With 35 vintages in the Hunter Valley under his belt, there’s little Phil Ryan, Chief Winemaker and Manager of McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Estate, doesn’t know about the region.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Recently dined with Stephen and Prue Henschke (not forgetting son Johann) at Vintners Bar & Grill in the Barossa. Henschke is best known for its red wines, but the whites – and the Riesling and Semillon in particular – are also splendid. And as you’ll see from this video, Prue […]
Henschke – a chat with Stephen and Prue
All you need is a bottle of sparkling wine (Champagne is traditional, but there are so many alternatives these days), a sabre or equivalent and a steady hand. Thank you to Wolf Blass for providing the wine for this episode…
Sabrage, or how to open a bottle of sparkling wine ...
When I first tasted these wines early in December 2010 the day before disappearing to Australia for a fortnight, I thought they were excellent. But what made them all the more remarkable was that I retasted them when I returned, and they were still delicious, even the Sauvignon. No fancy […]
Muscadet – it’s time to take a fresh look
Stone Barn Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California (£7.99 Bibendum, House of Fraser) A manufactured feel about this jammy black fruit, complete with pips, and a ripe but rather forced/baked finish. C- Delicato First Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£17 Bibendum, Whole Foods) Oddly disjointed, with one side that shows […]