The Wine Blokes

You are browsing the archives of 2008 January.

By Jon F.
It was with a little scepticism that I opened a clean skin wine the other night that a friend had brought over. I had never seen the glass stopper closure relased by Alcoa, even though it was released over 3 years ago, aptly named the “vino-lok“. It seems there is is […]

Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, being mentioned already in the 1400s. It has been often cultivated because […]

Pauls Winemaking Experience include (in his own words):
Pauletts Winery in the Clare Valley:
·        Makers of a consistently classy Riesling and some oft underrated reds (from better vintages) in the Polish Hill River sub region of the Clare Valley.
·        Taught me that chemistry is not winemaking and the best wines have personality not a perfect set […]

To many wine consumers around the world, no other wine or wine region holds so much prestige and want than that of Burgundy. Some of the most famous wines in the world are produced in Burgundy, and so it is that many also come with a hefty prce tag.
Paul of The Wine Blokes […]

 By Paul H

 
Kangaroo Island is the third largest island off the coast of mainland Australia, with an area covering a little over 4,000 square kilometres. It rises from sea level to 307m at its highest point. Temperatures are moderated by the islands maritime climate making it on average warmer in winter and cooler in summer […]

By Sarah D
A group of Adelaide Hills winemakers, grape growers and wine enthusiasts recently met at Genesis Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills to taste a selection of Gewürztraminer wines from Australia, New Zealand and Alsace.
The vineyard is owned and run buy Stephen and Angela Cowper with the majority of fruit being sold to local […]

Sémillon

Also called:
Wyndruif

Notable regions:
France, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, etc.

Hazards:
sunburn, Botrytis cinerea

Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.

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History
The history of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 1800s and […]

Pinot gris

A bunch of Pinot gris grapes

Species:
Vitis vinifera

Also called:
 

Origin:
Burgundy, France

Notable regions:
(see major regions)

Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name (”gris” meaning “gray” in French) but the grape can […]

Sangiovese

Species:
Vitis vinifera

Also called:
Brunello, Sangiovese Grosso

Origin:
Italy

Notable regions:
Tuscany

Hazards:
Rot-prone

 

By Sarah D
Big news in the Australian wine industry is the past few weeks has been the recent outbreak of Phylloxera found in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria. Sarah Dalkin provides some insight into this serious pest to the Australian wine industry.
Grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, family), commonly called Phylloxera and pronounced fil-ox-era […]