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Posts tagged ‘Vintage Cellars’

Mar 10

wine2

The Birthday Wine

A little birthday treat…

Drinking: RK Beechworth Shiraz (2009).

This Shiraz is like a little oasis – it’s not something you’re likely to find without  the help of a charming and well-informed Vintage Cellar boy.
The reason being-  this wine is a limited edition, made exclusively for Vintage Cellars by boutique wine producer Rick Kinzbrunner (Giaconda Vineyard)

The RK’s very clean and uninformative label hardly does this wine justice. The flavour is an exquisite mix. It has the delightful taste & colouring of purple plums, red berries and something slightly spicy or astringent- like eucalytpus. In conjunction with it’s very silky texture, this Shiraz stands fast as a very sexy bottle.

I thoroughly enjoyed every sip.

Deep Pockets…

As is the case with a lot of boutique releases, you’ll have to splash out a little bit for this one – it retails for about $50 – $60 per bottle depending whether you purchase across 6 or 12. Check it out at the Vintage Cellars’ website. This one has very limited stock so I’d take a peek sooner, rather than later.

If you’re interested in reading a little more on the Giaconda Vineyard, including their latest releases, see the Giaconda website here.

Sharing is Caring…

This is such a lovely wine, I’d recommend saving it for someone special to drink it with.

For me, that’s half the fun.

Feb 12

WOODSTOCK

King of The Castle: Woodstock Shiraz

It’s Saturday night and I’m hungry.

Hungry for a story and a bottle of wine.

My cravings are feed, sure enough, by a guy who works at Vintage Cellars. Raoul is Spanish in origin, has a down-to-earth attitude towards life, and stars as the fairy godmother of wine in this tale.

There’s nothing better than being served at a bottle-o by someone who genuinely loves their trade and knows a hell of a lot about alcohol.
My friend and I had a jolly-old time, tasting a few wines and chatting with Raoul who told us about his long journey through the bountiful vineyards of Chile, South America. A self-confessed lover of Merlot, he nevertheless recognized my lust for Shiraz and recommended a couple of bottles which I bought as a package for $40.

Spot on.

We cracked the first bottle, a 2010 Woodstock Shiraz from McLaren Vale, over some field-baked mushrooms and a beetroot, goats cheese and rocket salad.

The design-snob in me scoffs at the label. It’s clean, but seriously boring.  A classic example of something I would never buy, had it not been recommended to me. The label’s only redeeming quality is it’s logo-  which is a funky little castle.

The first sip…

That first mouthful is a treat- it’s packed with flavour, and has a sweetness that hints at plums and cherries – or some other kind of red berry i can’t quite place. It’s the kind of wine that makes you crave a piece of chocolate- and by piece I mean large block –  which is exactly what I ate after dinner ;)

This wine has a beautiful purple colour and a very subtle finish- it makes for easy drinking over the course of a few hours. I’m very happy to say we did our duty with this one- the last drop was consumed with a sleepy smile around midnight.

Final dregs…

Woodstock Shiraz retails, for around $20 – $25 a bottle.

The Woodstock website tells a beautiful story about the vineyard and it’s origins, which stretch all the way back to the 1900′s in England. Funnily enough, Medieval wooden leg stocks, (historically used for public punishment) are what the Woodstock name refers to. Have a read here for more, including information about their wine philosophy, restaurant, and Cellar Door.

A little toast…

Cheers to you, Raoul. You gave me a little castle, some delightful banter, and an evening of contentment.

Jan 18

Metala: Smooth Cruising

I love strong, gutsy wine. Rich Shiraz. Smooth Cab Sav’s.

The only problem with some of these wines is that they’re sometimes too full bodied- you have a couple of glasses and you get all happy, followed by an instant wave of sleepiness. This gets me into a bit of trouble sometimes. The standard reprimand (morning after) is sure to follow- Whyyyy did I not just go with a bottle of Rosé??

And so, I was very pleasantly surprised to discover a hearty wine that I can just sip and sip for hours. The 2010 Langhorne Creek ’Metala’ is a Shiraz Cabernet. Tucked away on the second bottom shelf in the Red Blend section of Vintage Cellars, I took a punt on this wine one day because I took a shining to the label – call me crazy but it has a subtle air of royalty around it.

We’re fairly well acquainted now, Metala and I. Many a night have we spent just chilling out, listening to Spanish Guitar and pondering on a lot of random things that would either excite the hell out of you bore you stupid should I mention them here.

The back of her label so (like most wines) sounds like a Heston Blumenthal recipe :
“A blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from the expressive 201o vintage, this wine is intensely fragrant with spice, white pepper, violets and black-current supported by hints of eucalypt and licorice.”
More powerful tastebuds that mine may be able to pick up the black current and white pepper, but my humble tongue was quite satisfied by the rich flavour (of the grapes) followed by a subtle finish. Though I’m slightly embarrassed to admit it, I think I agree with the spice part- it’s quite full-on when you first take a sip! The taste also gets better after it’s breathed a bit of air. At roughly $17 – $20 a bottle, I’m very happy to say that this wine tastes like it costs a fair bit more.

Chef’s Recommendation: Served best with a piece of steak, some roast-oven vegetables, and a table with a few good hearted, slow-drinking personalities seated around it!

For those who love to read: Some interesting information about the Metala Vineyards here.

Set the scene: With a few candles these beautiful tracks:

‘I Still Care For You‘ – Ray LaMontagne
‘Holocene‘ – Bon Iver
‘Rain Day’ – Jesse Cook:

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