During a recent trip to the Mount Pleasant cellar door, one of the staff kindly slipped us a bottle of the Brands Laira “Blockers” Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 to try. I have not really explored the Brands label, a stablemate to Mount Pleasant within the McWilliams company, however this particular bottle was festooned with gold trophy stickers.

Vibrant blood red in colour with exceptional clarity, the aromas were initally a bit closed with brooding blackcurrant and aniseed evident. In the mouth this cabernet is powerful and full bodied with juicy dark berries, black olive, restrained cedar oak and a dash of spices. The fine yet pronounced tannins are approachable now, however the structure also suggests medium term cellaring potential.

I was surprised when I looked up the alcohol content, never would have picked it from what I saw in the bottle as even now the wine is so well balanced and very very drinkable. As a matter of fact I wish I had another glass right now…

Score: 93/100
Price: $20
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 15.5%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine?
RRP is $25 however you should be able to source this wine for under $20 - a bargain at that price, I will buy some.

1982 Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial Rose
A fine stream of bubbles. Strawberry jam is the dominant aroma with earth, smoke and cherry supporting. Medium intensity of flavour on the palate with good acid support. With a persistent finish, this was very tasty.
90/100

1979 Leo Buring Eden Valley Eden Valley Show Reserve Riesling DWI16
Golden coloured. Shy nose with some honey, hay and citrus. The palate is showing signs of tiredness with the acid and fruit barely holding on. Drinkable, but not nearly as good as I have heard great bottles of this can be.
85/100

2007 Kay Brothers Amery McLaren Vale Moscato
Shy nose, just some grape aromas. A touch of spritz and some soft sweetness to the palate, there is no depth to it though.
85/100

1992 Cantina Terlano Alto Adige Sauvignon
Minerals, grapefruit and floral notes. The palate is fresh and lifting, but there is a richness and complexity to it that is amazing. Aside from the complexity, there was little to indicate the amount of age that this had. Interesting and quite unique.
90/100

1995 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues
Meaty, graphite, blackberry and brambly aromas. The palate shows strong tannins but is otherwise quite restrained. If the intense tannins subside with time then this will take a step up to be great.
87/100

1993 Dunn Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Barnyard aromas at the fore, with some raspberry, tobacco and eucalypt coming through as well. The palate didn’t show any sign of the brett to me, it was medium bodied with excellent balance and length.
89/100

1999 Wild Duck Creek Estate Alan?s Cabernets Vat 1
Dense, deeply coloured. Tobacco, bramble, cinnamon and sappy aromas. Sweet fruit flavour to the medium bodied palate. Lacking a bit in structure to me.
87/100

1999 Jasper Hill Georgia?s Paddock Heathcote Shiraz
A big, ripe nose of charcoal, chocolate, eucalypt and cherry. Tannins stick and there is a touch of bitterness on the finish. The alcohol stands out as well with a glycerol like element to the palate.
85/100

2000 Tenimenti Fontanafredda Barolo Vigna La Rosa
Apricot, violets, coffee, tar and kirsch aromas. The palate is powerful, but also balanced and structured. Long and utterly delicious. Superb wine, easily the best of the night.
93/100

Released from the shackles of winter we are now free to enjoy a nice chilled glass of Rosé in the sun, and what better way to kick off this season than with the Turkey Flat Rosé 2008.

A hat-trick of strawberries: colour, aroma and flavour, howzat? Crisp and refreshing with some strawberry and raspberry fruit up front, a drying acid backbone and some nice minerality on the finish.

I always find it hard to score Rosé wines, however on a warm day in the sunshine I would drink this one over most full bodied red wines, so take the score in that context.

Score: 90/100
Price: $19
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13%
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, it is reasonably priced.

Alcohol's affect on people is widely known, however it has a much greater purpose in a finished bottle of wine.

Compared to sports fans, wine lovers of different stripes don't have a lot to have really heated arguments about. Even when my fellow wine geeks get into it about whether Romanee Conti is worth the money, or whether Biodynamics is more voodoo than science, there's less vehemence than you'd find at any pre-season football game.

If there is one exception to this rule in the mild mannered arena of mutual enjoyment of wine and camaraderie, it may be the modern hysteria about rising alcohol levels in wine.

I've written before about the degree to which I think that this is a tempest in a teacup, and largely confined to a small segment of wine wine connoisseurs, critics, and journalists that can afford to care and complain about the issue. Most wine drinkers, I maintain, have no idea nor concern over the alcohol levels in their wine.

Despite this fact, the number of news stories, discussion threads, conversations, and, yes, arguments about the topic continues to increase, fueled in part by global warming and its presumed involvement in rising sugar levels at harvest.

There can be no denying that average alcohol levels in wine, especially red wine, are rising around the world. A simple survey of California and Bordeaux wine levels going back the last three decades will show an average increase of between one and two percent alcohol by volume, or more specifically a rise from somewhere in the low 13% level to somewhere in the high 14% range at the moment. Of course, it is also true that increasingly there are many red wines from California (as well as places like Australia) that are tipping the scales at fifteen or even sixteen percent alcohol.

So people continue to complain, and the issue continues to be a scab that I can't help picking at. It's stupid, but strangely pleasing.

There are two main complaints voiced against the rising alcohol levels in wine. The first is that such wines don't pair well with foods. I'm going to leave that argument alone, as there is some truth to it. Though I will point out that, again, the average wine drinker doesn't perceive this problem. Just as they don't perceive a problem with ordering a glass of Merlot to go with their oysters.

The second complaint against these higher alcohol levels in wine is usually expressed to me as follows:

"The problem with these blockbuster wines is that I just can't drink as much of them as I can a nice low alcohol wine. Back in the day, I used to be able to put away a whole bottle by myself, but now, one or two glasses and I'm drunk as a fish."

That's not a direct quote from anyone, but if I had a dollar for every time I've heard it, I would be able to quit my day job and work on Vinography full time.

This particular argument has always struck me as a little implausible. But I'm not a biochemist, and I'm not great with statistics, so I've never been able to marshal enough information to call bullshit. Which is why when I found out about a place called the Alcohol Research Group, I jumped at the idea that there was someone there who could speak with more authority on the facts of the matter.

So I talked with some people who went to school for about four times as many years as I did, and who sit around doing research on alcohol all day long. Dr. William Kerr is the Director of The Alcohol Research Group's Methodological Studies Component, and Dr. Tom Greenfield is the Group's Senior Scientist and Center Director. Their center devotes its time and energy to researching various topics about alcohol to inform public policy and public health action.

I asked them if they could explain to me the effective difference between a wine at 13% alcohol and 15.5% alcohol in terms of the amount consumed.

"Comparing 13% and 15.5% wines," says Greenfield, "at the 2 drink level there is not a huge difference in the amount of alcohol consumed. It amounts to about 1/3 of a glass of the 15.5% wine."

"3 glasses of each differ by less than one glass of either-- they differ by just over 1/2 a glass of the 13% wine (or actually very close to 1/2 a glass of the 15.5%). In a similar simplistic comparison I also conclude that 5 drinks of the 13% is close to (just a tiny bit over) 4 drinks of the 15.5%--they differ by less than 1/4 glass of the 13% wine."

Dr. Kerr went on to suggest that sometimes bigger wines at higher alcohol levels may take lighter drinkers by surprise: "In our recent Bar Study in 10 Northern California counties we found most mixed drinks were around 12 or 13%, one indication that people may prefer contents around this level of alcohol by volume."

He also went on to note that some studies done on beer show that people tend to drink the same amount of beer, regardless of its alcoholic strength, and hypothesized that the same is probably true for wine.

"A wine at 15.6%ABV (alcohol by volume) is 25% higher than a wine at 12%ABV. So if you drink 4 glasses of the higher ABV you will get one extra drink as compared to the lower %ABV wine. A wine at 14.6% is 33% larger than an 11%ABV wine so it will take only 3 glasses to get one extra glass."

So what to make of this?

It's clear that someone who used to be able to put away an entire bottle of 13.2% ABV California Cabernet should have no problem drinking most of a bottle of modern 15.5% ABV wine, even accounting for the difference that their ABV's would make in the effective rate of alcohol consumed per hour over their dinnertime.

While there may not be that much of a difference in the amount of alcohol that someone consumes between a 13.5% alcohol wine and a 15.5% alcohol wine, it is certainly true that alcohol can change the sensory qualities of what's in the bottle, and those effects may very well be objectionable to some.

Higher levels of alcohol in wine are often accompanied by various sensations on the palate, ranging from a thicker, more viscous body to the wine (thanks mostly to the qualities of Ethanol), as well as the alcoholic heat that is, in my mind, the true scourge of high alcohol wines. The presence of this heat, however, is not constant. Some wines, which I simply assume are just better made (though I don't know exactly how) don't betray their alcohol content with heat, while others (the cheaper, more mass produced ones in my experience) can sear the throat badly.

Finally, there is some interaction between alcohol and our perception of the taste of wine, as anyone who has ever participated in a "sweet spot" tasting can attest. These tastings use some fancy modern winemaking technology to adjust the alcohol levels in a batch of wine. By using the same batch of wine, but adjusting the alcohol in .2% increments, a tasting of a given wine from 13% to 15% can be conducted, while all other variables in the wine remain the same. The effects are quite interesting, though I'm not sure they are consistent either from wine to wine, or from taster to taster. What I can say is that most people find a specific level of alcohol that "tastes best" to them, and there can often be broad agreement among tasters on the "sweet spot" for a given wine.

So alcohol levels do change our experience of wine, but not in such clear cut, absolute, and negative ways that all this carping that I hear from the wine industry might suggest.

It's time to stop throwing around categorical statements about how life used to be better when wines were lower in alcohol. If you liked the wines of the early 1980's more than those now, I suggest you do some searching online. There are plenty for sale at relatively inexpensive prices. Or better yet, just start making wine the way you want it to be, and those who agree with you will buy it if it's any good.

It’s sweatin’ time here again. We brought in the rest of our Pinot Noir last week, and processed about 35 tons in 3 days. We got through that, certainly, but then the monster that rears it’s head as a result is a *@!#-load of punchdowns….needless to say, I’m not very popular around here at the moment.

Maybe we should go back to doing it the old-fashioned way as it seems like it might’ve been more fun than modern times….at least the old-timers could drink some wine and hike up their skirts while mixing-up their fermenting must!

Thermomix makes making butter easy. But others have made it without a Thermomix.

Here's the Thermomix way.

• Lynfred Winery Seyval Blanc 2007, Southern Illinois
• Callaghan Vineyards 'Lisa's' 2006, Sonoita, Southeastern Arizona
• Galena Cellars 'Eric the Red' Marechal Foch 2006, Illinois
• Dos Cabezas Wineworks 'DC Red' Cabernet/Sangiovese/Grenache 2004, Cochise County, Southeastern Arizona
• Callaghan Vineyards 'Caitlin's' 2004, Sonoita, Southeastern Arizona
• Galena Cellars Frontenac 2006, Illinois

The Wine and Salad Problem - 03 August 2006

Matching Wine with Sushi - 23 February 2008

Wines for Easter Dinner - 28 February 2008

Refreshing Prosecco - 09 April 2008

Events have conspired, the plot has thickened and now I call on you to say “non” to only one-third of Beaujolais Nouveau this year!

As you may recall, last week I asked you to ditch Beajolais Nouveau this year because of the high carbon footprint of the wine. The rush to bring this proto-wine to the world’s shops on the same day, November 20 this year, means that airfreight is commonly used, increasing the greenhouse gas emissions of the wine by at least fourfold for New York and many times more to places like San Francisco, Santiago, and Tokyo.

Word floated in to the Dr. Vino tower that major changes were afoot this year in Beaujolais with this year’s Nouveau. So I picked up the phone and called France (at the low rate of 2.3 cents per minute). First up, I spoke with Inter Beaujolais, a regional trade authority, where I learned that Beaujolais Nouveau last year had a volume of about 48 million bottles, about a third of the region’s production. Further, the Nouveau for EU destinations is not permitted to leave the region until November 13 this year, giving it a week to get places like Amsterdam and Athens. But non-EU destinations were given a special extra week this year and could leave the EU on November 6. Could it really get to store shelves in New York City by November 20?

To find out I called Georges Duboeuf, the largest shipper of Beaujolais Nouveau with around three-quarters of the Beaujolais Nouveau market. Yann Bourigault, who runs exports for North America, told me that, indeed, things are different this year. In July, Duboeuf had to set a price for the wine with the American importer, W. J. Deutsch. At that time the dollar was at $1.52 to the euro (it’s now 1.25) and with the softening economy, they made the call that they American consumer would not support the extra two dollars per bottle for the 2008 Beuajolais Nouveau that air freight would add.

So they lobbied the French authorities including the Minister of Agriculture and even Christine Lagarde, the Minister of Finance to be able to move the shipping date up to provide greater time for transportation via the cheaper (and greener) sea freight. Bourigault said that the wine had already been bottled and trucks were picking it up now to take it to the port where it would clear Customs and be loaded onto a ship for Boston, leaving November 6 as the new regulations allow. Barring storms or a French port strike, wine should arrive in Boston on November 13 where it will clear American Customs and then have trucks take the cases on the final leg of the journey to stores and restaurants. They can’t get it everywhere by sea and Bourigault estimated that about one-third of this year’s BN will still be airfreighted around the world, down from two-thirds last year. Still, that accounts for over a million cases of proto-wine that is flying around the world.

So there you have it! Some blend of the recently enfeebled dollar and the crippling strength of the clarion call to ditch Beaujolais Nouveau from this web site have now reduced the King Kong sized carbon footprint of the wine down to mere Sasquatch. Some producers have been more intentional in their efforts, such as Boisset who will roll out ultralight plastic wine bottles this year for the first time. Consider yourself on notice, Nouveau, for next year. In case of the dollar rally holds, we’ll see if they continue with the lower carbon footprint shipping option.

With the ends closer to being justified, I’m putting water in my own wine boycott, diluting it to one-third strength! On November 20, I still urge you to try a local wine, which has the smallest carbon footprint (see the site Appellation America for learning about wines made near you). Or, if you’ve been there, drunk that near you, try a cru Beaujolais; it’s a better direction for the region to head and, thanks to the shipping, a fraction of the carbon footprint of the Nouveau–and a thousand times better tasting.

Image credit: “Local” was commissioned from the talented Alex Eben Meyer.

An amazing dinner at Tetsuya’s last weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday, I’ll let the tasting notes and the pictures of the wine then food tell the story.

1981 Krug
This is a wine that I have always wanted to try (being my birth year) and I was very lucky to get the chance on this night. Golden coloured, with a lazy, meandering bead. Powerful ginger, spice, earth, toffee, creme brulee and cedar aromas on the nose. Incredibly deep flavour and complexity, with fresh acidity sweeping over the palate into a long and memorable finish. Kept improving the longer I left it.
97/100

1982 Krug
A year and a half ago I had this wine from the same source and it looked a touch awkward (while still being excellent), but tonight it was much improved. Light gold colour with straw highlights, an insanely fine bead - probably the finest I’ve ever seen. Aromas of almond, coffee, black truffles, vanilla and ginger came to the fore as the wine warmed up in the glass. The palate is vibrant, with great acidity laid over complex flavours. Still developing, another 5 years and I think it will be close to maturity.
95/100

1990 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Hengst Gewürztraminer Vendange Tardive
Golden coloured, this wine possessed an ever shifting, evolving nose of spices, honey, lychee, pineapple and rose petals. The palate possesses an astonishing balance between weight and refreshment. Rich, complex, deep and softly sweet, but with superb acidity, focus and purity of fruit. None of the oily or warm alcohol characters I often get from this grape and region. Close to the best Alsatian wine I’ve ever had.
96/100

1965 Lindemans Bin 3110 Hunter River “Burgundy” (classic release)
This is one of the legends of Hunter Valley and Australian wine. Still deeply purple coloured, fading slightly to red at the rim. The nose is intoxicating and layered with notes of earth, tobacco, liquorice, leather, blackberries and five spice. The palate is so composed and well balanced. Harmony reigns among the various elements right up to the long finish. Very different in style to some other great old Australian wines I’ve tried, but superb in its own right and very representative of the Hunter Valley.
97/100

1953 Domaine J. Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges
Very lightly coloured. The nose on this wine was one of the most unique I have ever seen, along with cherry, earth and spices there was a beguiling character that I followed for some time, in the end only being able to describe it as akin to tropical fruit! The palate has superb definition and the structure that has allowed it to live to this age is still clearly evident. If there is one shortcoming, it is that the fruit is a touch thin, but otherwise the balance is very good - it seems that those famous Faiveley tannins do eventually integrate (it just takes 55 years! ).
94/100

1990 Domaine Leroy Clos de Vougeot
This wine is a strong argument in favour of the excellent reputation of this fine estate. A bold, brooding nose of cherry, strawberry, liquorice, black tea, game and forest floor. There is a richness to the palate, but it is finely textured and exists alongside the structural elegance of the wine rather than pushing the palate around and dominating. Drank well tonight, but will continue to improve over the next 10 years.
95/100

1966 Château Palmer (Margaux)
Youthful in colour. A nose that has both primary and secondary characters wound together with raspberry, cedar, tobacco, cinnamon, violets and graphite. The palate is velvet smooth, this is an absolute pleasure to drink. The elements of the palate are resolved in full and work together in harmony. Classic top-shelf Bordeaux.
96/100

1975 Château Lafleur (Pomerol)
Corked A few were brave enough to taste this and proclaimed that underneath the taint it was exceptional, but I was not willing to try.
NR/100

1990 Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tilden (Piedmont)
Deeply coloured. One of the most complex, haunting and evocative noses I have ever had the privilege to experience - there were aromas of blackberry, rose petals, anise, pine, smoke, plum and layers more - with every sniff there was something new uncovered. There is a wonderful intensity to the palate, it is as though all the elements have been magnified but somehow remain in balance with a wave of pure fruit, striking acidity and the finest of tannin. On a night of legendary wines, this wine somehow rose above and was my favourite wine of the evening. I don’t give out 100 point scores often (4 wines so far) … and I’m not going to for this, but I really feel like I could, it is so very tempting.
99/100

1982 Penfolds Grange
A nose of blackberry, cedar, liquorice, vanilla, red and black currant. Youthful and very fresh with bold and bursting with flavour, but maintains its balance across the long length of the palate. Drinking beautifully well now. Consistent with the previous bottle I tasted a year prior, one of my favourite Granges.
95/100

1990 Lindemans Sesquicentenary Release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)
91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Shiraz. An aroma of tomato leaf dominates the nose, behind it are some notes of raspberry, blackberry and a touch of briar. The texture of the palate is good with elegant primary fruit characters and good balance. Drinking well now but will develop and improve over the next 10 years. Was not shamed among some of the great wines from around the world.
91/100

1928 Marc Brédif Vouvray
A dazzling light straw-golden in colour. The aromas were surprisingly fresh - lots of pear, apple, honey, blueberry, ginger, oats and cloves. Amazing acidity and depth still present on the palate. It actually got better after an hour in the glass, taking on extra weight of flavour. This wasn’t showing any signs of falling apart, maybe good bottles will live forever!
94/100

1981 Jakob Gerhardt Niersteiner Frauenkirchner Bouvier and Traminer TBA (Austria)
Deeply coloured, almost like a tokay, but with strands of gold. Deep scents of apricot, marmalade, honey and apples. Great depth on the palate, with strong sweetness and a viscous mouth-feel balanced by very good acidity. Great persistence. Drink now.
93/100

1968 d’Oliveira Reserva Boal Madeira (Portugal)
Nutty, burnt toast, caramel, banana and a very familiar medicinal aroma from my childhood (possibly amoxicillin). There is a bitterness to the palate and the alcohol stands out. It is very long and intense, but I couldn’t really get into this.
86/100

Chestnut Mushroom Soup with Truffle Salt

Italian White Roll and Truffle Butter

Smoked Ocean Trout and Avruga Caviar with Scallop Mousse and Quail Egg

Leek and Crab Custard

Grilled Scampi Wrapped in Pancetta

Scampi in Sea Water and Lemon Scented Olive Oil

Marinated Scampi with White Miso and Passionfruit

Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Apple, Fennel and Witlof

Antarctic Black Cod with Globe Artichoke and Yuzu Vinaigrette

Roasted Breast of Quail with Soft Polenta and Shiitake Mushrooms

Slow Roasted De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Blue Cheese and White Miso

Grass Fed Angus Beef Fillet with Blewitt and Chestnut Mushrooms

Cheese

Apple Sorbet with Apple Jelly

Mont Blanc

Apple Tarte Tartin with Calvados Cream Ice Cream

Chocolate Terrine with Mascarpone and Cognac Anglaise

Petit Four

Macchiato

Free Web Wine Club - 30 August 2006

Wine Party in Budapest - 02 September 2006

Hot New WINE Gadget: CATANIA Wine Enhancer - 18 May 2007

Vinturi Helps Wines to Breathe Faster, Taste Better! - 03 October 2007

Every wine lover has a progression of experiences from the jug wines or fighting varietals they started with, through the wines of Germany, Bordeaux, Spain and Italy before they get to Rhone blends (the end goal is always Burgundy for some reason). In recent months, I’ve been drinking mostly southern Rhone-style blends from France, Spain and California. Most of these have been red with Mourvèdre (or Monastrell) based wines a favorite. So I was pleased when Jeff (a.k.a. El Jefe) at Twisted Oak offered some samples of his new “River of Skulls” Mourvèdre/Syrah blend.

The first thing that stands out is the striking package. The red skull literally burned into the bottle signals this as something special. If you are looking for a wine for your Halloween party, look no further as your friends will be talking about both the bottle and what’s inside. The striking name is not some sort of commercial play for late October sales but a homage to local history near where the grapes were grown. It seems a Spanish Lieutenant exploring the area in the ea