Penfolds launch their annual collection on one day each year. In 2022 it will be 4 August. This year will see the launch of the new Bordeaux range. I went along to the Media pre-release to discover these new inclusions to the range. Click the button for my review and history of my involvement with Penfolds!
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Standing guard with the fabulous view south over the Rhone Valley is the famous chapel of St Christopher on Hermitage hill. This is the birthplace of Syrah and it shows its finest manifestation here. 25% of production from Hermitage is white wine from Marsanne. I learn some surprising life experiences in interviewing Mathilde Chapoutier from M.Chapoutier - who own 25% of the vineyards on this famous hill. Click the button for the article, else click the link to go to Provence WineZine!
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In the words of a well known foodie, if you are going to do something then do it fabulously! I took a Harley Davidson motorbike tour of Bordeaux visiting Cos d'Estournel, Carmes Haut-Brion, Chateau de Reignac and concluded with the ultimate visit to Chateau d'Yquem. Such a dream come true and a once in a lifetime experience! Thanks for TourOChateaux tours. Please click the button.
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Think of Provence and we automatically think of endless summers outdoors sipping rosé. But what to do in winter? Did you know that Provence also makes Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blends? There are 1,500 ha of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Provence, which is generally blended with Shiraz to make big bold red wines - perfect for winter days, fabulous meals by the log fire and staying indoors. There is snow outside! Please click the button.
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Situated between the 2 arms of the Rhone river at its delta to the Mediterranean is the haven of great peace and serenity that is the Camargue, with its famous medieval city of Aigues Mortes. Here there are 4 large sandbars separated by sea water marshes. In synergy with the huge salt fields is Domaine Royal de Jarras, the largest organically farmed vineyard in France. Jarras produces vin de sable - wine from the sand. This vin gris (white wine made from red grapes) matches perfectly with local mediterranean cuisine. Published in the 2018 Winter edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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Located a 35 minute fast ferry ride from Auckland is one of New Zealand's most beautiful and Serene places, Waiheke Island. The best place to visit on the island is Casita Miro, paying homage to the famous citizens of Barcelona in its Catalan style. Casita Miro is the restaurant of Bond Estate's Miro Vineyard. With their open air tasting terrace, fabulous tapas restaurant, great rosé, and a cool sunny day, who could ask for a better winter's day lunch? Published in the 2018 Autumn edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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Vacqueyras appellation is tucked away in the Southern Rhone Valley at the foothills of the Dentelles de Montmirail. It takes its name from the Latin Valléa Quadreria, or Valley of Rocks. This is a GSM wine region par excellence. The most prestigious vineyard here is Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, or Blood from Stones. Owners Serge and Fréderi Ferigoule are fiercely proud of their Provencal roots. Published in the 2017 Summer edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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St Joseph appellation sits at the southern end of the Northern Rhone Valley. Domaine Courbis own the Les Royes vineyard. Wonderful terroir for Syrah, and their wines are a testament to the courage required to make wines in this region of France. Attention to detail and passion for the vineyard are obvious, leading to wines that are profound and complex - tender, suave and silky - a real pleasure from one of the great ambassadors of the Rhone Valley. Published in the 2017 Spring edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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Aimé and Veronique Guibert created Mas de Daumas Gassac in the 1970s. Located in the foothills of the Cevennes mountains in the south of France, they began making wine at a time of great upheaval in the Languedoc. Their strategy was to create a wine that would stand as the Grand Cru of Languedoc, rivalling those of Bordeaux. By selecting a very special terroir and great attention to detail, they successfully proved that a wine from outside the French appellation system could be an extremely serious long-living red wine capable of fetching the same prices as Bordeaux classified first growths. Whilst majority Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is composed of 25 different grape varieties. Published in the 2017 Winter edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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The ancestral home of Pinot Noir is Burgundy in France, where it is wholly responsible for red Burgundy. It is a tribute to Pinot Noir that real success will generate an unparalleled level of physical excitement, almost to mythical proportions. It demands much of the vine-grower and wine-maker. Australia's best Pinot Noir for 2015 has been awarded to Stefano Lubiana Vineyard in Tasmania - the State's only certified biodynamic vineyard. Published in the 2017 Autumn edition of Provincial Living magazine - please click the button. |
New Zealand's Central Otago regions gives us the world's most southerly vineyards. Located near Queenstown on the 45 parallel south, the region is a microclimate of its own. Despite the abundance of water from snow-melt, the region is classified as a desert due to low rainfall. Specialising in Pinot Noir, Central Otago produces New Zealand's best Pinot Noir (Felton Road Block 3) and best rosé (Terra Sancta Pinot rosé). Published in the 2016 summer edition of Provincial Living magazine - please click the button.
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Rosé wines are trending right now - in 2015 wine sales in France were 50% red, 33% rosé and 17% white. The style is dry, spicy/savoury and a light salmon blush colour. Drink it young, chilled and optionally with 1 cube of ice! The best Tasmanian rosé I have found is from Bream Creek Vineyard in Tasmania - perfect for the Taste of Tasmania festival this summer. Published in the 2016 spring edition of Provincial Living magazine - please click the button.
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Cahors wines have been famous since the Middle Ages, and were exported to England via the waterways of the Aquitaine basin of South West France. It was in England they became known as black wines, due to their intense colour. The principal grape variety is Malbec, once widely grown through France, but now generally limited to this small prestige appellation. Mature Cahors wines take on the aromas of spices with a hint of truffles. These wines are an ideal match for Perigord black truffles. Published in the 2016 winter edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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In the 1970s there were only 10 hectares of Viognier grapes grown in the world - all in the small appellation of Condrieu in the Rhone Valley of France. Yalumba pioneered this variety in Australia, championed by Louisa Rose - now recognised as the global industry leader for Viognier. She developed The Virgilius, Yalumba's flagship white wine. Published in the 2016 autumn edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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Perched on a limestone hill in Drome Provencale in the Rhone Valley is the beautiful town of Grignan. It was to her daughter living in the Chateau de Grignan that Madame de Sévigné wrote over 1000 letters spanning a 30 year period. Surrounded by lavender, sunflowers and truffle forests, the region is now gaining a reputation for good quality, honest wines at great value without the snobbery. An inspiration to us all! Published in the 2015 summer edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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Gigondas is a beautiful little town on the side of the limestone peaks of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Sampling their wines whilst sitting in the local town square under the plane trees enjoying the views of the Rhone Valley is a very pleasant way to pass the time. Are you enticed??? Published in the 2015 spring edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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Think of Champagne and we think of celebration! But did you know that there were 4 famous widows who played key roles in developing Champagne and elevating it to its status symbol of today? It was widow Lily Bollinger who famously said "I drink it when I am happy and when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I am thirsty!" Published in the 2015 winter edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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One of France's most prestigious wine appellations is Chateauneuf du Pape. I worked there, studied nearby, and passed many an enjoyable evening discovering the wines of the region. Did you know the popes moved the seat of the Roman Catholic Church here in the 14th century? Published in 2015 autumn edition of Provincial Living Magazine - please click the button.
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