Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Have you tried wine made from the Gamay grape yet? It produces a light-bodied red wine that is along the lines of Pinot Noir, although not as common.

It would also be rude not to mention Beaujolais when we talk about Gamay because it’s this region, which sits beside Burgundy in France, that produces around 75% of the Gamay in the world 🌎

It’s also worth noting that this low tannin and naturally high acidity wine is a great food matching wine 🍷

I have come across Gamay a few times this year. Sinapius over in Tassie are producing it and I also found this bottle of Paul Nelson Wines PN 2018 Gamay made from fruit from WA’s Ferguson Valley (Geographe wine region) in Naomi’s cellar recently 🙌 Needles to say, we had to crack it!

From doing some research online, I’ve found out it’s:

🍇 Hand picked from a single vineyard

🍇 30% whole bunch pressed

🍇Wild fermented

🍇 Unfined and unfiltered

Here are my notes:

It’s a light ruby colour in the glass. The nose is rather savoury in character, think mushrooms, soil/earth and violets. I liked BJW’s comment about picking up ‘smokey hickory’ too. While in the mouth that savoury character flows through in the form of cured meat with fruity plum and red fruit characters joining it. It’s a light, easy-drinking and extremely moreish vino.

Naomi bought this for $30 from the Paul Nelson Wines cellar door in WA’s Great Southern wine region.

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

#tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 14 hours ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

“Named after Bert Kleining, a bachelor who worked the land which the fruit is now sourced from”

I was recently sent samples from Atze’s Corner new Barossa Legends Red Collection to taste and it’s safe to say this Bachelor 2017 Shiraz didn’t last long unopened. Actually a fun fact for you, on the wine app - Vivino, this is my 100th Australian Shiraz tasting note :)

The other 2 wines in this new release trio of ‘Barossa Legends’ from Northern Barossa Valley vineyards are a 2017 ‘THE MOB’ Montepulciano and a 2017 ‘THE GIANT’ Durif.

Here’s some quick info about The Bachelor:

👨‍🌾 Winemaker: Andrew Kalleske (6th generation vigneron)
🥩 Food match: Wagyu steak or slow roasted lamb
🍷 Alcohol: 14.5%
🗺 Subregions: Koonunga & Ebenezer
⏰ Cellaring: Up to 2030
💰 Price: $35

I decided to let Mr Spittoon take down the notes for this one and I think he sums it up pretty well:

👀 opaque blackberry
👃 vanilla oak, perfume of blueberries & blackcurrant
👄 smooth subtle tannins, farmy and acidic freshness

This wine was sent to me direct from the Wine Marketing Hub 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! — 9 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

When I spotted this Swinney ‘Tirra Lirra’ 2016 Riesling, Pinot Gris & Gewürztraminer on the Good Pairs Day website, I couldn’t resist to add it to this month’s TC Wine Club order.

Mr Spittoon and I enjoyed this sample wine with a spicy Asian dish I recently cooked up. It went down a treat and as always, it’s great to have WA wine in my glass. In fact it wasn’t that long ago I enjoyed one of the Swinney red wines at Tiny’s Liquor Emporium in Perth recently. I had forgotten how delicious the Swinney wines are!

If you’re not familiar with Swinney Vineyards, these guys are based in the Great Southern’s Frankland River region. Their remote, and rather isolated property has been in the family for four generations now and it spans approximately 6,000 acres – therefore it’s rather on the large side!

I remember from a tasting I went to a few years back in Perth, hearing all about how Swinney grow their Grenache, Tempranillo and Mourvèdre on ‘bush vines’. Bush vines are low yielding and non trellised vines. They are trained and pruned to resemble a bush. Very interesting!

Okay so let’s get back to their Riesling blend, here are my notes on it:

It’s a pale lemon colour on the eye. The nose is rather rich and full with peach and lemon coming through for me. While in the mouth it’s juicy with super refreshing lemon acidity, freshly cut guava and spiced pears. YUM!

This wine was sent to me direct from Good Pair Days 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! — 10 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

It’s not often I drink wine liqueurs or ‘sweeties’, but occasionally I do have a craving! Recently I came across Cider Tonic’s stewed apple tonic recipe (which is good for your gut health by the way) and I couldn’t help but think that all that stewed apple would be great in a homemade apple pie. With vanilla bean ice-cream on the side and a little something special to sip on of course 😉

A little while ago I received this sample of the Morris Wines of Rutherglen’s Classic Liqueur Topaque, which has been sitting in our fridge far too long. I was waiting for the perfect occasion and this apple pie night was it!

This was my introduction to the wine on the box:

This Classic Liqueur Topaque is made from Muscadelle grapes that are allowed to fully ripen during the long, warm, dry summers experiences in the Rutherglen region. The wine is aged in oak for a number of years before blending with wines from a number of vintages”

It’s the perfect dessert, or cheese, wine. And oh boy did it make our apple pie & ice-cream night pretty decadent. Talk about a hug in a glass / on a plate! Here are my notes:

It’s golden syrup in colour. The nose makes me think of caramel, raisins, candied lemons and tea leaves. While in the mouth it’s luscious and sweet with a nice lemon acidity balance, a hint of honey iced tea and a lick of smoke.

This wine was sent to me direct from the winery 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

After trying the 2017 Xabregas Wines Reisling earlier in the year which my mum picked for #thetcwineclub, the lovely team at Xabregas in WA’s Great Southern wine region offered to send both me and my Mum a bottle of the 2018 Riesling to try – how sweet is that 🙂 Thank you Xabregas!

I decided to match the 2018 with some homemade pho and it went down an absolute treat. In fact it was a super refreshing meal.

As you’ll see from the back label, it’s definitely on the dry end of the spectrum for a Riesling – which is my style of Riesling and my Mum’s too.

Here are my notes for the 2018:

In the glass it’s a pale shade of yellow. On the nose it is super fresh with the hallmark Riesling minerality and plenty of citrus (lemon, lime and grapefruit). That citrus-driven nature flows through to the palate with a lick of fresh juicy pears and wow, it’s extremely gluggable if I do say so myself.

What a beauty! You can see a comparison of my notes for both vintages here: https://travellingcorkscrew.com.au/blog/xabregas-riesling-mount-barker/

This bottle was sent to me directly from Xabregas to taste, 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!

#winesample #tcweekdaywine — 2 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Did you catch my post a few weeks back about Vinomofo’s new “The Mofo Welcome Kit”?

I was lucky enough to be sent a sample to try out, and let’s just say, this Chardonnay didn’t last long unopened.

The Mofo Welcome Kit is a special introductory 3-pack of Vinomofo wines for $69 (down from $90). You can choose either an all white, all red or mixed pack like I did.

Getting stuck into The Mofo Welcome Pack
To find out more visit the Vinomofo website.

Plus if you’d like $25 off your first Vinomofo order, let me know and I can refer you – simply pop me an email.

Firstly, I know we shouldn’t judge a wine by its label, but isn’t this one a looker! And the good news is the delectable juice inside doesn’t disappoint either.

This Arcadia Bohemia 2017 Chardonnay is part of Vinomofo’s ‘Collaboration Series’ where they work hand-in-hand with winemakers to craft awesome wines. This wine is made from grapes from the Mornington Peninsula (Red Hill) and crafted by winemaker, Barney Flanders of Garagiste.

This Chardonnay was:

Handpicked
Gently whole bunch pressed
Fermented with wild yeast in mostly big old oak barrels
Kept on fine lees for 8 months
And the end product? Well here are Mr Spittoon and my notes on it:

It’s the colour of lemons in the glass with a slight hint of lime. On the nose it’s very fresh and citrus driven – think stone fruit, lemongrass, grapefruit and floral perfume. While in the mouth it’s rounded with flavours of apricot, nectarine, citrus and a lick of tropical-ness. It ends with a smooth yet refreshing acidic finish.

This wine was sent to me direct from Vinomofo 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! — 7 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

My first sip of wine on my recent trip to Perth was this Bratty Nat Pét Nat from Marri Wood Park. Pét Nat aka Pétillant-Naturel describes the method for making this type of sparkling wine, it’s more rustic than making a bottle of champagne for example. You’ll typically find these bottles of bubbles are cloudy, unfiltered and capped with a crown seal (like a beer bottle cap). They are very trendy at the moment, especially in WA I’ve noticed.

Marri Wood Park are a chemical free and biodynamic winery in Yallingup, Margaret River. You can visit them when you’re next in Margs, though book ahead as visits are by appointment only.

A big thanks to Naomi aka Travelling Piccolo for sharing this bottle with me. She bought at City Wine recently. And she told me that it’s named after the winery owner’s daughter, Nat. Plus the label is made from recycled cotton which is a lovely touch.

It was a lovely welcome back to Perth!

So how did we find it?

Well on the eye it’s a cloudy yellow-beige colour. On the nose it’s like a bowl full of apples with a slight chalkiness to it. While in the mouth those apple and maybe a bit of pear flows through with an almost syrupy texture and a lick of pineapple. Bucket loads of flavour and nice and refreshing.

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — 12 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

For Bastille Day yesterday we decided to crack into this Domaine de Vedilhan 2018 Viognier from the Langudeoc region in the South of France. I received this as a sample from the folks at Good Pair Days and knew it’d be the perfect accompaniment to my big pot of French Onion Soup and Cheesy Toasts that I was making for dinner.

We poured a glass straight from the fridge and then left the bottle out to warm up. This really helped bring out the flavours and aromas. The onion soup also brought out the fruitiness in the wine.

Domaine de Vedilhan is run by the Fayet family in the village of Moussan close to Narbonne. In 2011 when Mr Spittoon and I were backpacking through the Languedoc wine country we stayed a few nights in Narbonne. It’s a beautiful area!

And so is the label on this bottle, such a stunner if you ask me. Here are our tasting notes on the Viognier:

It’s a pale wheat 🌾 colour in the glass. While on the nose it’s rather aromatic with savoury thyme, florals (honeysuckle) and it made us both think of those hard marshmallow type banana lollies. While in the mouth it has an abundance of orchard and tropical fruits with lovely elegant acidity.

This wine was sent to me direct from Good Pair Days 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!
— 3 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

This is not just another Riesling, trust me.

Firstly a big thanks to Best’s Wines for sending me this new release sample of their 2018 ‘Foudre Ferment’ Riesling. This Riesling is part of their small parcel releases (aka there’s not a lot of it going around). Best’s are located in Victoria’s Great Western Grampians wine region.

While sipping on this Riesling I enjoyed reading their Concongella Chronicle which is full of company news, recipes, Melbourne wine bar tips, and more. I learnt that Best’s Wines was named the Best Tasting Experience in the Grampians in the 2019 Gourmet Traveller WINE Cellar Door awards. So definitely one to add to your wine travel bucket lists guys!

Now back to the Riesling, here’s what makes this Riesling unique:

Extended skin contact
It’s wild fermented in a large French oak foudre made by the famous cooper Marc Greiner
2018 was a great vintage for Riesling in the Great Western (resulting in wines with great natural acidity which gives vibrancy to the wine)
It weighs in at 11% alcohol and has been crafted by winemaker, Justin Purser. They suggest to drink this wine in the short to medium term (now-2029) and to pair it with spicy Asian food.

So what did we think about it? Here are my notes:

It’s a pale straw colour with a slight hint of lime coming through. On the nose it makes me think of pears in syrup, floral candies and it has subtle honey notes. Those honeyed notes flow through to the palate to meet refreshing citrus acidity. And it has a nice clean finish. Beautiful!

This Riesling retails for $35 and can be bought via the Best’s Wines website.

This wine was sent to me direct from the winery 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

This Storm Bay 2018 Pinot Noir from Tasmania was part of my sample Wine Selectors Customised Plan case from earlier in the year. Alongside 12 delicious bottles of wine, in the case I also received the latest Selector magazine and Wine Selectors ultimate Wine-Lovers Grape Guide.

The grape guide is so well put together and makes for some great reading as you sip on your vino. I figured it would be fitting to read the Pinot Noir Page while I sipped on this Tassie Pinot Noir. Here are some of the little sips of info:

Pinot Noir is from France and pronounced “pee-noe nwahr”
It thrives in cool climates only (like Tasmania)
It pairs well with gamey, earthy dishes – think duck/rabbit, salmon/tuna and blue cheese
Pinot Noir is over 100 years older than Cabernet Sauvignon
Now for the wine. It’s from the Coal River Valley region in southern Tasmania. The grapes are handpicked and from what I understand the label is part of the Frogmore Creek portfolio.

Here are our notes on it:

It’s a lovely shade of ruby in the glass. On the nose it’s rather savoury and farmy, yet I am also picking up notes of red fruit and a hint of popcorn (strange I know, but I couldn’t get past it). While in the mouth it’s very palatable – think fresh and juicy with racy acidity and a comforting finish. A fantastic post-yoga sipper.

This wine was sent to me direct from Wine Selectors 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!

— 14 days ago