In celebration of the return to our virtual shelves of
the fabulous Wally White from The Islander Estate on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of Australia, let's take a look at
the Semillon or Sémillon grape and why it is, in my opinion, hugely under-rated .
What's the big deal with Semillon?
Admittedly it is not going to appeal to people who prefer their white Continue Reading
Being a supertaster - superpower or a curse?
It is estimated that approximately 25% of the population are 'supertasters' which may sound like they possess a special power that could be quite useful when it comes to appreciating wine. Is it of benefit and what makes us supertasters or not?
First, how to test whether you are a supertaster, taster or a non-taster
SPOILER ALERT
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Following my previous ramblings on vintage Champagne , Cava and English Sparkling Wine , I have been asked to write about the differences between various types of sparkling wine including Champagne. I'm happy to oblige; I love a bit of sparkle.
The production method
The major difference occurs in the winery. Most sparkling wines are produced as a result of the reaction between yeast and
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Shiraz or Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon remain by far the most planted wine grape varieties in Australia, in fact 60% of total grapes crushed there in 2016 *. But for quite some time now several Italian varieties have been creeping into Australian vineyards: so why and why now?
Diversity
Australia's vineyards are dominated by French varieties - at least 90% of crush in
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Farewell to 2016 and welcome 2017!
Let's hope this year is less of a rollercoaster than last year. We're starting the year with a brief look at what it is likely to bring us in terms of wine.
Lower alcohol levels
At this time of year especially we are thinking of our health and trying to making amends for the higher alcohol consumption
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I have just taken delivery of the first Wines With Attitude port, a beautiful
Crusted Port , just in time for Christmas. A good time therefore to look into port and all its different styles.
All port is produced in a similar way to still wine up to the fermentation stage; during that process grape-based alcohol is added to interrupt fermentation, effectively killing off the
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I'll show my hand upfront - I love a good Chardonnay though I have not been shouting about it in recent years as Chardonnay has not been a very popular wine for some time. Remember the "Anything but Chardonnay" or "ABC" era in the late 1990s? This was almost certainly in part a backlash against "Nothing But Chardonnay" being served. It was just everywhere and
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Wines With Attitude has been supplying First Drop wines since mid 2015 and I have never been disappointed in them. It seems that I am in good company - Master of Wine Julia Harding of JancisRobinson.com wrote in August 2016 that their wines never fail to impress her " Firstly in terms of consistent wine quality and style – firmly Australian but with sensitive use of the accelerator