Great Wines of Italy with James Suckling

Heading up to San Francisco there was a sense of excitement in the car. The reason, the opportunity to taste a bucket load of top class Italian wines and get to say g'day to James Suckling. Having spent some time in Italy and simply falling in love with the food and wine and almost everything in general, this was a way to fall back into those lovely flavors at the James Suckling Great Wines of Italy event.

The location was the Generals Residence on the hill overlooking San Francisco Bay at Fort Mason. While parking in that area is always a bit of crap shoot we were early enough in our excitement that we managed to get a great spot.

What a great setup to taste world class wine (other than parking). The Generals residence has the most spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay from three rooms with continuous windows facing the bay and on what was a spectacular California winters day (could have been spring).

As we entered the tasting area the fist word to cross our lips was one made famous by Steve Erwin 'Crikey', as in Crikey where do we start! With a few hundred or so top notch wines it is a little overwhelming for the average taster. But then again, we are not average, and so it was flat out like a lizard drinking! With our designated driver and our in-house formally educated Sommelier Dave to keep us in check we dove in with the enthusiasm of kids in a candy store (lolly shop).

There were magnificent Barolos, intriguing Chiantis, magical Merlots and many other wonderful wines and even a couple we had not tasted before.

With ample and mostly appropriate nibbles, a simply awesome view, and some amazing Italian Wines, the afternoon was a crackin wine lovers dream.

There were as stated some wonderful wines. The one that overall caught our attention was from Cusumano. Their nero d'avola was a beautiful medium full bodied wine that checked all the box's. The Cusumano Sicilia Tenuta San Giacomo Sagana 2012 is a wine for wine lovers and we feel it is worthy of a rating of 8+ and ***. A great wine at a very reasonable price.



Taste the wine then create music to reflect what you tasted...

Why this wine over any number of other fantastic wines? That is a good question as there truly were a ton of fantastic wines. We are not sure other than perhaps it was that it stood out by being a little different than most as well as extremely good. Probably did not hurt that Maria Leone and Phoebe were very gracious.

Having some many great wines to taste has its drawbacks. The next couple weeks means a regular wine gets treated very critically.

An interesting and entertaining (if not a bit poncy) part of the event was when James and his mate with a violin Rob Moose, the awarding-winning musician, serenaded the crowd with his violin putting the taste of wine to music.



One of our favorites for best overall
value. We got the Message in a
 Bottle Sting and we liked it 7 and ****.

A first class event and we look forward to attending more in the future.  After a chat with James we are also excited that there may be an Australian version in the future (call us).

We also understand that  most of the wines are still available through California's top premium wine merchant, K&L, who co-hosted the tasting.

A top class event, gracious host, magnificent wines in a spectacular setting. Brilliant! Cheers James.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,
 

WineWalkabout

Great Wines of Italy 2015 - San Francisco - Event Video

 

Hearst Castle, a California Treasure.

 

Photo from the Hearst Castel website.

While enjoying an extended weekend in Cambria we took some time to go visit the world famous Hearst Castle. Oh what a magical place it is. On what was a beautiful California day in December (75deg) we ventured up the hill to the visitors center to start our adventure.
First off we headed for the ticket counter to get our wrist bands and tickets. Then we were off to watch a movie about some of the Hearst history via the movie 'Hearst Castle - Building the Dream'.

Don't miss the movie and don't sit too close to the screen. Also book ahead. We did just a couple days ahead of time and there were hundreds of tickets available for the regular tours and we were able to pick out tour time but by the time the big day had come almost everything was sold out.

William Randolph Hearst started building this fabulous estate on his ranchland in 1919. It overlooks the seaside village of San Simeon. He called the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" - Spanish for The Enchanted Hill.

After watching the movie, it was off to wait for our turn to get on our scheduled bus to take the 5 mile bus ride up the hill. The views going up the hill in all directions are spectacular. Not just the scenic California Coast but also the views as you approach the Castle. There is also a large population of wildlife to see. We recommend sitting on the right side of the bus for the ride up the hill.  The view is spectacular no matter where you are sitting but the right side seems to produce the most picture opportunities.

At the drop off you start to get a feeling for just how big this amazing place is. Climbing the stairs and looking up at this impressive building is breathtaking.

As you start the tour (Grand Rooms Tour) you gather around the fountain in front of the Casa Grande as the tour guide tells of parties and famous guests that attended the Castle. You can almost feel the vibe from this time gone by. How amazing it must have been to be invited to stay at the Castle with Hearst.
 
As you enter the grand social room on the ground floor of Casa Grande just as William Randolph Hearst’s guests did decades ago for cocktails, conversation, and to meet their host, you experience the massive room with all its historic Renaissance and Baroque tapestries and masterpieces, just as if you were invited (without the libations).

Wandering through this amazing building it is hard not to be left in awe at all the amazing detail as well as the amazing grandeur.



Roman Pool

At the end of the tour you are let loose onto the property to wander around and imagine you were there as a guest and enjoying the views and the splendor of this magical place. You can see the guest houses and the amazing pools, both of them. The Roman pool is just as it sounds and the Neptune pool is just the perfect place to be on a hot day with friends and some wine and food. Wait, we cant do that now. Got lost in thought there for a moment.
The Neptune pool went through a number of remodels to make it bigger and even more impressive over the years.

Look, if you have been to Hearst Castle you know how amazing this place is and if you haven't yet been, put it on the bucket list as its a 'Must do'.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

 



Don't be the 'Wanker' at the Wine tasting

Or as you (if you are the one) may have heard a little later during a tasting event 'oh come on you bloody wanker, fair go' . For our USA friends it would translate to 'oh come on you dam douche let someone else have a go'.
Recently we had a couple of back to back large tasting events that were very good other than there were some that needed a refresher on manners. What makes this worse is that these events were filled with primarily industry and media types with some experienced punters mixed in to the crowd. In other words, people that really should know better!

While at these larger type events there are a lot of stations pouring, there are also a lot of tasters. So while a little waiting is to be expected, standing behind some wanker who is wind bagging their knowledge or opinion to the poor trapped individual who is pouring, is not what most are there for. Especially the pourers. Even more especially us! Well it is mostly about us...

Go ahead and ask a pertinent question or two about the winery, or the wine, but don't engage in the spewing of dribble about the history of the bung hole, or the story of some great wine tasted at some magical event that was way better than this (because self-importance is endearing). No one cares to hear that, and those waiting behind you are plotting your demise, Ya bloody raw prawn!
 

So the message here is keep your inane stories to yourself and be considerate of those around you, get your taste and some info from the pourer, ask a quick question and step aside ya ponce!

Another pet peeve is, and this is a bit of a organizer issue as well, is the bloody lamas who reach in around you and spit in the bucket. Now we know that spitting is an accepted and somewhat required practice at these events, but be a little couth about it and stop it ya bloody drongo's.

Some of you are not that good at it either, and crickey does the little missus spit the dummy when we come home with wine stains on our crotches. Organizers need to double or even triple spit buckets and not just in front of those pouring, but away from the wine station so that the spitter can get their wine ask a question and move away, access the wine and then safely spit it out. As an added suggestion make the tables with the spit buckets taller as well. This one change to the regular system would help with a number of issues.

While there are a few more things that we find annoying, sharing these two has made us feel better. So enough belly aching and being grumpy (he hates when we imitate him) and on to more great wine adventures!

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

#WW Hearst Ranch Winery 2011 Petite Sirah

While enjoying a little R&R in the Cambria area on the California Coast a trip to Hears Castle was planned. Arriving in the area early we looked for something to kill some time. Oh look just across the road on the beautiful San Simeon bay is the old Historic Sebastian's General Store where low and behold was a wine tasting room. It is the tasting room of Hearst Ranch Winery.
What were we to do? As if...

A really cool place and a nice tasting room was to be a predictor of a great tasting experience. With friendly staff and a nice range of wines it sure hit the spot.

At the end of the tasting a selection of wine was purchased and the other night for dinner one was opened. Over the years we have not been the biggest fans of this particular variety but in recent years there seems to have been a move to make it a more approachable wine.

The wine we opened from Hearst Ranch Winery was their 2011 Petite Sirah. This was one of the best Petite Sirahs we have had in a long time. Here is what the winery says about how their wine tastes.

2011 Petite Sirah releases seductive blueberry, coffee, blackberry and dried violet aromas with each swirl in the glass. The flavor profile is driven with black fruit and blueberry, wrapped up in a raspberry, clove and fine grained tannic finish.  

This is a sexy siren of a wine will just simply seduce you. Once you have tasted it you will just not be able to get enough and before you know it you will be a wreck of remorse lying on the floor! Ok maybe a bit exaggerated but just to be clear, we warned you that you will fall under the spell.

To discover this wine was a **** purchase was just amazing. Rating it 7+. With a price that makes it a great weekly winner and a taste that makes it a great go out dinner wine this one is a must have in the wine fridge to cover you for almost any occasion.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

The end of an Era on HWY 68

As I opened the envelope from a local winery I was assuming it was word of an upcoming release. Sadly no it was not. It was a letter telling me that the tasting room on HWY 68 was closing and they were consolidating to their Soledad winery location.

A business decision to be sure but the deck at Ventana Vineyards tasting room on HWY 68 was to be no more. 

I, we, us have enjoyed many a tasting here and oh so many meetings where extra bottles have been purchased to libricate our brains. It was such a great place to meet up with friends or to simply enjoy some nice wine in a lovely location that was pretty darn convenient.

A super place to grab a taste and buy a bottle to take next door to Tarpy's (no corkage) and have a great dinner was also a nice bonus.

As the melancholy settled in my thoughts ran to, what's next. Surely they can't just settle for a remote winery location that has only reasonable foot traffic on weekends.

At this point I don't know what the future holds but the wines deserve more.With a lineup of good reasonably priced and with some great ones tossed in there, there must be a better option. 

I'm sure at some time in the future one will prevail. I plan to talk with the decision makers to find out and share the future plans of Ventana, while in the meantime I have to reassess the weekday drinking er meeting places available. 

I head out to the Ventana tasting room this holiday Monday to just taste, get a glass and sit in one of the best places to enjoy a beautiful day in Monterey. 

So after a couple decades of pouring wine in this amazing spot a new dawn arrives where this is no longer available. It's not a pleasant thought that I won't get to have this simple pleasure any more. 

Stay tuned. The story continues.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

#WW Wrath 2012 Swan / 828 Monterey Pinot Noir

So here we are at the beginning of 2015 and what a crackin wine to start the year. Oh, and yes it has been said one should not start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. So where were we. Wrath Wines crackin 2012 Swan / 828 Monterey Pinot Noir.

It has been awhile since a Wrath wine has been consumed, not because they are not enjoyable but there are just so many wines and so little time. After opening this one to have while preparing and having dinner we were reminded of just how lovely their wines are.

This bright pretty to look at wine has an enticing nose of cherry, both red and black as well as some floral notes and just a hint (just enough for interest) of that funky forest floor that can often be in your face but not in this one. On the palate the cherry theme continues with some other blue and black fruit flavors to tantalize the taste buds in this very nicely balanced wine. Simply put, this is a lovely wine to drink and and let linger for a while with its lovely finish.

This wine has 20% whole cluster fermentation and equal parts Swan and 828 clones, aged for 10 months in French oak barrels of which 22% are new.

With all this babbling as you would deduce a rating of *** and 7+ should be no surprise. 

Head on down to the tasting room on River Road Wine Trail or in the Carmel Plaza and taste the range, just don't miss this one.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

WineWalkabout visits Cambria California

A few weeks ago it was decided to get away for a couple days between Christmas and New Years and after much discussion it was decided to make it Cambria California. Next up was finding a room last minute. While there are a lot of choices the fact we left booking so late did limit our options. We found a great room thru Cambria Inns. We stayed at the Blue Dolphin Inn in one of the full ocean view with patio rooms and it was just wonderful. The Estero Bay Full Ocean View King with Patio is a lovely well appointed room that is modern yet comfy and welcoming. The view from the patio is just spectacular except when there are vehicles parked in front of you. We watched whales swim by through the binoculars that are provided in the room and enjoyed a spectacular sunset.

With a Keurig for making coffee or tea, a microwave and a small refrigerator to keep the bubbly cold and a nice telly DVR setup it is all set for your comfort including WiFi and a realistic looking electric fireplace. We may try the upstairs ocean view rooms next time just in case the weather is not so magical.

Arriving a couple hours earlier than planned it turned out our room was available and we were able to check in early which was a nice bonus. After settling in it was off for a walk along the beach front on the board walk. On what was a spectacular afternoon (never guess it is winter) with the sun shining a light breeze walking in a t-shirt by the shimmering water watching the whale spouts in the distance while enjoying the restful atmosphere.

Once back to the Blue Dolphin it was time for a couple glasses of Odonata Blanc de Blanc. The bubbles of choice that had been brought with us for just this occasion sitting watching an amazing sunset. Does not get much better.

Later that evening it was up to the Cambria Pines Lodge for dinner. A good meal but far more old style family dining than had been anticipated. Good meal at at reasonable price.

The next morning the comfy bed was hard to leave but the wonderful picnic breakfast from the Blue Dolphin Inn was calling for us to enjoy on the patio. Enjoy we did in the lovely sunshine of Cambria.

It was a great stay at The Blue Dolphin Inn and we will be back. We would not hesitate to 'recommend' you stay here if the opportunity presents itself.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

#WW 2014 Year in review

We drank o lot of wine in 2014. We drank a lot of good wine. We did find a few 1's and 2's as well. In looking back we also drank a lot of very enjoyable wines for very reasonable prices. A lot of **** wines. While some of these wines were really good some were good and very inexpensive making them great for a week night meal at any time. Wine to be shared and enjoyed because you can. We made a conscious decision to focus more on less expensive wines this last year to help make wine more accessible and more everyday drinkable to the average bloke n sheila. While we are not even suggesting that for **** price you can get the equivalent of a Penfolds Grange, an Alban Reva, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac or even a Two Hands Wines Bella's Garden Shiraz, Barossa Valley. But what you do get is wine to enjoy all the time that you can afford and then making the occasional foray into * and ** territory that much more exciting and the journey into NO STARS FOR YOU territory almost magical.

Presenting the wines of 2014...

#WW Odonata 2013 River Skimmer

#WW 2010 Vasse Felix Cabernet, Margaret River Western Australia

#WW 2008 Jacobs Creek Shiaz

#WW Wine Review Hungarian Wine, Leányka White wine

#WW Chronic Cellars Purple Paradise from Paso Robles California

#WW DaVine Cellars 2012 Barbera, Santa Cruz

#WW Manzoni Syrah Monterey County

#WW Wine Review, Pessagno 2011 Zinfandel

#WW Castillo's Hillside Shire Winery 2009 Cabernet Franc

#WW Wine Review 2011 Scratch Grenache

#WW Wine review Idle Hour 2011 Tempranillo

#WW Wine review Silvestri 2010 Syrah

#WW Wine Review, Galante, 2013 Wagon Wheel White

#WW Review Shale Canyon 2011 Cabernet Franc

#WW Wine Review McIntyre Vineyards Merlot

#WW Wine review 2012 Puma Road Pinot Gris

#WW Chalone Chenin Blanc

#WW wine review 2012 PWR Viognier

#WW Wine Review MONTECARLO, ROSSO DOC 2011

#WW Scratch 2011 SLH Pinot Noir,

#WW Cow Girl Winery Hacienda

Of the many dozens of wines we drank this last year, why these you ask? For starters they all punched above their price point. Most all of their price points were **** making them great value. They also made us stand back and think about the wine and price balance and how much we enjoyed drinking them. They had a great price and tasted great and could be enjoyed any time and with anyone. Heres hoping we find many more in 2015.

What were some of your favorite wines of 2014?


Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

#WW Odonata 2013 River Skimmer

We can he here the quizzical question now. A white Rhone style wine from Santa Clara County, produced and bottled in Santa Cruz and purchased at the tasting room in Monterey County. Who made this wine you ask? It is made by Denis Hoey of Odonata Wines. Denis blends old world methods with new world technique to make engaging wines and this little cracker is no exception.
After a glass or two one hot Friday afternoon at the Santa Cruz location and a subsequent taste that same weekend at the Odonata south location on River Rd  a bottle was purchased. With a light honeysuckle, citrus and floral nose and with honeydew melon and a hint of stone fruit on the palate it has a round mouth-feel with a subtle mineral backbone with a lite acid finnish.

The 2013 River Skimmer 55%  Viognier, 35% Marsanne and 10%  Grenache Blanc and at $20 is simply a killer wine value.

This great little WW would make a nice companion to grilled or seasoned chicken steamed veggies and rice pilaf and a range of asian style food. Went great with our Chinese food dinner. A **** wine we give a 6+.

Go by either Odonata North or Odonata South and get a taste of Denis's wine and find your next WW.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

Kiwi & Koala

Why you should order wine online!

Who among you has ordered wine online?

We have, but we typically are ordering something specific that we have had before, know well and like the deal we found online.

While we love the hunt and visiting the tasting rooms and cellar doors, there is no doubt that getting access to wines that are outside your normal tasting range is priceless. Being able to taste the world with the click of a button is too good to pass up. Get your group to once a month have a tasting from somewhere else in the world by having it delivered to your door!

One online resource that is full of great deals is wine.com

They recently hooked us up with some bottles to taste and review to give you an example of just whats available and what a great balance of price and quality they have.

The message we received was 'We have sent you a few bottles to try'. Given this challenge we pulled out all the stops and and gathered around the tasting table with actual real glassware and pens and tasting note sheets and even waited for Somm Dave to join us with his educated palate to keep us in line. 

We tasted the wine by itself, with nibbles and with our meal to get a broad impression. 

 Paolo e Noemia d'Amico Seiano Bianco 2012

White Blend from Italy

Sieano Bianco - A pretty bright straw colored medium - light body wine with honeysuckle, cut grass, pear and apricot on the nose and some nice melon, pineapple and grapefruit and citrus fruit flavors and a soft acidic finish this nicely balanced wine is a winner at **** and a solid 6 that we all enjoyed. Think arugula / Grapefruit salad and shrimp / pineapple skewers as well as many summer style foods.

Siciliana Nero d'Avola 2013

Nero d'Avola from Sicily, Italy

Siciliana Nero - A bright garnet color with a light medium nose of red and blue fruits with a noticeable floral quality. As you taste the flavors of bing cherry and blue berry as well as some raspberry and plum. This light to medium body well integrated wine is a nice easy drinker with soft tannins and nice finish that embraces its typical Italian heritage. At **** and a 6 this is a fun go to for some Italian flavor at a bargain price. Great for midweek dinner of flank steak or grilled chicken.

Baracchi Smeriglio Merlot Cortona 2008

Merlot from Tuscany, Italy
Baracchi Merlot - This is a MERLOT... Quite big and bold red garnet colored with black currant, blackberry and raspberry as well as some tobacco and cigar box on the nose. The black currant and plum fruit scuffle for position with the earthy medium plus body that has a strong tannin presence that asked to go head to head with food. At *** and a 7 this is a take to dinner wine that could benefit from a littl decant. Big meals like lamb shank, Pork belly or ribeye with Mushrooms will love being in the company of this solid drinking Merlot. Now this is a Merlot worth pulling the cork on.

Two of these wines are nice drinking great value wines that bring Italy to your home. The third is a bigger more complex wine looking to hook up with some big food and to go to dinner at friends or at your favorite restaurant. This was a lovely sample of what is available a wine.com . Just based on this small sample we are very encouraged to go look at some other regions and see whats available to expand our wine world. So get online and order a couple for a friend or for yourself to share with friends and have some fun exploring the world one online wine order at a time. We recommend you do.

Happy Online Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

Kiwi & Koala