Chablis is Queen. If you ask her, Shell will tell you she does not drink white wine. There are exceptions, aged Alsace Riesling, aged Hunter Valley Semillon, and her favourite, Chablis. And then there are exceptions to the exception. The occasional aged Clare Riesling one or two Margaret River Chardonnay’s and a one-off Grüner Veltliner…
2007 Poggio San Polo Brunello di Montalcino
Vientiane treasures. Part three of the Kuala Lumpur to Laos journey. Finding wine bars in faraway places is one of my favourite pastimes. Every city has something to offer if you look hard enough. This tiny place seemed impossible. Tucked away off a busy Vientiane street, owned by an old Italian gentleman. The shelves stocked…
2008 La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Garretti
Distant Dreams. The second chapter of the epic journey from Kuala Lumpur to Luang Parbang and back. The first of the Bangkok tastings can be found here – 2006 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Turckheim Great wine can be found anywhere if you know where to look. Bangkok is no exception. Dig deep enough and you can…
2006 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Turckheim
Distant dreams. There are three weeks until the term ends. Thoughts turn to travel around this time. Kuala Lumpur is the perfect launchpad for Asia, it is part of the reason we chose to live here, although we have grown to love it for everything it is, not just where it can take us. Times…
2009 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1
The anti-patriot. I rarely drink Australian wines anymore. The lack of patriotism started before we relocated to Malaysia. Initially, I was intimidated by wines from other countries, particularly Old World wines. Complicated naming systems, vineyard classifications and unknown grape varieties caused a strange wine anxiety. The change started with Burgundy and continued to Italy. Now,…
Opinion: Becoming Burgundy
In the shadow of greatness. Some comparisons should never be made. This thought flashes into the mind the moment I hear the phrase ‘it is made in a Burgundian style’. Shell and I standing in a cellar door on the Mornington Peninsula. It is a cold, wet June in 2016. Having already visited the Yarra…
2015 Elio Altare Langhe La Villa
Wine is the great mood modifier. Shell woke up in a less than ideal mood. Her disposition filled the room with a thick fog of bad attitude. She was aware of the situation but continued on the theme throughout the day. She fluctuated between abrasive comments and immediately apologising, only to repeat the behaviour over…
2017 Telmo Rodríguez Bodega Lanzaga LZ Rioja
Spanish civility. Serious wine drinking is serious business. Sometimes, a wine demands so much attention it can detract from company, food and the general good time of wine. Not necessarily a bad thing, if this is your wheel house, but after a few weeks of serious drinking, we decided to share a bottle that would…
1999 Best’s Great Western Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Door
Under the radar. There are plenty of high quality wine producers that sit under the radar. Best’s is certainly one of them. It is difficult to understand why. They have a history as long and celebrated as Henschke, a similar, family owned estate. They have a portfolio to rival Penfold’s, yet have not suffered the…