Articles
Sydney Time
Copyright © Ric Einstein 2008
Links to Past and Current Articles - 2006 2005 2003 2002 2001
Past Articles from 2004
Australia has what is regarded as the most crowded magazine market in the world so by definition, it is extremely competitive and we are blessed with a huge choice of wine publications to read, but which one is right for you? This lengthily article crawls through three very different wine publications, Winestate, Winewise and Divine and looks at the strong points, the weaknesses and the stylistic differences between each of the three selected publications.
Wine Australia 2004 - The Summary
Plonk Oz is a much anticipated, eagerly awaited event which is run every two years. This years event was held in Sydney at the end of November and was a cracker. The best part of three days were spent there checking out the good and not so good. This article presents a summary of the findings as well as a list of both the best wines and best value wines. The individual tasting notes over over 120 wines will be posted as the weeks progress in the Tasting Notes section.
Parker: The Wine Advocate Issue 155 Oztralia
The annual issue of Parkers Wine Advocate featuring Australian wines is a much anticipated event for all those that love Australian wines, as well as many in the industry who and be made or seriously affected by "THE" mans comments. This article examines Parkers Australian findings in detail. It focuses on Parkers comments, the points winners, the losers but more importantly, puts Parkers take on Australian wine in perspective.
Screw Thy Neighbour and Screw Thyself
The wine industry, especially the large producers simply cannot survive without growers. What's more, the growers need to be successful and that does not mean just growing good grapes, they have to be financially successful too. Due to the recent grape glut the law of supply and demand dictates the buyers can get a great deal and in the process, they may be screwing the growers in the short term, but as importantly, they are screwing themselves in the long term.
Henschke 1998 Hill Of Grace or .....
As a result of my recent comments where I quoted a representative of Henschke, who stated they had no Brett in the winery, and then proceeded to state the cause of the Brett in the 98 Mount Edelstone was due to excessive heat exposure whilst still at the winery, I received a startling email. It was from a professional wine journalist, Campbell Mattinson of WineFront Monthly and the information in the email essentially threw me a live grenade. Will it become known as the Henschke 1998 Hill of ..... ?
Recently there has been a contest between Coles and Woolworths for a Queensland company that most of us have never heard of (and don't care about,) but the outcome of this corporate dog fight will probably end up effecting the price you pay for your wine in the long term. This article looks at the reasons and explains what is rapidly becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
The message in this article is simple but one that is frequently overlooked by most wine drinkers. One way to look at it is to say "you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time; but the biggest problem is that in many cases, when we drink wine we may be fooling ourselves."
The World Wide Web of Wine Information
There is so much wine information out there it is frightening. This article is designed to give you a snap shot of many of the best sites that the world wide web has to offer. It includes links to wine forums and sites that will increase you knowledge and many other handy reference locations. Not great reading but neither is the Yellow Pages, however the summary on each site should be useful.
There are a multitude of Australian wine writers, two of the best known are James Halliday, now the favorite uncle of many wine lovers and Jeremy Oliver who people either love or love to hate. So, what do these guys have to offer and are there any good up and coming alternatives? This weeks longer than usual article examines exactly that question and details the plusses and minuses of the two best known and a rising star that we hope will not become a shooting star.
What gives with Cabernet Sauvignon, it appears like growers (especially outside of Coonawarra and Margaret River) can't give the stuff away. Why is it declining in popularity? Or is it, you may find the facts surprising.
When it comes to wine retailers advertising, half you what you read is bull and the other half is $hit or so is seems in many cases. Sure, It is a retailer’s job to sell wine but some of the tricks they get up to are “interesting” to say the least. Buying wine at sensible prices and knowing what to believe can be a veritable mine-field and this weeks article will help guide you through dangerous and potentially expensive territory.
Wine Advocate 25th Anniversary Celebration
A short article on the wines being served to celebrate Robert Parkers 25th anniversary dinner.
Ever read a tasting note by your favourite wine writer, gone out and purchased a bottle, tried it and thought that the writer must have been smoking dope at the time he wrote the tasting note? It happens all the time and for a myriad of reasons. To illustrate how and why this happens, this weeks article examines a couple of real life examples including the controversial 2002 Dead Arm Shiraz and review of the Peel Premium Shiraz Tasting.
How important is the cellar door facility and are a number of the large wineries forgoing a golden opportunity to sell their wines and their image due to a severe case of bean counter myopia?
For once, I am not going to tell you what it is about but after proofing reading it, my mate Brian (Red Bigot) commented, in a sarcastic way, "This will surely add to your already impeccable red bigot credentials.. :-)"
Making Wine, Beer or Water Heaters
So how come some big companies like Orlando and Hardys don't have financial problems and some others like Blass and Southcorp are either suffering from lower than acceptable profits or their share prices are in the toilet? It doesn't matter if you are making wine beer or water heaters, every profitable wine company must do some things right, and unless these "things" are fixed and well managed, they wont be in the wine business long term.
There seems to be an "in vogue" attitude amongst certain overseas wine forum contributors who have jumped onto the Ozstralian Wine Bashing Wagon. This article examines some of the comments and claims made and separates the facts from the flatulent rhetoric and emotional, fashionable clap trap.
During my recent tour of SA I noticed a big new trend, many wineries are playing around with all sorts of different grape varieties and blends. This article examines why they are doing it, the pitfalls and who are likely to be the winners and losers. Is it in the consumers interest or is it in the wineries interest? All this and more as a most important trend is examined, dissected and analysed.
TORB's Harem Gathers; Gangs, Grogs and Laughs
You have but one birthday a year which is just as well. I don't think I could take more than one gathering of my harem per anum. When the evening started, the last thing on my mind was an article, I did not even take a pen with me to dinner, but the evening was so good, I just had to share it with you. Another night of great wine, excellent food and above all three great friends to share it with.
A Better Way to Distribute Grange
There are few wine events in the wine calendar that are more eagerly awaited then the annual release of the Penfolds Icons. I recently tasted the wines and they good, but what about actually trying to buy them. Are Australian buyers getting their fair share or are they being overlooked? Is there a better way for all concerned to get a fair deal? I certainly think so and this article explains all.
Vintage Perspective South Australia 2004
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. The information will also be very helpful when reading the up coming 2004 South Australian Tour Diary.
How much of a loss does a winery suffer with the loss of its top winemaker? And why don't we see more top winemakers doing incredible things when they change employers or strike out on their own? The and many other questions are answered in this article.
Is Henschke Living on its Reputation
Having tasted a number of the wines from this supremely regarded winemaker, I am beginning to wonder if the quality of the wines are not as good as they were in the mid 1990's. Some of the reviews from the pros tend to support my theory that Henschke is indeed living on its reputation.
Every few months the two bigots get together for a meeting that has more ritual and dark arts associated with it than a Masonic gathering. Get the complete inside poop as well as some tasting notes on the wines consumed.
The Insanity of
Purchasing Current Release Wines
In some ways purchasing many brands of current release premium and icon wines is insanity. Yes, some brands are hard to get and those are to be treasured, no argument with buying the likes of Wendouree, Rockford, Noon and many others that are difficult to obtain, but what about the wines with lesser volume restriction?
Sometimes there are ideas that don't warrant an article in their own right and in this week article I have taken three topics with short comments and have combined them into one article. 'Some BYO Tips', 'Bad Tasting Notes', and 'Sometimes You Really Have to Wonder' are the topics.
The Impact of the Rising Aussie $
The rise in the A$ is having far reaching consequences for many Australian wine producers and very few wineries will not be affected in some way or another. Some of the consequences many people would not have considered.
When I analysed the top three producers in my cellar (by volume) there was one very surprising result. This article explores who it was and the reasons for the result. Tasting notes of a few of the wines are included.
The title says it all, read the highlight and low lights of the past year including lists of the standout wines discovered during the past year.