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Author Archives: Paul

Wine areas & grape varieties of France

The Wine Regions of France

It’s a problem in our retail store as well as in many restaurants. A customer walks in and looks around, or sits down with the wine list and looks at the French selection.

What he sees is a list of names such as ‘Cotes du Rhone’,'Pouilly Fume’etc and thinks what on earth sort of grape variety is that? Well in France the region is everything and will denote the grape varieties that are best suited to terroir of that region.

So to give the casual Francophile an idea of the variety that most commonly will be found in a wine of a region I have put together a list of regions and their varieties.

There are eight primary wine-producing regions in France comprising Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, the Rhone Valley and Provence. These regions, are known for particular grape varieties as dictated by the district’s climate and soil types. France has been producing wine for at least 2000 years since the Roman invasion so the suitability of different grape varieties to particular areas has long been established.

The principle grape varieties grown in each area is dictated by law and are as follows although nearly all areas of France produce some wine.

Champagne
Produced from mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but Pinot Meunier grapes can be used

Bordeaux
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot for red wine
Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon for white wine (including sweet desert wine)

Burgundy
Pinot for red wine
Chardonnay for white wine

The Loire Valley
Cabernet franc for red wine
Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Muscadet for white wine

The Rhone Valley – Northern
Syrah (Shiraz) for red wine
Viognier for white wine

The Rhone Valley – Southern
Grenache for red wine with some syrah and cinsault and mouvedre.
Grenache Blanc Roussanne, Marsanne and Clairette for white wine.

Alsace
Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling for white wine
Pinot Noir for a small volume of red wine

Provence
Famous for Rosé produced from Grenache, syrah and cinsault.

Languedoc-Roussillon
Carignan,
Grenache,
Mourvèdre,
Cinsault,
Merlot, and
Cabernet Sauvignon are all grown in this region to make red wine although Carignan flourishes here.
Chardonnay is the main white grape.


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Food & Wine Match: Beef spare ribs & Soul Growers Solace GSM

WINE MATCH: 2008 Soul Growers Solace 

Join Paul as he offers a food & wine match made in heaven. Beef spare ribs with the 2008 Soul Growers ‘Solace’ GSM which we’re offering for a special price this week. Purchase a 6-pack for $19.95* per bottle with FREE delivery to the Sydney Metropolitan area for our members (Normally $10). Give us a call on 02 9264 3022 to buy – offer ends Monday 26th March.

The essence of preparing great spare beef ribs is firstly to select ribs with a decent amount of meat. I like to choose back ribs as they will have more meat.

The second thing is to cook very slowly in the oven, marinating 4 to 5 times during the cooking. I set the oven to 180 degrees and cook for at least 3 hours.

The Marinade
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons salt, this can be adjusted at the end
2 large onions
8 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on your taste)
1 tablespoon Szechuan pepper corns
1 tablespoon white pepper corns
2 tablespoons of sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoon ground cumin
4 dried chilies
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon five spice

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth paste is achieved.

Place the ribs (bone down) in an oven pan and coat liberally with the paste on all sides. Pour a 375ml bottle of ale (a brand with some flavor – see our craft beer selection) into the bottom of the pan and then cover with foil.

Cook slowly for 3+hours and recoat the ribs with the marinade paste every 40 minutes or so.

When they look very tender and almost ready for the meat to fall off the bone take them out of the pan and go to the BBQ which should have been on for 20minutes or so at the hottest temperature. Place the ribs on the flare grill singeing on each side. The sugar in the marinade will burn slightly giving the ribs a crisp outer coating.

Serve with whole corn and tomatoes also cooked on the BBQ. Lastly refried beans can be added as a side dish.

*No further discounts apply.


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Mornington Peninsula – The Ultimate Guide

General Features

This is regarded as being a cool region being at 38 degrees latitude but is not subject to frost during the growing season because of its proximity to large bodies of water. It is surrounded by Bass Strait, Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay. The area enjoys good winter rainfall and has dry summers although being close to the ocean there is high relative humidity producing low vine stress. Its southerly position, moderating influence of the bays abundant sunshine hours and long autumn result in its being an area with perhaps the longest and slowest ripening conditions on mainland Australia. This produces fine fruit flavours, and well balanced high acidity and fine tanins.

Peninsula’s rolling landscape (With Red Hill/Main Ridge having a maximum elevation around 200 meters) means that orientation and aspect are very important. Combine this with the differing soil types and the subregions produce wines of very different character.

The Peninsula can be divided into  four  main subregions depending on soil types 

1. In the Dromana area the surface soil is separated from  the underlying friable well drained clay by a thin, acid cement/sand layer. This is a low altitude area  being a warmer, drier climate, and the light, sandy clay soil is also less vigorous than the more typical rich loam of the region.

2. Around Red Hill and Main Ridge, red soils of volcanic origin predominate; these are very deep and fertile.

3. In the Merricks area there are brown duplex soils.

4. Sandier soils are in evidence at Moorooduc.

Map of Mornington Peninsula showing sub regions

Subregions of Mornington Peninsula

I was lucky enough when visiting The Crittenden Estate to gain an interview with Garry.

Garry was born in Brisbane but left for the big smoke of Melbourne to pursue a career in horticulture. Beginning with horticultural research he eventually became involved in plant nurseries and over a number of years owned both retail and wholesale nurseries.

A quarter of a century ago the Mornington Peninsula was scarcely associated with wine when Garry planted his first vines at Dromana in 1982. In planting his first five acres of vines he doubled the existing total area of vines planted on the Peninsula at that time. Today there are in excess of 2500 acres under vine. As a key figure in the region’s pioneering wave of vignerons, Garry was instrumental in forging for the Peninsula a reputation as a distinguished producer of cool climate wine.

Having been involved in both small and large scale wine-making Garry, with son Rollo, is today happy to have found a middle ground. Crittenden Estate produces artisan hand crafted wines, yet is large enough to satisfy the insatiable Crittenden desire to experiment with new wine varieties and complementary produce.

When asked to tell me about the influence that soil type has on the flavour of pinot produced on the Mornington Peninsula, Garry thought that this was a lot less important than the climatic regions of the Peninsula and that the elevation particularly has a major influence on the style and flavour of the Pinot produced. In the warmer area of Dromana where his pinot “The Zumma” is produced, there is still a moderating effect of the sea breeze producing a pinot with depth of flavour and low alcohol but still having fine silky tannins and taut acidity to provide the palate with great length and balance.

Here are a few words from Garry.


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Funky pinot at a great price!

Diamond Creek Estate is one of our great finds of the year last year. This is not to be confused with Diamond Valley Vineyards in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley. Boutique is hardly the word. The estate is situated in the cool Southern Highland area of New South Wales. The vineyard is established at 680 m on rich basalt soil, the north-facing slope being relatively frost-free.

The 15 acres of vines are subject to intensive management being, hand pruned and leaf-plucked as required to produce intense premium cool climate fruit for great wines.

The varieties produced are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Our favourite is the 7 year old  2006 Pinot Noir. It still has the freshness of ripe cherry and strawberry fruit of a young wine but with some forest floor characters. The palate is full bodied with intense fruit flavours and soft lingering tannins which give a velvety smooth finish.

Too easy to drink on a Sunday afternoon with seared salmon, smoked duck and chicken salads. Yummy. BUY ONLINE TODAY…


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Does McLaren Vale have a style?

I was fortunate to be asked to visit McLaren Vale to a ‘Meet the Maker’ event as part of an educational event. As a group we were asked that question. “Does McLaren Vale Shiraz have a style”.

I used to think of McLaren Vale as an amorphous wine growing area by the sea south of Adelaide where just about any grape variety could be grown, maybe with the exception of pinot noir.

In fact the wine makers of McLaren Vale have divided the region into 5 subregions with differing climate, soil types and native vegetation.

The following description was supplied by the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association.

Blewitt Springs / Clarendon Named after the townships of Blewitt Springs and Clarendon. This sub-region is the furthest from the sea and has the highest altitude, most rain and coolest winters. Blewitt Springs is characterized by deep sandy soils.

Seaview The steep hills of North Eastern McLaren Vale are referred to as Seaview.  The soils in this region are highly variable from red earth clay on limestone and sand on marly limestone to grey loam on clay. The common factor is the thin layer of topsoil, resulting frequently in low yields and low vigour. Hill tops in the Seaview sub-region experience warm nights and cool afternoon sea breezes while valleys experience cold air drainage off the range as it flows towards the sea at night.

Willunga South from the township of McLaren Vale, the hills flatten to a gentle slope heading toward the sea. This area is known as the Willunga Flats. The soils in this area are Gilgai or grey clay over limestone with pockets of red earth on limestone. The cold air drains across the flats to the sea.

McLaren Flat As the name suggests, McLaren Flat is the sprawling flat land to the east of the town of McLaren Vale. The area has more clay above the subsoil than McLaren Vale, however there are some patches of sand similar to that found in Blewitt Springs.  During the summer months, the ‘gully wind’ flows down from the high hills further to the east, helping to cool the fruit.

McLaren Vale The township of McLaren Vale is the traditional home of grape growing and winemaking in the district. Many of the vineyards of the early pioneers were situated where the town itself now stands. Several historic wineries are located in the main street itself including Tatachilla and Thomas Hardy’s Tintara. Many of the roads in the town are named after the original winemaking families.

The town is nestled between two rows of low hills consisting of ironstone and chalky rock with a thin covering of clay loam. The soil is rich in calcium and is slightly alkaline where the soil meets the parent rock.

Sellicks Foothills  Sellicks is the farthest point south of the region directly overlooking the ocean beaches. The foothills extend the length of the base of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges. The strip of soil here, mostly red loam has been eroded from the ranges. The shallow root zone, conducive to small grape crops, becomes progressively thin in vineyards planted on the hills.  Strong evening gully breezes during summer characterise the area.

 

Well to answer the original question I would definitely say “yes”. The similarities are very pronounced in the top tier Shiraz from this group of makers despite their Shiraz coming from many of the different subregions. The Oak Barrel has a great selection of current vintage and back vintage McLaren Vale Shiraz

Tasting the 2006 Shiraz in a line up of ten different wines, all had a silky, velvety smoothness in the mid palate which gives a high degree of drinking pleasure. I think this is a combination of plush fruit, fine tanins and very correct balancing acidity.

The McLaren Vale wines do develop a higher acidity than Barossa due to the moderating effect of the sea that helps maintain a cooler ripening period for the grapes. For the best value Shiraz of this area see our selection of Hewitson  “L’Oizeau” and “Mad Hatter” Shiraz.

The Shiraz is not overblown fruit bombs as is seen in shiraz from other warmer areas. They are fruit driven but with a leaner elegance.


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Boutique wine – Wine excitement you must try.

What does the description “boutique wine” conjure up when you see the words written to describe a vineyard or winery?  Does it mean “small production”, “artisanal” or even “cult”.  I guess that’s really up to the reader.

Here at the Oak Barrel over the past few years, we’ve tried to highlight wines from lesser known areas, like the Southern Highlands of New South Wales or a small area in Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac. We’ve also tasted some wine where only a few hundred cases are made each year such as The Head Wines from the Barossa Valley.  However recently, we’ve been debating… “Is the number of bottles a winery makes or the simple fact that the vineyards happen to be in the middle-of-nowhere enough to make it boutique?”

What we have decided is that neither answer is necessarily correct.

There are a growing number of both young and old wine makers out there who are making excellent wines and some production certainly exceeds what we would imagine as “boutique”. These winemakers are passionate their craft and about producing the best wine from the fruit they can source, if not grown in their own vineyards.

We are not talking about the homogeneous wines from large wine factories that produce hundreds of thousands of cases per year although I am sure that winemakers in these facilities always try to make the best they can. We are talking about a passion.

It’s rare to turn around a bottle and across the back label read “We really care about what’s inside here”.

Perhaps boutique is more a state of mind than a number of bottles.  It’s more of an attitude than a location.  Of course, this makes discovering boutique wines a bit more difficult and that’s where the Oak Barrel comes in.

So, what does it mean to you for a wine to be boutique?  Do you expect it to be better, worse, different, new, strange… or maybe nothing at all?  Does it matter to you if the wine is boutique or not when you buy it?

We think the excitement is in seeking out and trying something different especially with your friends. Discussing the wine and of course enjoying it. A thoroughly rewarding experience.

 


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Which glass is best for tasting wine?

Here at the Oak Barrel we constantly taste wine to add to our Boutique and extraordinarily good wine selection. Like our Malt Whisky and Craft Beer selection we are always trying to bring our customers something new and different as well as being good value.

What this means there is of necessity a great many glasses in operation at any one time. We have tried most and apart from an expensive brand where each specific grape variety requires a specific glass, we have been very happy with two “universal” tasting glasses. These glasses also represent great value.

The first is the Chef & Sommelier “Open Up” Pro Tasting glass ($19.95) and the second is the Zerrutti Ultimo Taster ($17.95).

We were so impressed with the quality and durability of the “Open Up” that we purchased 400 of these glasses for use at our Oak Barrel tasting events.

The finer Ultimo Taster I have purchased for use at home and no matter what wine I am serving, it does a very good job. I don’t need to buy a different glass for each variety and this has saved a fortune.

 


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Lillet Blanc is back and with it the Vesper Martini

The Oak Barrel once the champion of Lillet Blanc before taken over by Pernod Ricard has again been able to source supplies of this aperitif. It is not really a vermouth as the wine based drink has not been fortified.

Ian Flemming in the novel “Casino Royale”- 1953, created the  ”The Vesper” martini for his character James Bond.

To quote from the book

“A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”

“Oui, monsieur.”

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

Kina Lillet was a wine based aperitif flavoured with quinine made in Bordeaux in the late 19th century. This was quite bitter (although popular in France at that time) and in 1986 the company changed the recipe to include less quinine and therefore less bitterness. The name had changed some decades before to Lillet Blanc.

The result is a fruitier drink with a pronounced orange flavour. However “The Vesper” is still a favourite. Buy your ingredients now.


 


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Hewitson l’Oizeau 2001

There’s a fantastic 45-year-old vineyard on the northwest corner of Long Gully and Seaview roads in McLaren Vale, cropping at a bit over 2 tonnes an acre that has been the core of the L’Oizeau since its inception.

The fruit coming off this vineyard consistently delivered what Dean felt to be the true expression of McLaren Vale Shiraz. This wine morphed into the Mad Hatter in 2002 probably because not many people could get their tongue around the name although this multilayered wine did not suffer the same fate…

Production was, not surprisingly, small – and the wine on offer has been stored in temperature and humidity controlled conditions since purchase in 2003. Released at $36 retail in 2003, the current vintage of the Mad Hatter is $70 at the Cellar Door…

We are offering this wine by the dozen for $359.40 ($29.95 per bottle). Unbelievable value for this classic mature McLaren Vale Shiraz…

This is what James Halliday has to say about the wine:
“Complex, spicy blackberry fruit and oak aromas; a super-elegant, graceful palate of black fruits, dark chocolate and fine tannins. Best Drinking to 2016 – 94 points

To order a case of the 2001 Hewitson l’Oizeau please contact us on 02 9264 3022 or by email to simon@oakbarrel.com.au.

We have the worlds best range of back vintage Hewitson premium reds including Old Garden, Mad Hatter and Private Cellar… if you what you’re looking for is not here, please contact us as we have additional stock in our wine vault at another location.


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A very limited offering…

ATTENTION: Serious Champagne Collectors

We have one bottle of the rarest champagnes in the world. A real collectors bottle. The Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 1995 is the first release of this straight pinot champagne from Krug’s Grand Cru vineyard in the village of Ambonnay.

The Clos was originally planted in the 1700′s and has only one and a half acres of vines. Only 3000 bottles were produced. Ever.

A complex wine with mineral, chalk, black cherry and brioche flavours. The aroma is so seamless and integrated that it quickly becomes clear that the wine is on the highest possible level. Compact and layered without heaviness.

This bottle has been stored in our temperature and humidity controlled ‘Vault’ since receipt. Probably one of the last bottles available in Australia. This is a must for all serious champagne collectors. Buy Now.

If you miss out on the 1995 – we also have a bottle of the Krug Clos du Mesnil from the fabulous 1998 vintage, a fraction easier to find, but not by much. A straight chardonnay champagne from the Grand Cru village of Mesnil-sur Oger of only 1.85 hectares. This sublime champagne shows the purity of Chardonnay and the mineral aromas of the terroir are balanced by a discreet yet distinctive taste of honey, nougat and candied citrus.

“A wine that has created its own universe. It has a unique, special softness that allies with the total purity that comes from a small, enclosed single vineyard. The fruit is almost irrelevant here, because it comes as part of a much deeper complexity. This is a great wine, at the summit of Champagne, a sublime, unforgettable experience.” - 100 points – Wine Enthusiast

“A picture of finesse and harmony. Hints of vanilla and warm baking spices and floral aromas introduce flavours of fresh chanterelle, honey, lemon and mineral. The vibrant structure emerges from mid palate through the finish as this unravels its charms. The aftertaste echoes orange peel, spice and woodsy notes. Drink now thorugh 2020.” - 96 points Wine Spectator (12/10) 

Grower-producer champagnes are now becoming as important as the Grand House wines and the Oak Barrel is proud to import two producers: Laherte Frères and Pierre Moncuit. These champagnes represent great value from exceptional producers. Check out our full range of French Champagnes online…


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