Beating the summer heat and still enjoying wine

Life is too short to drink 89 point wine

Regular viewers of this soap opera will be well aware of my feeling about the 100 point "system" (sic) but even many supporters of it will be shaking their heads at the bumph quoted in this article.

What Chance Do We Have

This longer than usual article proves an unbiased update on the problems of corks, the status of the alternative closures (ROTE in particular) and why we as consumers are still years away from a perfect solution.

1998 Grange – a smart move or a ‘Rosemount’ strategy?

Is Southcorp's 1998 Grange strategy a brilliant bit or marketing strategy or will it come back to haunt them?

The Good and the Downright Ugly Side of Wine Pricing

No matter where you live in the world  the cost of wine is important to most wine lovers. Many inconsistencies and imponderables are covered in this story and the content is revellent to the smart wine buyer (and producer.)

Exactly what is a consumer advocate?

Robert Parker claims to be a consumer wine advocate but what is a consumer advocate and what are they meant to do to retain the legitime use of that title? Is he doing more harm than good? All this and more is examined in this article.

The Red Bigots October Bash

Loads of tasting notes feature as the red bigots get together to practising their dark red art. 

A Very Expensive Cellar Door Visit in the Yarra Valley

TORB spends a long weekend with friends in Melbourne and has far to much good wine and food but that's only part of this very interesting story which contains loads of tasting notes. Its not exactly short either!

Economies of Scale Are Not All They Are Cracked Up To Be

Buying a bottle of wine from a large producer and expect it to be better value because they have economies of scale? In many cases it doesn't work that way and better value can be found elsewhere. TORB investigates why this is so.

Using Points to Flog Wine

Retailers use of the 100 point system ratings in their adverts is further debasing the credibility of this system and its addictive characters will cause long term issues for both consumers and wineries. Don't be fooled, this article will give you the real picture. This is another article you wont see written by anyone who has to make a living from the wine trade.

Green is Not a Four Letter Word

Excellent feedback from industry players in response to last weeks article has resulted in this article which goes part of the way to understanding why some wineries are pushing the ripeness envelope; it could be called green paranoia.

A Wake Up Call to Some Winemakers

This one may be a bit controversial but someone has to speak up and I am surprised that our leading professional wine scribes haven't had a go about this one yet. In this article TORB examines the problems of wineries pushing the ripeness envelope and the over-oaking of Shiraz but this time it French oak.

The Western Australian Fine Wine Show - Part One

Forty six of WA's best best wineries come to town with over 250 bottles of wine. TORB spends time tasting many of them. This contains a short article with twenty tasting notes and there will be more tasting notes next week.

 

Part Two can be found here and contain a heap more tasting notes.

Cork may be a problem but it's not the only one

Non related cork issues are almost half as prevalent as cork problems. Corks have copped a bagging and deservedly so, but some of these other problems hiding behind the cork.

Seppelt Fortified Wines – the repackaging exercise, don’t be fooled!

A comparative tasting of a number of Seppelt Fortified wines with some surprising and unexpected results.

Kilikanoon 2001 wines and lunch

Recently I was invited to try the latest releases from Kilikanoon wines. This short article contains the story and tasting notes.

How different folks see the same strokes

Even wine judges and critics often can not agree about the merits of wine and this short article examines why it is so. The Parker Palate is also examined. The article further briefly looks at the stoush between Parker and Oliver and why Parker can't find fellow critics to share certain enjoyable parts of his job.

So You Have Started Cellaring Wine

        Pitfalls and traps to be avoided as well as simple advice for those starting a new cellar.

Power of the People and the Internet

The power of the people and the Internet have been a large contributing factor in getting the wine companies to rethink their return policies and procedures for defective wine. Also included are the latest TORB statistics on defective wine and some positive and negative experiences with the wine companies.

A Tale of Two Reds

          An interesting vinous experience with two top wines and some totally unexpected results.

Vintage Perspective

It's worth taking time out and spending a few moments taking a macro view of the vintage conditions over the last few years as it provides an interesting ‘big picture’ perspective that should be kept in the back of your mind when making purchasing decisions.

Hot Wine

The biggest concern that consumers face is that of corked wine but there is another insidious issue that many people are not aware of and needs to be brought to the publics’ attention.

Conning the Public or Conning Yourself

Some wine companies think they are being smart or being clever and pulling the wool over wine judges and the consumers eyes, but its going to come back and bite them in the bum.

1998 Grange Released - reality check anyone?

          

        A wine that's truly caused gold fever like hysteria in Australia. Love it or hate it, every one is intrigued by it.

 

An Interesting Trend For Astute Wine Buyers

Want to save a fortune in wine purchases? In this weeks article I found a trend in wine pricing that if used carefully could save you a fortune.

 

What Makes a Great Wine

 

This week we examine the factors that go into the making of a great wine and there is a slight twist in the story, and its not from a Stelvin......

 

Pricing Wine

This week, the question is posed  should we pay more for wine in good vintages, less in bad ones or should we leave it the way the way it is now.....

 

There's one born every minute

 

Therese one born every minute as PT Barnum used to say and there are many in the wine industry that are waiting for them to fall into their...

Keeping track of what's in the cellar

Keeping track of what's in the cellar Once your wine collection starts rising beyond a very modest level most people will explore the various...

 

More navel fluff gazing and predictions

More navel fluff gazing and predictions The 1998 Grange is soon to be released and whilst the expected wholesale price is only (sic) up by...

“It’s black.” “No it’s white.” “Sorry you are both wrong its green.”

“It’s black.” “No it’s white.” “Sorry you are both wrong its green.” The Sydney Top 100 International Wine Competition is one of the premier wine...

 

The Right Match

The Right Match Everything in winemaking is a balance and that includes oak. In the recent past there has been criticism and negative...

The long terms results of a wine retail dualopoly

The long terms results of a wine retail dualopoly About four years ago a new super doper large modern Woolworths opened in Bowral and after a...

 

Red Bigots Grand Bowral Bash

Red Bigots Grand Bowral Bash Red Bigot (my mate Brian Handreck) and I get together every once in awhile to engage in the black arts of red...

The more things change, the more they stay the same

The more things change, the more they stay the same As it’s the start of a new year its time for some navel gazing in an endeavour to...

 

Most wine produced, sold and consumed is crap

Most wine produced, sold and consumed is pretty crappy If this sounds like an inflammatory ranting headline, in reality its not. In 2000-01...