Canberra regional wine show gets the big picture but falters on detail

What can we learn from the honours list from the local wine show? Perhaps that wine shows tend to capture the big picture well but falter, at times, on the detail; that shiraz, riesling and chardonnay perform best; that pinot noir, cabernet and sauvignon blanc, with occasional exceptions, fare less well, or even poorly; that … Continue reading Canberra regional wine show gets the big picture but falters on detail

Stentiford’s Coonawarra Shiraz — a scarce and stunning wine

McWilliams recently released the 2006 vintage of a distinguished, if little known red wine – Brands Laira Stentiford’s Old Vine Coonawarra Shiraz. The wine’s story stretches back more than a century, involves some of Coonawarra’s oldest vines and provides unique drinking at $75 a bottle – a modest price for a scarce wine of such … Continue reading Stentiford’s Coonawarra Shiraz — a scarce and stunning wine

Wine review — Majella, Helm, Brindabella Hills, Lake George Vineyard and Shaw Vineyard Estate

Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $33 Like Canberra, Coonawarra suffered severe crop losses in the frosts of late 2006. As a result, says Majella’s Brian Lynn, there’s only a tiny quantity of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – one of the most appealing cabernets you’ll ever taste. It has an extraordinary high-toned fragrance and a buoyant … Continue reading Wine review — Majella, Helm, Brindabella Hills, Lake George Vineyard and Shaw Vineyard Estate

Lesson for Canberra winemakers — always put your best foot forward

A couple of weeks back well-known author James Halliday rated 13 Canberra wines among his top 100 in New South Wales. Buoyed by this, our local vignerons threw a dinner at the members’ dining room in old parliament house. The dinner paired flights of the Halliday 13, plus a ring-in from Hilltops, with food prepared … Continue reading Lesson for Canberra winemakers — always put your best foot forward

Australasian bulls eye in Chardonnay shoot out

On a recent blustery Friday afternoon, Canberra hosted an international chardonnay shoot-out. The bullets may ricochet around the world for some time. While the event may never take on the legendary status of Steven Spurrier’s 1976 judgement of Paris – where a handful of Californian wines out gunned some of France’s best – the Canberra … Continue reading Australasian bulls eye in Chardonnay shoot out