Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Seafood and Sauvignon Blanc is just a no-brainer for me. I was making homemade sushi 🍣 recently – the first time in so long – and I thought this @mountavoca wine sample I received last month (thank you!) would be the perfect accompaniment.

Between you and me it was pretty darn good 😉

We also had some chicken and vegetable sushi too and it held up to all the strong flavours really well – even the wasabi!

In the glass it’s a vibrant white gold colour. On the nose there’s juicy pears, gooseberry and lemongrass, while in the mouth it’s a delicious acidity bomb which is balanced out with sweet passionfruit, and a hint of green capsicum. YUM!

100% organic grapes – Minimal SO2 added – Vegan friendly

Mount Avoca focus on producing organic wine from their Victorian winery based in Pyrenees wine region. They grow, made and bottle all their wines onsite and even offer “Eco-Luxe” lodges accomodation at the vineyard. Who doesn’t love a winery escape am I right?

The 400 acre property was planted with vines in 1970 and also includes olive trees (there’s about 600 on the property today). The team behind Mount Avoca naturally went down the route of using no chemicals in the vineyard and are Australian Certified Organic (Cert No. 11470A).

What is extra delicious about Mount Avoca is that they have probably one of the best deals around for their wine club.
Basically when you sign up to the Mount Avoca Wine Club, you get 50% off the price of your wine. What the?!? I know. Pretty darn good right!

There’s a minimum commitment of three 12 bottle wine deliveries per year in order to cash in on the above awesome deal.

The above wine is part of the Estate Mixed Dozen Wine Club case.

The above wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds and I share what I enjoy so others can discover amazing wines too. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!
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#gifted #mountavoca #mountavocawines #brunchagency #organicwine #lowpreservativewine #homemadesushi #wine #tcweekdaywine #wineblogger #travellingcorkscrew #wineblog #sushiandwine #wineandsushi #aussiewine #australianwine — 18 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, however where Mr Spittoon and I live, it’s starting to get cold and winter is definitely on the way. One of, if not my favourite thing on a cold night, is getting all rugged up in bed and sipping red wine. Due to how our current rental is set up, it means we have our TV in our room, so it kind of feels like we are at a hotel every night. I love it!

We were kindly sent this sample from @hollydeneestatewines to try (thank you!!). And oh boy did this 7 year old Upper Hunter Valley Shiraz go down a treat.

After drinking this bottle it made me realise I need to drink more older Aussie Shiraz. This one is drinking absolutely beautifully right now and I reckon it’ll keep for a few more years and develop further.

Wine Specs

Vintage: 2014
Grape Variety: Shiraz
Region: Upper. Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $30 via hollydeneestate.com

What it tastes like to me

In the glass it’s a juicy tawny red colour with aromas of savoury (think leather and aromatic oak) yet sweet red fruit floating up from the glass. On the palate it’s oh so smooth with juicy raspberries and blackberries, a delicious lick of vanilla bean, a zest of orange and a sprinkling of spice. The perfect winter tipple, just add a roaring fire and good company.

Disclosure

This wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — a month ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

It’s a deep burgundy shade in the glass. On the nose there’s black fruits, tar, Christmas spices and some cocoa. While in the mouth it’s just as you’d expect from the nose, dark, brooding and oh so comforting. I love the nice mix of savoury, earthy flavours mixed with juicy black fruits. We enjoyed it on its lonesome and oh my did it warm up the evening 😉
Disclosure

This wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — a month ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Date night 🥰 However just off to our left is a 1 year old with pizza on his forehead and sweet potato chips in his hair 🤣

Oh how times have changed!

Thank you @joanne3drops for this lovely 2020 Nebbiolo Rosé sample bottle. It was the perfect accompaniment to our evening from it’s pretty bright peachy colour to wonderful notes of fresh raspberries, strawberries and lemongrass. Expertly balanced and darn right yummy.

It wasn’t only Mr Spittoon I had heart eyes 😍 for, that’s for sure 😉

3drops wine and olive oil are from Mt Barker in WA’s Great Southern region and oh how I love that they make a Rosé from Nebbiolo grapes. Their Neb grapevines were planted in 2002 - so they’re nearly 20 year old vines.

🤫 I heard through the grapevine that they’re making a red wine from their Neb soon too! — 20 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

10

It nearly seems a slight rosé gold colour in the glass with super plentiful bubbles. Glazed Nashi pear, spice, florals, nuts and saltiness come through on the nose. It’s captivatingly complex. In the mouth it has such a smooth yummy texture to it. Think apple strudel sprinkled with freshly toasted nuts.

I adored every sip! — 24 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Are you. a Fiano lover like me? Then you need to try out this beauty stat!

It’s made by a female winemaker – Marnie Roberts in the Clare Valley (SA) and it’s utterly delicious! During the making of this wine it has a bit of skin contact and a bit of time in barrel which I reckon makes this Fiano simply ‘pop’.

A massive thank you to @goodpairdays for this sample bottle 😘

I decided to pair it with pizza instead of the matching recipe ‘Perfect Spring Salad’ – my waistline probably would have benefitted from the latter, but hey, it was Friday and being an Italian grape, I thought it deserved an Italian food match.

Well that’s what I’m telling myself anyway!

If you’re keen to try it and experience the monthly wine subscriptions from Good Pair Days, make sure to use the promo code “travellingcorkscrew” to get $23 off your first box.

Please note I am an affiliate partner of GPD, which means I will get a small amount of commission if you use the above code.

Wine Specs

Vintage: 2020
Grape Variety: Fiano
Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
Alcohol: 12.8%
Price: $23 via goodpairdays.com
Other: 55% soft free run, 30% skin contact, 15% barrel ferment, no fining, vegan friendly

What is tastes like to me

It’s a sunny yellow shade in the glass. There’s grapefruit pith, florals and herbs, a hint of capsicum and beeswax candles. While on the palate it’s full of juicy apricot and pineapple flavours and a lovely almost ‘thick’ texture to it. Thoroughly enjoyable down to the last sip.

We enjoyed it with a potato, red onion and chilli pizza and it went beautifully. The perfect way to end the working week.

Disclosure

This wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — a month ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

In the glass it’s a ruby red share with notes of blackcurrants and a bit of mushroom coming through. It really has a nice savoury, nearly farm-like nose to it. Very interesting! In the mouth the acidity suggests it will age longer, however it really opened up in the glass with plenty of juicy blackberry and currant flavour and a bit of spice.

This wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!

— 24 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

In the glass it has hourglass like sandy bubbles.On the nose it’s crisp and zesty with hints of grapefruit and apple with a lick of biscuits too. In the mouth it has an ultra smooth texture with lemon sherbet and orchard fruit dominating. Very easy drinking!

This bottle was sent to me as a sample from Good Pair Days. — 24 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Do you love your European wines? Then make sure to grab my discount code for @popsyandjj before it runs out (details on the blog).

And a big thank you to Popsy & JJ for sending us this beauty of a sample to try!

If you want a wine to match with blue cheese, this is it!! We accidentally stumbled across the combo and oh my we were fighting over the last bit of blue cheese. What a combo!

It’s been awhile since I have had a Chablis, so I was excited to get stuck in. Chablis is a region in France, the northern most part of the Burgundy region and under law they can only use Chardonnay grapes. The wines don’t see any oak and are known for their minerality. Check out the Vins de Bourgogne Chablis website to learn more: chablis-wines.com

This Premier Cru Chablis is a pretty lemon colour in the glass with that famous minerality shining alongside lovely notes of fresh ocean air, a hint of just baked shortbread and some Vietnamese mint. In the mouth that beachy taste flows through with hints of grapefruit, apricots, and stonefruit. it’s smooth, clean and crisp. Highly enjoyable and a wonderful example of Chablis.

I also really like how there is a QR code on the back label so you can easily jump straight to more info about the wine on the Popsy & JJ website.

Disclosure

This wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — a month ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Happy #MalbecWorldDay everyone!

If you’re not aware, the 17th of April every year is Malbec World Day. It signifies the day in 1853 that President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento of Argentina officially made it his mission to transform Argentina's wine industry. He did this by asking French soil expert, Michel Aimé Pouget, to introduce new wine grapevines to Argentina and Malbec was one of them.

Fun fact: Ensure you say ‘Malbec World Day’ and not ‘World Malbec Day’. Malbec World Day is a translation of the Spanish "Día Mundial del Malbec," meaning "Malbec throughout the world" 🥰

Mr Spittoon and I thought we’d get some practice in last night for the big day today and we got stuck into this sample I kindly received from @goodpairdays (thank you!).

For $23, you really can’t go wrong with this Aussie Malbec which is made here in Victoria.

Exclusive TC Reader Deal: Use code “travellingcorkscrew” to get $23 off your first monthly subscription box from Good Pair Days - yes that means you could get this wine for free!

Wine Specs:

Producer: @ladyandthehawk (owned by Amber and Brendan Hawker)
Vintage: 2018
Grape variety: Malbec
Alcohol: 13.8%
Region: Glenrowan, VIC, Australia
Winemaker: Brendan Hawker
Other: Sustainably farmed vineyard, whole bunch fermentation

My Tasting Note:

It’s a pretty purple-red colour in the glass. As soon as Mr Spittoon took a sniff he said it transported him to an orchard. It’s savoury and farmy yet fruity. Such a yummy balance of aromas. On the palate it’s got such a delicious medley of blackberries, cherries and blueberries. There’s some nice fruit acidity that gives it a super juicy and refreshing feel to it. The bottle was gone before we knew it!

Disclosure

This #wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. By using the above promo code I will receive a small amount of commission.

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — a month ago