by Louise Waters | Oct 5, 2020
The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...
by Norris Waters | Sep 30, 2020
A friend of mine once said that rosé is rosé, and they’re all crap until you find a good one; and when you do, that’s the one you drink! According to him, no matter the grape, style, price or country of origin, they couldn’t be judged like other wines because...
by Norris Waters | Sep 15, 2020
There is no escaping the commentary surrounding vintages. Knowing a bit often makes you feel like you know a lot, and enough to draw foregone conclusions. After reading various comments and articles about the 2018’s from Joh Jos Prum, I feel compelled to add to...
by Norris Waters | Sep 4, 2020
Orange has never lived up to expectations. We visited recently, confirming for ourselves its status as a region full of potential, but one yet to truly define itself. Our visit to Rikard Wines was a bit of a light-bulb moment – delighting in the discovery of a...
by Norris Waters | Aug 20, 2020
Wine assessment and tasting is by its nature opaque. Countless factors will affect a wine at any showing, and if you were to re-taste the wine, in another context, your conclusions might be very different. To avoid discrepancy and possible misrepresentation, process...
by Norris Waters | Aug 4, 2020
Atypical vintages and atypical work conditions present challenges and opportunities for the vigneron. Discussion of vintages, their characteristics, merits and downsides are analysed and agonised over by wine lovers. However, it is always what’s in the bottle...
by Norris Waters | Jul 29, 2020
All wine lovers, all humans, love to get their money’s worth. There are producers, regions, vintages, styles and countries with whom value is synonymous. I have long believed that, typically, you are more likely to find good value in whites than reds. Regions...
by Norris Waters | Jul 15, 2020
I have wanted to taste the wines of Julian Haart for several years. Flicking through a newsletter from Mosel Fine Wines is always an informative experience, but it can be hard to tear yourself away from the familiar and famous names. I now have a rule that I rigidly...
by Louise Waters | Jul 5, 2020
The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...
by Norris Waters | Jun 16, 2020
Passetoutgrain (pronounced Passe-too-grarn) is a regional Burgundian appellation created in 1937 for the production of red or rose wine. Passetoutgrain can be produced within the entire region of Burgundy, covering the Cote d’Or, Yonne, Saône-et-Loire and...
by Louise Waters | Jun 9, 2020
The recent dining out restrictions meant we had to give more thought to dining at home and Bistro in the Burbs was born! Delicious home cooked meals with fabulous matching wines – what could be better? Sometimes modest, other times grand and not always perfect. But...
by Norris Waters | Jun 2, 2020
I first came across the wines of Verget, working at Oddbins in Colchester. It was the early to mid 2000’s, and I had moved to Colchester to be with my girlfriend. Colchester, once the capital of Roman Britain, is one of the oldest settlements in the UK....
by Norris Waters | May 26, 2020
Dewey Station Wines is the work of husband and wife team Stefan and Eleanor Dewey. When we tasted the Dewey Station wines, we were struck by the vivid colours, floral lift and high toned fruit. They did however, still transmit the essence of rich full bodied Barossan...
by Norris Waters | May 19, 2020
Even James Bond, a man partial to fine wine and rich food recognised the debilitating effect of over indulgence. In the fictional town of Royale les Eaux, the backdrop for Casino Royale, Bond surveying the scene is fed up with the “lip-smacking rituals of...
by Norris Waters | May 12, 2020
Avant garde wines are less about tradition and vineyard/varietal definition. Minimal intervention, natural ferments, little or no sulphur additions, early picking,experimental winemaking and a keen eye on the environment are the shared attributes of Australian avant...
by Norris Waters | Apr 29, 2020
This month I caught up with Ben Mullen – the winemaker half of Mulline Vintners from Geelong. Mulline are making headlines of late with their high scoring Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot. Q. There are plenty of good wine regions in Victoria, why did you choose...
by Norris Waters | Apr 12, 2020
I’ve never believed that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but add a splash of wine and I’m not so sure…Chocolate and cheese are notoriously difficult to match with wine. Cheese in particular usually requires specific wines and hosts tend to offer up...
by Norris Waters | Mar 16, 2020
“Grosses Gewachs! We are marching again!” Thus spake Ernst Loosen of the grand estate Dr Loosen. Grosses Gewachs, or GG, refers to wines made from Grosse Lage or Grand cru vineyards. Unlike their French counterparts, the term does not exist within any part...
by Norris Waters | Feb 5, 2020
“There was no cloud now; the heat was easing, but at every stop the merciless obbligato of the cicadas, rising clamorously as the sunset drew down, made the sudden human voices in that still seem false and unreal…” I am a born and bred Sydney boy...
by Norris Waters | Jan 21, 2020
The Sadie Family Wines were our first South African producer. I am ashamed to say my knowledge of South African history is scant, save for a boyhood interest in the Anglo-Zulu Wars of 1879. I have a first edition of the tragic masterpiece, The Washing of the Spears,...
by Norris Waters | Dec 12, 2019
My wife’s sister Kate and her partner Sarah, have just arrived back from England. Their suitcases contained, as always, a small cache of wine bottles. The trade goes the other way too. From Australia, with love, we sent two bottles of JC’s Own. The...
by Norris Waters | Nov 12, 2019
Matching seafood and wine can be problematic. Some seafood flavours are delicate and you need a wine that will complement and not overpower the subtle flavours. Other seafood dishes are more robust, maybe with rich creamy sauces or tomato or spice. These foods need...
by Norris Waters | Oct 20, 2019
Shiraz and Syrah are the exact same grape. Some countries, such as Australia and South Africa, have traditionally used the name Shiraz. Other countries, such as New Zealand and the United States call the grape Syrah. What does Syrah taste like? The Rhone Valley...
by Norris Waters | Oct 6, 2019
Generally, most people with some knowledge about wine would agree that decanting wine has its benefits. But there can still be many questions around the subject – Should I only decant old wine? Does decanting wine improve its taste? Does decanting wine remove...
by Norris Waters | Sep 18, 2019
An Australian icon, Ashton Hills is one of this country’s foremost Pinot Noir producers. From the Piccadilly Valley sub region in the Adelaide Hills, this tiny 3ha vineyard was originally planted in 1982. The vineyard sits at an elevation of 570 metres and...
by Norris Waters | Sep 6, 2019
What’s in a name? I’ve never met a shy Susan before. The Susans I’ve had the pleasure of knowing, including my mother in law, have all been crackers. The name Shy Susan, alas, does not derive from an encounter, amorous or otherwise. Shy Susan is a...
by Norris Waters | Aug 28, 2019
The words traditional and modern are thrown about so often nowadays that they no longer have any meaning. Let’s face a home truth. For all lovers of wine, there is a frisson of comfort when descending into an ancient cellar. Cobwebs, barrels and the...
by Norris Waters | Aug 15, 2019
It is common to make generalisations about wine regions and their wines. Grand statements like ‘Hunter Valley Shiraz tastes like….’ or ‘this wine reminds me of a left bank Bordeaux’ or ‘this is very typical of Corton’. And so...
by Norris Waters | Aug 10, 2019
“High alcohol, high tannins. Big colour, big flavours. A wine to offend everyone”. David Anderson summing up his wines at a recent tasting of Wild Duck Creek Estate. I don’t think I have ever met the proprietor of an estate who was so much fun,...
by Norris Waters | Aug 1, 2019
American exceptionalism is an idea spawned from Revolution. Alexander Hamilton, who alongside George Washington is the most indispensable of the Founding Fathers, epitomised this belief. In the first of the Federalist Papers he wrote “it seems to have been...
