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EP 843 On Location in Sydney – Australian Wine Tasting

Gary invites Nick Stock, author of the Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide, to share some of knowledge on Australian red and whites while in Sydney.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Vasse Felix Margaret River Chardonnay
2006 Freycinet Pinot Noir
2006 S.C. Pannell Shiraz Grenache

Links mentioned in todays episode.


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luca bercelli

90/100

line of the day – ‘can you imagine if you were judged as a human being when you were only 16 years old?’

The line of the day says it all

Tags: Australian, chardonnay, Pinot Noir, red, review, shiraz, Video, white, wine, wines

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  • Askold

    High Alcohol

  • Randall

    And I had a really nice white blend from Margaret River some years ago. Loved it! p. s. Wow, talk about a room with a view, GV!!

  • Oude Hendrik

    That's it. Way too much alcohol. Molly Dooker is like wine-vodka cocktail.

  • What a great view, what's the name of the hotel?
    Oh I like Australian wines, the ones I have access to at least, it would be great if I could find a larger variety, bit so far I'm sold on them.
    QOTD: Fruity, peppery and sandy, they're very nice with big meals.

  • petec

    Australia=Fruity

  • rickredekop

    Ironically,my wife and I were hosting some friends from Sydney last night and we were blessed with a wine they brought from Australia, Katnook estate Cab sauv 2004 from Coonwara. Not at all typical over the top fruit bomb that is far too common.

  • WineWoman

    QOTD: Sometimes syrupy and over the top, but there are many great producers. Excellent Chards and Rieslings and definitely Grenache.

  • Anonymous

    The late night humor is great down under. Wish we could get some of their shows here. The CNNNN was like SNL on wine and steroids. Too funny and politically incorrect. Link up some more please.

  • Anonymous

    By the time it gets here it doubles in price$.

  • Kolya

    Australian wines: Keep on overlooking them. They they will stay affordable.

  • NIB

    You say Australia wine, I say yummmy.

  • Aussie wine: big and bold, whether you like it or not!

  • Don't be dis'n the Freixenet.
    The Aussie's need to rally and make the big push. They are producing more wine than there are buyers and as for the bad press I'm throwing it back on them. It is not the job of the consumer to make up for the short comings of a poor blanket market campaign. I do believe that Australia can run with the big boys but sometimes I feel like they are sitting on their hands waiting for their “Bottle Shock” moment.
    Overall, I love lots of Australian wines and too many to list.

  • Mott

    Awww. Thanks Laurie.

  • louas

    Fun episode. QOTD: When I think of Aussie wines I think of red wines made in the lab, not the vineyard.

  • screaminglunatic

    Well, sentence one declares that it is sentence one. Second sentence is I dont know a damn thing about Aussie wine but if it's as good as Isla Fisher then pour me a nice, tall glass of it

  • FullOnNelson

    You say “Aussie wines” and I say dark, beautiful Shiraz. I rarely think of white wine and Australia, though I have tasted some Aussie chardonnay.

  • paulkochevar

    Aussie wine = Yellow Tail. Need to step out of my mind and do some more exploring of 'down under'. Great show!

  • aaroncello

    Australian wine, I think fruit, and I think dark color. And screw top. And screw top to me is a good thing.

  • newtuxedo

    Just returned from two weeks in Sydney, Melbourne, and touring a few of the wine regions in Victoria.

    Hands down, my favorite wine of the trip was a Pinot Noir from Curly Flat Wines. From the Macedon Ranges area in Victoria. Not imported into the U.S. at this time. Phillip Moraghan, the owner, is a real character. Produces 5K-6K cases of year of Pinot and Chardonnay.

    Also tasted some wonderful medium-bodied Shiraz wines (not the full-bodied fruit bombs from South Australia regions), Viognier, Cabernet, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Sparkling Wines, and Riesling (of course) from small producers we rarely see in the U.S..

    Agree with other posters that Australia has some great wines other than Shiraazzzz and Riesling. The small producers are making some of the best stuff.

  • troytee

    Ep 843 Title: “The Gar Sips Project”
    Great view. QOTD: Shiraz with goofy/artistic labels and names. I taste a lot of Aussie wine so I think it's under appreciated for it's diversity. Yellow Tail took my wine cherry…oh the memories.

  • discoduckglue

    Great sow Gary. Hopefully while you are down here we get some more Aussie tasting notes. I've only been drinking wine for 2 years and initially was a big red Barossa drinker but have moved on to different styles. Australia has such a large variety of different styles due to the geography of our country and I'm glad that was mentioned.

    If anyones interested in Australian wine recommendations feel free to email me at [email protected]

    There are many excellent wines that don't get a high profile overseas, I live within 40 kms of Penfolds, Mollydooker, Greenock Creek etc but am always amazed that some of the smaller guys that make such different styles never get a look in.

    David

  • Cask

  • Jay

    3rd wine: “grainy” – so like sediment? sedimentary! 🙂
    Sounds cool. Awesome episode. Great location!

  • just left Australia four days ago & drank some good juice too. Aussie wines….screwtops, expensive, new world, a lot of SB & Semillion blend, a lot more Sangiovese than i imagined, free tastings in airports, Scotchmans Hill Cornelius Syrah ruled…keep on keepin on Panthrochuck.
    Curry at 'Spice I Am' restaurant and a SB / Semillion = delicious

  • Michael C in MKE

    QOTD: Make-up city. More fit for pouring on pancakes than drinking.

  • QOTD; Over the top fruit, over done make up.

  • Tholland

    QOTD: Generally love the Aussie wines. Love their fruit when it is not overdone. Feel that they might be pricing themselves into a difficult position. $40 for a “Very good” wine does not work if you can get a Rhone or Spanish wine that is exceptional at that price point.

  • cellarrat5

    Glad someone else has actually been there and tried the wide range of diversity Australia has to offer. I was there two years ago and tried some outstanding wines. There has been a lot of Australia bashing in this forum, and by Gary, and I think a lot of it is undeserved. There is makeup and shit everywhere in the US market, its just not marketed like the Auzzie counterparts are.

  • Michael C in MKE

    I went looking on Cork'd for the interview. Where is it?

  • QOTD. 1st thought: AU wines – not going to watch this episode.
    Glad I did! Nick did a great job of showing AU diversity and you mentioned how bad AU has done in marketing so that we in the U.S. mostly think Barossa Shiraz = “what price can you afford”
    I am surprised by the prices though. They seem really steep in these trying times.
    Overall though, I still think of AU as high alc shiraz grenache. Great at tastings but I wouldn't want to drink a btl. Have you seen the price of Grange lately. $363 btl, my cost. Add 14% tax and it is over $400 before adding in any profit??? Obviously, these thoughts are a gross generalization on AU…which was your point. Can't wait to see more posts.

  • Moselman

    1. Australian Wine Word Assoc'n = Penfolds Bin 60, eh? Or rather, 60A

    2. Actual notes re Yellow Tail Chard “Terrible – like strained suntan lotion, even
    the creaminess on the nose, and coconut taste.”

    Summary ? Love me some Penfolds

  • cellarrat5

    Great show, Really though the “guest” had genuine knowledge of Australian wine and a passion for what he was doing. I love Australian wines, mainly because much like CA, OR WA and NY you can find fantastic wines and amazing QPR if you just go out and look (preferably at the wineries to learn stories behind the wine, not just slurp and spend). And possibly my favorite part of the episode; 5:57 BRING ON THE LODI LOVE BABY!!! Gary, I am sure you have a million other things on your plate, but if you ever want to do a Lodi show please let me know I would be more than happy to recommend a few bottles! Shit, I will fly out to Jersy and do it with you if you want.

    QOTD: Just like most fantastic wine regions in the world, if you know where to look and you have a little patience and even a bit of luck you will find some mouthwatering breathtaking wines.

  • John

    Cant wait to see what other Aussie wines he reviews…

    QOTD: BIG AND BOLD!

    but now see there are other regions producing more delicate wines… we need more of the in the US

  • QOTD: When I think of Australia, I think of mass produced $5.00 fruit bombs, completely lacking complexity. This is probably because of Yellow Tail, which I think of as the Budweiser of the wine world (easy enough to drink, but boring). I know that this isn't true, and that there are some great Aussie wines, but this is the first thing that comes to mind.

  • ChrisV

    Good show, great to see Nick Stock on, I have a lot of respect for his wine reviews.

    Those wines would be a great deal cheaper in the US. One reason is that wages are higher here and purchasing power lower. The minimum wage in Australia is $14.30 an hour, which might sound great. However given that the $A buys 92.4 US cents, you'd expect say a Big Mac to be only about 8% more here, right? But actually it's more like 25-30% more. Everything costs more here than it does in the US and wine is no exception. The other thing is that Australia levies huge taxes on alcohol. Wine is subject to a sales tax of 50% of its value. With US taxes much lower, fiercer competition etc, I would be shocked to see the Vasse Felix retail for more than $US 40.

  • ChrisV

    Mollydooker sells virtually no wine in Australia. You'll struggle to find it in wine stores here. It's all exported to those foolish enough to buy it overseas. Most of their wines have been either panned or given average ratings by wine critics here.

  • Harshal Shah

    is that Natalie Fryar (one of Australia's greatest sparkling wine makers) from Jansz in Tasmania at 18:25?

  • Michael D

    QOTD: Marquis-Phillips Sarah's Blend. YUM!

  • My kind of episode! Good stuff, GV.

  • QOTD: Think Aussie wines I think a completely miss understood brand that rest of the world miss-conceive. Australia have done a terrible job at advertising and promoting correctly what Aussie wine is all about. Yellow tail and low end Jacobs creek is not a good representation at all. Stereo typing isn't a good thing.
    If I was to stereo type Americans I would think loud mouth over weight lazy do good-ers. But that isn't true for the majority at all.

  • Allan

    This ep should make the front page on the favourite list. Great show, and what a great guest. Thanks Nick and Gary!

    My thoughts on Australian wine…. I would say that it's a wastly underrated wine country. Some of the most memorable wine i have enjoyed, have been australian. I have an ongoing love affair with Peter Lehmann's Stonewell Shiraz. Also his Mentor, is great as well. Also Mitolo, Ben G, Torbreck, Henschke (Love his rieslings) Grosset (Polish Hill) even Mollydooker. But that being said, i have been a bit dissapointed by Sparky's latest offerings, too over the top, when i can taste the alcohol too much, i'm put off completely. It's a balance thing i guess…. ; )

    Anyone only answering Yellow Tail to the qotd, has missed the boat big time!

    After watching this show i'm dying to try some Tasmanian Pinot….. Thanks! Cheers!

  • castello

    We went to a few in Lodi but the most memorable has to be Borra. What other wineries are worthy?

  • Oh and about time you got to Australia

  • castello

    I was there in 2006 for the Aussie tennis open. Awesome. I also stayed in Sydney for a while and had a similar view. It feels like you're on Top of the World. A Whole Other World!

  • J hir

    QOTD: KA-BOOM BASTICAL:)

  • Thomas

    Liked the show EXCEPT the camera jitter nearly made me hurl! Gotta be honest Mr V., I would keep doing these on location shows but I would also invest in a steady cam jr or a camera that has integrated motion smoothing. Keep up the good work 🙂

  • Gary – Thank you so much for coming to Australia. That was a great episode reviewing those fantastic wines. I've had the pleasure of trying all three of those wines and all were great in there own ways. I agree with you & Nick that Tasmania has the potential to take Central Otago Pinot Noirs by the horns and giving them a fair old shake.

    QOTD 'CRACKER' !!!!

  • QOTD Cheap and Drinkable

  • FtD

    As living in Sydney, Yellow Tail is only small player over here, compare to Penfolds, Rosemount, Wolf Blass etc where you can find shelf loads of those stuffs, YT you can hardly find any, maybe big chain store carries 1/5 of a shelf if you're lucky to find one….. & haven't tried it yet thank god

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