There are a lot of things to admire about the French. The beautiful language; the great food; the breathtaking landscape; the nudity in classy cinema; the music; the nonchalant way they play brutal, flowing rugby; their general joie de vie!

 But I think of all these, the thing I admire most is the effortless grace with which they make their wines.

 Take for example the wine tasting event that we attended today.

 At most reasonably sized Australian wine tastings you get, as you would expect, a pretty broad cross section of both style and quality of wine. Everything from the sublime to the virtually undrinkable (there is always one or two).

 Yet, the 2009 Vin de Bourgogne tasting, held by the French-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce today in Sydney, was altogether different.

 Vin de Bourgogne 2009

 Yes, there was still a wide variety of styles (you’d be amazed at just how many different types of wine can be made from exactly the same grape variety in Burgundy), and the wines varied from simple and straight forward to widely complex and appealing. But, regardless of the level of complexity or price, there was a definite underlying theme of quality and structural soundness than ran through virtually all of the wines that we tasted.

 There was an elegance present; a sophistication that you will simply not find in a similarly broad spectrum of Australian or New Zealand wines. Regardless of the price point these wines were aimed at, a common thread of quality and structure held them all together.

 The Wines

 There were a large and diverse number of exhibitors at the tasting, and while we got to as many as we could we were simply unable to make them all (apologies to those we missed out). Of the wines we were fortunate enough to sample, the following stood out from the pack:

 For Beginners

 2007 Domaine Bonhomme Viré Clessé – an uncomplicated little number, with crisp apple, peach, yeasty lees and plenty of acid.

 2006 Domaine Bonhomme Viré Clessé – the fatter, older brother of the leaner, more nubile 2007 above. Full of floral perfume and white fruit.

 2008 Domaine Gautherin Chablis 1^er Cru “Vaillons”– complex minerals and great depth of fruit flavour.

 Although these wines are unfortunately not currently available in Australia, they are still great examples of the quality and value for money that can be found at the lower end of the market and are a great introduction into the white wines of Burgundy. For more information on the availability of these wines in countries outside Australia (or if you are interested in bringing these wines into Australia or another country yourself) we suggest you contact Olivier Baret (awinetotry@orange.fr).

 A Step Up

 The wines of William Trouillet of Domaine Trouillet (www.domaintrouillet.fr) were a stand out for us too. Located in the village of Pouilly in the heart of the Pouilly Fuissé appellation these are wines of wonderful structure, elegance and sophistication. From the entry level Mâcon Solutré (simple perfumed red apples) through to the Pouilly Fuissé single vineyard offerings (complex spectrum of apples, white fruit and peach), these are wines of subtle class.

 The Chablis of Jean-Marc Brocard (www.brocard.eu) also impressed.

Simple, fresh, fruit driven and full of mineral complexity. These are wines of purity and integrity, with great acidity, clean crisp fruit and solid structure. If you like your Chardonnay naked as the day it was born (no oak to be seen here) this is the stuff for you. The 2008 Chablis 1^er Cru Montmains was a personal favourite (complex floral and crisp fruit flavours, with a tight mineral and acid backbone).

 Serious Stuff

 If you’re happy (or able) to splash A$200+ on a bottle then there were plenty of goodies for you too.

 The 2007 Domaine Faiveley Gevrey Chambertin 1^er Cru “Les Cazetiers” and the 2006 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Chambolle Musigny 1^er Cru “La Combe d’Orveau” were both seriously good wines. The Gevrey was full of mocha, coffee and cherries, while the Chambolle oozed silken cherry, vanilla, strawberry and cream.

 The standouts by far however, and the reason God created the noble Pinot in the first place, were the 2007 Domaine Faiveley Chambertain “Clos de Bèze” (super complex, cherries, leather, earth, wood, raspberry, silken mouthfeel) and the 2006 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Mazoyeres Chambertin Grand Cru (all the above and more – sex in a glass!).

 In fact (if I may be so bold), even if your not flush with cash, if you are into your Pinot (and there are not too many wine tragics out there that are not) then you should do yourself a huge favour and stump up the cash for a bottle of one of these – even if you do it only once in your life. This my friends is an excellent introduction to what true Pinot should taste like. Great fruit complexity, seamless structure, silken finish, depth, finesse and class. This is the real deal. OK it’s not a $15,000 Romanee Conti, but for around $200 you’re getting a pretty damn good insight into what is.

 Wines to drink now

 Interestingly, one of the other things that really stood out from this tasting was just how approachable these wine were today. The majority of the wines we tasted were from the 2007 or 2008 vintage, with the oldest being from 2006. This is an interesting move away for the more tannic, extracted wines of the past that needed a good few years in the bottle before quaffing. Of course, this is very much a reflection of the times, with today’s wine drinkers looking to consume their wines shortly after purchasing. I actually think it’s a good thing however, and from the wines we tasted today could find no obvious reason why the more serious of the wines on show would not last as long as they have in the past. Time will tell…

 Wine Tastings

 I love wine tasting. You meet great people and taste some wonderful wines. And no matter what happens you always expand your understanding of wine in the process. How good is that!

 Our many thanks go out to Olivier Deschang and the rest of the team at the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry for putting on such a great event and putting up with us! It was extremely well organized and presented and we are very grateful for the opportunity to attend.

 Merci Beaucoup.

 Matt Watson

In late December last year we decided that it was about time we checked out the wine bar scene in downtown Sydney, asthere had been a lot of talk recently about how the more relaxed licensing regulations were breathing new life in what some considered to be a stuffy and staid environment.

Unlike cities such as Melbourne, where the wine bar scene is full of entrepreneurial start ups and eclectic college hangouts, wine bars in Sydney have tended to be more formal and imposing, generally reflective of the prohibitive costs of regulation and fit out.

Apparently, however, times have changed – so the Guzzle set out to see exactly how.

_{“glass” brasserie & wine bar – 488 George Street, Sydney      www.glassbrasserie.com.au}

Our first port of call was the appropriately titled “glass”brasserie & wine bar.

Part of the Sydney CBD Hilton Hotel, “glass” is located smack bang in the middle of the Sydney business district on one of Sydney’s busiest streets.

Hanging like a precipice over the pedestrian traffic below (you access the bar via the first floor of the hotel), it is in the perfect position for busy CBD workers looking for somewhere to go to debrief and unload after yet another high pressure day in the office.

_{Wine List}

I must admit, one of the most annoying things I find in most traditional drinking establishments in Sydney, when I feel like a long cool a glass of wine rather than a beer, is that the choice of wine available is generally pretty limited. Sure, you’ll get the odd place that will offer an interesting and thoughtful array, but most of the time most are offering only what the local beer rep has to sell.

Fortunately you’ll find no such problem here, as the extensive wine list at “glass” runs for 35+ pages and covers just about every major grape variety and wine region available.

The only down side (if you can call it that) is that while there are over 30+ wines by the glass (including reds, whites, sparklers and stickies), to get access to the vast majority of the wines you will need to buy a whole bottle. And while this is generally not a problem for consumers such as the Guzzlers (“just the one bottle today sir?” questions the barman as WC places the first order), it does limit you choices if you are simply staying for only the odd one or two.

On the positive side, Sommelier Kim Bickley does rotate the list seasonally, so the choices of wine by the glass, although relatively limited (compared to the rest of the list) seldom runs the risk of  becoming stale or boring.

_Quality

While both Wayne and myself would have dearly loved to have sampled every wine of the 400+ available, time and physical capacity to remember what was drunk  - so that we could write this article - dictated that we would necessarily limit ourselves to only two (glasses).

Our weapons of choice were a 2007 Valminor Albarino from Rias Baixas in Spain and a 2005 Schloss Vollrads Kabinett Riesling from the Rheingau in Germany.

I won’t go into details here (we will post the full tasting notes shortly), but suffice to say that we rated both wines as a solid Recommended.

_Value

It’s hard to put a value on wines that are subject to the vagaries and costs associated with the hospitality industry (i.e. you not just paying for the wine but the service, location and overall experience…), but generally speaking, with a glass of wine averaging $15 and bottles from $50+  I’d say “glass” would sit fairly comfortably within the more extreme half the value for money spectrum.

Having said that, you do get what you pay for - and the selection at “glass" is very good.

_Overall

“glass” is what I’d describe as a traditional Sydney wine bar. Every thing about it is modern, crisp and impressive – from the décor to the immaculately presented wine list (book). Clearly a lot of money has been invested and it shows.

Personally, I really enjoyed the experience and am looking forward to going back. The staff were friendly and really knew their stuff (thanks particularly to Michael Szeto and Julien for showing us around) and the range of wines available was about as comprehensive as they come.

So if you’re around the CBD and you looking to unwind in a business suit, up-market, modern-art style atmosphere, then we would certainly recommend “glass” to you.

 _{Time to Vino – 66 Stanley Street Darlinghurst  www.timetovino.com}

This bar was one of the reasons we were interested in checking out the Sydney wine bar scene in the first place. It is reflective of exactly the type of bar that has arisen since the liquor licensing laws were relaxed. It’s a bar that has been developed with little funding, big ideas and a lot of hard work.

Located in the heart of one of Sydney’s major dining areas Time to Vino is the child of two determined, entrepreneurially minded brothers; Clint and Nathan Hillery.

Nathan is the guy that looks after the general running of the bar, and Clint is the master of the wine.

Everything that a bar like “glass” is, Time to Vino is not.

The atmosphere here is demystifying, relaxed and funky. There’s a real rustic, grungy,  comfortable feel to the place, just perfect to sit back and relax and watch the world pass by.

_{The List}

As you’d expect the range of wines is no where near as extensive as “glass” – and you wouldn’t expect it to be either. But what the list lacks is quantity it makes up for in variety and intelligent thought - with wines as diverse New Zealand Gamay Noir, Italian Primotivo (Zinfandel if your President’s last name rhymes with Pyjama) and Yarra Valley Pinot.

The price is attractive too, with most wines sitting fairly comfortably within an $8 to $11 price range.

What impressed us most, however, was the food. Yes I know this is a wine website and that WC and myself are not a couple of bloated food critics rummaging around the Sydney restaurant scene looking for a free feed, but food is integral to the enjoyment of wine and these guys do their food very well indeed.

On that point, the Brumont Gros Manseng/Sauvignon Blanc from Gascogne in South-West France was sensational with the Zucchini flowers stuffed with Ricotta, Olive and Lemon.

So, if you are looking for something more casual and relaxed, with great food and an eclectic, thoughtful wine list, you really will struggle to do better than Time to Vino.

I will certainly be going back and have no hesitation in recommending it to you too.

_{So...what ya reckon'}

Overall we were really impressed by our first foray into the wine bar scene in Sydney. Hopefully it will continue to develop into a diverse and exciting culture that offers a bit of something for everyone. Certainly both “glass” and Time to Vino are a huge step in the right direction.

Cheers

MW

Well fellow Guzzlers, the time you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived; the unveiling of the Guzzle Wine of the Year (GWOTY) awards for 2008 – better late than never.

2008 was quite an interesting year for the Guzzle. Many wines were drunk and the overall level of quality was reasonably high. However, unlike 2007, there were far fewer wines that stood out as notably superior to the rest of the crowd. The reasons for this were many and varied, but ultimately I guess it came down to the fact that (a) the overall quality of the wines tasted this year were better than in 2007 and (b) most of these wines seemed to fall within a fairly narrow Recommended/Recommended banding without many being truly outstanding.

Of course, this is not a definitive list and was never designed to be so. This is simply a representation on the best wines (based on both quality and value for money) that we believe we have posted on the site over the past year. If you have a different view, or if you have tasted a wine that is not on the site but you think deserves a mention, feel free to let us know.

Anyway…without further ado, below (in no particular order) are our finalists for the GWOTY award 2008:

The Short List

1.         Morris Rutherglen Liquor Muscat “Old Premium”.

“If you’ve never tried a Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat then this is a great place to start…” MW

“[has] a finish longer than a Tommy Lee drum solo”. MW

2.            Marius Symposium Shiraz Mourvedre 2005

“When I first saw the name Marius, I thought of the chicken-hearted nancy boy character from Les Miserables, who fluffs around after the dull Cosette rather than engaging in serious, history-making activities like death and revolution…This wine, however, is a real crowd pleaser.” WC

3.            Château Paul Blanc 2004 Costières de Nîmes

“I think I was a bit pissed when I drank this one....” MW

“Regardless of my incomprehensible bumbings, this is a mighty fine wine. A really solid example of a Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier blend from the Southern Rhone.” MW

4.         Pichot Domaine Coteau de la Biche Vouvray 2007

“An effortlessly enjoyable wine and a steal at $25 a bottle.” MW

“If this wine were a woman it would be wearing a white spring dress and running through a field of flowers laughing.” MW

5.         Apsley Gorge Pinot Noir 2006

“A youthful but complex, masculine and brooding pinot; a real Marlon-Brando-in-Streetcar-Named-Desire kinda wine.” WC

6.            Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2006

“This is a delightful wine. Very well-balanced, with lip-smacking orange-fruit flavours complemented by a lovely mineral and musky complexity.” WC

“Between the three Guzzlers, this disappeared faster than David Copperfield on crack.”  WC  [*this is quite possibly my favourite tasting note line ever – MW]

7.            Clonakilla Syrah 2006

“[the] 2006 Syrah is a very, very good wine indeed.” MW

“Silky smooth, unctuous and oily without being over the top. It’s a wine of subtlety, power and intent…made from outstanding grapes and by winemakers at the height of their powers, this is a true benchmark Aussie wine and a classic in the making.” MW

8.         Herzog Pinot Noir 2003

“I think this wine has aging potential and it will integrate, build and improve over at least the next 5 years…Matty just seemed happy to be drinking something from Marlborough that wasn’t crap sauvignon blanc.” WC

9.         Mahi Twin Valleys Vineyard Chardonnay 2006

“Excellent fruit from the vineyard and some handy jiggery-pokery in the winery has created a really interesting and complex wine, bursting with character.” MW

10.       Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2006

“When we opened this, Matt and I had had a run of uninspiring wines…[however] this restored our faith in the wine gods (Matt shall continue sacrificing goats).” WC

“… shows great complexity in a taut, controlled fashion. It is all about texture, linear structure and wonderful balance. A wine that is on the cusp of a Highly Recommended rating.” WC

The Winner

And the winner is…. (drum roll etc etc)

…after pushing the Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2006 back to a close second and the Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2006 to an even closer third, the winner of the 2^nd annual GWOTY award is…(more drum rolls)

                                                               " Clonakilla Syrah 2006"

This truly is an exceptional wine and a deserved winner of the 2008 GWOTY award.

The 2006 Syrah from Clonakilla is a wine of great clarity of flavour, complexity and balance.  It is a wine full of rich berry fruit and spice, but also possessing a floral finesse and fragrant subtlety not generally found in Shiraz outside the Rhone*.

(*Tasting Note: Plums, black forest berries, pencil shavings, vanilla and rose petals on the nose. More plum, redcurrant, blackberry, liquorice, white pepper, lavender and other floral aromas on the palate.)

Silky smooth, unctuous and oily, without being over the top, it’s a wine of subtlety, power and intent.  And even though it is still very immature, with all of the volatile impertinence of youth, this is not a wine that will simply party hard and drop out early, but a wine that will last for another 20 years+ at least.

Made from outstanding grapes and by winemakers at the height of their powers this is a true benchmark Aussie wine and a classic in the making - and although it weighs in at the meaty end of the value scale (it retails for around AU$75-90) we still regard it as particularly good value for money.

Of equal importance is that this is a wine that has the ability to redefine Australian Shiraz, moving it steadily away from the overblown muscle-car wines of South Australia to a more refined, elegant, sexy and complex style; more comparable to its cousins in the Rhone than the pureed plum jam style of the Barossa.

It is our considered view that Clonakilla (and other winemakers in the Canberra District) are leading the way forward for this variety in Australia; much like what the winemakers of the Margaret River in Western Australia are doing for Cabernet and other Bordeaux blends.

Congratulations Tim Kirk and the team at Clonakilla:

Clonakilla Syrah 2006 - GWOTY award winner 2008

Hi there fellow Guzzlers and welcome to 2009!

We’ve got a cracking year in store, with a heap of new tasting notes, stacks of blogs and some exciting articles and features on wine bars in Sydney, new wine regions and upcoming varieties you’ve just got to taste – and that’s just January…

We’ll shortly be publishing the results of our eagerly anticipated annual GWOTY* wine awards too; revealing the best (and worst) wines of 2008 - always a thought provoking and controversial affair.

This year we also aim to add more features (look out for the return of GuzzCast), more writers and reviewers (the Global Financial Crisis has presented us with a plethora of able bodied wine junkies from both London and New York who are, let’s face it, just keen for something to do), and more consistent content so you can log on fresh everyday and get more of what you love (although I understand Wayne is still considering an appropriate response to the constant requests for a photo of him nude!).

So, grab hold of your corkscrews and tune into what promises to be a spectacular year at the Guzzle.

Cheers

MW

Jan ‘09

* For the uninitiated, GWOTY means the Guzzle Wine Of The Year

The Wedding Reception

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a distant cousin’s Wedding recently, when having finally made it to the reception, an impeccably presented waiter approached our table with a chattering  tray of glasses and a couple of bottles of wine (always my favourite part).

“Would you like the red or the white sir” he enquired, as I flicked a quick glance down at the menu.

“White for me my good man…” I replied triumphantly, feeling cheerful and cushioned by the half a dozen cold beers I’d already enjoyed in the late afternoon sun.

“And for you Madam” he directed to the severely manicured socialite sitting directly to my left.

“Oh…” the young lady replied, somewhat dismissively. “Red for me.”

“I don’t drink white wine…horrible stuff…” she explained to no-one in particular, glancing sideways at the bottle of Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos the waiter was holding with a disapproving scowl.

“No white wine at all?” I enquired.

“None...” she replied. “It gives me Gas”

“Ohh…” I said. “How terribly unfortunate for you”

No White?

Strange as it may seem to all of us in The Guzzle fraternity, there are actually people who simply do not like to drink white wine at all. I know, shocking isn’t it!

I’m not talking about people who have an affliction to consuming NZ Sauvignon Blanc (let’s face it, who doesn’t), or an adversity to overtly sweet Riesling or warm Champagne. I’m talking about people who, for no obvious reason other than their own misguided prejudice, have forsaken all wine that is not coloured red (or at the very least slightly pink).

Are they wine-ist? Are they ill-advised food critics? Are they insane?

Don’t they know what they’re missing out on?

Wine, like everything good in life, is about balance. It’s about harmony. It’s about the sum of all parts working together as one.

No one is seriously suggesting that you can have good without evil or love without hate. And where would Yogi be without BooBoo, or the Captain be with out Tennille? No where I tells ya, no where…

A world full of Yin, without any Yang, is just plain wrong! We all need contrast in our lives. Some shit to balance the sure things in life. It’s what makes us who we are…and without it we are nothing.

And yet, in the face of all this brilliant analysis some people steadfastly refuse to even consider letting a drop of white wine pass their lips.

What is the world coming to? Why is this so?

Here’s my theory…*

Don’t believe everything you read

For many, many years, until quite recently, white wine was dealt a pretty shonky hand when it came to marketing and truth in labelling. All over the world bulk wine was sold to consumers as Riesling, Chablis, or White Burgundy when it was nothing of the sort.

Generally the wine being marketed in this way was made out of sultana grapes (or some other equally unsuitable variety) on an industrial scale for consumption by people with little money, a desire to get pissed quickly and no realistic understanding on what the “real” stuff was supposed to taste like (i.e. most adolescents, including me).

In my view this led to generations of disenfranchised wine drinkers who continue to associate white wine with the cardboard suited rubbish they inadvertently consumed in their youth and vomited back up over their mother’s living room floor.

This is a shame really as: (i) most white wine isn’t made like this anymore; (ii) wines are far better labelled and reflective of their contents these days; (iii) there is an enormous amount of exceptionally good white wine out there, in most case representing far better value that red wine of equivalent quality; and (iv) there is a hell of a lot of dodgy red wine consumed each day too.

So, my message to you White Whinies out there, is to get off your high horse, crawl out from under your bottle of Vin Rouge, taste some great examples of top quality white wine and see what you’ve been missing all these years.

Trust me you’ll never look back.

MW