tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3860003594636291072024-03-19T19:10:04.933+13:00The Wine GuyAn occasional series about interesting wines I try, some wine news and things that annoy meTHE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.comBlogger306125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-51153667398505886412024-03-19T17:14:00.003+13:002024-03-19T17:14:48.329+13:00SLIPPAGE<p>When I worked in the wine industry I was much more up to date with all things wine espeacially styles. vintage status, brands and competitor products.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQIiY13DX0IpmyPGzHI-XgnVrNfEHg2grWO6MLAkXQKZpguHgyOwqDZvzbW2_JTx5E9QNWZpoAok_LZSTmWundud2aJ6_XwkTMB7VyU2XWr3NGXG4amLpBBExO9tgJ5fCeFkJ7DRDYJQZMSGDNB9uCgmuxiNQLWlWjwjWEzHpUi7aXfh32p-THwWokEE/s164/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="152" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQIiY13DX0IpmyPGzHI-XgnVrNfEHg2grWO6MLAkXQKZpguHgyOwqDZvzbW2_JTx5E9QNWZpoAok_LZSTmWundud2aJ6_XwkTMB7VyU2XWr3NGXG4amLpBBExO9tgJ5fCeFkJ7DRDYJQZMSGDNB9uCgmuxiNQLWlWjwjWEzHpUi7aXfh32p-THwWokEE/s1600/images.jpeg" width="152" /></a></div><br /><p>Now being long out of the industry I'm a bit out of touch with the wines in the market and, when purchasing from wineshops, supermarkets or on-line, refer more than ever before to wine writer endorsements when confronted by an unknown wine. Generally I stick to my favourites but now and then purchase new wines. When seen on-shelf the only thing to differentiate from a host of similar wines tends to be the 'gold' stickers on a bottle. When these are not entirely bogus like a gold sticker saying something meaningless like "We are known for our quality" or "Our winery dog's name is Ruffles" the stickers can be wine show accolades or, increasingly, wine writer reviews.</p><p>The problem with wine show accolades is in the quality of the wine show in question. Sadly there are several of these that come nowhere near the reliability of the old Air NZ National Wine Shows of years gone by. They are a watered down variant with suppliers not really seeing them as being the 'make it or break' it opportunity and wines are just shovelled along as part of the yearly marketing programme.</p><p>The problem also with wine writer reviews is that may of them are commercial enterprises where money has to be paid for a review. To me this is not entirely trustworthy no matter how much the wine writer or reviewer says that all wines are carefully evaluated on a 100-point scale.</p><p>I still trust some of the old favourites like Bob Campbell and Michael Cooper but I never see 'gold' stickers on bottles with their accolades.</p><p>Recently I purchased a NZ rose I haven't had before - Black Cottage 2023 from Marlborough. I admit that my purchase decision was influenced by the band of five 'gold medals" at the top of the label (sticker on the bottle).</p><p>While I was unfamiliar with this particular wine I do know of Black Cottage and acknowledge that the winery has a good reputation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbg69-1uHBecYNkUEFRK9foccXuNijaev9AlqZ3smW5CC00g441RCrTZUj5PozKE_9ikwZGK6xJV-3bLsBJfOxATZv6yoEOvKEztG_ruqOD2tf_XTVQIloW76d-G2dPXKNZ_FX-4ryne1Iah8wIVynq6OLWNsNR2aACEOnJtF8WyFP0NsVN71xefK3Cs/s4032/IMG_5194.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbg69-1uHBecYNkUEFRK9foccXuNijaev9AlqZ3smW5CC00g441RCrTZUj5PozKE_9ikwZGK6xJV-3bLsBJfOxATZv6yoEOvKEztG_ruqOD2tf_XTVQIloW76d-G2dPXKNZ_FX-4ryne1Iah8wIVynq6OLWNsNR2aACEOnJtF8WyFP0NsVN71xefK3Cs/s320/IMG_5194.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>The 'gold medals' turned out to be:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gold Medal from New Word Wine Awards (New World supermarket run competition).</li><li>5-stars and 93 points from Sam Kim (wine reviewer).</li><li>5-stars and 93 points from Raymond Chan Wine Reviews.</li><li>5-stars and 93 points from Candice Wine Chat.</li><li>'Premium' and 92 points from Cameron Douglas (wine reviewer).</li></ul><div>"OK, what's wrong with that?" you might ask.</div><div>Well, nothing really - if the wine is legitimately a 92/93 wine out of a hundred. Personally I don't think it comes close. and is a good example of the commercialisation of the reviewing industry.</div><div>I found the wine to be slightly tart and a bit 'stewy'. If I evaluated it carefully like a reviewer I'd give it at best 89 and at worst 80 putting it in the bronze to silver category. This of course is moot as I wasn't comparing it to a whole lot of other roses although I did open a bottle of Tipping Point Rose 2023 which knocked the socks off it. I actually blended the Black Cottage and Tipping Point wines together (hence why the photo shows the Black Cottage bottle being empty) which had the effect of improving the Black Cottage but lessening the appeal of the Tipping Point.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, moving on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've known Sam Kim for a long time and am aware of Cameron Douglas. I did know Raymond Chan until he died some years ago and very much respected his wine tasting ability. It does surprise me though to see his name being used on the review of a wine that he obviously did not taste given that he died in 2019.</div><div>I looked up 'Raymond Chan Wine Reviews to discover that Candice Chow (yes the Candice from Candice's Wine Chat) writes the reviews for Raymond Chan Wine Reviews. The website she uses says:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote><i>Candice has always been a fan of Raymond Chan Wine Reviews; she learnt that Raymond passed away in February 2019, it was a massive loss to the industry, she thought to herself, ” I wish someone would pick up the website and keep writing the same way that Raymond did.”. In December 2019, while Candice visited Martinborough, she happened to bring this up in a conversation with friends of Raymond. “Why don’t you do it?” they said. Then with some encouragement and an introduction to Sue Davies, things came together. Raymond’s legacy lives on, along with over 10,000 wine reviews Raymond accumulated, available to you, free to access.</i></blockquote><p>Well, sorry Candice, this doesn't cut it with me. The sticker you use clearly states "Raymond Chan Wine Reviews" alongside your own and I guess identical review with your sticker "Candice Wine Chat".</p><p>I'm neither impressed nor motivated to follow your lead when it comes to other bottles of wine.</p><p>I looked up the reviews that these wine reviewers posted on Black Cottage Rose 2023 and found the following:</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>Tasting Notes</i></p><i>Sam Kim, Wine Orbit writes "Pristine and bright, it's elegantly lifted on the nose with nectarine, raspberry, Gala apple and jasmine nuances, leading to a finely flowing palate that's ripe and fleshy. Light and delicate, yet persistent and delectable."<br /><br />Cameron Douglas MS writes "Salmon, apricot and pink hues lead to a bouquet of peach and red apple, some whispers of red berry and cherry then a lick of saffron. Aromatic with light floral notes then mineral. On the palate crisp and new, vibrant and fruity. Flavours mirror the bouquet and are accentuated by acidity and youthful fruit power."<br /><br />Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews writes "Bright, even, pale blush pink. The nose is gentle with some richness, enveloping red berries, watermelon, herbs and floral aromas. Medium-light bodied, red berries and watermelon aromas entwined with citrus zest, fresh herbs and floral elements. The wine is crisp with thirst-quenching acidity; floral and herb details add interest."<br /><br />And, the winery writes "This wine has a beautiful salmon colour. The aroma is a lovely combination of rose petals, red liquorice, fennel, and sea breeze. The palate has a delicate balance of red berries, watermelon, spice, and Provence herb flavours. The taste is refreshing and juicy, with a subtle savoury undertone and a perfectly balanced light acidity to finish."</i></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Amongst the licks of saffron, sea breezes, watermelon aromas and rose petals I see no mention of the tartness and slightly stewed character I found. Funny that.</div>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-15562153064591709982024-02-08T17:46:00.001+13:002024-02-08T17:46:44.174+13:00COLD, COLD, COLD<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tpp11sMXgcA" width="320" youtube-src-id="Tpp11sMXgcA"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Yes, you know that I like <i>Little Feat.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>A well known anoenophile in Wainiomartianland has for years been banging on about drinking red wines chilled.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIXZzgnqzV4XaDf_R7AZDVn1Gggys3qZTVAcqCCQ4D4a8lWwZBISevNyiRgJ5_rvYJako9EWLPveYBJP5lFcOoGwmCiqTSb0eWu1YBSMZtbcEOiiuSWRfKDlareBbGQIVbaX0bheUzoiJyvNt7lufXsjdwAIgUyHLoQ-QUHY4NHhdz5NV4RtcVTuX5BM/s500/food-drink-ice_cube-ice_cube-cold_drink-iced_drink-denture-ptan197_low.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="500" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIXZzgnqzV4XaDf_R7AZDVn1Gggys3qZTVAcqCCQ4D4a8lWwZBISevNyiRgJ5_rvYJako9EWLPveYBJP5lFcOoGwmCiqTSb0eWu1YBSMZtbcEOiiuSWRfKDlareBbGQIVbaX0bheUzoiJyvNt7lufXsjdwAIgUyHLoQ-QUHY4NHhdz5NV4RtcVTuX5BM/s320/food-drink-ice_cube-ice_cube-cold_drink-iced_drink-denture-ptan197_low.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Most sensible people ignored him and added it to his 'raving loony' portfolio but just recently a respected, albeit very ageing, wine critic has published an article that supports the aforementioned loony.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7HUro0-pR_JHxi1XECtknfF0jHeUhvyDr3PLp8NBGWsF6et_u-zM1Y0oZCE3NpzaZ59fIeohH2VAaybD3gDz7klIDhAPg4A7yGKo3JXqffT097DfQ3-hTw7l3uJV56beXAlEDK5By7Fl29c3a3aBt7Y7EV3Thh-k8tPoWA2rQEQKRqOepvwS-4cYisQ/s4032/IMG_5131.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="757" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7HUro0-pR_JHxi1XECtknfF0jHeUhvyDr3PLp8NBGWsF6et_u-zM1Y0oZCE3NpzaZ59fIeohH2VAaybD3gDz7klIDhAPg4A7yGKo3JXqffT097DfQ3-hTw7l3uJV56beXAlEDK5By7Fl29c3a3aBt7Y7EV3Thh-k8tPoWA2rQEQKRqOepvwS-4cYisQ/w568-h757/IMG_5131.jpeg" width="568" /></a></div><br /><p>Bob identified a couple of wine styles that respond well to chilling - in this case gamay and pinot noir and picked three wines that are suited to it.</p><p>There are no surprises there since gamay and pinot noir can often be light and fruity. Gamay, with its low tannic levels is probably the best example, and is mostly seen in the form of <i>Beaujolais</i> the French wine style of wine best served young and - chilled. Lighter pinot noirs also are often better tasted chilled, especially during the warmer months.</p><p>If a red wine is light in body, fresh and fruity then the chances are that it will be better chilled rather than drunk at room temperature.</p><p>That loony I mentioned earlier might by accident ascribe to this but it's more likely that the light, fresh and fruity gamays and pinot noirs he might drink chilled are just a small percentage of the cheap red plonk he stuffs in his refrigerator and freezer.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">***************</p><p style="text-align: left;">In the interests of full disclosure I must admit that for about all of my wine-drinking life (over 50 years now) I have often chilled lighter red wines prior to drinking them and not just roses and sparkling reds. I also keep various opened bottles of wine in the fridge and have a glass before dinner or while cooking and, when it's a red wine I just sip away at that cold whether it's a rose, a light-style red as mentioned or a more solid pinot noir, merlot, shiraz or cabernet sauvignon. I agree with Bob that the cooler the big red wine is that astringency is more pronounced but hey! It hasn't done me any harm.</p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-66271137950932472982023-09-21T10:45:00.000+12:002023-09-21T10:45:08.357+12:00JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT ... THEY PULL ME BACK IN."<p>Her Indoors was in Auckland recently and shopped relentlessly in <i>Smith and Caughey's </i>one of the very few remaining department stores in the country.</p><p>Sadly, this too has suffered the decline that retail, especially top end retail has experienced over the last few decades.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once known for its fabulous window displays, the store now struggles to attract interest.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlwiqR3xXvdKtiMDx5GCqEOrZN9zpys-tEzuRgqikd0jNobkcmoeOIxNmHEtE7hz2PK6xjGpGdXQ-puu8HixxrNm7brBvgVCc8gdSCcG9lkSPzLCp__3K6hLeF1ishbdWlOHVb2JVHpRDQsUveno4se-wI8B9dTFynoPmQPDziL-lGCZw3rT4GvTp-XY/s275/download-1.jpg" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlwiqR3xXvdKtiMDx5GCqEOrZN9zpys-tEzuRgqikd0jNobkcmoeOIxNmHEtE7hz2PK6xjGpGdXQ-puu8HixxrNm7brBvgVCc8gdSCcG9lkSPzLCp__3K6hLeF1ishbdWlOHVb2JVHpRDQsUveno4se-wI8B9dTFynoPmQPDziL-lGCZw3rT4GvTp-XY/w400-h266/download-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heyday</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifF3fsK2Ra6UmZ9v0lGHuQsJdJ6SeA9hjyRs_dlUx6-VjkbIKUnbymWlq6C9Q_8xtJk-HObPhIynIY3ouQs55vFKHv5z4pD6_ZIkgIlVMRom1OEw5jfUQJTrdDES1KX1DDhKWCcw5u3YAXaJUtzTfHnNq-qM45aVdJZjLU7O-ZZU0qyPEX8SP-M8WTfkg/s275/download.jpg" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifF3fsK2Ra6UmZ9v0lGHuQsJdJ6SeA9hjyRs_dlUx6-VjkbIKUnbymWlq6C9Q_8xtJk-HObPhIynIY3ouQs55vFKHv5z4pD6_ZIkgIlVMRom1OEw5jfUQJTrdDES1KX1DDhKWCcw5u3YAXaJUtzTfHnNq-qM45aVdJZjLU7O-ZZU0qyPEX8SP-M8WTfkg/w400-h266/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Inside the store the departments have been downsized and the 'magic' has gone. The same happened long ago with <i>James Smith's</i> and <i>DIC</i> in Wellington and more recently with Wellington's <i>Kirkcaldie & Stains</i> and Christchurch's <i>Ballantyne's.</i></p><p>Anyway, amongst her purchases she bought 6 bottles of <i>Francis</i> <i>Coppola</i> Zinfandel 2020.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YE8XwAHFNvndSRoFYwhWG6K3h_t-mjFnUwsDbMgS_LG4cZz7DLwZq5YPMHbtGMfJEUnY2OC0zMCthcbDeRKVMGJt5qIUnk1iE9PmuQe-TuiFRuHnFYz3C6b3hg-t4mtTIAQ7TEign3l5ouZnG-c685_rqYFKx_ZO9lul9Fxj2y56Rt_LCRSX0ELuFlU/s4032/IMG_4919.jpeg" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YE8XwAHFNvndSRoFYwhWG6K3h_t-mjFnUwsDbMgS_LG4cZz7DLwZq5YPMHbtGMfJEUnY2OC0zMCthcbDeRKVMGJt5qIUnk1iE9PmuQe-TuiFRuHnFYz3C6b3hg-t4mtTIAQ7TEign3l5ouZnG-c685_rqYFKx_ZO9lul9Fxj2y56Rt_LCRSX0ELuFlU/w400-h300/IMG_4919.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are familiar with the brand and the wine style.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We spent some time in the Napa Valley in the early 1990s and <i>Niebaum Coppola</i> was one of the magnificent wineries we visited.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDoQ5sqMvmX6jCJM2c8A8OiDL0HJSK9m7YULoX88D4TeV5EDhTk6wGaWyVrW8uq6-IJG4i81TCEoUokORlMFYiJ867cwpWtOpMat26zAzGwel94KoS3VW-v8MKzbms0-_g4YjdxtDHkEGS0Wi4qBxXBFs95zryb3P0rdQvTrEjQUXBrnqwYXH5ZJQcWo/s225/images-3.jpg" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDoQ5sqMvmX6jCJM2c8A8OiDL0HJSK9m7YULoX88D4TeV5EDhTk6wGaWyVrW8uq6-IJG4i81TCEoUokORlMFYiJ867cwpWtOpMat26zAzGwel94KoS3VW-v8MKzbms0-_g4YjdxtDHkEGS0Wi4qBxXBFs95zryb3P0rdQvTrEjQUXBrnqwYXH5ZJQcWo/w400-h400/images-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The wines were great and we purchased some top cabernet sauvignon and a couple of wine glasses (the ones in the photograph with <i>Francis Coppola</i> Zinfandel above) which we miraculously got home unbroken. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When Her Indoors was working out of Wellington in 2020 she bought a bottle, probably 2017 vintage of this and we shared it with Richard and Shelley and their Italian visitor at dinner in the Egmont Street apartment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2020 zinfandel we tried last night is again rich, medium bodied with fruity and spicy fruit and nice toasty oak flavours. Yummy now and will keep well. The petite syrah in the mix is evident and gives a nice backbone to the more luscious Zinfandel fruit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've given up drinking big rich red wines like shiraz, cabernet Sauvignon and zinfandel because I find that after two glasses I don't sleep very well. I might have to reconsider that after tasting this wine last night.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkftko1nuhU8y1LGq3d7N5hLvC5RSwyo_W8vNRfmOcdF-NYsdwHiCUg3bfldY7PXpaRqOhZGzmB8LnoVHXEOgn61TBBkyXV45b8ay8mU5rZq0IpgWg-uIJrP-cDox_63dU4_p90BVdIlHHhzXL8yfsFe3rGJZLRT4MJ2xHuWw8Ap9S_0V1u1MwFtl3tY/s640/just-when-i-thought-i-was-out-they-pull-me-back-in.gif" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="640" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkftko1nuhU8y1LGq3d7N5hLvC5RSwyo_W8vNRfmOcdF-NYsdwHiCUg3bfldY7PXpaRqOhZGzmB8LnoVHXEOgn61TBBkyXV45b8ay8mU5rZq0IpgWg-uIJrP-cDox_63dU4_p90BVdIlHHhzXL8yfsFe3rGJZLRT4MJ2xHuWw8Ap9S_0V1u1MwFtl3tY/s320/just-when-i-thought-i-was-out-they-pull-me-back-in.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-77400805508405862962023-09-16T14:56:00.000+12:002023-09-16T14:56:40.123+12:00DOING THINGS BY HALF MEASURES<p style="text-align: center;">Not this.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPlBV4kf8AZv758_D1Xrx35rq2FoW_6CycjXUeYJEeiKpkvD65yoHxIHsjzMzsXbe6VpZxtNLWT-6_xFIDoQ-IQpltelTHbm73Ah6MahE32Oeqcw4nJuJqXePUMMQoKpZbgB-a98Qb8x6fpUBjF8XMFW36sEoTeM55_03KMa1C7Y5p8Unp9gGVwr6P9g/s225/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPlBV4kf8AZv758_D1Xrx35rq2FoW_6CycjXUeYJEeiKpkvD65yoHxIHsjzMzsXbe6VpZxtNLWT-6_xFIDoQ-IQpltelTHbm73Ah6MahE32Oeqcw4nJuJqXePUMMQoKpZbgB-a98Qb8x6fpUBjF8XMFW36sEoTeM55_03KMa1C7Y5p8Unp9gGVwr6P9g/w320-h320/download.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p>I've written and complained many times at the lack of availability of 375 ml (half) bottles of wines in New Zealand. This is very annoying and I believe that wine manufacturers in New Zealand are missing out on opportunities.</p><p>As long as supermarkets control wine retail though, this is unlikely to change.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a December 2018 post I wrote:</p><blockquote><i>Producers have decided that consumers (or not enough of them) are willing to pay the premium that production of smaller size bottles demands. It's not just the cost of the volume of wine or the tax that makes up the cost (half) as the cost of the bottles, labels, packaging and bottling labour costs are nowhere near half of that of the 750ml variant and in the case of small production runs can be more expensive. Bottling lines are configured for 750ml runs and anything outside of this is a costly hassle.<br />Furthermore, wine retailing is stacked in favour of big chains whether supermarket or not to a factor of 80:20 and these customers just want to move as much product as quickly as possible so can't be arsed about fiddly other sized packaging. Bugger what the consumer wants.</i></blockquote><p>In a September 2019 post I wrote:</p><blockquote><i>Years ago many brands carried 375 ml variants (and bigger formats) of their best wines but this fell away when bigger production volumes demanded greater efficiencies and reduced costs and price points. 375 mls fell out of favour with stockists who presupposed that the consumer didn't want to pay more than half price for a half bottle of wine. In a way they were right given that 750ml bottles are so often on special so the price difference between the two sizes has become greater but they have misread the possible demand through convenience of the smaller format.<br />The economies are easy to work out. While there is only half the cost of the wine and the excise in the bottle the cost of the bottle, the label and the carton of the 375ml might actually be higher than the cost of the 750ml bottle, the label and the carton due to smaller production runs.</i></blockquote><p>In May 20190 I wrote:</p><blockquote><i>I opened a 375ml bottle of Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2006 last night. I expected it to be good and wasn't disappointed. This is seriously good wine and has been consistently so for many vintages. If there is dumbing down of it (which is to be expected under the new ownership regime and the heavy discounting of the brand) it has not yet ruined it.<br />The reason I bought a case of this wine and the reason I opened it last night, apart from its pedigree and my appreciation of it, was the fact that it is in a 375 ml format (half bottle). Unfortunately these are becoming very rare. Most wine companies have discontinued the practice of bottling some of their production into either magnums (2 bottle size) or half bottles. This is not because of quality considerations (although half bottles do age quicker than full bottles but magnums age more gracefully than 750 ml bottles) but due to cost considerations. A half bottle cannot be just half the price of a full bottle. The bottle can cost the same as will the cork, capsule, labels and cartons. Sensible consumers realise this and will pay the extra. The new power that retailers have now is the problem. They feel that their customers won't pay more than half the normal price of a bottle (have they asked them?) and so won't stock the smaller bottles. They have done the same to the magnums in that they have decreed that as they are more expensive there will not be the same stock turnover therefore it is better to only present the consumer with the one package size - 750 <br />ml.</i></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>OK - in summary:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A half bottle of wine will not have the same production cost as a full bottle of wine, it will be more because the cost of the bottle, capsule and label will be the same and, due to economies of scale bottling costs will likely be higher.</li><li>In New Zealand producers don't really care whether there is a consumer demand or not for smaller bottles because they can promote and sell the full bottles so easily.</li><li>Supermarkets that control the majority of the retail market are just interested in moving through volume.</li><li>Many consumers won't pay comparatively more for a half bottle (which would probably be 3/5th) to 2/3rd the cost of a full bottle - before discounting.</li></ul><div>Outside of New Zealand however half bottles, while not being as abundantly available as in the past are generally still available from the most modest of producers right through to top Chateau French wines. We are being done a disservice here.</div><div><br /></div><div>What to do?</div><div><br /></div><div>If I was younger I would take advantage of a market gap here. It may not be huge but I believe that it could be lucrative and, sooner or later someone will take advantage of it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u>Specialise in importing half bottles</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>The rise of on-line wine retailing (I buy from at least 5 different on-line sellers and there are many more) provides an excellent opportunity for specialty or niche products. The on-line business model isn't dependent on having to suck up to supermarkets and retail chains, to pay the usurious listing fees and to have to supply them at low cost and lower margin. The product can be sold direct to consumer who pays the delivery cost thus protecting full margin unless, for any reason the product needs to be discounted in order to quit it.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is an opportunity for someone to set themselves up as a select provider of half bottles that can be imported from around the world (including the few from New Zealand producers). The specialty nature of this business can, for a time at least, guarantee exclusivity. Frankly, I wish that I'd considered this many years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Specialise in the production of half bottles of New Zealand wine.</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>The 'Kim Crawford' model that has been copied by many producers now is to contract with wine companies for bulk supply of wine to be bottled under a bespoke label. The wine can be bought off a 'list' of availability or produced to spec following a recipe of instructions. The wine is purchased when finished and shipped to an agreed bottling company who bottle, seal, label and package into cartons to be shipped to the brand owner's warehouse. This model could be easily used for specialty production of 375 ml wines which, across a variety of styles and varietals would provide volume and then economies of scale to secure glass manufacturing cost advantages.</div><div><br /></div><div>This requires a lot of set up capital, not in manufacturing but in warehousing and stock purchase but, once product starts to move, cash flow will carry it. Ask the Crawfords who became multi millionaires doing this before selling up to international companies.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>You can see that a combination of imported and locally produced wine can cover nearly all wine styles and price points.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm an old man and won't be doing this myself but I'd like to see someone pick up and run with this.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-41924619387687297642023-08-15T19:44:00.002+12:002023-08-15T19:44:42.703+12:00SAME OLD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHPUIN3-sHqZONb2DfcD9j6JTs7iESpzHZQL6x8Unp1ti8pMT-kSKwGZtZPaLOt9F47XfZmAnffEuQpgS8RN_PsZv-Yl0Z9ql76z0C-u9oitOTUPPU_SOpnjZKsj1dl39L7cVUerSQQTGTi-LExBF0ziCflBeu4RGM9n-U_zV5M1_HrIkHbxaryAUyvo/s270/download%20(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="270" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHPUIN3-sHqZONb2DfcD9j6JTs7iESpzHZQL6x8Unp1ti8pMT-kSKwGZtZPaLOt9F47XfZmAnffEuQpgS8RN_PsZv-Yl0Z9ql76z0C-u9oitOTUPPU_SOpnjZKsj1dl39L7cVUerSQQTGTi-LExBF0ziCflBeu4RGM9n-U_zV5M1_HrIkHbxaryAUyvo/w400-h277/download%20(3).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>There are a couple of people reading this blog ....... hold on. I'd better rephrase that or you'll get the wrong idea .... a couple of readers of this popular blog have, on their own blogs (don't bother), written about their choice of <strike>wine </strike>plonk being 'cleanskins'. Oh, here you go, here's a link to a previous post I wrote about one of them: <a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2023/07/you-just-cant-help-some-people.html">HERE</a></p><p><i>Cleanskins,</i> as you know was a term coined back in the late 1990s to cover the wines that retailers were selling on winemakers behalf when winemakers couldn't sell their wines easily and did not want to invest in labels and packaging. Here a re a couple of posts I wrote on this a while ago:</p><p><a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2008/06/cleanskins.html">CLEANSKINS</a><br /></p><p><a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2017/12/cleanskins-2.html">CLEANSKINS 2</a><br /></p><p>Those two jokers I mentioned, being late adopters, take pride in their 'discovery' of a cheaper way to drink their favourite tipple - plonk, little realising that the ship has sailed and 'cleanskins' are now just part of the marketing mix and not fantastic bargains.</p><p>OK, "more fool them you might think" but you need to have an understanding of their naivety.</p><p>They are naive.</p><p>They celebrate the fact that they buy 'cleanskin' wines little realising the the 'cleanskin' that they buy is just another wine brand - with a bloody label on it. Sheesh!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwztOkltW-AlXWMosKE8qx_JSR6rWYmysvODk6GPDMA68H-TD7vxK7ZmHngirSuXdH7CZ25jkg8n0zaDqxCKgLXPvGPeVZ6gh9_EUc-kltEjNfu_nA_Ieg82dP5IksubswVGtYaWTCh10os3SUwefLT5PSo-ntJ9gk3sqFXEDbm1fbWAlOtxJCm7MJ6E/s1600/1691987322024919-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwztOkltW-AlXWMosKE8qx_JSR6rWYmysvODk6GPDMA68H-TD7vxK7ZmHngirSuXdH7CZ25jkg8n0zaDqxCKgLXPvGPeVZ6gh9_EUc-kltEjNfu_nA_Ieg82dP5IksubswVGtYaWTCh10os3SUwefLT5PSo-ntJ9gk3sqFXEDbm1fbWAlOtxJCm7MJ6E/s320/1691987322024919-1.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45QgoU2hl8-J6ZYSeYAUjqkahZCr0xw24aulbVcg0hgXlRfALks2qjj8CVouC2y6aaEUnkJzPknKhtnK91qTgzo1kNpdYGT55FPYAuLN3bfTHwK2_ZrOXs1Zs_OxXjd0ATYuvqusUX0tgELabWhrnlaIrjKxkB1U0SNcTErXfCE72qQdt-050QauNEbs/s1600/1691987327804915-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45QgoU2hl8-J6ZYSeYAUjqkahZCr0xw24aulbVcg0hgXlRfALks2qjj8CVouC2y6aaEUnkJzPknKhtnK91qTgzo1kNpdYGT55FPYAuLN3bfTHwK2_ZrOXs1Zs_OxXjd0ATYuvqusUX0tgELabWhrnlaIrjKxkB1U0SNcTErXfCE72qQdt-050QauNEbs/s320/1691987327804915-0.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a close up of a LABEL!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNkqOnbSJ6XpZc7t3DjM_BCmdOsWXOzjcbuc3gb38jvquCPlWw0_c3jWL6F8JNmhd_RI47XWwrHLkxJCJMkmzrXRJx0Bpy1eF5FWrIqKbvtV81MZiWKnaSoYu8dQIq2acr_xM5pmF165zzWcvfnLPVX3B58pPyU1K06ABIKvUlltCeGxWWntNi6Crcxo/s259/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNkqOnbSJ6XpZc7t3DjM_BCmdOsWXOzjcbuc3gb38jvquCPlWw0_c3jWL6F8JNmhd_RI47XWwrHLkxJCJMkmzrXRJx0Bpy1eF5FWrIqKbvtV81MZiWKnaSoYu8dQIq2acr_xM5pmF165zzWcvfnLPVX3B58pPyU1K06ABIKvUlltCeGxWWntNi6Crcxo/s1600/download.jpeg" width="194" /></a></div><br /><p>What more can I say?</p><br />THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-57741298175486168012023-07-25T12:52:00.001+12:002023-07-25T12:52:24.413+12:00YOU JUST CAN'T HELP SOME PEOPLE<p> </p><p>A regular reader ... sorry, a reader of this blog said in a comment a while ago that he feels like a connoisseur. I don't know what he planned to do with that connoisseur if he found one - the mind boggles.</p><p>Richard of Richard's Bass Bag drinks a lot of wine - a lot of wine - but it seems that quantity doesn't equate with quality.</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nukCdFKArAOCI5LlIxdqCalSBjGwJH8RuKaLjTMthNwIlfw2I3POBAZ_w0E3afAPQXfDVdnYL90byE3hdxIRjjCh4OCxf4fIb03LEUOj15-aXljbv5IQf3Yd8n3T6QHc2brGLBwFisz4TS5hIUShCo7DXEDB-Gi9uvHRCxRkM0ptFG8aBpyg13pj37Q/s225/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nukCdFKArAOCI5LlIxdqCalSBjGwJH8RuKaLjTMthNwIlfw2I3POBAZ_w0E3afAPQXfDVdnYL90byE3hdxIRjjCh4OCxf4fIb03LEUOj15-aXljbv5IQf3Yd8n3T6QHc2brGLBwFisz4TS5hIUShCo7DXEDB-Gi9uvHRCxRkM0ptFG8aBpyg13pj37Q/w200-h200/download.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oops - wrong image</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEvQMJSjSka18oAeYoxrMRM3K5nYKNnI2s-NP8CoqEeSvFbR6_VNkG_0E4gXYpCNwXtiRmwHxGB4_aPFK_YVXpYth1eB1zg5OyyQAIIK5kF1vttPxPT16Zq1rJ-Low2sXs7zcnGk2AjZCfW0v07xPvL4t0B4NGBiN1gb039JzMccmZPbsKjVMnjnVVYg/s938/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.48.04%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="938" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEvQMJSjSka18oAeYoxrMRM3K5nYKNnI2s-NP8CoqEeSvFbR6_VNkG_0E4gXYpCNwXtiRmwHxGB4_aPFK_YVXpYth1eB1zg5OyyQAIIK5kF1vttPxPT16Zq1rJ-Low2sXs7zcnGk2AjZCfW0v07xPvL4t0B4NGBiN1gb039JzMccmZPbsKjVMnjnVVYg/w200-h162/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.48.04%20PM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you go.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I've tried to point him in the right direction over the years but his default setting overrides my suggestions for good chardonnays.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdjOc-G05iB-6-8186nurkcEOxViaUE-cYjpNNog3RXTYUD24U22JowtbSpKIVwDQi22yxdh1jEdlgU1UYJ-39H3j_ZRukmyPdCgF3MRV899zTZ0-9iHPu7JJhE7uEiIEPisIzxiovmaHlfTbV9IXljWuwG9D4NGuUBTjdLqKpv-9kvCRYtfx7Cq7wZc/s470/0979055a428786b5141888c8a316c699.gif" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdjOc-G05iB-6-8186nurkcEOxViaUE-cYjpNNog3RXTYUD24U22JowtbSpKIVwDQi22yxdh1jEdlgU1UYJ-39H3j_ZRukmyPdCgF3MRV899zTZ0-9iHPu7JJhE7uEiIEPisIzxiovmaHlfTbV9IXljWuwG9D4NGuUBTjdLqKpv-9kvCRYtfx7Cq7wZc/w311-h400/0979055a428786b5141888c8a316c699.gif" width="311" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsij6fR3rSeVxx0zvfBxsWbEZdQoqqlnDOtBtwEdRXvcUyz5wX2wopSY1EYfQ_znKqV7y57W3eQPL0lpeokcI02c1QyR6jIVI1omaWK3Mwmfrl4eyLDc6-cvPAo9xhNsbtmX-soPlqr0iMlIF0ljxP8SC5SEA2dOLYzTZBLr4wYRGx3uQnvLVrGArdKw/s643/food-drink-wine-wine_connoisseur-wine_snobs-intoxicate-wine_snobs-jlnn235_low.jpeg" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsij6fR3rSeVxx0zvfBxsWbEZdQoqqlnDOtBtwEdRXvcUyz5wX2wopSY1EYfQ_znKqV7y57W3eQPL0lpeokcI02c1QyR6jIVI1omaWK3Mwmfrl4eyLDc6-cvPAo9xhNsbtmX-soPlqr0iMlIF0ljxP8SC5SEA2dOLYzTZBLr4wYRGx3uQnvLVrGArdKw/w311-h400/food-drink-wine-wine_connoisseur-wine_snobs-intoxicate-wine_snobs-jlnn235_low.jpeg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p>Wine tasting protocols just don't register with him even if he goes through the motions:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_TpRdqSl0gfPDbHTOY08kfD9n8zWXp7gznR8gJ6G0S88Dgjn3T78DL9Fc_wTHXTIMmebpLtziCZgBi0fWqu5cWNr9iyy7mFllXgTC6Bgej3VfBLUvOIOCZQlhXOiFErWPQgo6nmSciIcO5kT9PxmQqoap_hRuFBc6o88H_U5rwx73UBrmGiE9BP4_gQ/s576/s5Vvk99dS84UM5oRGF2XMUXZiB5dPaT-faKQUyy7HzQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="576" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_TpRdqSl0gfPDbHTOY08kfD9n8zWXp7gznR8gJ6G0S88Dgjn3T78DL9Fc_wTHXTIMmebpLtziCZgBi0fWqu5cWNr9iyy7mFllXgTC6Bgej3VfBLUvOIOCZQlhXOiFErWPQgo6nmSciIcO5kT9PxmQqoap_hRuFBc6o88H_U5rwx73UBrmGiE9BP4_gQ/w400-h297/s5Vvk99dS84UM5oRGF2XMUXZiB5dPaT-faKQUyy7HzQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I had a look at some of his recent posts to see if there's been any improvement but no, he seems to just drink the same old thing, his usual brand - Cleanskin:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCCUGzKJHG6AXnTdNW_UAE1tde4-zf30UaIyeBRVhVG4dtt7fIEVm2qqIVU_doNhLXVK4DlmN7P_EJGYuTFM6oqZTHdGbeR5FP6hdubEegc5-awjIxpKutmusyRFTXHufoCNC2ubnh_x4CeI-tj0XImN9u-MN6WRq65FVCv5GKpz40CfyXJLF7a6GGRs/s1502/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.20.18%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1502" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCCUGzKJHG6AXnTdNW_UAE1tde4-zf30UaIyeBRVhVG4dtt7fIEVm2qqIVU_doNhLXVK4DlmN7P_EJGYuTFM6oqZTHdGbeR5FP6hdubEegc5-awjIxpKutmusyRFTXHufoCNC2ubnh_x4CeI-tj0XImN9u-MN6WRq65FVCv5GKpz40CfyXJLF7a6GGRs/w400-h175/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.20.18%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqODbxM2JBYNYCnBcv7jxWaKfgbDDVDOKMShXJrdGqhSwiNhBsd6z9qMH7Ue04d-84F6SP8F5CJYndUKNtkwATxCnmKa3JEMALqBUl1Lb2ulOCHhfHJsMmzAcRL2zEK20BkOjtYSVXQTWnw5Hpfsyv4UUr_o6A5KeMW3FaE5zjZKZ41DKqu6UHmLQKzw/s1510/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.21.26%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1510" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqODbxM2JBYNYCnBcv7jxWaKfgbDDVDOKMShXJrdGqhSwiNhBsd6z9qMH7Ue04d-84F6SP8F5CJYndUKNtkwATxCnmKa3JEMALqBUl1Lb2ulOCHhfHJsMmzAcRL2zEK20BkOjtYSVXQTWnw5Hpfsyv4UUr_o6A5KeMW3FaE5zjZKZ41DKqu6UHmLQKzw/w400-h271/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.21.26%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wpjOrW8QtcyOIr6vjSOkY8J4jtnJPEsu5Uh6EIjjN5c5G0A7VjGsMb9KFuFVedUJoGg3bVbUniw6yw5MLVcncfbhzAS8ccDZQKmhzws9gCjicTaErzFgMb4dRyxqI5kMKe0T11iInqcDqlXzQW1szA2DmbRkH8ISUDEkVvFl3hDl6O7_GPPVgOxmO4A/s1490/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.25.41%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1490" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wpjOrW8QtcyOIr6vjSOkY8J4jtnJPEsu5Uh6EIjjN5c5G0A7VjGsMb9KFuFVedUJoGg3bVbUniw6yw5MLVcncfbhzAS8ccDZQKmhzws9gCjicTaErzFgMb4dRyxqI5kMKe0T11iInqcDqlXzQW1szA2DmbRkH8ISUDEkVvFl3hDl6O7_GPPVgOxmO4A/w400-h216/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.25.41%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEq8Byjt73HP7eHYUI7Hm27EQdn6aAzj0bWQEUO7znUZwk4ITZzkQa5aPUZjKjZ2nc1Pg3Y8QpSxkmmyB9kD_RERBXnqT5LTFluaPmP7XGK9J17tN0a1EJZgeolgFRgU7WdAbcAXAmQNBkJyeT370NQTCOjjTdFW_r0tPkBY-WYeZwShFuO_0FvYUpsN8/s1482/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.26.01%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="1482" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEq8Byjt73HP7eHYUI7Hm27EQdn6aAzj0bWQEUO7znUZwk4ITZzkQa5aPUZjKjZ2nc1Pg3Y8QpSxkmmyB9kD_RERBXnqT5LTFluaPmP7XGK9J17tN0a1EJZgeolgFRgU7WdAbcAXAmQNBkJyeT370NQTCOjjTdFW_r0tPkBY-WYeZwShFuO_0FvYUpsN8/w400-h171/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.26.01%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV134MCfu7kku-OsEt8B0v_Sb2MekH57fYfnBmzcV1D-DekRy2Lyzxnj5y3q9pP3yYhqWY_v-qeQgm0rUATnnoPFFttO-ipd2PlRhDGVYibr8GMRzsXQ01CRkG42BzUyeKmnlZrU4JBvz7czq37rUSW9YaO3F9cGdilV0hl-cHxgXnuH3lokNiy9Vvhc/s1456/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.26.44%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1456" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV134MCfu7kku-OsEt8B0v_Sb2MekH57fYfnBmzcV1D-DekRy2Lyzxnj5y3q9pP3yYhqWY_v-qeQgm0rUATnnoPFFttO-ipd2PlRhDGVYibr8GMRzsXQ01CRkG42BzUyeKmnlZrU4JBvz7czq37rUSW9YaO3F9cGdilV0hl-cHxgXnuH3lokNiy9Vvhc/w400-h246/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.26.44%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The only other wine he mentioned was one he found behind a bookshelf. It must be years old and long past its best That reminds me of something .....</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bqj8uJI0txkoamfufcW8fGFwHFOGflCy0PqV-OJ8UIItwnk6PRjbdU3eH7f1Q2tXk7Nldamdos7CyybTIk7zL9Z6RiesEY3RPkDWQikIwyP8FdL7onuhhMVlJmvqM-e6TL-QG66QAyaz2DYkI7xlM56G-AUDFqzMzgojxRE8o-45XRtO_nSKOk04jy4/s1176/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.22.33%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1176" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bqj8uJI0txkoamfufcW8fGFwHFOGflCy0PqV-OJ8UIItwnk6PRjbdU3eH7f1Q2tXk7Nldamdos7CyybTIk7zL9Z6RiesEY3RPkDWQikIwyP8FdL7onuhhMVlJmvqM-e6TL-QG66QAyaz2DYkI7xlM56G-AUDFqzMzgojxRE8o-45XRtO_nSKOk04jy4/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-25%20at%2012.22.33%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Oh wekk, at least he's contributing to the wine statistics.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-49096679428076792732023-04-08T11:36:00.004+12:002023-04-08T17:22:56.149+12:00CRACK A TUBE<p> It's been a while since I've posted but it's been even longer since the wine industry has done anything new or innovative that excites me.</p><p>Not long ago there was a flurry of activity on production of no or low alcohol wines and alternative packaging but this hasn't progressed very far at all.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGTNgm2wCNcgNR4NIKD_Vl9RW2tS4yW4Vmxm6EMBSSwj0szV_Fpe3pg7cJgJHl6Zk87YuzsYxBO5FjC4HmxJRFsNSzb8P9usl8wp5rUxI7-VKcLOGfeofo7T3pkSHb1e-sh48XdMguRHq8U_j4ngO3GHWNwcbyj2eanmDdc4zlmk1mSJfwO4i7Jru/s1200/non-alcoholic-wine-pros-cons.jpeg" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1200" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGTNgm2wCNcgNR4NIKD_Vl9RW2tS4yW4Vmxm6EMBSSwj0szV_Fpe3pg7cJgJHl6Zk87YuzsYxBO5FjC4HmxJRFsNSzb8P9usl8wp5rUxI7-VKcLOGfeofo7T3pkSHb1e-sh48XdMguRHq8U_j4ngO3GHWNwcbyj2eanmDdc4zlmk1mSJfwO4i7Jru/w400-h299/non-alcoholic-wine-pros-cons.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>There are more reduced alcohol wines available but these are still in the aromatic varietals that I don't like. Offer me a decent reduced alcohol pinot noir, rose or chardonnay and I'll buy it but, to date, there are none.</p><p>Why is this? It's not as if the technology isn't there - it comes down to will. Most producers simply can't be arsed to invest in this, to them, tiny segment of the market and prefer to pump out full alcohol wines to meet their (current) markets.</p><p>Twenty years ago I was researching and trialling some low and zero alcohol products, both wine and synthetic wine substitutes as I could see what the opportunity would be in the future. The stick-in-the mud people I worked with had no vision in this and gave little support to my project. When I left the company it wasn't pursued and, to date, that company still hasn't done anything significant in this area and is being gazumped by the likes of <i>Giesen, Brancott Estate</i> and <i>Forrest</i>.</p><p>I'm excited by the experimentation going into vine development whereby, instead of picking unripe grapes, fully ripened grapes that will give a lower alcohol yield are being propagated. If these provide full or near to varietal flavour then I'll definitely be a buyer but, to date there are only a few people trialling this and the big companies with the big funds aren't bothering. Luddites.</p><p>This is interesting reading but is four years old and I'm unaware of any commercial breakthroughs:</p><p><a href="https://drinksadventures.com.au/2019/12/13/nzs-low-alcohol-wine-pioneers-with-viticulturalist-dr-david-jordan-s4e6/">LOW ALCOHOL WINE - VITICULTURE</a><br /></p><p>As regards packaging innovation almost all companies are still using 'traditional' 750ml wine bottles and ignoring the potential market in 375ml and other packaging forms like cans. Safe linings for aluminium cans for wines have been developed but scaredy-cat executives of the major companies haven't got the balls to give them a go. Again - they just look at their current markets and not future ones. A paradigm shift is required here and, when it does happen, many will be on the back foot.</p><p>I'll be happy to buy most of my wines in 375ml bottle format even though the per ml cost is higher (larger production runs will reduce costs and subsequent prices though) and definitely would buy wine in 200ml or 330ml cans when the more serious varietals are used other than the current aromatic and cheaper quality wines.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwgno2-VDiorZMEPL0PASSd09MBswwvmQfX6Q0mPhs9mGmdpeiL99nGdotMq38_jwaNAt5ylAjk6EMbth4LDp7pxGGW2qKfv9WI9LnTH2B8zfSETIXpYQ59Ds-8a89Wv-ap_EuOTkdAUKLaL-5JbnyV9sUYVESTzywzEJZTYBH_ulfVfuEsgLicr5/s800/canned-wine.jpeg" imageanchor="1" referrerpolicy="origin" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwgno2-VDiorZMEPL0PASSd09MBswwvmQfX6Q0mPhs9mGmdpeiL99nGdotMq38_jwaNAt5ylAjk6EMbth4LDp7pxGGW2qKfv9WI9LnTH2B8zfSETIXpYQ59Ds-8a89Wv-ap_EuOTkdAUKLaL-5JbnyV9sUYVESTzywzEJZTYBH_ulfVfuEsgLicr5/s320/canned-wine.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Like this but better quality</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-36140615927188868072023-01-27T16:54:00.005+13:002023-01-27T16:59:27.531+13:00THREE THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG WITH A BOTTLE OF WHITE WINEHello all.<div>I've been off-line for a long time but have been called back in 'to the office' to inform you of the three things that can go wrong with a bottle of white wine.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know, I know - this does seem to be beneath the capabilities of a wine guy but <strike>an old drunk</strike> a guy I know who is getting very old and becoming confused asked me this. It is serious as he's resorted to drinking cleanskin chardonnay in the mistaken belief that he's getting better value for money. I guess that it makes it easier for him to order wines now that his memory is going.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYJz6wo2UC3qQ0Y4Yv__gjFcHZyiERJ2YkfFhT9U3BhUPbY7gvmbBhdBLcOy0-kAHYeKfXjeOSBrJ5rd8hVc5TK_shKWRfcgJWDARCgveF9rOatPOXMsmVdlDB-_64o6YYO4CWtyRxa_axi_lXBuz1B4k0EwplkUQ3krmqXIo01mEnI_rw_UF7eQf/s600/mwo,x540,ipad_2_snap-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYJz6wo2UC3qQ0Y4Yv__gjFcHZyiERJ2YkfFhT9U3BhUPbY7gvmbBhdBLcOy0-kAHYeKfXjeOSBrJ5rd8hVc5TK_shKWRfcgJWDARCgveF9rOatPOXMsmVdlDB-_64o6YYO4CWtyRxa_axi_lXBuz1B4k0EwplkUQ3krmqXIo01mEnI_rw_UF7eQf/s320/mwo,x540,ipad_2_snap-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He should remember the post I wrote with him in mind a few years ago. The post is named CLEANSKINS 2 from December 4th 2017 and can be found on The WINE GUY site: </div><div><br /></div><div>http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/<br /><br />For some reason I can't paste the link directly. It might be because I'm using the lap top and not the main computer in the study.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway - what are the three things that can go wrong with a bottle of white wine?<br /><br /><br />1. It might not be big enough. </div><div><br /></div><div>White wines used to come in 700ml bottles, especially German white wines which were the most popular. As wine consumption, worldwide increased and wine production expanded, 750ml bottles became the norm. In recent years with 'baby boomers' leading the charge in conspicuous spending and alcohol consumption, the 750ml size bottle isn't big enough. There is a requirement for 1 litre bottles and even 1500ml bottles. Look out for these - it will save you from having to go back to the cupboard or down to the wine cellar which, at your likely age, is dangerous.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. It might not be any good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Going by the wine choices of the Wainuiomartians and Moeraites who frequent this blog it's likely that wine selection is coming from the on-special stacked displays in Pak 'n' Save or from the bottom shelf of superettes. It must be said that the shiny, purple and pink labels might attract your eye faster but it does not mean that the wine will be any good.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. It might be a cleanskin.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's important for you to now go to the 'Search This Blog' or 'Blog Archive' function to the right of the home screen of The Wine Guy to find that post I mentioned to find out why you should not buy cleanskin wines.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVs4zVc1nhtboOD8unOpDMBJzPF3Of5-rOlovhfzlKPBtb-8rMSU41kAcBiqZ8a_LwRRSbQh1R9eJUDuNWx1KEJypaiFXCZ8Pv4gYvf4Sg2JIwkphGpvxEpCjStD1oyiAQkl29f68OBQbcCQF1NPi8D3AXc81WuspN_GcMkiEgtq91GEarRsfyF3Li/s856/Screenshot%202023-01-27%20at%204.47.44%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="856" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVs4zVc1nhtboOD8unOpDMBJzPF3Of5-rOlovhfzlKPBtb-8rMSU41kAcBiqZ8a_LwRRSbQh1R9eJUDuNWx1KEJypaiFXCZ8Pv4gYvf4Sg2JIwkphGpvxEpCjStD1oyiAQkl29f68OBQbcCQF1NPi8D3AXc81WuspN_GcMkiEgtq91GEarRsfyF3Li/s320/Screenshot%202023-01-27%20at%204.47.44%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>There - those are the three things that can go wrong with a bottle of white wine. I trustr that this was helpful.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-46071324888463181072022-11-17T08:26:00.001+13:002022-11-17T08:26:39.805+13:00OONAPHILIA<p> There's news of a wannabe wine writer on the scene. Here's a link to a blog that is announcing it: <a href="http://richardsbassbag.blogspot.com/2022/11/nothing-to-whine-about.html">HERE</a></p><p>I don't know what his wine blog will be called or by what name he will go under but I assume that it will be something like 'The Vulgar Vieille Vigne' or 'Too Uncouth for Vermouth".</p><p>I guess in his new blog profile he will use appropriate words like:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Dirty</li><li>Flabby</li><li>Full-bodied</li><li>Buttery</li><li>Acidic</li><li>Barnyard</li><li>Earthy and,</li><li>Tight.</li></ul><div>I'll wait to see and then might place a link on this blog.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIo7sUXYU93GGBm_Rnokqp8NClb5cYLYrRkbFYwjQlbGXXx4Ct5-mEw7kfX_J_ppkvSangqfXRRIfjABiZrugSs7fW60LeUqdowc9_ig3yDQrFAMMhlMX6LG6U-80KDN2BRAeHpYMNiifD3HgXKOFL5kTSWiY0OHoSrD5GvuFXcz6cz3qWvnYbag-/s280/kevin-could-not-handle-his-260nw-165581096.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="260" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIo7sUXYU93GGBm_Rnokqp8NClb5cYLYrRkbFYwjQlbGXXx4Ct5-mEw7kfX_J_ppkvSangqfXRRIfjABiZrugSs7fW60LeUqdowc9_ig3yDQrFAMMhlMX6LG6U-80KDN2BRAeHpYMNiifD3HgXKOFL5kTSWiY0OHoSrD5GvuFXcz6cz3qWvnYbag-/s1600/kevin-could-not-handle-his-260nw-165581096.webp" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p><dt style="--tw-blur: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-border-opacity: 1; --tw-brightness: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-contrast: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-drop-shadow: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-filter: var(--tw-blur) var(--tw-brightness) var(--tw-contrast) var(--tw-grayscale) var(--tw-hue-rotate) var(--tw-invert) var(--tw-saturate) var(--tw-sepia) var(--tw-drop-shadow); --tw-grayscale: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-hue-rotate: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-invert: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-saturate: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-sepia: var(--tw-empty, ); --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-transform: translateX(var(--tw-translate-x)) translateY(var(--tw-translate-y)) rotate(var(--tw-rotate)) skewX(var(--tw-skew-x)) skewY(var(--tw-skew-y)) scaleX(var(--tw-scale-x)) scaleY(var(--tw-scale-y)); --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border-color: rgba(229,231,235,var(--tw-border-opacity)); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 1.5rem; font-weight: 700; line-height: 2rem;"><br /></dt>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-1570095405464558372022-11-06T10:37:00.001+13:002022-11-06T10:37:18.831+13:00THANK YOU LANSON<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzS5yGvLlFrdlP8lXztJ20OOdSQSPic3nzmFlg9ntdOKRB-9R6NgLcPv6wu1JGd_0SQPmLro73uDM2NIhHSPwp2EWz0nFMjAYL-__S0Y6zUdaHU0dE_O93w2xG553MmNJ55o1FFQ2thsNwcdNHjpFjnuNz3kk0pafrhh6wfAiyh0IDddNICweIYHEO/s4032/IMG_3376.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzS5yGvLlFrdlP8lXztJ20OOdSQSPic3nzmFlg9ntdOKRB-9R6NgLcPv6wu1JGd_0SQPmLro73uDM2NIhHSPwp2EWz0nFMjAYL-__S0Y6zUdaHU0dE_O93w2xG553MmNJ55o1FFQ2thsNwcdNHjpFjnuNz3kk0pafrhh6wfAiyh0IDddNICweIYHEO/s320/IMG_3376.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>In the past I've complained about the esoteric date codes printed on the back labels of wines and beers.</p><p><a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2022/03/methode-in-my-madness.html">METHODE IN MY MADNESS</a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEZAVNxXQYJNkftfnHbSFltXxwQqtGnfOyXKQKIwj_cPMef-JScQyhdyygBQySf8CgAkz9QOENiiStglKhIhD4Ch3beitRrdhPNeh6AYimt8ndMRCuzlp8Od5tnRwc38q5KllT8o0t8AX_srPyGpQ30jjZTARIgF3jChOcFs_B72q0lcvsFQ-uEit/s1180/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-06%20at%2010.20.57%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="1180" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEZAVNxXQYJNkftfnHbSFltXxwQqtGnfOyXKQKIwj_cPMef-JScQyhdyygBQySf8CgAkz9QOENiiStglKhIhD4Ch3beitRrdhPNeh6AYimt8ndMRCuzlp8Od5tnRwc38q5KllT8o0t8AX_srPyGpQ30jjZTARIgF3jChOcFs_B72q0lcvsFQ-uEit/w557-h245/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-06%20at%2010.20.57%20AM.png" width="557" /></a></div><div><br /></div>These are designed to obfuscate and you need to be in, or have been in the drinks industry to decipher them most times.<div><br /></div><div>When it comes to Fino Sherry, beer and Champagne the date of packaging, or disgorgement for Champagne is critical.</div><div><br /></div><div>We opened a <i>Lanson Black Label</i> Champagne yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it.</div><div>I noted on the back label that Lanson is sensibly writing:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The blend % of grape varietals</li><li>The number of crus (selections) used</li><li>How long the wine was aged before disgorgement</li><li>The year (2016) that the base material came from</li><li>The % of base wine used</li><li>The disgorgement date</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCejAID7mdWlP05IIhF4Wpx3q3EMYpKG16GK8UIu7BHTXr69NelAXU36ef8X5cg2ebGUNmmWJZwMfhi3oGS51jft4UPQHoWnGtiITNmRa8zbgtlYMqJQ98F-pkp25b9xxAZLoyLSsmhZsG-1HMIaj6Lb131sY3MGszvK3VpvJU-3T4UFWOd9UH4Sa0/s4032/IMG_3377.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCejAID7mdWlP05IIhF4Wpx3q3EMYpKG16GK8UIu7BHTXr69NelAXU36ef8X5cg2ebGUNmmWJZwMfhi3oGS51jft4UPQHoWnGtiITNmRa8zbgtlYMqJQ98F-pkp25b9xxAZLoyLSsmhZsG-1HMIaj6Lb131sY3MGszvK3VpvJU-3T4UFWOd9UH4Sa0/w480-h640/IMG_3377.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p>This is good information. Thanks <i>Lanson</i>. it's the first time that I've noticed this and I must check with Champagnes I buy in the future. I definitely will be favouring Champagne <i>Lanson.</i></p></div>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-27866189469730102792022-08-07T10:37:00.002+12:002022-08-07T10:37:39.214+12:00BLAST FROM THE PAST<p> A good friend gave me a bottle of <i>Veuve Cliquot</i> NV Champagne for my birthday which, as one of my favourite NV marques, will go down very nicely thank you.</p><p>She also have me a bottle of <i>Banrock Station</i> sparkling shiraz that'd been sitting in their cellar for years. They know that we have (have had) a liking for Australian sparkling shiraz with <i>E&E </i>and <i>Leasingham</i> being top favourites over the years before they were discounted as a result of <i>Constellation</i>'s takeover - ripping, stripping and bastardising of <i>BRL Hardy</i> brands - like the British, Spanish, French and Portuguese empires did to far flung countries for centuries.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-NlK8gmxZ2ajRXcH8h5RLqFJJvW0bHaSQ9Yaa3jHnNXmNMByWsdde9R1c4qELZp5tmxwfP51kh-7ZtZOgcchpLLYx8Hc0XlRDIiE6uN0Jlc_SESJoxbXTWLjGTmpamRX8I9vjPh1q6ymo1_lieM5k_D9mMuS77mXek10qdCd2A-Rhnmvq1eT7w-D/s4032/IMG_3206.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-NlK8gmxZ2ajRXcH8h5RLqFJJvW0bHaSQ9Yaa3jHnNXmNMByWsdde9R1c4qELZp5tmxwfP51kh-7ZtZOgcchpLLYx8Hc0XlRDIiE6uN0Jlc_SESJoxbXTWLjGTmpamRX8I9vjPh1q6ymo1_lieM5k_D9mMuS77mXek10qdCd2A-Rhnmvq1eT7w-D/s320/IMG_3206.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>The wine was given out of interest as she doubted that it would be any good. She couldn't remember when they bought it but I guess that it was probably before 2006 making it at least 16 years old. <i>Banrock Station</i>, at the time was owned by <i>Constellation</i> along with <i>Barossa Valley Estates (E&E brand</i>) and <i>Leasingham</i> and while at the budget end of the market, winemaking input came from <i>BRL Hardy/Constellation </i>with their world class sparkling winemaking team led by Ed Carr.</p><p>I said to 'Her Indoors' after we'd bowled a bottle of <i>Bollinger</i> Rose that I'd got in for my birthday (which is still 2 days away but we couldn't wait) that, while we wait for the lasagne to cook we could check out the <i>Banrock Station.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOcJt6N1c_OI7i4a-KW60Cv-ExqfrgtpeO_LoBj3nWBdhxPOUqgSVfpaURX3PM7tLzfEgwXrxdCKxhtOCNv3z8oPV0-RJ2bJWlrBGKSzdZMft_sUZ5FsK53KSqDBqsmWAetCHmrTF6WXA5HyW7onwl6ieycqTM4IqOh52lmMZVAm1LIX8iQvEJePE/s4032/IMG_3202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOcJt6N1c_OI7i4a-KW60Cv-ExqfrgtpeO_LoBj3nWBdhxPOUqgSVfpaURX3PM7tLzfEgwXrxdCKxhtOCNv3z8oPV0-RJ2bJWlrBGKSzdZMft_sUZ5FsK53KSqDBqsmWAetCHmrTF6WXA5HyW7onwl6ieycqTM4IqOh52lmMZVAm1LIX8iQvEJePE/s320/IMG_3202.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The Bollinger was pretty good I must say - savoury and complex with a long finish. My only complaint is that the bottle went down so bloody fast hence needing another glass of bubbles.</p><p></p><p>Bubbles? The <i>Banrock Station</i> sparkling shiraz didn't deliver these but, to be fair, <i>E&E, Leasingham, Great Western</i> and the few, very few, others that braved this style never gave us bubbles other than a kind of fluffy mousse. 'Her Indoors' and I recently discovered another Australian sparkling shiraz - <i>Rockford</i> sparkling shiraz - that was like a lesser E&E but supply has been limited. We'd kind of given up on drinking this style of wine again which used to be a Christmas Dinner staple.</p><p>I opened the <i>Banrock Station</i> wine not expecting a 'pop' which I didn't get but neither did I get silence. There was a little squeak which wasn't as ostentatious as the 'bang' of note in wine circles according to this old joke:</p><p>.... I couldn't find it on-line but it goes like this:</p><blockquote><p><i>A wine expert is demonstrating to a group of 'wine enthusiasts' from the Moera and Wainuiomata Wine club on how to open a bottle of Champagne.</i></p><p><i>Expert: "You grip the cork and twist the bottle. As the cork exits the bottle you should hear a hissing sound like the sound of a satisfied woman."</i></p><p><i>The expert attempts to do this but the cork leaves the bottle with a resounding *BANG*.</i></p><p><i>Wag from the audience: "I know her."</i></p></blockquote><p>I poured the wine into two glasses making sure that 'Her Indoors' tried hers first. </p><p>"It's fine she said" which surprised me and prompted me to try mine. The wine had deep, dark red colour with only slight browning at the edges. It had a bit of spritz still which freshened the palate showing nice fruity flavours. To be honest it was damned good and the bottle age - over 18 years - seemed to have improved what was otherwise a simple wine made for early drinking. I note that this has been long discontinued but, in the UK a few years ago loyal followers of it petitioned <i>Constellation</i> to bring it back.</p><p>They didn't.</p><p></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-77552777885326576052022-06-02T11:09:00.000+12:002022-06-02T11:09:22.556+12:00THE WORST WINE I EVER TASTED.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIppW-QRDDcZxR5eCkrRl_ebGTKYtueKa6ajkfFQYCsY9pv3qCTk_B_j1-X4p2zfnOEpifwM2NUQkbswxBSliY14fvtMpn1EUtnJat90FEhiaZIjyW-5I5GSDW3DnrbyVLnRbNgMOXBMhYxfN2xqGui4t3EwDv1D-7bmfDvA9cDGM8QAEZXeASBwH/s335/robin-spit-take2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="135" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIppW-QRDDcZxR5eCkrRl_ebGTKYtueKa6ajkfFQYCsY9pv3qCTk_B_j1-X4p2zfnOEpifwM2NUQkbswxBSliY14fvtMpn1EUtnJat90FEhiaZIjyW-5I5GSDW3DnrbyVLnRbNgMOXBMhYxfN2xqGui4t3EwDv1D-7bmfDvA9cDGM8QAEZXeASBwH/s320/robin-spit-take2.jpeg" width="129" /></a></div><br />Wine is a very variable commodity which, while generally still being safe to consume *can vary drastically in flavour profile, taste, quality and drinkability.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>* This doesn't mean that all wine is safe however as people have been made ill, blinded and died from wine that has been 'doctored' by greedy manufacturers hoping to increase the value by adding illegal substances. I have written on this before. See: <a href="https://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2010/01/diethylene-glycol.html">HERE</a> , <a href="https://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2012/12/dubos-ghost.html">HERE</a> and <a href="https://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2010/12/sieg.html">HERE</a> .</p><p>Sometimes, naive and parsimonious wine drinkers purchase and consume 'cleanskin' wines in the belief that the lack of a label means that they are saving money and that the wine in the bottle is just as good as the stiff that the winemaker actually bothers to put a label on.</p><p>These people deserve a dose of diethylene glycol.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm not going to talk about the 'doctored' wines in this post, nor will I (shudder) mention the occasional wine that I've been offered by Richard or those that Robert buys from the bargain bin at his local <i>Pak 'n' Save</i> but I will try to remember some of the worst wines that I've had the misfortune to drink.</p><p><u>Early days.</u></p><p>In the early 1970s I started my wine 'career' .......</p><p><br /></p><div class="pos-header dpos-h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 12px 10px;"><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO35_b8z2Swu8r_mJInSuyLuiBRhyf-0MPBb63QEWzDVzwor8G2DYpAe6F5exYlZC5hM9-Y_KKptF7Jz0hA21bYcRN9cKpUnIt7R7u4BjqQFd3sq-rnEyx4pEe9g3vbmkX8d0_ik1qP_cYe43G606rgj_cd7zZ6HH6jzUfskH9I_jhkLOg6gbinHa/s1060/Screenshot%202022-06-02%20at%209.42.19%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1060" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO35_b8z2Swu8r_mJInSuyLuiBRhyf-0MPBb63QEWzDVzwor8G2DYpAe6F5exYlZC5hM9-Y_KKptF7Jz0hA21bYcRN9cKpUnIt7R7u4BjqQFd3sq-rnEyx4pEe9g3vbmkX8d0_ik1qP_cYe43G606rgj_cd7zZ6HH6jzUfskH9I_jhkLOg6gbinHa/w400-h216/Screenshot%202022-06-02%20at%209.42.19%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div>...... at <i>Murray Roberts Wines and Spirits</i> as a part-time job while at university. This set me off on a lifetime of working with and appreciating wine. I was able to drink, buy and nick many of the world's finest wines which opened my eyes to the subtleties and intricacies of tastes and to the exciting history behind the labels.</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzIgmR2JvnVg3G_RyVJehGB5WZpxBa24sUwgbMRYBtC3nhPEmGISMYwDvlGIHVuF5jPS6dAHmd_gOvXmeBUOXqdw4i-uxMOGh4TdPqAtVlrzdKTrIg1_0z-tgQN6RMQ167YRvXw94tEkFUa81OVo1pviqnPM2NYU4yRe4RokSFrzNc7oWcc7Lv_1X/s261/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="261" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzIgmR2JvnVg3G_RyVJehGB5WZpxBa24sUwgbMRYBtC3nhPEmGISMYwDvlGIHVuF5jPS6dAHmd_gOvXmeBUOXqdw4i-uxMOGh4TdPqAtVlrzdKTrIg1_0z-tgQN6RMQ167YRvXw94tEkFUa81OVo1pviqnPM2NYU4yRe4RokSFrzNc7oWcc7Lv_1X/w400-h296/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Not all wines from supposedly top wine producing countries were good though and a fair bit of study and trial and error was required. Portugal for example is rightly renowned for port but some of the 'table' wine was dire like the disgusting <i>Dao </i>red and white and the unripe <i>Vinho Verde</i> (the name gave it away).</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">New Zealand wine s in the 1970s were generally a bad lot. They were produced from unsuitable grapes - Baco 1A, Baco 22A, Palomino, Albany Surprise, Chasselas, and other 'industrial' grade rubbish. These were sugared, sulphured and watered to the point of undrinkability which, I guess, did put them on a par with the vile German Liebfraumilch wines and the unpronounceable stuff that came from Hungary. Yugoslavia, Greece and, at the time, Australia. It wasn't until the, now, unfashionable and unfavoured Muller Thurgau came on the scene and later the boring Sauvignon Blanc that New Zealand wines were considered to be drinkable.</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Some memorable monstrosities were <i>McWilliams Bakano </i>(although the white <i>Cresta Dore</i> was acceptable), <i>Corbans Velluto Rosso, McWilliams Marque Vue</i> and anything labelled Chablis, Moselle, 'Riesling', Claret or Burgundy.</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /><i>1980s and 1990s</i><br /><br /></div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">I advanced my 'career' from 1980 into retail management, marketing and international sales and was fortunate to not only drink some of the best wines (and beers and spirits) in the world but to visit the wineries (distilleries and breweries) and taste with the owners, winemakers and cellar-masters. The taste of the best of these is still in my memory and provided a benchmark against which to measure other wines that I competitively and professionally tasted, marketed, reported on and made production and importing and purchasing decisions for.</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">There were some dogs though.</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">TCA ( 2,4,6-trichloroanisole), is the chemical that taints wine, usually via the cork that has sealed it to cause musty aromas and flavours in wines. The compound forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mould. It most frequently occurs in natural corks (TCA can even form on tree bark) and is transferred to the wine in bottle--which is why wines with these off-aromas are often called "corky." But the taint can originate elsewhere in wineries, where damp surfaces and chlorine-based cleaning products are commonplace; barrels, wooden pallets, wood beams and cardboard cases are all sources of phenols. If TCA goes undiscovered, it can spread and eventually taint the wines. I've experienced many 'corked' wines from the most simple and cheapest right through to the most celebrated and expensive. Once tasted a 'corked' wine is memorable. It's not TCA that I want to mention as among the worst wines I've tried though.</div><div class="di-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></div>Brettanomyces, also known as Brett, is a yeast that imparts plastic or animal aromas, such as sticking plasters, smoke or leather to wine. Brett causes spoilage via the production of volatile phenol compounds. Most people are offended by the unpleasantness of Brett characters in wine but quite a few nutters (probably Catholics) enjoy them and do not consider low levels of Brett in wine a fault. It was the case (more rare now) that European wineries, especially French, were rather dirty and unsophisticated production facilities. The 'tradition' was more important than modern food manufacturing standards and, as a consequence winery faults (Brett, TCA, Volatile Acidity (VA) and a host of others) were tolerated and actively encouraged as they were seen to be part of the mysterious 'cellar style' and 'terroir' even.</div><div class="pos-header dpos-h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 12px 10px;">When travelling with a colleague through France (we drove from Rheims in the North down to Bordeaux in the South West) we did lots of side trips to smaller regions and stayed in some quaint and lovely towns and villages. We experienced stunning wines in the Loire region, Burgundy, Rhone and the South West enjoying tasting and talking with the owners. One particular wine and producer near Montpellier was so bad we had to beat a hasty retreat. The beaming proprietor poured us tastes of the most vile poison and then proudly marched us off to view where he'd concocted the rubbish. The wine was redolent of Brett and VA and, if it had come out of a bottle with a cork and not from a barrel would probably have been 'corked' as well. The winery and cellars stank of damp, mould and Brett. It was like walking down a corridor in an old and dirty hospital. We really could sense the mould and brettanomyces yeast spores clinging to our clothing and trying to enter our skin. We mumbled the need to get away to an urgent appointment and took off leaving the now not beaming proprietor in his cave. We didn't buy any wine there.<br /><br /><u>Later years</u></div><div class="pos-header dpos-h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 12px 10px;">I did say that I worked for a long time in the wine industry - more than 40 years in fact so have drunk some awful wines but another memorable one was a very expensive Californian Cabernet Sauvignon which was so high in alcohol it was out of balance. This is what I said about it back in 2008:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZtgFQmNEheCbed2-I6D81Rwf-jbXhb2m5vdKwQYM-ASJmoC6SKPoY3nRB3-XgDSBfw9LgDBEGycp09kxFYngTMX06J9FoMv4PHar8xHnBGeJkqdSmUaMKl0t1ZF7cWBAf9tn8ouPEc1Lp2G3JpKxgReL8WifHo08i9NbFNokCY17Sgn5Rj6Q4-Rh/s1318/Screenshot%202022-06-02%20at%2010.46.07%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="1318" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZtgFQmNEheCbed2-I6D81Rwf-jbXhb2m5vdKwQYM-ASJmoC6SKPoY3nRB3-XgDSBfw9LgDBEGycp09kxFYngTMX06J9FoMv4PHar8xHnBGeJkqdSmUaMKl0t1ZF7cWBAf9tn8ouPEc1Lp2G3JpKxgReL8WifHo08i9NbFNokCY17Sgn5Rj6Q4-Rh/w640-h170/Screenshot%202022-06-02%20at%2010.46.07%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>Back in the 1990s and the early 2000s American wine producers got all excited when some Californian cabernet sauvignons beat some top French Bordeaux wines in a blind tasting. This sort of meaningless competition happens all the time with New Zealand producers crowing when a New Zealand wine beats a top French one, when German pinot noirs get higher points than a Burgundy or an Australian shiraz score better than top Rhone syrahs. After that the Americans pushed their prices up to ridiculous levels and started overdoing it with inputs - low cropping and concentrated sugars, too much new oak etc - to the point where the wines, particularly the cabernet sauvignons were just too big - like pan galactic gargle blasters. This isn't surprising really as Americans almost always go over the top in things.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGnF_uLQRvlA8IFOydcH2lqRXys59JPd4eB7kDJbPPFaeR2JY3qJFTtmejElguDMOimOOFUSvocO1nOLoE2o-7f30lII7u2P_8avQaFkAxZE6sPLkwA8DqQwEbjWL_5QeOsgMOpdWUuoLqfvJr5iScaMfbEiWRSSIBwjYD0U2T0CHclcoiRxwiae9/s320/pan-galactic-gargle-blaster-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGnF_uLQRvlA8IFOydcH2lqRXys59JPd4eB7kDJbPPFaeR2JY3qJFTtmejElguDMOimOOFUSvocO1nOLoE2o-7f30lII7u2P_8avQaFkAxZE6sPLkwA8DqQwEbjWL_5QeOsgMOpdWUuoLqfvJr5iScaMfbEiWRSSIBwjYD0U2T0CHclcoiRxwiae9/s1600/pan-galactic-gargle-blaster-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> <br /><div class="pos-header dpos-h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 12px 10px;"><br /></div><div class="pos-header dpos-h" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 12px 10px;"><br /></div></div>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-49616840452483251752022-03-30T15:25:00.021+13:002022-03-30T17:24:04.825+13:00METHODE IN MY MADNESS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlp_L1GpuPpWshYy9C88xbVpB9cUPpQJsLdno5f60e1vpa1_JU785--XtURShU_Q5fbgGPqn1JwBfedJqDy81V6pfDNi-MM6yewkJWaxHOBBMGxFlbGDN7iuSZa6DrDhcCOv4LUA5MwdraZFvMjhFBqqHBVJw_yB7qZpT2NnNqZPh5rm97k6V4u6N/s2996/IMG_2832.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2996" data-original-width="2894" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlp_L1GpuPpWshYy9C88xbVpB9cUPpQJsLdno5f60e1vpa1_JU785--XtURShU_Q5fbgGPqn1JwBfedJqDy81V6pfDNi-MM6yewkJWaxHOBBMGxFlbGDN7iuSZa6DrDhcCOv4LUA5MwdraZFvMjhFBqqHBVJw_yB7qZpT2NnNqZPh5rm97k6V4u6N/s320/IMG_2832.jpeg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><p>For a long time now, Her Indoors and I have enjoyed a couple of glasses of sparkling wine on a Saturday evening before dinner. Often we combine this with a 'best of three' pool challenge but we haven't played for a while. This hasn't stopped us sharing a bottle of bubbles though.</p><p>Our bubbles of choice are ether Champagne or a good Méthode Traditionnelle. Champagne is first choice but not affordable every week. Méthode Traditionnelles are a bit cheaper but can be a bit of a minefield when selecting and buying them.</p><p>With European wines the safest bet is to stick with Champagne as 'non Champagne' sparklings or Méthode Traditionnelles coming from other than the Champagne region with French wines or other European countries (Italy, Spain and Germany for example) can be a bit coarse and variable.</p><p>There are some great examples of very good Méthode Traditionnelles being made in USA, Australia, England and New Zealand but the very best are prohibitively expensive (for us) and, when you are spending over $50 a bottle I'd rather stick with Champagne.</p><p>With New Zealand Méthode Traditionnelles, we've tried just about all of them (except for the most expensive) and have concluded that the best, on average, day to day, reliable brand is <i>Deutz</i>. We buy <i>Deutz </i>Rose and <i>Deutz </i>Blanc de Blanc on a regular basis and, when it is on deep cut special, stock up on it by the dozen-load.</p><p>When it comes to Champagne I'm on the lookout for good deals among my favourite marques but it requires a bit of caution because the sayings 'one man's meat is another man's poison' or, 'buyer beware' applies well to Champagne specials. Champagne is an expensive product being unfortunately lumped into the luxury category due to the popularity it has among rich people, socialites, celebrities and rap stars. Yes it is often (depending on the brand) over-inflated in price and represents very poor value for money (it is a 750ml bottle of 12% alcohol after all) but, with careful selection good deals can be had.</p><p>The problem with Champagne, as a luxury product, unlike its cousins shoes, handbags, boats, cars, jewellery and real estate is fragile and generally short-lived. The fragility is because it is a twice-sealed wine (look up the production method on Google) and, for NV (non vintage) Champagnes the shelf-life after disgorgement (look up Google again) is even more limited - for me, 6 months is a good measure.</p><p>I ask the retailer if I'm uncertain and I check the esoteric bottling codes printed on the bottle or label if I don't trust the retailer in order to find out when the wine was disgorged (look up Google again). I always buy Champagne that is packaged with an individual bottle carton (if buying off the shelf) or ask the retailer to take the bottle out of a case. I do this because, as I said, Champagne is delicate and long exposure to light (sunlight or fluorescent) can make the wine dull.</p><p>Anyway, we finally got through the mixed case of Champagnes that I bought back in December. This was our Christmas drinking but we managed to eke the supply out until mid March. The mix was made up of good NV, vintage, and roses (both NV and vintage). I bought them from <i>Glengarry</i> and again concentrated on specials. A couple of weeks ago I bought, on-line, a case of 6 of <i>Laurent Perrier NV </i>from <i>Fine Wines on Line</i>. This wine was on special and I paid $59 a bottle (down from $73).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX40YYVrSRAU-5755MFGsf2XkfOHU-qD8zjsCUmwvWP8TaS9Lx1vJc7BgL7G0vmOOm0uOMvMdRM404GhE9KbSubp3Umw_nNQ1iSDFqA6lZYz9fa5kllm7fsdDhwclgv6vSaaNf-gExQvlF492cj7ISfkKDbxhVcbEyG-Bf62fVERMDV5kE7l2PR4q/s4032/IMG_2827.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX40YYVrSRAU-5755MFGsf2XkfOHU-qD8zjsCUmwvWP8TaS9Lx1vJc7BgL7G0vmOOm0uOMvMdRM404GhE9KbSubp3Umw_nNQ1iSDFqA6lZYz9fa5kllm7fsdDhwclgv6vSaaNf-gExQvlF492cj7ISfkKDbxhVcbEyG-Bf62fVERMDV5kE7l2PR4q/w300-h400/IMG_2827.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>We popped the cork on a bottle on Saturday and it was excellent - full flavoured and luscious.</p><p>The crystal glasses we use - <i>Stuart </i>- are of a size that we get exactly 4 glasses from a 750ml bottle. With this there is no way to cheat and sneak an extra dollop as Her Indoors will be looking for exactly two full glasses. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's only fair.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-47724414854496988552022-01-14T11:28:00.000+13:002022-01-14T11:28:10.524+13:00VERMENTINO<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmq80_Ct7neRbRdbHjM3M4OUKgay7G3B6-4xb7GCXe6aPT8yZrbqQ_i4QfF5LgzwxDWtvP0w97C_sMniJxx4OXqQuw3zeBwEzeoowHYfnchzsucjR0AKXgOs1CMbZfNVTKMpWi9eJgz97hD6pa4-ZOFcpb1wWskOVAMU4eefYJF1FTneck7FALsaRp=s1855" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1855" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmq80_Ct7neRbRdbHjM3M4OUKgay7G3B6-4xb7GCXe6aPT8yZrbqQ_i4QfF5LgzwxDWtvP0w97C_sMniJxx4OXqQuw3zeBwEzeoowHYfnchzsucjR0AKXgOs1CMbZfNVTKMpWi9eJgz97hD6pa4-ZOFcpb1wWskOVAMU4eefYJF1FTneck7FALsaRp=w414-h640" width="414" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Richard posted that he's going to make rat and sparrow pie for his tea.</p><p>See: <a href="https://richardsbassbag.blogspot.com/2022/01/friday.html">HERE</a></p><p>I suggested that Vermentino might be an appropriate wine accompaniment for such a delicacy, obviously a Nuova Lazio favourite, but I doubt that he'll be able to find any Vermentino in his local bottle stores . 'Ratshit to swallow', the byline for most of the crap offered in bottle stores of today is probably the closest he will come to finding a suitable beverage.</p><p>When Richard, Robert and I worked in a wine and spirit merchant store (a very large bottle store) in the 1970s the selections were much better encompassing a wide range of products. Most countries of the world were represented with wines, spirits, beers and liqueurs and it made our jobs very interesting (especially when we sampled most after work). Greek, German, Australian and various other brandies were on offer along with French brandies and cognacs * and just about every famous liqueur and spirit could be bought.</p><p>Portuguese Dao wines, wines from Sicily, South of France, Greece, The Lebanon, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Hungary and many other 'strange' countries were alongside the traditional and famous wines from France, Spain, Italy and Germany.</p><p>Strangely enough the wines from Australia and New Zealand were minimal as at the time both countries industries were fledgling and there was a shortage of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir etc and sauvignon blanc had yet to be planted.</p><p>Anyway, we're talking about Vermentino.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh82mRPJcEi9nAQ18ilDAEcu5na6Cx48028osN8_v86wLL8u5PFqDY0wq2QQWMWC4Jp8YHk5Q1xprUYqjlkcE_uRNcnq6MSQRYrM_cN-ipHJky76aVKg2oXDiT9nl51MkDJDT_EB16O8vopKa_ZYtgnAzgTShC1tjExjOVLy-3XToNXho533BhtDuDz=s1288" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="698" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh82mRPJcEi9nAQ18ilDAEcu5na6Cx48028osN8_v86wLL8u5PFqDY0wq2QQWMWC4Jp8YHk5Q1xprUYqjlkcE_uRNcnq6MSQRYrM_cN-ipHJky76aVKg2oXDiT9nl51MkDJDT_EB16O8vopKa_ZYtgnAzgTShC1tjExjOVLy-3XToNXho533BhtDuDz=w346-h640" width="346" /></a></div><br /><p>I've never tasted this, certainly not as a varietal on its own but it may well have been blended into some Chiantis I've tasted (I don't drink Italian white wines).</p><p><br /></p><p>I don't think I'll give it a try though and, along with Richard's rat and sparrow pie this will have to remain a taste experience that will remain a mystery.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLiWwCmK-9wYBT0pxl1s8j822foIk95mN1ZVPiYhjDenSIPPXxmcj4RIeUaZl0J2XWEwHq1WJ9oljBb-f_Vnghg41pxbUn5UHOvwAfrSQzNB7Rm0YIeZiH9Slty5X5mR9ZoyqIU0DvdBlGfkJdemYSH2j2xbpTkw6XblWDK-7TUHAHhBQH4Jy485mt=s225" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLiWwCmK-9wYBT0pxl1s8j822foIk95mN1ZVPiYhjDenSIPPXxmcj4RIeUaZl0J2XWEwHq1WJ9oljBb-f_Vnghg41pxbUn5UHOvwAfrSQzNB7Rm0YIeZiH9Slty5X5mR9ZoyqIU0DvdBlGfkJdemYSH2j2xbpTkw6XblWDK-7TUHAHhBQH4Jy485mt" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>* There was one bottled in the Wairarapa.</p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-69475954028553722052022-01-07T21:10:00.007+13:002022-01-07T21:10:54.459+13:00IN VINO VERITAS ........... NO, .......... IN VINO ARGUMENTUM EST<p> I noticed that I haven't written a post as THE WINE GUY since July. </p><p>Sorry about that.</p><p>There have been wine related comments made by me on some of my other blogs, usually as a response to the very silly things that Richard of Richard's Bass Bag (don't ask) has posted or commented. This is the guy who, back in about 1976 ruined a vertical tasting of Chateau Margaux by pouring lemonade into the glasses. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2ITaNUharaUShe11LkC2g6ohZnzOxJOhR8MrQtO4QFMrl7wLs3pWjwBuwk5Y57utMEkQSIRXBwnKylcx-6J0xSJTh2F5OfXBhGdsr3_sHRJKqnCM95yH8u-QF0yfXYD0dVHIZtlBqD_rgYXf91ajUMWyhyPtgKzYCAuk3XFwnCXvYVBYNATn0TZT4=s1670" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1670" data-original-width="1172" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2ITaNUharaUShe11LkC2g6ohZnzOxJOhR8MrQtO4QFMrl7wLs3pWjwBuwk5Y57utMEkQSIRXBwnKylcx-6J0xSJTh2F5OfXBhGdsr3_sHRJKqnCM95yH8u-QF0yfXYD0dVHIZtlBqD_rgYXf91ajUMWyhyPtgKzYCAuk3XFwnCXvYVBYNATn0TZT4=w450-h640" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>An excerpt from a post dated Tuesday, October 29, 2013<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As you can see putting Richard in close proximity to decent wine is like voting Donald Trump into the presidency of the USA.</p><p>As I said, Richard has said some silly things in his blog about wine. I guess that it's a good thing that he does drink wine instead of, say, bleach or methylated spirits but his choices are a bit prosaic. His preference in wine style or varietal is chardonnay. That's it, just chardonnay. Now, don't get me wrong, I love chardonnay and think it's the best white wine varietal that can be made into an interesting range of different style wines, from different countries, different regions, different microclimates and using different methods - barrel fermentation, new wood or old wood ageing etc. I like to experiment. </p><p>Richard doesn't. He prefers his chardonnays to be in bottles with no labels, This could be due to the fact that the big words (in small print) that the wine marketers use confuse him but, I believe it's because the wines with no labels - cleanskins - are cheaper and he gets 'more bangs for his bucks'. Maybe he has Covid ....</p><blockquote><p><i>........ one of the side effects of Covid-19 is that infected people lose the ability to smell and taste.</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p>..... moving along.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUnesvR2EZ2_hrhlj-i2ZtqSMo3k9lYVde3XKswvChj1bz4pvhTg_YPqAO8XUBgQb5p8b6vxvAz7gb7iSVeRzv8Idp8jXcbEnyx3Ch3PnvpJuic0N1kCag_hC2FOBN6w1Sqf-1CKQrpo6NeL_y_-qG-ENmaSJoi0x_orBKxM0FUW02uAo_sMJrR_WK=s500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUnesvR2EZ2_hrhlj-i2ZtqSMo3k9lYVde3XKswvChj1bz4pvhTg_YPqAO8XUBgQb5p8b6vxvAz7gb7iSVeRzv8Idp8jXcbEnyx3Ch3PnvpJuic0N1kCag_hC2FOBN6w1Sqf-1CKQrpo6NeL_y_-qG-ENmaSJoi0x_orBKxM0FUW02uAo_sMJrR_WK=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Oh, that's right, I was talking about Richard's recent vinous ramblings and The Curmudgeon's responses to those. How on earth are you supposed to respond to stuff like this?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLMqLpAUKBG01ngve6-fabTT1ZKEjsCDKOG4J2kVxUmxO4D4VA7mGkhEfwY_Mwn5np89Cxc1o5J8Dma8VD6w43PXGx_2iISGR4cRSQjVZvM_-XifTmQTGYJX_X1KpPBP6qtKd64YdGd_ovvZOPn1bZ1xONu-u7epTYK2U4Ik3Y2xXUw7znjkLHgNoI=s1108" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1088" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLMqLpAUKBG01ngve6-fabTT1ZKEjsCDKOG4J2kVxUmxO4D4VA7mGkhEfwY_Mwn5np89Cxc1o5J8Dma8VD6w43PXGx_2iISGR4cRSQjVZvM_-XifTmQTGYJX_X1KpPBP6qtKd64YdGd_ovvZOPn1bZ1xONu-u7epTYK2U4Ik3Y2xXUw7znjkLHgNoI=w629-h640" width="629" /></a></div><br /><p>Well, The Curmudgeon responded with these two comments:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNxKxripjnLkv0pO6PCaW_NqM4BuIuvQ0rCvp5BMAwTnp1ZH-ndaDzRa4ytass8xRUjAO8kqeBX9kLyY2Y1S06EMNBPWcO1K5l4wwOuZ9pqt_SM0aDwjzKahMtQfVbGb4t_GktFs-WT0ZKC42uQCwJkWRLkbi4LKdtNghLNKymn_V755JxDOrxiwZJ=s1104" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="1104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNxKxripjnLkv0pO6PCaW_NqM4BuIuvQ0rCvp5BMAwTnp1ZH-ndaDzRa4ytass8xRUjAO8kqeBX9kLyY2Y1S06EMNBPWcO1K5l4wwOuZ9pqt_SM0aDwjzKahMtQfVbGb4t_GktFs-WT0ZKC42uQCwJkWRLkbi4LKdtNghLNKymn_V755JxDOrxiwZJ=w640-h140" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUqERUukcA-T-fDj6Q2YuI1vUdSlMiXwUnvuD4KARLyHa7KH-dHNTvIRPEvoGu2bKmJjgnFWL5DfB39GRh1fHecBKMWlS77AJy7-P0nsB3ziNoUDbUoGk590-_D1uYayf3mMAyLLgfoDJC1RUuMLftWY0tvMNJFyGiOXmqRXGNRtGx7JIf1K3IarpE=s1170" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="1170" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUqERUukcA-T-fDj6Q2YuI1vUdSlMiXwUnvuD4KARLyHa7KH-dHNTvIRPEvoGu2bKmJjgnFWL5DfB39GRh1fHecBKMWlS77AJy7-P0nsB3ziNoUDbUoGk590-_D1uYayf3mMAyLLgfoDJC1RUuMLftWY0tvMNJFyGiOXmqRXGNRtGx7JIf1K3IarpE=w640-h142" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Richard has written much worse stuff about wine - believe me - or not, as you wish. Maybe you could just visit his blog ........ but it isn't recommended.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-58312618468451838712021-07-13T17:10:00.002+12:002021-07-13T17:10:22.360+12:00BACK TO BASICS<p> I've been disappointed with on-line wine purchases over the last couple of years now.</p><p>In the past I've discovered some wonderful bargains of great wines that have been sold at reduced prices for legitimate reasons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Failed export orders.</li><li>Label and packaging changes.</li><li>Large vintage surplus</li><li>Winery going out of business</li><li>Lost domestic distribution etc.</li></ul><div>It pays to know something of the wine company or to do a web search on the particular wine being offered so as to find an independent wine reviewer (fewer and far between nowadays) who might have written about the wine and the vintage in question. This knowledge and or the search might provide awareness of what the 'normal' sell price of the wine is and not have to rely on the on-line sellers assessment. A bargain of a $20 wine that used to be $30 plus isn't a bargain if every other retailer is selling it at $20.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I said though I have been disappointed and have made some poor buys. See: <a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2021/04/through-rose-tinted-glasses.html">THROUGH ROSE TINTED GLASSES</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Some other mistakes have been:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Coopers Creek Lime-works Chardonnay 2019 which was a bit sour and lightweight.</li><li>Main Divide Chardonnay 2018 which is out of balance and overtly grapefruity.</li><li>Hudson Pinot Noir 2014 which is ordinary.</li><li>Soho Pinot Noir 2018 which is muddy, developed and lacking in fruit.</li><li>Holly Chardonnay 2020 which is tart and doesn't live up to the back label description.</li></ul><div>These wines all had glowing accolades from the sellers and their 'friendly' wine critics. In the case of the Coopers Creek wine I complained to the seller. To be fair, they offered to take the wine back and refund but the logistics and cost involved in the replacement is prohibitive. I only purchased a six-bottle case so have five bottles left. They will have to be used at a party sometime. The wine isn't bad, it just bears no relation to the sellers description.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been careless in these purchases but have made some other purchases of outstanding wines so it kind of balances things out. These have been:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mountford Chardonnay 2014</li><li>Villa Maria Ihumateo Chardonnay 2018</li><li>Rockford Sparkling Shiraz.</li><li>Vidal Soler Chardonnay 2018</li><li>Vidal Soler Chardonnay 2019.</li><li> Delta Pinot Noir 2019.</li><li>Beach House Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2018.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>The thing is though, the outstanding wines and the bargains are becoming harder to find. The original premise of on-line retailing being about 'discoveries' is being substituted by the fact that the channel is now just another established form of retail. </div><div><br /></div><div>I might just have to go back to buying my wine, bottle by bottle ( instead of by the case) from supermarkets and wine shops and only just occasionally taking a chance on a case buy from the on-line channel.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-EXg6P6yUel5G27T4sGVREiRzlP7P0U9cXsKBBnBWJDUhxM06bcYPiDlwpf1XFhC7x69cMnX9GktLXGdzF2zSdJu_URlbYMHoC6nCCg7ZbXViyRp21wX7Iqj4v-HdibgwjYx2m-wdMM/s598/b5f4b1443ba78e0623131ca0e82f43b0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-EXg6P6yUel5G27T4sGVREiRzlP7P0U9cXsKBBnBWJDUhxM06bcYPiDlwpf1XFhC7x69cMnX9GktLXGdzF2zSdJu_URlbYMHoC6nCCg7ZbXViyRp21wX7Iqj4v-HdibgwjYx2m-wdMM/w301-h400/b5f4b1443ba78e0623131ca0e82f43b0.gif" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-32661790806505044222021-04-17T17:58:00.008+12:002021-04-17T18:35:21.533+12:00THROUGH ROSE TINTED GLASSESHer Indoors and I really like rose-style Champagnes and methode sparkling rose wines. Usually we have a pool challenge every Saturday afternoon before preparing Saturday dinner and the wine of choice is a sparkling rose.
First choice would be <i>Krug</i> but who the hell can afford that on a weekly basis?
When we can we splurge on more affordable Champagne rose like <i>Pol Roger, Billecart Salmon, Louis Roederer</i> and <i>Lanson</i> but usually drink the excellent and affordable New Zealand methode <i>Deutz.</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Last week I spied an online special for <i>Kalex</i> Pinot Noir Rose Brut 2015.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU2D6eRW-iRuO7cjNSMWuWYUGvxuLZkQqZ8jdFHZnkKBQy9noLYdHV2uSkizNArzsiKbaWp60iRtX6tgPn7HIR5TWY2ZO4GtaimAaGD6uB2EcPmc1yrwYvmYS-D3rCJrjm4C62S20MMs/s917/Screen+Shot+2021-04-17+at+4.24.42+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="917" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU2D6eRW-iRuO7cjNSMWuWYUGvxuLZkQqZ8jdFHZnkKBQy9noLYdHV2uSkizNArzsiKbaWp60iRtX6tgPn7HIR5TWY2ZO4GtaimAaGD6uB2EcPmc1yrwYvmYS-D3rCJrjm4C62S20MMs/w400-h170/Screen+Shot+2021-04-17+at+4.24.42+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'd purchased a half a case of <i>Kailix</i> riesling a month or so ago and it was pretty good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SHf9q956RYTNWGqKnDzMts-c41yrx0-uakSA58qbM8V7J1r0jpW_PddAkElmR8JZ5u_a-yWcy4XZqZBCXo7L4W2T5mJZkCU05v_HZPEmJWblVBa_ORDWc5lAkPVjfdu_1ICNorlx3I8/s907/Screen+Shot+2021-04-17+at+4.24.53+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="907" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SHf9q956RYTNWGqKnDzMts-c41yrx0-uakSA58qbM8V7J1r0jpW_PddAkElmR8JZ5u_a-yWcy4XZqZBCXo7L4W2T5mJZkCU05v_HZPEmJWblVBa_ORDWc5lAkPVjfdu_1ICNorlx3I8/w400-h159/Screen+Shot+2021-04-17+at+4.24.53+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>According to the advertiser's blurb <i>Kalix </i>is getting rid of current stocks due to a label change.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqRtNH4qqCEdCZdBBQYrh2KfvouaSUspMh6mWgjtD92roCplSL7iTltGdHt_P2Fp_7sSGY7b9GqSFwY8dgxiOuNb3ZJ60nQafgkYnErs8xHjOgYzr3zCc3YsawQaVxYHbEUDpxxNQtFE/s840/Screen+Shot+2021-04-17+at+4.24.30+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="840" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqRtNH4qqCEdCZdBBQYrh2KfvouaSUspMh6mWgjtD92roCplSL7iTltGdHt_P2Fp_7sSGY7b9GqSFwY8dgxiOuNb3ZJ60nQafgkYnErs8xHjOgYzr3zCc3YsawQaVxYHbEUDpxxNQtFE/w400-h254/Screen+Shot+2021-04-17+at+4.24.30+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Fair enough I guess especially given the severe Germanic references in the name and labEL that look like something Heinrich Himmler would have dreamed up and creamed over.</div><div><br /></div><div>I tend to approach these 'label change', 'failed export order' and 'winery undergoing restructure' clearance offers with a bit of suspicion. I was a wine marketer after all and know all of those old tricks. I tend to put them into the category of: 'the cheque's in the mail', and 'I promise that I won't come in your mouth'.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the riesling which, at $10 is a nice sweet and low alcohol aperitif. The sparkling rose, while a bit light on bubbles is OK and, with the boost of a splash of Marlborough pinot noir in it is a good drink. I think that Sam Kim might have had a few other wines before he tasted it and gave it 93 points and 5 stars but, fairs fair, at $20 a bottle it is, to me 'pool challenge' worthy. Unfortunately Her Indoors disagrees however and rejected it after a few sips. I respect her opinion as she has a better palate then I do.</div><div><br /></div><div>Intrigued by this <i>Kalex</i> label change I did an internet search and found their website: <a href="https://kalexwines.com/">KALEX</a></div><div><br /></div><div>There are the usual things in there - 'Our Story', 'Our Wines, ''News' etc but what really caught my attention was the company slogan or by-line - <i>TO STRUGGLE THROUGH ADVERSITY MAKES SUCCESS SO MUCH SWEETER.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>"OK" I thought. "That sounds a bit much" and then I read through the story.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><blockquote><i>Alex Kaufman, a Polish American businessman, entrepreneur and holocaust survivor, overcame incredibly challenging situations to educate himself in post-war Germany and immigrate to the US with nothing but the clothes on his back and a quarter in his shoe. He worked his way up from washing petri dishes in a laboratory to becoming the owner of a large chemical company, and an outstandingly successful businessman.<br /><br />Through his enthusiasm for great wine, Alex Kaufman already knew that the best wines are often produced in the most challenging places. Few are more daunting than the majestic Central Otago region of New Zealand, where climatic extremes, thin soils and geographic isolation offer an intimidating landscape for wine growers.<br /><br />Alex fell in love with the region and, in a reflection of his own life, determined to overcome the many challenges and produce outstanding wines of the highest quality – a fitting legacy for someone whose start in life was similarly beset with adversity.<br /><br />In creating Kalex Wines, Alex Kaufman has used his incredible business acumen, and his ability to find and trust in the right people, to build a company operating successfully in this challenging environment.<br /><br />His passion, guidance and inspiration are the driving force behind the small, committed team at Kalex Wines, whose very focus is to deliver truly remarkable wines, which express a unique sense of place.<br /><br />Our wines represent perseverance, individuality & ingenuity – the very essence of Alex Kaufman.</i></blockquote>Right. Initially I thought that my flippant reference to Himmler was inappropriate given that Alex Kaufman is a 'holocaust survivor'.<div><br /></div><div>I then became offended as this 'heart strings' marketing approach is cynical and contrived. It has nothing at all to do with Central Otago winemaking and I doubt that Alex, bless him, is of an age where he can easily select vineyard sites, plant vines, harvest grapes and meaningfully oversee wine production. I suspect that the winemaking and marketing team use him (and his money) more for the label and advertising blurbs.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, Robert could be wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>I continued my internet search on <i>Kalex</i> Pinot Noir Rose Brut 2015 looking for reviews and found that apart from Sam, no-one else had a great deal to say about this wine. Two other notable reviewers gave 4 star reviews but this was for previous vintage wine.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should know better but I feel cheated.</div>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-59869217096308707512021-03-25T12:12:00.010+13:002021-03-25T12:17:53.450+13:00WHO CARES?<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/7WOb6ePqjIE">WHO CARES? - PAUL MCCARTNEY</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Years ago I wrote a post about Geoff Merrill's wine label 'WHO CARES?).</p><p>See: <a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2008/07/who-cares.html">HERE</a></p><p>I've tried to find images of this on the web and even stories about it but there is nothing there. Merrill is a bit of a maverick and has experimented a bit in the industry.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH41ipi9I8CzJXaIQ-6W9bzC22nRgPz7-lcZSOyMII-GVzfvoukt3TmqjFrDmhq4MsHuTga3zOxrLFgYkbFcbxa_KlqfVlHpBVHxmhL-b3NvuQC1i_B5nWGxmiYuf7VT0-hgw5OgqExQ/s282/download+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="282" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH41ipi9I8CzJXaIQ-6W9bzC22nRgPz7-lcZSOyMII-GVzfvoukt3TmqjFrDmhq4MsHuTga3zOxrLFgYkbFcbxa_KlqfVlHpBVHxmhL-b3NvuQC1i_B5nWGxmiYuf7VT0-hgw5OgqExQ/w400-h252/download+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No that's Bill Bailey</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4CCTWp0PvuQr_0sVfshctiHgjyePyzd6tQgOTDUVXAvBgggcg6inYGOYWK7Ufg3zx3yanDu7d0az81mtQhR0fDJi0CZ-LMYnL_gT_jt0DMUZOlvNrK2-dKIw3AOC6wK8DULz4DBa-TE/s299/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4CCTWp0PvuQr_0sVfshctiHgjyePyzd6tQgOTDUVXAvBgggcg6inYGOYWK7Ufg3zx3yanDu7d0az81mtQhR0fDJi0CZ-LMYnL_gT_jt0DMUZOlvNrK2-dKIw3AOC6wK8DULz4DBa-TE/w400-h225/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, that's Merrill</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>OK, who cares? I hear you ask. Well, frankly I do. It annoys me when important parts of history disappear because it doesn't fit the prevailing narrative of the day. The prevailing narrative was of course the rise of the Australian wine industry through the 1990s to the point where a fair bit of arrogance and hubris led it to challenge France and other major wine producing countries. Good at the time for sure but this merely attracted big investors (USA) and massive markets (China) which, initially gave the Australians a boost but in the long run have fucked their industry.</p><p>The Americans with their big (and at the time powerful) bucks bought up the big Australian producers. They then stripped them of everything to do with making great wine and dumbed them down to making supermarket plonk - a strategy that ultimately bankrupted them.</p><p>The Chinese wooed them with tantalising images of a massive market of cultured drinkers that would return massive profits even though this was a fantasy. See: the Mondavi Opus One example in <a href="https://grumpyoldmanreturnsnz.blogspot.com/search?q=Opus">HERE</a>. Now China, as it did to the beer industry has turned on Australia for 'political' reasons. The Australian wine industry is fucked from having put too many eggs in the one basket. It may take them a few years to recover.</p><p style="text-align: center;">*************************</p><p style="text-align: left;">OK. So why should I care?</p><p style="text-align: left;">I'm past all that. I was a marketer of primarily New Zealand wines and, at the time was professionally invested and very interested in the product and its packaging from container to label and external packaging. The look of a product was as important (for certain markets and price points) as the quality of the wine itself. This drove my marketing and executive decisions and, more than a decade later is still influencing decisions made by industry leaders. See below:</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H05vq9o8D9zZB9S_-KbcmiCIyVeICMSg_zmJs_U2dGX4lfSCnJi6XnvpJFZ7c0fA-NIAUoRGUrwtBxNEMpG_ZF8zfhsm9LcnbbcyTfqD80KOYKaqjVdGVemGAirmPzgaff6V8Kfwz9s/s1024/Jeremy-DV-Boyd-Wine-Packaging-Group-Shot-e1616546182231.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H05vq9o8D9zZB9S_-KbcmiCIyVeICMSg_zmJs_U2dGX4lfSCnJi6XnvpJFZ7c0fA-NIAUoRGUrwtBxNEMpG_ZF8zfhsm9LcnbbcyTfqD80KOYKaqjVdGVemGAirmPzgaff6V8Kfwz9s/w400-h266/Jeremy-DV-Boyd-Wine-Packaging-Group-Shot-e1616546182231.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>With thanks to asb Creative Photography.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://winetitles.com.au/bottle-design-how-much-does-it-matter/">BOTTLE DESIGN - HOW MUCH DOES IT MATTER?</a></p><p style="text-align: left;">The problem is though, that now I'm outside of the industry and am a (discerning) consumer I think - "Who cares?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">I want my wine to be at least of a premium standard and to be in good condition. I also want it to be in convenient packaging. I don't really give two stuffs about what shape bottle it's in except of course, heavier and more punted bottles tend to hold better quality wine. They also cost more and a lot of the cost is in the heavier and more punted bottle.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I would buy my wine packaged in half bottles (375ml) if there was a greater selection. Unfortunately, half bottles kind of disappeared many years ago as manufacturers and suppliers, due to supply chain pressures to supermarkets, discontinued them. It wasn't because of a fall-off of consumer demand.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I've written on this before: </p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2018/12/ill-ave-alf.html">HERE</a> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-little-things-in-life.html">AND HERE</a></p><p style="text-align: left;">I'm excited about the renewed prospect of being able to buy wine in cans. Well, I will be excited once producers have confidence in the improved linings in aluminium cans that will deliver wine in good condition. Currently the offerings are pretty dismal with cheap Sauvignon Blanc type wines being canned. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50u5zN5-PGlZVk0NZbyhXcqdSnqUHeqcyKi9ugONVjSIloB3Ya-5qWYuCN3sim11A7_7Qppjloy4PXaUFCDwf-A_rGeG2bOgjYgIR6ODP22qXR9qimDvYM2thRVVRaw-gBz9p_tQa76I/s655/High-Res-PNG-KIM-Sauvignon-Blanc-250ml-Can-Shot.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50u5zN5-PGlZVk0NZbyhXcqdSnqUHeqcyKi9ugONVjSIloB3Ya-5qWYuCN3sim11A7_7Qppjloy4PXaUFCDwf-A_rGeG2bOgjYgIR6ODP22qXR9qimDvYM2thRVVRaw-gBz9p_tQa76I/s320/High-Res-PNG-KIM-Sauvignon-Blanc-250ml-Can-Shot.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put a decent (non Marlborough) chardonnay in a can and I'll buy it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Many years ago, in the 1970s I used to buy a French red wine - Beaujolais - in cans. The producer, I think, was Barton and Guestier (B&G). The wine wasn't great but the convenience factor was excellent. We used to pack a few of these in our packs when going tramping in the Tararua mountain range. It was a real treat, in an alpine or bush hut to cook up a kind of stew and have a couple of cans of red. The alcohol was lowish - about 11% and the cans were about the size of a small beer can - 330ml so we weren't getting trashed. Sadly these went off the market and it took many years for the idea of wine-in-a-can to come back. There were of course technical problems in developing linings that can withstand the corrosive action of wine. If the wine has direct contact with aluminium it can produce reductive compounds which are unpleasant. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Here is some reading on the topic.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/why-wine-in-cans-is-not-a-fad/2018/09/07/ed11575c-b224-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html">WHY WINE IN CANS IS NOT A FAD</a><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.ediblemontereybay.com/blog/can-it-be-fine-wine-in-aluminum/">CAN IT BE? - FINE WINE IN ALUMINIUM</a><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The latest and best report I've seen is by Simone Madden-Grey in the <i>Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker</i> magazine February 2021. In her article titled 'Unsealing the potential of aluminium can technology' she covers the problems of the past and the prospects for the future with wine in cans. Sustainability and environmental concerns are at the top of her list but manufacturers and marketers will be sitting up to take notice in the cost savings of product, packaging, shipping and recycling. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i></i></p><blockquote><i>In terms of production, the energy required to produce aluminium is considerably less than that to produce either a standard or a lightweight 750ml glass bottle. When compared with primary production, recycling aluminium produces substantially less carbon emissions and requires just 5% of the energy used for primary production, which is again lower than that used to recycle glass. Aluminium may also be recycled indefinitely as reprocessing does not damage its structure. Cans are easily stacked with a higher volume to space ratio than bottles, they are lightweight, requiring less fuel for transportation and therefore less carriage cost to the producer and they offer the consumer a variety of ways to engage with wine. </i></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>All good that but for me, the thing that interests and excites me is the prospect of having single serve top quality wine in 200ml cans or two glass serves in 375 ml cans. This will allow greater experimentation with wine styles and, possibly as a consequence cut down on my consumption.</p><p>Unfortunately I doubt that most producers will have the balls to go this way - not in my lifetime anyway. There are so many timid winemakers or those controlled by dullard corporate executives who will prefer to stick to the status quo. Why else are there so many wine companies and brands still using cork closures instead of screw cap.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-92053695597543892452021-01-10T20:19:00.003+13:002021-01-10T20:21:19.425+13:00YOU LITTLE BEAUTY!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiQsoS61VWjD7cA0pUrPq0mgCMGXPoTW7LHoXgExF8X04KwXNxFf8rmEe2jrhV2cAO2YFNzePHEqEZY27irDT1GN3bLJ6El6rh8bYy4UciWsnUhh8qBrQkS1VkRfq_yM4AMsoLnCXC7Y/s267/download+%25283%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiQsoS61VWjD7cA0pUrPq0mgCMGXPoTW7LHoXgExF8X04KwXNxFf8rmEe2jrhV2cAO2YFNzePHEqEZY27irDT1GN3bLJ6El6rh8bYy4UciWsnUhh8qBrQkS1VkRfq_yM4AMsoLnCXC7Y/w283-h400/download+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Not a term often addressed to Queen Vic - 'little' maybe, but 'beauty'?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I just noticed that it's been 4 months since I last posted. Mea Culpa. I've been posting a lot on my other blogs and have neglected this, my original blog (started in March 2008).</p><p>I've also been drinking a lot of good wines during those 4 months and hopefully can line up the synapses to remember and report on the most interesting of them.</p><p style="text-align: center;">*****************</p><p>To kick things off (and Happy New Year to all readers) yesterday we treated ourselves to a bottle of <i>Sacred Hill Riflemans</i> Chardonnay 2016. I hardly need to remind those in the know of the provenance of this wine and that successive vintages rarely disappoint but I will remind you that my partner, Her Indoors, after a couple of years living in Toronto, developed a taste for California chardonnays. Her favourite tipples from New Zealand and Australia were very rarely available in the province-controlled liquor controlling board <i>LCBO</i> with the best offerings coming from France and USA. American, and in particular California chardonnays dominated the shelves (the Canadian offerings were extremely dismal) and she developed a taste for the sweeter, higher alcohol wine styles. That hasn't been a problem since, in recent years, California chardonnays are seen more on New Zealand supermarket and wine shop shelves than ever before, albeit under a small range of brands and labels. </p><p>I like some styles of California chardonnay and have marketed some and have visited many producing companies but haven't found the ones I've liked available in New Zealand -<i> Frey, Kongsgaard, V Sattui, Far Niente, El Molino, Mondavi Reserve</i> etc. I stick to my favourite Hawkes Bay labels and, quite frankly, the more American chardonnay that Her Indoors drinks the better (for me) as there is more of my favourites left over for me to drink over the next day or so. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILWsfoXZH_hmp_HkEjdVFguTDXwqb6CK_sODN5dKIpIQAt-AvQoWmTNW8mcJXTf0dQwtE5qHN48RJuDl4y9wPVQ2spcs6WSYVhfWFzyWZuRok4jDXYEvMN66eU39G_p_kwT48OMkqMLM/s2000/special-selection-riflemans-chardonnay-1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="649" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILWsfoXZH_hmp_HkEjdVFguTDXwqb6CK_sODN5dKIpIQAt-AvQoWmTNW8mcJXTf0dQwtE5qHN48RJuDl4y9wPVQ2spcs6WSYVhfWFzyWZuRok4jDXYEvMN66eU39G_p_kwT48OMkqMLM/s320/special-selection-riflemans-chardonnay-1.png" /></a></div><br />Anyway, as I said, last night we opened a <i>Sacred Hill Rifleman's</i> 2016. There's a lot going on with this wine - it's very mineral with a lot of biscuity characters along with - believe it or not - cashew nut flavours. As an experiment I filled a bowl with salted cashews and dried apricots (the wine also has an apricot kernel flavour like good cognacs have) and we nibbled these while drinking. The food/wine match is astounding. The wine is tight - very tight and we decided that it would be better tasted a day after opening. It was also stinky - very stinky with sulphur characters (not sulphide) that didn't dissipate in the glass which is why many wine writers describe it as 'complex'. We had a glass each and put it in the fridge to try the next day - today.<p></p><p>Tonight, on taking out of the fridge and trying again the wine has 'loosened' up a bit and the citrus and biscuit characters with that lovely apricot and cashew nut favours are more pronounced with the 'linear' and mineral notes more subdued. What wasn't subdued however was the sulphur or mercaptans.</p><p><br /></p>What to do?<div><br /></div><div>Well, and I have mentioned this before, an easy way of mitigating the off-putting sulphur characters in a wine is to use a copper coin. I found my 1891 copper penny, cleaned it up and dropped it into my glass and left it there for about 5 seconds.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGzkm4NODFI14xmgfx-io9MZdrszrobdQXnmqk1E0cBYyQGLaX4iDBpDlD1q_YsoDdfYR1DKQepRKYMLwM7jFc7axMfgr6wKS46cE1uiDnZqYT0Id9fo8Ifr8a1jv1mp-UtYkf3iLiVY/s350/1891-uk-penny-obverse-28d-rose29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGzkm4NODFI14xmgfx-io9MZdrszrobdQXnmqk1E0cBYyQGLaX4iDBpDlD1q_YsoDdfYR1DKQepRKYMLwM7jFc7axMfgr6wKS46cE1uiDnZqYT0Id9fo8Ifr8a1jv1mp-UtYkf3iLiVY/s320/1891-uk-penny-obverse-28d-rose29.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir0W-t4CRps2gpy4zhzidvLS7vntav9ds4KzKkh2hBZW3sR_4cnBPBdjY2ESvZTKWldIzCOBneP4YG3l5vPlModReqsn88_imR7Www0CM_gQ7e0zQOmMbPkW_DjFiPYlbBvWgFCG9fdo/s350/1891-uk-penny-reverse-28d-rose29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir0W-t4CRps2gpy4zhzidvLS7vntav9ds4KzKkh2hBZW3sR_4cnBPBdjY2ESvZTKWldIzCOBneP4YG3l5vPlModReqsn88_imR7Www0CM_gQ7e0zQOmMbPkW_DjFiPYlbBvWgFCG9fdo/s320/1891-uk-penny-reverse-28d-rose29.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br />The sulphur (mercaptan) is a natural byproduct of fermentation and is often exacerbated by 'complex' winemaking practices like barrel fermentation and ageing, lees stirring etc. Copper reacts with mercaptans and helps them dissipate. </div><div><br />Good old Queen Vic sorted it and the resulting wine was clean, fresh and the fruit was more pronounced.<br /><br />YOU LITTLE BEAUTY!</div><div><br /></div><div>If she had been here trying a glass with us she would have been amused.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p style="color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></p></div><br /><br /><br /></div>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-30263077897829338192020-09-11T18:53:00.002+12:002020-09-11T19:03:07.116+12:00HEY, I'M DINING HERE!<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This post could also have been titled: 'HEY, I'M PAYING GOOD MONEY HERE SUNSHINE!' </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm well over the dining out experience especially when the establishment and its staff think that they are owed something merely for existing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When we lived in Toronto there was a swanky wanky place that we went to a couple of times before tiring of the silly staffing hierarchy. See: <a href="https://grumpyoldmanreturnsnz.blogspot.com/2013/08/observations-from-toronto-some-new-stuff.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A couple of months back we went to a swanky wanky eatery in our street (Richard and Shelley were with us) where we were sold an over-priced and, as it turned out, an illegally labelled bottle of wine that in no way met the glowing description on the wine list. I went back the next day and had it out with the manager - a supercilious - wank and obtained a $75 credit. Poor old Richard still has nightmares over this and fills his blogs and comments on other blogs with his experience of a chilled red wine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last night we went to a wanky Italian restaurant with ordinary but overpriced food, an ordinary wine list and some staff who thought it better to chat with their friends rather than do any actual order taking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVnxw-q6A2WqL3cynfeo1EUg8E2FJhTEhnEsV9xvo-YApx8vW2Z9dbcuIuMfDuXJq7ere1RvISEMo2nGTeIGmBTIDnlDYYXdLQRCUBncZB07OKI2RaqX4j2bLTVvNCtRzr5mkFwIgKKI/s1620/background.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVnxw-q6A2WqL3cynfeo1EUg8E2FJhTEhnEsV9xvo-YApx8vW2Z9dbcuIuMfDuXJq7ere1RvISEMo2nGTeIGmBTIDnlDYYXdLQRCUBncZB07OKI2RaqX4j2bLTVvNCtRzr5mkFwIgKKI/s320/background.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Afterwards we went to The Library which is a rare and wonderful find being a late night bar and eatery with live music. It's named The Library because there are stacked bookshelves galore in the place. Old comfortable sofas with tables are hidden away in alcoves in a maze-like setting. It's reminiscent of the cafes of the 1970s that I frequented as a student and has a Prohibition era speakeasy or opium den quality about it. It is neat but ...... the joker who showed us to a table and gave us a wine list let the place down. He went away and left us there for too long. I had to stand up and wave my hands around at him and a waitress for a while before he deigned to come over.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">"Can I help you" he asked.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">"Well, yes" I replied "We want to order some wine"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fearing that he would wander away again I quickly ordered a couple of glasses of (overpriced) pinot noir that I'd seen on the wine list. He went away and fetched it (very small servings). The wine was good but I've seen the bottle price in wineshops hence the 'overpriced' comment. On paying before leaving (Geoff paid) this guy - I don't know if he was the owner, the manger or simply a waiter - had an "I'm too good to be here doing this shit' manner about him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As much as I liked this place, and the music, I doubt if I'll go back.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I said in the opening to this post I'm over fancy restaurants and now prefer cheap and cheerful (ideally) cafes manned by people who want to be there and respect the fact that you, as the customer are paying for a pleasant time.</span></p>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-41545029764304381112020-04-28T16:14:00.001+12:002020-04-28T16:14:44.759+12:00LISTEN TO JESUS*Once again I've been blending my wines.<br />
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A while ago I bought a case of Larry Mckenna's Escarpment chardonnay.<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/_6pgWZpry9c">NOT THIS GUY</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THIS GUY although it's an old photo</td></tr>
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McKenna is one of the country's best chardonnay makers having carved out a reputation in the 1970s with <i>Delegats</i> and <i>Martinborough Vineyards</i> before making out on his own.<br />
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I bought his 2014 Escarpment chardonnay from an on-line seller along with a case of his riesling.<br />
The wine is beautifully made with ripe but fine fruit and heavy use of good oak. The result is a tightly structured white Burgundy style with strong lees character and minerality. Serious wine. I like it but, although it still has a lot of life in it given the vintage (2014) and the colour still looks like a young wine - the reductive notes and a bit of fruit drop doesn't make it delicious.<br />
The answer? Drop in some younger chardonnay in to refresh it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSFee-Z1kFWUvylwwESbXyLEoRA9LFZ5Aec3WXauWHes3aIybfeIaP3iJvu_6-SRNuQ9w4nH86Jr2AgIECiZHnkIqgvP00AKpkbX9_Ko_0F42gFT2SQWKCsVAtDTr-pIyyo6aC6JDwGw/s1600/IMG_0287.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSFee-Z1kFWUvylwwESbXyLEoRA9LFZ5Aec3WXauWHes3aIybfeIaP3iJvu_6-SRNuQ9w4nH86Jr2AgIECiZHnkIqgvP00AKpkbX9_Ko_0F42gFT2SQWKCsVAtDTr-pIyyo6aC6JDwGw/s320/IMG_0287.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I normally don't buy 'cleanskins' as I like to know a bit about the provenance of the wines I drink but I bought a case of this on-line because of the sellers 'blurb' and yes, it was cheap. I thought that it would be a good blender and I was right having used it a few times to freshen up tired and older wines. as I do see: <a href="http://nzwineguy.blogspot.com/2012/05/drinking-blood-of-young-virgins.html">HERE</a><br />
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The 2017 Gisborne chardonnay while a bit ordinary on its own has enough fruit and acidity to give the older wine a 'kick' and definitely rejuvenates it.<br /><br /><br /><br />* <i>You'll have to view the earlier post via the link</i>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-86508420168453032442020-04-21T16:17:00.002+12:002020-04-21T16:17:54.679+12:00 VASHE ZDOROVIE!We don't dink a lot of spirits yet we've got lots of unused bottles of liqueurs, whiskies, cognac, gin etc in the cupboard - results of a quick grab at Duty Free on the way home from overseas trips.<br />
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Just lately I've taken to having a glass of vodka and tonic as a change from wine. I only ever feel like having one, admittedly a large one and it's a nice pre-dinner cocktail. As I don't like to 'mix the grape with the grain' it's also a good way of cutting down on wine consumption.<br />
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The lockdown, with bottle shops being closed though, means that I can't buy a bottle of nice vodka - I prefer NZ crafted ones like 42 Below, Broken Shed and others but I'm not a hipster.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOT ME</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/drinks/108059055/the-next-hipster-spirit-is-vodka">THE NEXT HIPSTER SPIRIT IS - VODKA</a></div>
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I fossicked around at the back of the cupboard and found a couple of old bottles of vodka - one old and the other very old. Both had been opened.<br />
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The old one is EFFEN Cherry which is a Dutch vodka I've had for 25 years. It's really nice but was forgotten about.<br />
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It's one of the samples I was given by the producer back in the 1990s when we were evaluating it as a brand to import. We passed on the opportunity and I'm not sure if any was imported by anyone else. I've certainly never seen it on the shelves. Although it's been open a while it still has lots of flavour and the alcohol hasn't dropped much.<br />
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The very old bottle is a Russian brand named PARROT.<br />
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This bottle is over 60 old being from the 1950s or early 1960s. I found it while clearing out the underground cellars of the old <i>Hughes and Cossar</i> store in Khyber Pass Auckland back in the mid 1980s.<br />
It's been opened since about 1990 - 30 years ago and, apart from the alcohol drop down to about 25 to 30% is still remarkably flavoursome and interesting.<br />
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A recent discovery of ours is the East Imperial tonic company which makes a range of different flavoured tonics and other mixers. We get it delivered by the boxful.<br />
Her Indoors likes the grapefruit flavoured tonic with her gin but I prefer the 'Old World' style.<br />
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It's a local company and they claim to use the true ingredients which certainly show through in the flavours.<br />
The real beauty is that they are single-serve 150ml bottles. This means that if you only want one drink you only open the little bottle without having a half bottle or more of tonic sitting around to either go off or induce you to have another drink.THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-89822073765043843832020-03-15T13:09:00.000+13:002020-03-15T13:09:01.051+13:00SUNDAY - DAY OF REST** Well, to be honest everyday is a day of rest for me nowadays.<br />
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Sunday, in my life experience has had religious connotations even though I abandoned Catholicism when i was about 15.<br />
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Wikipedia tells us:<br />
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<i>Sunday is a day of rest in most Western countries, as a part of the weekend and weeknight. For most observant Christians, Sunday is observed as a day of worship and rest, holding it as the Lord's Day and the day of Christ's resurrection. In some Muslim countries and Israel, Sunday is the first work day of the week.</i></blockquote>
OK, Christians as per usual try to take over what is a rest day from the working week and convert it to their own ends. We're used to that.<br />
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I like Sundays though. There is something palpable in the atmosphere. Maybe it's because many people are not working and commuting to their jobs. The sounds in the neighbourhood are different - sounds of leisure activity and, I guess, the absence of sound from people who are resting.<br />
Sundays are always relaxing and for relaxing.<br />
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It's a beautiful Sunday here today. Blue skies, warm, no wind - marvellous.<br />
The lawns need mowing and it would be ideal conditions to do so, with a dip in the sea at high tide afterward but I don't want to break the peace. I get annoyed by those gung-ho home maintenance types who fire up their mowers, weed-eaters, blowers and other noisy shit on a Sunday. There are 6 other days to do this.<br />
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I'll keep listening to the radio, read, do crosswords and enjoy the sunshine on the deck until later in the afternoon when I'll go out and play some golf.<br />
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Sunday. Don't you love it?THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-63919208708642639532020-03-11T09:21:00.000+13:002020-03-11T09:21:08.693+13:00'WATER INTO WINE'<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Richard does really know a good wine. Try giving him a cheapie on his birthday!" said Robert in a comment on my previous post.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Robert is the guy who believes in the miracles of Jesus including that turning water into wine nonsense.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This cartoon seems to be applicable to both of the above.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386000359463629107.post-27254022610961680732020-03-07T12:52:00.000+13:002020-03-07T12:52:33.446+13:00BUMMERI guess that most wine drinkers have preferences in styles, varietals, countries of origins etc that condense down to one or two favourites as we grow older.<br />
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I've been a wine appreciator for nearly 50 years and have tasted nearly all of the varietals, styles and countries of origin wines that the world has to offer. From those I have had many preferences that I have marketed, bought, sold, collected and drunk and have been lucky enough to have tasted some very special wines and vintages.<br />
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As I've grown older Her Indoors and I have narrowed our preferences down to favourites.<br />
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My favourites are:<br />
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<li>Champagne</li>
<li>Pinot Noir</li>
<li>Chardonnay</li>
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I still have some preferences like riesling, and rose-styles but generally my purchasing and drinking is from the three favourites.</div>
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Within each of the favourites I guess I have some sub loves and hates as follows:</div>
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<u>Champagne</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>Vintage vs non-vintage</li>
<li>Champagne vs Methode styles</li>
</ul>
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but, hey when needs must I'll drink non vintage or a good methode.</div>
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<u>Chardonnay</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>Wooded vs unwooded preferably barrique fermented</li>
<li>New Zealand vs most other countries unless someone offered me a Burgundy</li>
<li>Hawkes Bay vs any other region and certainly not Marlborough</li>
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Exceptions can be a good Californian or top Australian chardonnay and good vintages from Gisborne, Martinborough, Nelson or Waipara but never Marlborough.</div>
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<u>Pinot Noir</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>New Zealand first and foremost but occasionally will drink a good French or American pinot noir.</li>
<li>Waipara as first choice followed by Martinborough, Central Otago and Nelson at a pinch. Sometimes a good Marlborough wine catches my fancy.</li>
</ul>
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Following these favourites and some of my preferences leads me to buying my wines on-line from a few reliable sellers or waiting for supermarket wine sales where I do pick up bargains.</div>
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The problem with my choice of favourites though is that I've gravitated to the most expensive categories of wines especially when seeking out good examples.</div>
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If my favourites were those godawful sauvignon blanc and pinot gris I'd be able to save a lot of money as these white varietals are among the cheapest and most promoted. In reds pinot noir is on average the most expensive, certainly much more than well made merlot, cabernet sauvignon or shiraz wines. If I'd developed a taste for non-methode type sparkling then there would be plenty of bargains for me out there as well.</div>
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Hoisted by my own petard I guess.</div>
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<br />THE WINE GUYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09733085464695722440noreply@blogger.com7