2005 Delatite Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris is a relatively unknown variety of wine if you are an every day suburban wine drinker who races into the bottle shop to grab a couple of bottles of plonk for the weekend. Years ago on a winery tour in the Mornington Peninsula I had tried a Pinot Gris at T’Gallant, and while it was nice it didn’t really thrill me. Since then though I have rarely see this wine in the more mainstream shops and it was only a recent article in a wine magazine that piqued my interest enough to go grab a bottle to taste.

On opening, the 2005 Delatite Pinot Gris shows a very high fruity nose, really gorgeous pear, pineapple and faint musk. There is no way to really describe just how good this wine smells. In the mouth it is a lovely full fruity mouthful that feels great and is nicely balanced with a lingering acidity and the aftertaste. This wine does not exhibit any of the overly sharp tanginess of a young Pinot Gris and is a smooth fruit driven wine that is ready to drink now.

The wineries may have an uphill job moving the consumers perception away from the more common (marketable?) wines; the mind share that Chardonnay and to a lesser extent Sauvignon Blanc have developed is significant. Till then though, I’m very happy to sit back and drink this while the rest of the drinking public chokes down over-oaked under matured Chardy.

My uneducated wine/food guess would be to shoot for matching this with something light and or creamy. A salad or fish (salmon steaks?) would take be a great starting point.

Murray Honey Wheat

Tonight I’m trying the Murray Honey Wheat beer from Mildura Brewery. I have another Mildura Brewery beer in the fridge, the Desert Premium Lager that I will write up shortly.
There is a very distinct hit of honey on opening this beer that keeps on giving and giving. I’m not sure if I like that or not as it really over-powers everything else. That said, the product is proudly a ‘Honey Wheat’ beer, so what else should I expect…I guess it delivers on that promise. Very light bead and carbonation that could almost be seen as flat if served at the wrong temperature. Again on the tongue the sweet honey flavours are present and while this is very nice while the beer is cold I expect it would be a bit rough as the beer warms up…though I don’t expect to find out. The finish carries a lingering sweetness and mild hops with perhaps a little spiciness…way, way back there somewhere. It is a very mild beer, and quite an odd customer.
I struggle to appraise this beer…really there is nothing wrong with it, it’s obviously well made but it’s an oddity. I’m not sure that I would sit down to a long session with this beer as I think it would be just too cloying after too long. That said, as a new taste; a new beer experience; the Murray Honey Wheat is a respectable beer that is worth tasting.
As per my most recent run of beers the Murray was purchased at Nicks Wine Merchants for $2.99.

Hargreaves Hill Pale

Getting close to home, Hargreaves Hill is a brewing company that I had never heard of before; and here they are, right on my doorstep. Hargreaves Hill is located in the Yarra Valley, in the oft overlooked town of Steeles Creek. The brewery released its first brew, the Pale, in late 2004. Quoting from the website, “We brew according to the Reinheitsgebot - the German Purity Law of 1516, which states that only malt, water and hops can be used in brewing, otherwise it's simply not beer”. I wonder what head brewer Simon Walkenhorst thinks of the mainstream breweries?

On opening, the beer displays fruity citrus scents underscored by malt. This beer is a real sensation in the mouth and my first impressions are that it is really light….really light! I don’t know if it’s the Reinheitsgebot laws at work here but living up to its advertising this thing tastes and feels fresh, clean and pure; and perhaps this is its only real downfall albeit a slight downfall. With its very light body the beer lacks a real character, it doesn’t demand you notice it, it doesn’t make you pay attention to it; it’s a beer, a very pleasant beer and dammit, before you know it you’ve had four! The finish is very clean and crisp, a little bitter and perhaps a tad short.

So, will I be drinking more, hell yes; I’m wrapped. This beer is a real drinker. Don’t bother with food, this is a hot night beer that just shouts out that it’s up for a long night. Grab one… no bugger it, grab a pack, they will disappear like a brides nightgown. I found this beer at Nicks Wine Merchants at $2.99 a bottle.

Mercs Own Peach Ale

A long time ago (in a decade far far away?) the son of an American pug turned actor made a movie about ballroom dancing and disappeared from the public eye. Rumours and innuendo abound as to how the lad has spent the many years since, but finally the concern of a nation can be put to rest. We have it on good authority that young Paul Mercurio has spent the years in isolation pondering the eternal question….how to incorporate the flavour of peach into a beer!

Brewed and bottled by the Holgate Brewing Company (in Woodend, see earlier post), “Mercs Own Peach Ale” bears the sub heading “Hand Crafted by Paul Mercurio”. As posted previously, Holgate have a pub based out in the Macedon Ranges and really this beer is another good excuse to pay a visit to these folks; even if it’s just the novelty value of trying this beer. Looking further, Googling the product name reveals Paul has set up (or is in the process of setting up) his own brewing company, Mercs Own Brewing Company. I’m not clear on the relationship, but I expect that Holgate are brewing this beer on contract for Mercs.

I have to say that the concept of peach and beer didn’t really cry out to me. The last time I mixed these two was in the eighties, Peach Wine Cooler and VB (yes; another Austudy cheque well spent); you can guess the result. So it’s with trepidation that I approach Mercs Own Peach Ale. Happily though I can report that peach is not what this beer is about. The beer has a very light flavoursome, fruity nose and while we may expect the (dreaded) peach, it’s really not dominant, to be honest I really cant place the fruit (no surprise with my nose though). In the mouth the beer jumps up and down (dare I say dances) with a very fine but very full carbonation, it was really surprising how much fizz this beer has. Looking back at my notes on Holgate I guess I should have expected this high burp factor. Looking at the makers notes though I believe the beer is completely bottle conditioned so this extra bite should not be confused with the nasty swill the mainstream brewers produce. Given the name, I expected a sweet fruity taste, but the beer has a tart refreshing flavour although finishes a little sour to my taste. Did I mention the carbonation?

I’m guessing that this beer would pretty much split a field with folk who love it and folk who hate it. For me, I’m not a fan of the big fizzy beers, but that said “Mercs Own Peach Ale” is a pleasant beer and a very good first commercial effort. I look forward to seeing what Paul brings to market next.

Food, hmmm, tough call. Paul was recently promoting his beers and company through some Tapas parties so I guess that is as good a recommendation as any. Perhaps some pastrami, pepperoni, meaty type stuff as a counter to the fruit.

I bought this beer at “Nicks Wine Merchants”, it was $2.99 a bottle.

Ned Kelly Red

I'm trying to get back to red, I really really am....it's just so damn hot at the moment. I know it's no excuse, but hey, the OBWTers are talking about making the November tasting a beer session (micros only of course) so I'm not alone in my wimpiness. In a nod to the gods of red wine though, tonight I'm tasting "Ned Kelly Red". I swear to {insert preferred deity here}, Ned would be rolling over in his grave if he could see some of the tripe that gets shovelled out with his name on it. I never knew Ned, but if I can extend his legend I picture him as the sort of bloke to order a bottle of Irish whiskey, bite the neck of the bottle, spit the shards at the bartender (only maiming him of course), guzzle the lot in a single pull and then bonk like a demon all night! I mean the guy is reknown as an all round wild man, what is the relationship between the image of Ned and 330mL of fizzy, sugary leg opener?

Ok, Ned Kelly Red is a red wine "spritzer"; what's a spritzer, it's just lucky that I have Wikipedia there to tell me, I am really feeling like an uneducated bum! That said, I think I have only ever heard the term spritzer on US TV shows so perhaps the makers are trying to go with wank-appeal? Essential the Ned Kelly Red is a blend of red wine, with a dash of orange and lemon (add carbonation, additional flavours and a bundle of sugar). The NKR is as sweet as buggery, and would probably serve as a very good ladies beverage or teen binge drink (yes I know; kids should not drink alcohol yada yada), coming in at 5.00% alcohol. Do you remember the red Icy Poles, the ones that mums don't buy cos they make the kids go haywire.....NKR taste EXACTLY like one of them, just melted (obviously). There is no real wine taste here, its completely overridden by the sugars and flavouring so its silly to take this description further than 'red icy pole'.

So, is it crap, no not really, its just not my sort of thing. When the bottle is really cold and the day is really hot its a very pleasant little thirst quencher. For me however if I'm looking for sweet, wine-like and alcoholic I'm going to go for a Sangria like product (though there are not too many good ones that I'm aware of). I'm sure this product has a market in the younger mixed drink set, though I cant see how the makers can penetrate that market given the saturation by the primary manufacturers. I found Ned Kelly Red at my local produce/craft market and paid $5.00 a bottle for it, you can get it cheaper. NKR can also be ordered over the net from the maker.

Grand Ridge Brewery – Brewers Pilsener

For some reason I had it in my head that I had already written a review for another Grand Ridge beer, but on having a look I see that I haven’t written about these beers before. What I THINK has happened is that I must have been drinking them on a recent turtle fishing safari and confused myself (not difficult). The upside is that I have another couple of beers to review.

Grand Ridge is a local Victorian brewery in Gippsland (Mirboo North no less) that is a reincarnation of the Strezlecki brewery that had previously gone into receivership. Since taking over the brewery the team have evidently been producing some stunningly good beer, this is evidenced by the swag of awards garnered by their brews. Have a look at the home page on the net. I’m not sure if my review gives credit to these guys skills, in this case I’m going to blame my inexperienced palate.

Tonight I’m drinking the Brewers Pilsener which is a lovely light colored beer. The beer has a very light (dare I say delicate….wanker!) sweet floral smell, it’s a real summery smelling beer. I’m not sure what I expected from this beer, perhaps I expected it to be bigger, however in the mouth it is very controlled; no big hops on initial tasting with the malt singing though in the aftertaste. It’s a really crisp light beer, again not being an expert I cant say for sure, but is this a common feature of cold filtered beers?

In summary, it’s a light clean & crisp brew, perfectly suited to warm weather drinking. A very drinkable beer but I’m not sure I’d want too many as I think the sweetness & fruit/flower would get a bit cloying after a couple. Perhaps generalizing a bit, but I suspect that the Brewers Pilsener is not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ given its light/sweet nature and the local tastes (we are raised on ‘hoppier’ beers I think). That said, the BP is faultless and delivers on its own advertising as “a refreshing crisp lager”. As per the other lighter beers, look for something spicy to match.

The other beer I have from the Grand Ridge Brewery is the Natural Blonde, notes to follow.

Books - "Swirl - Wine Basics" by Robert Francis

The original seed for the first OBWT function was from a conversation over a couple of glasses of red on a Friday night. We had been discussing wines and wine values, now this could sound like hefty stuff but in reality it's more along the line of "that such and such Cab is a good drop", "Nah. bit pricey for me"; we are not poets, not overly experienced in the wine world and certainly lacking in education. In any case, the subject of Grange Hermitage came up and the idea was floated that we buy a bottle and make a bit of an event out of it! So far so good....the challenge is we know bugger all about wine....I know if I like it or not....I can appreciate a good quality wine from a quaffer......could I describe the wine as I sense it...nope! In order to learn about tasting I figured I better hit the books.

Swirl bills itself as a book on wine basics and it delivers well on that level. It starts at first principles, What is Wine, Wine Types, What to Drink When, Regions etc. I wont claim to be a complete idiot (only a part idiot I guess), I do have a grasp of the basics. The section that caught my eye and drew me to this book was the section on tasting & assessing. This section covers tasting and assessing wine, common faults in wine and includes a very nice section on descriptives (winespeak) for the appearance, bouquet and flavour of the wine. There are separate tables for reds, whites and sparkling wines. Latter sections of the book deal with aging, storing and cellering wines, serving wine and matching wines and foods. Looking back over this list, the book does cover a lot of ground, but its all very well presented and well layed out. The book covers the basics without being condescending or coming off as snobbish, its a straight forward look at the basic elements of the wine world without any pretensions. Oh, it's also unashamedly Australian. Well recommended for folk wanting to get the basics without the bullshit. There are two other titles in the series by the same author, "Savour (A Wine Dictionary)" and "Source", may be well worth checking out.

Oh....and the Grange.....it was a 1986.....tasting notes will get posted one day......may be.