The Chardonnay grape has not been in Australia for very long. At most its only fifty years. They've had Cabernet for a hundred and fifty! If you look up the Larrousse Dictionary of Wines of the World from the early seventies you won't find a single mention of Chardonnay under the Australian section! I can remember glowing tributes in the eighties to oak rich, butterscotch and over-the-top tropical flavoured chardonnays from all quarters. There was nothing wrong with these reviews and to be fair there was very little wrong with the wines either. If we tasted the same wines today however, we would find them crude and looking for guidance. To a large extent Chardonnay had decided what the wine makers were doing with the grape rather than the other way around!  read more »

New Wines at NapaCabs.com  read more »

What are the best wine bargains for the first half of 2008?  read more »

This past weekend Dezel was an attendee at the Land Rover Americas Polo Cup held at Historic Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia. This fun-filled two day event was highlighted by the USA versus Italian Polo team match, as well as live entertainment, spectacular aerial flyovers, stunning parachute jumps, an Italian versus USA gourmet food competition, a stylish fashion show, and a Virginia Winery challenge hosted and organized by Virginia Wine Lover Magazine . This event, spearheaded by Tareq Salahi, founder of Oasis Winery, was a charitable affair benefiting the Journey for the Cure Foundation - a nonprofit, charitable organization set up to support research and grants for the MS Society and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Additionally, the Land Rover Americas Polo Cup is the worlds only invitational polo sporting event on an international level , so it was great to have it played right here in the Old Dominion.  read more »

Alamos 2006 Malbec Mendoza Seleccion (Catena) $11.95
Wine Tasting Notes - WA 90pts. The Alamos Seleccion Malbec presents a deeply dark violet color with blackish tones. The nose is full of ripe black fruits with floral tones and touches of leather, vanilla and spice. The mouthfeel is full  read more »

Every so often, the cast of a popular sitcom decides to up stakes for an episode and visit some exotic locale. This is usually right before they add a new little kid to the cast because the old little kid isnt cute anymore. The Keatons in London, the Bradys in Hawaii, the Conners at Disneyland: the traditional formulas are discarded. Our familiar TV pals strike new, revealing shapes against an exotic backdrop. Enchanted tiki idols may be involved. And then they re-run that episode over and over to milk all the "very special" ratings juice out of it, while they can. Well, were not about to discover a precocious, wisecracking second cousin who needs a loving home.  read more »

Every so often, the cast of a popular sitcom decides to up stakes for an episode and visit some exotic locale. This is usually right before they add a new little kid to the cast because the old little kid isnt cute anymore. The Keatons in London, the Bradys in Hawaii, the Conners at Disneyland: the traditional formulas are discarded. Our familiar TV pals strike new, revealing shapes against an exotic backdrop. Enchanted tiki idols may be involved. Well, were not about to discover a precocious, wisecracking second cousin who needs a loving home.  read more »

The thing I'm noticing most about my regime is how I'm not looking forward to evening meals with the same degree of anticipation. On a non-work day like today, it'd get to around 4pm, and I'd look at what were were going to be eating, then pop into the cellar to select something appropriate. Or if I'd been tasting, I might look at the open bottles and plan a meal to show off one of my faves. But with the BBD - Big Brand Diet - I feel like I'm missing out on a large degree of mealtime pleasure. Tonight (spare ribs by popular request from the bairns) I've got two best-selling Merlots to look forward to. I've never understood the craze for Merlot.  read more »

VARIETAL: Shiraz REGION: Barossa Valley, Australia PRICE: $16 Well, I admit this wine is a bit pricier than my typical mid-week selections. But it is still winter and the St. Hallet's gives me faith that spring will return again. Crafted from premium Barossa Valley fruit and nothing but, this shiraz looks like smashed berry ink in the glass. Warm spicy cherry and berry scents are just the prelude. Rich and dense, the St. Hallet's really lingers on your palate with smooth juicy cherry, ripe black raspberry interspersed with shots of spice and subtle black pepper from a 12-18 month stint in American and French oak. Sometimes Aussie shiraz can be a bit too jammy, like the fruit is overripe. Not so with the St. Hallet's. I love this wine - and have for about 8 years - because it is incredibly balanced, always impressive for the money and never ceases to make me feel warm and fuzzy all over. This wine is the perfect complement to just about any red meat and most hard cheeses. Or slurp it up with nothing at all. Check it out: St.  read more »

Brisbane Times, Australia -There were 8041 vineyards in Australia in 2006/07. About 30 per cent were in South Australia, which accounted for 43 per cent of the winegrape crush, ...