Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Mr Spittoon and I spent 6 weeks in Cava country in Spain. The #Penedes is a beautiful region and if you love Spanish sparkling wine, it’s a must do!

When we were there we did a #workaway experience where we worked in exchange for food, board and wine. It was a great way to extend our backpacking adventure without dipping into our budget.

During our stay we learnt to make ‘Pan Con Tomate’ - basically grilled bread with garlic, tomato and oil on. Alongside Spanish Tortilla - aka Spanish Omlette. Along the lines of an egg, potato and onion frittata.

We loved both recipes and now when we indulge in a bottle of cava, we make a night of it and get our Spanish 🇪🇸 on 💃

We received this sample bottle from @cellarmasters recently. Perelada ‘Stars’ Organic 2017 Cava retails from $20 a bottle and is made from Xarel·lo (40%), Macabeo (28%), Parellada (25%), Chardonnay (5%) and Pinot Noir (2%) grapes.

In the glass it virtually looks like shimmering stars ✨. Apples 🍎, crisp lemon 🍋, and a hint of shortbread come through on the nose. It has such a lovely effervescence this cava. In the mouth it has a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel and is perfect with the pan con tomate and Spanish tortilla 👌👌 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 day ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

If you’ve been following along with the blog this year, then you’ll know that we visited Tasmania in April and loved it. It’s also safe to say they make bloody good Riesling down there! Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Riversdale Estate, however there will be a another trip to Tassie so we’ll definitely do it next time.

I received this sample bottle from the team at Cellarmasters – thank you! We enjoyed it with a delicious corn and pearl couscous salad, asparagus and some pork steaks done on the barbie.

Riversdale Estate is located near Hobart in the Coal River Valley. In fact they are the largest Tasmanian privately owned vineyard in the Coal River Valley.

Their Cygnus Riesling is only made in exceptional years, and 2016 was one of those. I hear it’s a fantastic wine to age, so if you’re going to buy some (approx. $28 a bottle) then purchase a few so you can try them over a few years to see how it ages.

So what does the ‘Cygnus’ name mean? Here’s what I learnt on the back label: “Riversdale Estate lies in the shadow of the UTAS Radio Telescope and the Grote Reber Museum – the founder of radio astronomy.” In Latin, Cygnus means ‘Swan’. “The Northern Cross constellation, it resembles a swan flying South along the Milky Way.”

Here are our notes on it:

It’s a pale yellow shade in the glass, while on the nose it’s full of juicy fruit aromas. These are mixed with minerality, a hint of toffee apple and that fresh rain smell. It has a gorgeous nose! In the mouth it’s just as enjoyable with wonderful dryness and palate cleansing acidity. It’s zesty yet smooth. The perfect thirst quencher!

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! — 11 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Introducing one of the latest new releases from Wills Domain in WA’s Margaret River Region. A big thanks to the team for sending this sample over for us to try.

Wills Domain is run by the Haunold family who have been making wine since 1383. The family originates from Austria. It was in 1985 when the Margaret River Wills Domain vines were first planted and in 2001 the first vintage was released.

This Mystic Spring 2019 Rosé is made from 85% Shiraz and 15% Sauvignon Blanc. We got stuck into it over a BBQ dinner, it was the perfect way to spend a warm summer evening. Here are our notes:

In the glass it’s a gorgeous pale peachy-pink colour. On the nose I pick up hints of lemongrass, raspberries and cherries. It’s fresh and vibrant which I love. Mr Spittoon said the nose made him think of a fresh fruit sponge dessert. In the mouth it’s smooth with a wonderfully refreshing finish. Think berries, tropical fruits and a lick of mandarins. Yum!

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!

— 15 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Sauvignon Blanc - my go-to fish’n’chips wine and summer thirst quencher! Plus between you and me, I really love Aussie Sauv Blanc. Especially from WA. It just seems to have that perfect balance of tropical fruit flavours and zest with a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel, making it über approachable.

I recent received this lovely 2019 Mystic Spring Sauvignon Blanc sample from @wills_domain_winery in Margaret River (thank you!!). It’s super refreshing and was the perfect way to end the day. Here are our notes:

It’s a pale straw yellow colour in the glass. Green capsicum notes with a hint of mellow tropical fruits rise up from the glass. While in the mouth it’s juicy with a hint of minerality, some delicious tropical fruits like passionfruit come through and there’s a zesty lime finish. Yum!

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!

#gifted #willsdomain — 2 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Hot wings, salad and Prosecco - what’s not to like I say!

My brother has an awesome hot wings recipe which we make every now and then - they are so tasty and are great with a glass of bubbly or three ☺️

This here is an Aussie Prosecco made by the brand new label - Twill & Daisy. Who recently sent me a sample pack (thank you!). How gorgeous are their labels 💐

Prosecco is made from the Glera grape variety and it originates from Italy 🇮🇹. It’s made in a completely different way to Champagne, so don’t compare the two 😉 They’re their own thing.

So how did this bubbly treasure go down?

In the glass it’s a silvery yellow with plenty of small fast moving bubbles. On the nose it makes me think of apples 🍏, pears 🍐, citrus 🍋 and florals. While in the mouth it’s extremely easy drinking with a lovely sherbet-y fizz!

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! — 6 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Cabernet Sauvignon infused with chai tea!

Yes you read that right and if you’re anything like me, then you probably immediately think of a sort of mulled wine concoction.

This Cabernet Sauvignon subtly infused with Chai Tea is one of two wines in the brand new Tea & Wine range. The other is an Unoaked Chardonnay infused with Camomile. I was lucky enough to receive samples of both to give them a whirl.

This tea-infused range wasn’t created on a whim either. In fact it took Pernod Ricard two years and hundreds of trials to perfect the recipe. And in our opinion, they have done a bloody good job. On both the white and this red.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for the wine come from SA’s Barossa Valley. The loose leaf chai tea is organic and from Sri-Lanka.

Both wines in the range are available at Dan Murphy’s for $22.

Would I recommend you giving it a go? Absolutely! Here are out notes for the Cab Sauv:

It’s a deep plum colour in the glass. The nose is full of all spice, raspberry jam and yes it definitely made me think of mulled wine and Christmas time. The palate follows suit with that distinct mulled wine flavour. However interestingly enough, even though Mr Spittoon isn’t a fan of mulled wine, he loved this Cab Sauv! Think notes of spice and black currant.

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! — 13 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

“Life can pass you by… Don’t forget to stop and smell the Rosés”

Back in June, I headed along to the Sidegate Wines Art Series launch party where I was introduced to Georgie Orbach and her wine range. It was lovely to meet winemaker Georgie and when the team recently approached me to try their latest Rosé, I couldn’t help but say yes.

This Rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir fruit from New South Wales Riverina region. And the best bit? It costs a friendly $10 a bottle which you can order through georgieorbachwines.com.au.

I love that the suggested match for this wine is Don’t Stop Believing by Journey – I love a good wine and music match!

So how did we find the wine as we listened to a bit of journey? Here are our thoughts:

It’s a pretty peach shade in the glass. The nose is full of light berry, a bit of stonefruit and some slightly charred citrus. While in the mouth it’s easy drinking with notes of dried apricots mixed with cherries. It’s fruity, light and perfect for Spring and Summer.

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! — 16 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Care for a sip?

This big, bold ‘The Giant’ Druif was definitely one which appreciated some aeration. As I was too lazy to decant, I just popped this funky straw like aerator in the bottle and it definitely did the trick making the wine intensely smooth and really opening up the flavours and aromas.

A big thanks to Atze’s Corner for sending over this sample for us to try. It’s definitely not a wine for the faint hearted.

Atze’s Corner are one of the only producers in the Barossa Valley to grow Durif vines. This 2017 Durif retails for $35. Here are our notes on it:

It’s a virtually opaque mulberry red colour in the glass. The nose evokes thoughts of blackcurrants, tobacco, forest - pine trees - and a hint of spiced prunes. While in the mouth it’s big and rather heavy - it definitely lives up to its ‘giant’ name. It’s got good fruit with wonderfully integrated French oak, black currant juiciness, tobacco leaf and lengthy firm tannins.

Best paired with watching The Princess Bride on Netflix 😉

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! — 5 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

“Refreshing contemporary wine from Australia, thanks to minimal intervention”

What’s minimal intervention you ask? There are a number of interpretations of this wine term, however to me it signifies that the winemaker lets the grapes speak for themselves. They add only what’s necessary (aka sulphur for preservation). So they are going along the ‘natural wine’ route however at the end of the day it really comes down to understanding a winemakers process as to how they have made the wine from grape to bottle.

Which brings me to this brand new wine label recently released by @purewineco – @twillanddaisy. I was lucky enough to receive a sample pack of the wines, which I am looking forward to sharing with you over the coming weeks.

The first on the tasting block was this 2019 Fiano. Fiano is originally from Italy and it’s a white wine grape variety. I’ve noticed a few Fiano’s popping up over the country which I am excited about as I do enjoy my Fiano!

Here are our notes on the new Twill & Daisy Fiano:

It’s a lemon shade in the glass with a golden shimmer. On the nose I pick up whiffs of citrus, floral perfume, white peach, nectarine and a hint of honeyed sweetness. While in the mouth those floral and stonefruit flavours coat the mouth with a lick of pears and it almost has a powdery texture on the finish. The bottle was finished very quickly in our house!

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! — 8 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Chardonnay never lasts long in our house, it is similar for anyone else?

I recently received this sample from Cellarmasters (thank you!!) and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in. You can only find this 9th Fable by Usher Tinkler Hunter Chardonnay 2019 in two places. That’s online via Cellarmasters and at the Usher Tinkler cellar door in the Hunter Valley.

Fun fact for you, Usher Tinkler is the winemaker and it’s tradition in his family to name the first-born son Usher, therefore he is the 9th Usher in the family. Which is how this wine gets its name 😉

This Chardonnay spent 5 months in French oak barrels on yeast lees and was bottles at 6 months of age.

We enjoyed it out of our Riedel specific Chardonnay glasses and boy did it go down a treat. Here are our notes:

It’s a lemon lime colour in the glass. On the nose it’s full of rich toasted fruits, grapefruit acidity, fresh minerality and it smelt like it has a gorgeous buttery texture. While in the mouth, it simply left us going mmmmmmm. It has that nice oaky butteriness but also plenty of refreshing fruit acidity. Fantastically balance Chardonnay.

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!

— 13 days ago