory a process or system works during winemaking, it’s the implementation that makes the difference.

For the record, The Wine Blokes are ambivalent to the pros and cons of cork versus screw cap, and is entirely up to the winemaker. Some styles certainly benefit from screwcap, and some certainly benefit from cork. You can be sure though that will polarize winemakers, marketers, and consumers alike for years to come, or at least until a new, cool, fad closure comes onto the market.

Take Part in the Great Cork Debate

Have your say! Let us know once and for all which is the best option: cork or screwcap (we’ve included synthetic corks as an alternative to traditional corks for those of us who love the corkscrew too much to let it go just yet!).

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Let us know what you chose and why in the comments box. Its all fun - there is no right or wrong answer.

Well it’s finally here. After dipping our toe in the water and great success with our UK online Wine Store, we are now pleased that we have finally got our Australian and New Zealand online wine store up and running. 

As with the UK store, the Australian and New Zealand Wine Store lists wines from our partnered wine merchants.  While we endevour to ensure price and availability are current at time of posting the product, we cannot guarantee at time of purchase. 

Over the coming months we will continue to add more wines to the list, with our aim to become the most comprehensive online wine store in Australia.

Please visit the Australian Store, and take a look at some of the fantastic labels we can offer, including a comprehensive range of clean skin wines at great prices.

Feel free to comment and review wines, and we welcome any feedback on the site.

Keep an eye out for our next project, our massive US online Wine Store.

We had some friends over for dinner the other night and and we tasted some nice Australian wines from the Adelaide Hills, but everyone has tasted them before and someone asked me if I had something a little unique or different in the cellar. I rember tasting some weird and wonderful wines from the Cornas Appellation of the Rhone a few years ago when I was there to work vintage.

The following paragraphs by Eric Asimov of the Internatioanl Herald Tribune sum up Cornas:

Years after Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie achieved enviable status as objects of desire, Cornas was regarded as their bumpkin cousin, powerful yet rustic, perhaps embarrassing to introduce in polite company. Yet in the last 20 years or so a new Cornas has emerged, not so much rustic as wild, with captivating aromas of flowers and fruits, olives and bacon and herbs.

The town and vineyards of Cornas occupy a kind of amphitheater west of the Rhone, just northwest of Valence. The southeast-facing vines, planted on granite slopes, are protected from the cooling river winds, and as the southernmost red wine appellation of the northern Rhone, Cornas is considerably warmer than Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie, which explains its burly character. Yet I think its ferocity is exaggerated. Only rarely do the wines exceed 14 percent alcohol, while improvements in winemaking and viticulture have relieved Cornas of much of its fabled rusticity.

With only about 105 hectares, or 260 acres, of syrah, there’s not a lot of Cornas to go around. And even that has come under threat recently, as a proposal to build housing on about 4 hectares of the best vineyards has moved ahead, despite considerable opposition. More tribulations for a land well used to them.

The only Cornas I had in the cellar was a Gabriel Meffre Laurus. I have to admit it wasn’t the greatest wine, but what we all loved was how unique and, rustic it really was, and suprisingly, very very powerful. It was a little volatile and had some other issues with soundness, but, it was enjoyable nonetheless compared to the over ripe, jammy, ballsy Australian red we were also drinking, that was big, but lacked substance.

It had us all wondering why in some of the cooler regions of Australia someone can’t make wine with this type of character and complexity. I must admit there are some botique guys working on these type of wines in areas such as Mt Barker in Western Australia, and to some extent in SA and Vic, but they are few and far between.

Lets hope in coming vintages we see some emerge with fervour.

I was in the lab yesterday and found myself in a verbal stoush over the usefulness and purpose of doing labarotory trials on juices and wine throughout the winemaking process.  WInemakers are a strange breed, but like everyone else, they all have there little ”isms” that set them apart from the winemaker across the road. Winemaking is part science, part art, and part feel.  During the winemaking process, starting as the grapes arrive at the winery, decisions are made on additions such as acid, SO2, tannin, blending components, and numerous other additives that can be legally added.

I’ve worked with winemakers who are very methodical and routinely add the same additions to every batch of juice or wine.  Some may not even do any analysis, and make the addition based on tradition, experience, volume, or just because it’s been done that way all along.

Others will painstakingly do trial after trial on nominal additions, which inevitably causes procrastination and confusion, or what you could also call “analysis paralysis”. Many additions such as acid, tannin, and SO2 are very routine, and it may not be neccesary to do any trials if it’s worked in the past.  However if you talk to winemakers who have had great success with a certain variety or blend, they will all tell you that once they have the fruit quality they desire, and have made the best possible wine from each of the components, they will take time and care to ensure the blend they choose is superior. This is arguably the most important subjective decision a winemaker will make.  Decisions on acid & SO2 for example, can be backed up by laboratory analysis. The final blend or finished wine however, is generally entirely up to the winemakers feel.  This is in essence the art of winemaking. Afterall, the winemaker is trying to create something that other people will enjoy. Some winemakers will tell you that they only make the wine they like to drink. If this is also what others like to drink they have found a goldmine. If their feel and taste is skewed away from consumer tastes, they have dug their own grave.

These days it’s rare to find a winery that makes wine only for its own tastes. If they do, they generally don’t need any financial incentive, or they have another brand or product that acts as a cashcow.

So are winemakers scientists, agriculturists, or artists? As a winemaker, you have to be all of these on a day to day basis, and to be successful, you can’t have one, without the others.

There has been plenty of press about Kalleske Wines in recent times and for good reason. They’re pretty bloody good. Really it’s no surprise, as Troy Kalleske and the rest of his family have access to some amazing old vineyards that have been supplying fruit for Penfolds Grange for many a year. I went to University with Troy, and while most of us were doing our best to drink every wine on planet at least once before we graduated, Troy was quietly working his way to dux of the year, and an internship with Southcorp, that provided the foundation for his future success.

However it was with amusment that I read recently that the mild mannered Troy has a pet pig, and the wine press seemed to love the story. It would be a humurous site to see a pig galloping around the tanks and barrels.

At Mounadam we don’t have a pig, but we do have numerous other animals wondering around the vineyard and winery. The winery itself is set amongst 2000 acres of pastoral land and sheep wander around between the vines and around the winery. There’s also a rabbit catching cat, and a lunch steeling beagle named Benny.

The other day I was working in the winery and bent over to fasten a hose end. Something grabbed me on the bum and I turned around to see a goat starring out me, as if to say, “what are you doing here”. So everyday I’m at Mountadam, I have to work around the goats in the winery and constantly move them out, only for them to return and be a nuissance. I’ve worked in many wineries with animals as a feature, but this is the first time that a goat, or a number of goats have called a winery home.

It was with great frustration that many avid wine enthusiasts and wine industry professionals (who routinely need to carry wine with them around the world) accepted the new travel restrictions on carrying liquids on planes. I frequently carried as many bottles I could possible carry when travelling, and the new restrictions leave you with little choice, either put it in your stowed luggage and risk breakage (I’ve had a least one bottle break in my bag and ruin my  clothes), or not carry wine at all.  It’s made it extremely difficult for winemakers or marketers travelling abroad to carry one or two bottles. 

So it was with interest that I noticed a new air travel bag for food and wine on a blog the other day.  It’s a wonder no one has developed a bag like this before now.  The lined and padded carry bag can be stowed in your luggage without risk of breakage, and if they do happen to break, the bag is liquid tight. 

You can order them on the BottleWise website or by clicking here.

Vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley AVA in central Sonoma County
Appellation type	U.S. County
Year established	1850
Country	USA
Part of	California, North Coast AVA
Sub-regions	Alexander Valley AVA, Bennett Valley AVA,Chalk Hill AVA, Dry Creek Valley AVA, Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA, Knights Valley AVA, Los Carneros AVA, Northern Sonoma AVA, Rockpile AVA, Russian River Valley AVA, Sonoma Coast AVA, Sonoma Mountain AVA, Sonoma Valley AVA
Total area	1,786 square miles (4,626 km²)
Grapes produced	Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Cinsault, Gamay Noir, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Muscat Canelli, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musque, Semillon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, Viognier, Zinfandel[1]

Sonoma County wine is wine made in Sonoma County, California, USA. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Sonoma County is one of California’s largest producers of wine grapes, far outproducing the Napa Valley AVA.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jon F.

This is indeed one of those posts where I get a little gushy. For 7 years I put my heart and soul into creating and developing the potential of the Smithbrook vineyard.  Along with my boss and mentor Michael Symons, we inherited an over managed, over cropped vineyard and successfully transformed it into one of the best performing vineyards in the Pemberton wine region of Western Australia.  We changed management practices to create a synergy between climate and site, removed blocks and varieties that were not suited to a particular patch, and fine tuned an environmental philosophy where less is more, allowing the vines to find their own balance.  Yields were slashed, and concentration of flavour and structure were fundamental.

One of our greatest challenges was Merlot. It’s fickle to the point where 4 weeks prior to harvest everything looks stunning, and then it kicks you in the guts and turns the other way.  We tried different fermentation practices, oak regimes, yeasts, and blending, and it was painstaking.  We have both worked vintages in Bordeaux, so have had the insight of some of the best Merlot vignerons in the world.  What we learnt is that Merlot is highly site specific, and what works in one block, will not neccessarily work in another.

In 2004 we both thought we were well on the way to the desired result, but as always, there was plenty of room for improvement.

Our actions and philosophies have been vindicated though, with numerous reviews and accolades.  The most recent being rated amongst the top few Merlots in Australia and New Zealand (and also a few French benchmarks), in the current issue of Gourment Traveller Wine magazine Merlot tasting.

“2004 Smithbrook Merlot adds a little petit verdot and cabernet sauvignon for fruit intensity and structure. The wine’s round, fleshy palate and stylish balance are spot-on for merlot and a nutmeg from new oak adds further interest to the ripe fruit. Caillard strongly supported the wine, finding the oak rather prominent on the nose, but slipping in the background on the palate. Well balanced, structured and impressive, he noted. I thought the tannins rather abrupt, without detracting from the wine. Drink now or cellar for a couple of years. 92 Points”

The tasting was conducted by Peter Bourne, Nick Bulleid MW, Andrew Caillard MW, Peter Forrestal, Huon Hooke and Sophie Otton.

Even though I’m not directly involed with Smithbrook now (I still help out now and then), it’s satisfying to see a result like this.

You can view the wines for sale over at our UK Wine Shop.

In 1972, the visionary David Wynn established the Mount Adam vineyards in the High Eden sub-region of the Eden Valley, South Australia. The painstaking research and trials that took place to find the perfect site built the foundation for the success of the Mounadam brand, particularly Chardonnay.

The criteria for the selection was based on three critical factors:

The stability of climate: Grape growing, like growing any fresh produce, is subject to the weather. Either too little or too much rain at the wrong time can cause ripening and disease problems. Mountadam experiences little or no rain during the critical ripening period.

The cool climate: David knew that to produce elegant yet powerful wines, the vines should not be subject to the stress of hot conditions. At 550 metres above sea level, it is sufficiently cool to preserve the delicate flavours of the grape through-out its entire ripening process.

Well drained soils: Shallow soils over base rock provide perfect drainage and soil dryness to minimise vigour and maximise fruit concentration. Preparations for planting Mountadam commenced in 1970 with many years spent developing and improving the property.

A new beginning: A number of ownership changes have taken place in recent times. However it was not until the winery and vineyards were purchased by South Australian businessmen and farmer, David Brown in 2005/2006, that Mountadam began to retain its former glory.

David quickly went about invigorating the vineyards and winery, and enlisted the winemaking skills of former chief winemaker of Petaluma, Con Moshos.

Moshos has extensive experience making Chardonnay and Riesling, aswell as South-Eastern Australian red varieites such as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.  He has also gone about renovating the winery with new equipment and processes, and casts a keen eye over the management of the vineyards.

The current new releases are promising indeed, and include the:

Stay tuned for updates on the revolution of the Mount Adam brand. The Wine Blokes now have an insiders view, with one of them providing help in the winery and vineyards on a regular basis.