The Wine Blokes

You are browsing the archives of 2008 February.

 
 After arriving 2 night ago, I completed my first night shift of vintage.  Quite a bit has changed at Smithbrook since I was winemaker / manager over 2 years ago, most notable in the winery. 
Just prior to my departure, Ashley (current Smithbrook Manager) and myself physically erected a large shed over what was then the […]

Meriel Tufnell was one of England’s first female race jockeys -participating in the first British races sanctioned for women in 1972. She was victorious in her first race at Kempton Park in the Goya Stakes. She was photographed that day, smiling and mud-spattered, clutching a bouquet and a cup of champagne.

I’ve just flown over from Adelaide to Perth and sitting in the departure lounge of a coach station, waiting to catch a service down south to Smithbrook Wines in Pemberton. I spoke to Ashley yesterday and they’ve already completed the first night of picking, and even though I haven’t had much sleep, I’m sure […]

The conjecture on global warming has gained momentum over the last few years and almost no industry has been left untouched by the looming economic and social upheavel as a consequence of whatever action is taken.  As we work in the wine industry and rely on the environment to produce wine, including macro climatic, meso climatic, […]

Charles Philip Yorke was born in 1836 and became the Fifth Earl of Hardwicke in 1873. “Champagne Charlie” -as he was known -formed part of the “Dandy” set of well tailored young men with aloof manners and a keen sense of snobbery. A keen party animal, Charles quickly joined the Prince of Wales’ Malborough House […]

Much has been made of the war-time PM’s predilection for booze, but what exactly did Winston Churchill drink on those long mornings reading TOP SECRET documents in bed with the cat?
Over lunchtime meetings with politicians, military chiefs and family, Churchill would loyally drink Pol Roger -followed by brandy. He was supplied by shipments from Madame […]

By Jon F. 
Here in Australia we traditionally use tractors in our vineyards to implement numerous activities such as grass mowing, towing trailers, trimming, leaf plucking, harvesting, and vineyard spraying.  There are numerous spraying applications each season in a vineyard, including fungicide application and pest control. Sitting in a tractor all day and sometimes all night […]

€As happens regularly here at The Wine Blokes, a few friends were tasting a few wines the other day and invited us along to have a peak. There was no theme or style in particular, just some cracking good vino.
2001 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer (Alsace)
This wine was quite surprising and unique. It was noticeably […]

Alan Clark was a maverick figure in the Conservative Party from 1974. It was a surprise when Margaret Thatcher named him parliamentary under-secretary for the Department of Employment. Clark was less than interested in employment matters and it showed. Just before reading his first ministerial speech on equal pay to the House of Commons in […]

Thomas Becket became Archbishop of Canterbury, only to be murdered in his Cathedral for refusing to endorse the divorce of Henry VIII.
Whilst exiled in France during 1166, Becket drank the best wine that money could buy