Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Rosé weather is coming! We recently had a pretty warm day here in Gippsland so we picked up this Tim Adams Mr Mick 2018 Rosé from South Australia’s Clare Valley. It’s made from a blend of Sangiovese, Tempraillo and Mataro grapes.

From memory we bought it for about $15. Plus after a bit of research I also found out that it nabbed a gold medal 🥇 at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show 2018 and was awarded Chair of Judges Trophy at the 24th Langton’s Clare Valley Regional Wine Show 2018.

So what did we think of this award winning rosé? Here are our notes:

Peachy pink colour in the glass. The nose has an abundance of fresh raspberries, cherries and strawberries with some fresh herbs thrown in there. While in the mouth those berry flavours flow through with a hint of mandarin and lemon citrus and a nice dry finish.

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

#tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

I am working on blog posts from our Tassie trip - I’ve just got so much to share that it’s taking a little while, so bear with me 🐻

In the meantime though, I have been sipping on some of our purchases for inspiration. This Beautiful Isle 2016 ‘White Delicious’ from northern Tasmania’s Tamar Valley is one of them.

The blend for this white changes every year, depending on what grapes need to be used up. However typically it’s a mix of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Müller Thürgau, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. We bought it for $24.

Visiting Beautiful Isle is a rather quirky experience. The cellar door is in this little old church and the winemaker is full of stories to tell. We learnt that the label started on the family estate at Marion’s Vineyard and that the labels are inspired by the “vibrant apple crate art of Tasmania’s Apple Isle hey day.” I loved the labels so much that I bought a T-shirt!

So is the wine as delicious as the label says? Well here are my notes..

It’s a pale yellow shade in the glass. The nose is super interesting, first impressions are fruitiness, then on further investigation I get gooseberries, apricots, nuts, florals, smoked fruits and a hint of chalkiness. In the mouth I find it off-dry and it definitely delivers with a juicy deliciousness. Destined for curry night!

I now wish I’d bought more bottles 😜

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

#tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes

— 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Curry + Shiraz = one of my favourite combos 🤤

This sample bottle of Tatalia 2016 Shiraz from VIC’s Heathcote region I received from the lovely folk at St Anne’s Estate. The RRP for this Aussie Shiraz is $36 and it weights in at 14.5% alcohol.

The Shiraz vines from which the fruit comes from are 20 years old. They are also drip irrigated for more richer flavoured grapes. Drink now - 2026.

I found it a deep scarlet red-black colour in the glass. The nose makes me think of green pepper, plums and black cherries alongside a hint of menthol freshness and vanilla-ry oak. In the mouth it’s full of deliciously vibrant fruits with a peppery backbone and lick of black olives. Silky texture and not too in your face, it’s very pleasant drinking.

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

For #thetcwineclub May delivery, I asked my Mum to choose the 3-bottles seeing as it was Mother’s Day earlier in the month.

My Mum loves her crisp dry Riesling which is why this Xabregas 2017 Riesling from
WA’s Great Southern region made the cut.

This West Australian Riesling comes from 20 year old vines. It’s drinking well now however I reckon it’ll also do well in the cellar for a few more years.

I found it a pale lemon shade in the glass. On the nose it’s super fresh with pear and lemon & lime notes coming through for me. While in the mouth juicy pear and apple flavours tempt the palate alongside minerality snd a nice big lick of lime. Very refreshing.

I partner with Good Pair Days (previously know as The Wine Gallery) to bring you the TC Wine Club 🙌

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Happy International Chardonnay Day wine lovers! We had a warm up with this newly released 2016 Bird on a Wire Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley last night. A big thank you to winemaker Caroline Mooney for sending over this sample for me to try 🥂

This is Caroline’s 12th vintage for Bird on a Wire. Alongside this she also is the General Manager for Yarra Valley Dairy (the family business).

This Chardonnay comes from a 38 year old vineyard in the Upper Yarra. The fruit is handpicked and whole bunch pressed. The juice then spends time in oak (25% new French oak, 10% one year old French oak, 5% two to three years old French oak and 60% of French oak older than 3 years).

Only 380 dozen cases of this Chardy were made and it is recommended to be consumed now until 2029. RRP $40.

As you know I’m a Chardonnay lover, here’s my notes on this Victorian Chard:

Pale yellow shade on the eye. The nose is mouth-wateringly toasty with plentiful stone fruit and a sprinkling of spice. In the mouth it has a nice balance of fruit and oak with a buttery smoothness. Elegant yet flavoursome.

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Have you come across the Perricoota wine region yet? You’ll find Perricoota in the cooler southern end of NSW on the Murray River.

St Anne’s Winery produces a number of wines from vineyards throughout Victoria and New South Wales. In the Perricoota they have the largest plantings and production in the region 🍇

I recently received this sample of the 2017 Chardonnay and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. We simply enjoyed it as an aperitif.

On the eye it’s a pale straw yellow colour in the glass. For me, on the nose, it makes me think of fresh peaches/nectarines, floral perfume, lemon sherbet and a hint of vanilla. In the mouth those stonefruirs come through alongside smooth melon notes and it has a nice clean, elegant finish. Great buy for $19.50

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

In August 2016 I partnered up with The Wine Gallery to start #thetcwineclub. I can’t believe it’s nearly been 3 years!

To be honest when Tom first approached me to collaborate, I was extremely suss. Which I think is a good thing because I only want to share with you guys things I love. And you know what? It’s been one of the best blogger + brands collabs I’ve done because TWG are awesome! Yes they have a great selection of wines but they are also extremely concerned with making their customers happy 🙌

Not to mention I get to have my own wine club 🥳 Every month I pick 3 wines for the club box which goes out to all #thetcwineclub members. I then post about my picks on here and there’s also a closed FB group 🤫

So why did I pick this Mi Terruno 2017 ‘Uvas’ Chardonnay? Well it’s not ever day I drink Argentinian 🇦🇷 Chardonnay, so wine not?

It comes from the Mendoza region and the name translates to ‘my terroir’ to reflect the land and place from where the wines come from. Also this family run winery is run by a brother and sister team, Gabriel and Maria. Maria heads up the winemaking 🙌

I really enjoyed sipping on this wine, it’s not like the Aussie Chardy I’m used to. In the glass I found it a silvery lemon colour. When I stuck my nose in, it made me think of fresh herbs, peaches and citrus. While in the mouth it’s smooth and mellow yet fresh and mineral-y. It’s full of grapefruit,apricot and a pinch of salt.

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

We were recently craving Chardonnay, as we do in my household. So we picked up this Punt Road Wines 2018 Chardonnay made in the Yarra Valley from our local Dan Murphy's. From memory it was around the $20 mark.

It was the ‘serious Chardonnay flavours’ descriptor on the back which sold it to me. And the price wasn’t going to break the bank, so it really was a win win. This Chardonnay underwent barrel fermentation and malolactic for the wine geeks and Chardy lovers out there.

Here’s how we found it:

Pale yellow shade in the glass. The nose made me think of buttered crackers, fresh lemon 🍋 zest and spiced peaches 🍑. While in the mouth it is smooth and balanced with flavours of peach and tropical fruits 🥭 🍍 and a refreshing lime spiked finish. Yum!

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

#tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Of course I has to add a couple of bottles of Prosecco to my recent sample box from the brand new Wine Selectors Customised Plan subscription cases.

If you haven’t yet heard, these new subscription boxes are perfect for people who like certain grape varieties and/or styles of wine but want to try ones from different producers. Basically you choose how many of each grape variety/style you want and then they arrive on your doorstep at a frequency you choose. So easy!

This Zilzie Wines Prosecco from Victoria’s King Valley came in our trial box and it went down very easily! Here are my notes on it:

Pale golden shade in the glass with a small stream of zippy bubbles zooming up to the top of the glass. On the nose it makes me think of golden delicious apples, shortbread and lemon curd. While in the mouth it’s smooth, rounded and full of ripe orchard fruits. Easy drinking and super friendly.

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes

— 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

My brother, Logan, and his family visited last week. And it was also the same week that we received some new release sample wines from Logan Wines in Orange, NSW. Which meant that they didn’t last long unopened 😂

There’s also a Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in the Weemala range. All bottles retail for RRP $20 and can be purchased online via loganwines.com.au

This 2018 Riesling is produced in the German trocken style. So it has a nip of residual sugar to balance out the natural acidity. Here’s what the TC tasting panel, headed up by Logan said:

Pale nearly water white yellow shade in the glass. The nose is full of lime and honeysuckle. After reading the back label we could also definitely pick up the ‘ice tea’ notes in it too. In the mouth it’s a nicely balanced Riesling that’s a little bit of floral with refreshing acidity. Very much enjoyed and given “4 Logan’s out of 5” by the head of the tasting panel 😂

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

So last night for International #ChardonnayDay we cracked into this bottle of Eastern Reach Eden Valley 2018 Chardonnay which I received as a sample from Cellarmasters who sell it for $26 per bottle in a case.

This South Australian Chardy is a whopping 14% abv and it has spent time on oak so it’s for those wine drinkers who love a bold Chardonnay. Like the wine lover in the pic 😉

In the glass it’s a light hay shade with a golden fleck to it. It’s definitely one of those wines which is more flavoursome than it looks. The nose is full of sweet peaches and nectarines, sweet citrus and creamy oak. While in the mouth it has racy grapefruit acidity mixed with vanillin oak and buttery smoothness.

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

The wine socks (see last post) weren’t the only things we bought at Puddleduck Vineyard in the Coal River Valley in Tasmania - we were also quite partial to their 2018 Riesling for $30.

We visited the cellar door on Easter Sunday and it’s safe to say it’s a hot spot for locals and visitors - it was simply bustling. As the tasting counter was full to the brim, we got to door our tasting at a table which made it nice and relaxed in amongst all the hustle and bustle.

Some fun facts about the family owned and operated Puddleduck:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🦆 They have an energy neutral winery
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🦆 Reverse BYO is their unique concept where you’re invited to bring your own food & buy beverages from them
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🦆 They have one of the best collections of fun wine accessories I’ve seen, hence the wine socks!

Now, what is their dry Riesling like..? Here are my notes:

Pale lemon lime colour on the eye. The nose is full of lime, feijoa, green apple and minerality. While in the mouth it’s everything you want on a Riesling - fresh, crisp and refreshing. It went wonderfully with our dips & cheeses after a long hard day of wine tasting 😜

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

#tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

How was your #MalbecWorldDay?

Mr Spittoon and I had a pretty good night and no sign of wine flu today either, which I’d great 😜

We cracked into this #thetcwineclub bottle of Mi Terruno ‘Uvas’ 2017 Malbec from the Mendoza region in Argentina 🇦🇷. To match we cooked up some beautiful smoky peppery steaks and had homemade steak 🥩 sandwich’s. So good!!

If you’re not aware, Malbec is Argentina’s flagship grape. However you can find it grown around the world, including in
Aussie where there are some delicious ones being produced around the country. I was actually kicking myself that I didn’t pick up some blue cheese to go on our sandwiches as Malbec is a great match for that stinky blue 🧀

In the glass it’s a luscious garnet colour. Notes of berries, moss, black olive and cocoa rise from the glass for me while in the mouth it’s got incredibly smooth tannins, juicy plum flavours and I was even finishing my glass before Mr Spittoon!

I am a notoriously slow drinker by the way 🤣

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

So I ended up going for the Trebbiano to match our Friday night platter. For me, Italian wines are made to be enjoyed with food, so I knew this Cantina di ‘Custoza’ 2017 Trebbiano would be the perfect accompaniment.

This wine is part of this month’s #thetcwineclub box, has anyone else tried it yet?

Cantina di Custoza is a wine co-operative with over 290 grape growers and dozens of vintners. These guys all work together to produce delicious wine. I love that, instead of competing they’re joining forces to please palates at scale. This co-op winery also has access to some of the oldest vineyards in Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Trebbiano is one of the most popular white wine grapes in Italy. Also in France too, however they call it Ugni Blanc and use it mostly to make balsamic vinegar and sherry!

It’s one of those interesting wines as on first sip I was quite surprised by the gentle sweetness in it, however as we devoured our platter that sweetness slipped away and all the yummy fruit and citrus acidity came out.

For me, the nose made me think of sea air, citrus peel, herby spice and peaches. While in the mouth it has a voluptuous fruitiness upfront which is followed by a citrus driven finish. I think The Wine Gallery nailed it on the head saying it’s “rich yet fresh”.

Also make sure you have a corkscrew handy as it has a cork closure 😉

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes
— 7 years ago

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 — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

Rosé and platters… ahhh I love the combo! This pretty little Rosé comes from Victoria’s Yarra Valley and it’s made from 100% handpicked, whole bunch pressed Pinot Noir.

They’ve even given it the ‘traditional’ treatment and stomped the grapes by foot!

While we probably all know that grape stomping is how they used to crush grapes for wine way back in the day (before there were machines around to it), I bet a few of you are wondering whether it is very sanitary, especially in this day in age?

Well let me tell you, that yes it’s actually pretty sanitary and it’s still thought of as a more natural approach as foot-trodden grapes are crushed by the right amount of pressure. The acid, sugar and alcohol that is within the grape ferment works to prohibits human pathogens from transferring into the wine. And by the way, foot stomped wine does not taste like feet 😉

This foot stomped Rosé is also pretty special because only 100 dozen cases were, made so get in quick! RRP is $35 and it can be bought online via birdonawirewines.com.au

Here are our notes on it:

In the glass it’s a redy-quince type colour with a striking orange shimmer to it. The now is rather delicate with a nice zesting of grapefruit. While in the mouth it’s a super dry rosé with cherry and a savouriness coming through. Definitely for the dry rosé wine lovers and a fabulous addition to a tasty cheese and antipasto platter!

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

While picking next month’s #thetcwineclub bottles, I thought I’d get stuck into this Italian 🇮🇹 Prosecco from Luigino Zago that my Mum picked for May’s TC Wine Club box.

If you haven’t heard, I partner with The Wine Gallery (currently transitioning to their new ‘Good Pair Days’ brand) to bring you the TC Wine Club every month where I pick 3 bottles for the club members to enjoy. Last month I asked my Mum to pick the wines since it was Mother’s Day earlier in the month.

This Italian Prosecco is definitely on the dry end of the spectrum. And if you’re not already aware, Prosecco is made from the Glera grape variety. I think it was this description that caught my mums taste buds when choosing this wine:

“The main flavours are of green apple, sweet lime, pebbles, mint, tonic water and sour lemon.”

We decided to introduce this Italian to a Mexican in the form of spicy chicken nachos and it went down a treat. It’s super refreshing, crisp and has the ability to be consumed very fast 😂 Those green apple 🍏 and citrus notes are very prominent & delicious.

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

It’s all things Chardonnay in my house today - it would be rude not to on International #ChardonnayDay right?

This little number is from Victoria’s Pyrenees region and is a 2014 vintage. It arrived in my sample Wine Selectors Customised Wine Plan subscription which you can read more about on the blog.

Blue Pyrenees Estate was established in 1963 and is led by winemaker Andrew Koerner. This 2014 Chardy was made from 4 different Chardonnay fruit parcels. 50% of the wine was matured for 9 months in used French oak barriques.

I found it a sun-kissed yellow shade in the glass with a rather toasty, grapefruit & honeysuckle infused nose on it. In the mouth fresh white peaches and citrus entertain the taste buds with a hint of nuttiness on the finish.

If you love trying new wines from your favourite grape varieties and styles, I’d recommend checking out Wine Selectors new customised wine plans 😉

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

I already want to go back to Tasmania! We had such a great tip and visited a chock load of wineries (blog posts to come). It’s such a gorgeous place for wine travel guys 😉

My parents arrived into Hobart before Mr Spittoon and I got in at about 6pm on Friday. They had already picked up groceries and wine of course. This bottle of Broad Arrow 2017 Pinot Noir was one of them.

It comes from the Relbia region which is just outside of Launceston in northern Tasmania. I have a feeling Broad Arrow might be a relatively new label as their website is under construction and I couldn’t find out much about them online.

However I did get to know the contents of this bottle pretty well 😜

On the eye it’s the colour of almost ripe red cherries with a hint of blackberry. The nose is full of vanilla infused cherries and earthy mushrooms. It’s fruity and savoury on the nose and in the mouth too. I like what my Dad said when explaining the taste: “it’s like cherries have dropped from the tree and have landed in the dirt and you have eaten them”. Think of the dirt as a fancy savoury ‘dirt’ a creative chef would put on a plate in a top notch restaurant. We all really enjoyed this one. $22 a bottle.

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

#tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

I love when you unintentionally come across totally palate-blowing wine and food matches. The latest to add to the list is Kalamata olives marinated in oil and balsamic with this new release 3drops 2018 Great Southern Chardonnay.

I had already wrote my tasting note for the wine and then I had a few olives as I was cooking while finishing off my glass of wine and wow 💥 the two went beautifully. The strong olive taste really mellowed out the acidity and made the fruit shine.

As mentioned this is a brand new release from the 3drops team. From it’s pale lemon colour to aromas of peach, honeydew melon and vanilla, it captured my attention before I even sipped it! The bright acidity on the palate suggests this one will age well over the next few years - alongside drinking right here and now too 😉

A big thanks to Jo from 3drops for sending this sample over.

PS: How cool are our wine-y olive forks we got from some lovely friends 😍

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

#gifted #opinionsaremyown #tcweekdaywine #tctastingnotes — 7 years ago