Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Hands up if you’re a Petit Verdot fan?

I’m loving the amount of PV you can now find in Australia. This red grape is most commonly known in the French Bordeaux blend where it adds structure, tannin, colour and flavour to the wine.

When made into a single varietal wine it’s bold and similar in weight to a Cab Sauv plus it can also age very well.

Thanks to Whicher Ridge Wines we had this lovely sample to taste recently. As my Dad is big into his bold reds, I was looking forward to seeing what he thought of it.

This is a small batch wine from Whicher Ridge. The one row of PV vines were planted in 2005.

We found it a black plum colour in the glass. Dark cherries 🍒 leather and mixed berries come through on the nose. While on the palate there’s plentiful forest berries and red stone fruit that ends with a lovely long finish - a wonderful highlight of the wine. It’s a rich wine that would be definitely be worth cellaring for a good 10 or so years.

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! — 18 hours ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Calling all lower in alcohol wine lovers! I’ve got another Crafters Union ‘In Session’ tipple for you which we recently received as a sample.

This 2019 Rosé from the Hawkes Bay in New Zealand has a 9.5% ABV. It’s available at BWS stores for $20.

In the past lower in alcohol wine has been pretty blah, however these days producers are crafting full flavoured, delicious wines which are low in alcohol. If you’re health conscious but love your vino, then these types of wines are perfect. Naturally they won’t go to your head as quickly plus they’re also lower in calories.

This Rosè disappeared pretty darn quickly in my house, here are some thoughts on it:

It’s a pretty peach colour in the glass. Grapefruit, strawberries 🍓& raspberries and fresh herbs dominate the nose for me. It really does entice you in for a sip. In the mouth it’s super easy drinking - nice and fruity with mellow acidity and a nice dry finish. Think strawberries, peaches and orange citrus 😋

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

A shiny bright purple red colour in the glass. The nose is both savoury and fruity with cherries, blackberries, raspberries and spice coming through. In the mouth it’s fruit forward and by goodness so easy to consume. We felt this is a lighter version of the 2016, more ready to consume now while the former should go back in the cellar for a bit longer.

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! — 7 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

To be honest, my Mum is pretty picky when it comes to wine. And that’s fair enough, she knows what she likes and doesn’t waste time on wines that don’t make her palate jump with joy.

This sample bottle (thank you Cathy) of Whicher Ridge 2017 Elevage Sauvignon Blanc did just that. In fact the bottles contents disappeared and barely anyone else got a taste 😂

My Mum isn’t a huge sauvy drinker either but this one is it a little bit special:

“The juice is fermented in two portions, with 30% being fermented in new and one year old larger French oak barrels, and the balance fermenting in a stainless steel tank. After fermentation, the wine remains in the barrels and tank in contact with the yeast lees for 12 months to produce a textured, more complex wine with a creamier mouthfeel and a long lingering finish.”

If you haven’t checked out the Whicher Ridge website, do it because unlike slot of wine websites, there is a ton of interesting info about the wines. You’d be amazed at what goes on behind the scenes of this Sauv and their other wines.

So here’s what we thought (kudos to my Mum for helping with this note):

It’s a yellow gold with a shimmer of green in the glass. Cape gooseberries (the ones with the paper-like layer around them), mandarin, pear, citrus and a sprinkling of nuttiness comes through on the nose. While in the mouth it’s nice and dry (essential for my mums palate) with minerality and nearly a citrusy minty taste. Extremely elegant and it has a wonderful roundness to finish it off 👌

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

Naturally Feb 14th was a rosé night in our house and thanks to the lovely team at Gatch Wine, we had this sample to try.

We were so excited to get stuck into this 2019 Rosé as it’s made from the Mataro grape 🍇 variety. More commonly it’s known as Mourvédre here in Aussie and is thought to have originated in Spain.

Mataro was brought to Australia by James Busby in 1832. The Mataro grapes for this Gatch Rosé come from the Riverland wine region in South Australia.

We found this one a peachy tangerine colour in the glass. On the nose it almost smells like lemon syrup, red fruits and savoury herbs and florals coming through. While in the mouth it’s definitely a unique rosé. It’s dry and we found spiced cherries and red fruits, citrus rind and savouriness in the palate. $28 a bottle.

This wine was given 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! — 2 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Hands up if you love cool-climate Shiraz? Compared to warm-climate Shiraz, you’ll find it lighter. Plus I find it oh so approachable too.

This cool-climate 2017 Shiraz hails from Geelong in Victoria and is made by @austinswines. A big thanks to the Austin’s team for sending this sample my way, my tasting team had great fun trying it and helping me write the note.

Before I get stuck into the tasting note, here’s a bit more about the wine:

🍷 The Austin’s Shiraz vines are from a clone imported in 1832 and are now 20 years old

🍷 The grapes are hand-picked

🍷 The wine is matured in French oak and only the best barrels are blended to produce this wine

🍷 It will age - the winery recommends to drink it now - 2029

Here’s our tasting note:

It’s a deep red with purple tinges on the eye. The nose is full of juicy boysenberries, vanilla oak, plums, leather and peppers. While in the mouth those berries from through with a hint of coffee and dried tobacco too. It ends with a nice lingering finish 👌

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

I have another lighter and lower alcohol wine for you today guys! I’m definitely seeing these wines gain in popularity, so it’s great to see so many options on the market.

I received this sample of the Crafters Union ‘In Session’ 2019 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc recently to taste. It’s available at BWS for $20. There’s also a Pinot Gris and Rosé in the range.

This Sauv Blanc sits at 9% abv which is around 25% less alcohol than most standard wines. New Zealand is in fact the worlds top producer for naturally lower-in-alcohol (and in calories!) wines.

We found this Sauvy a pale yellow, nearly water white shade in the glass. Enticing notes of passionfruit, lime and nectarines rise from the glass. It’s definitely fresh and vibrant. That passionfruit and tropical fruits flow through to the palate with some minerality and mandarin citrus.

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 #tcweekdaywine #travellingcorkscrew #wine #wineblog #nzwine #nzwinegrowers #nzwines #winetasting #winelover #nzwinegirl #winestagram #lowalcohol #lowalcoholwine #lowalcoholwines #winetime #wineadventures #wineblogger #winedown #wineoclock #thepeopleswine #lowcaloriewine — 9 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

My Dad helped me taste this sample bottle of Curtis 2017 Heritage Shiraz from McLaren Vale in South Australia recently.

Curtis Family Vineyards is owner and operated by Mark, Thomas & Jenna Curtis, with guidance from their father, Claudio Curtis who lives on the vineyard.

The Curtis name is thought to be derived from Curtius, a noble and wealthy family of the First and Second Centuries AD, the Roman Empire era originating from the Latinium people. Hence why the labels have a bit of a Roman theme to them.

In the glass the wine is a plum cherry red. The nose is big and bold with berries, vanilla, pomegranate and spicy pepper. While in the mouth it’s strong up front with flavours that linger on the palate. It’s definitely a mouth puckering /lick your teeth wine. Great with a nice piece of red meat 🥩 👌

This wine was given 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! — 3 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

One giant leap for man 🌑 👩‍🚀 And one tasty bottle of wine for us!

On the 20th of July 1969 something big happened other than the momentous event of Neil Armstrong being the first man to step on the surface of the moon - it was also on that same day in 1969 that Bill Taylor first stepped foot on the now renowned Taylors Wines estate in South Australia’s Clare Valley!

To celebrate the 50 year milestone last year, Taylor’s released a couple of new reds. Including this ‘One Giant Leap’ 2017 Shiraz which I was lucky enough to receive a sample of (thank you!).

It went down a treat with our rib eye steaks 👌👌

In the glass it’s a cherry plum colour. The nose is full of pepper, forest berries and new leather. While in the mouth those berries flow through with a bit of dried fog on there and cigar on the back palate. It has a savoury sweetness to it. The finish is big strong and tannic. Perfect for steak 🥩 night!

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 #taylorswines #clarevalleywines #aussiewine #southaustralianwine #wineblog #tcweekdaywine #wineblogger #travellingcorkscrew #apollo50 #manonthemoon #cabernetmerlot #winelover #wine #youcansipwithus
— 4 days ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Cherry red colour in the glass with a big nose full of mushrooms, berries (boysenberry/blackberry) and smooth oak. Firstly it was the lovely long finish that stood out with this wine, a rib eye steak comes to mind as soon as you taste it. Think peppery with acidic berries and cherries and oak/leather/tobacco characteristics. My Dad said that it “reminds me of a cigar that sits on the back of your palate”. It went very well with our curry too!

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! — 7 days ago