Travel to Australia?

[Newroad]

Perhaps it's (unwarranted?) snobbishness from me, Servodude.

But I don't in general rate Victorian (nor most New South Welsh) wine. It typically gets the "South Eastern Australia" regional classification as far as I can tell in the UK.

That said, maybe it's improved - just like Australian wine in general - I'm sure many remember the Monthy Python skit: http://www.mit.edu/afs.new/sipb/user/ayshames/Python/WINES.PYTHON

Regards, Newroad

[simoan]

The Yarra Valley has the Vic wine tour "thing" mostly sewn up but if you ever have the time, and like shiraz, I can recommend a detour to Tahblik: https://tahbilk.com.au/ (it's a bit further north off the road heading towards Shepparton)

You can pick up some of their stuff in Tesco (who were instrumental in convincing them to move to screwtops)
- but it's not quite the same as at the cellar door

- sd

Thanks. I’m familiar with Tahbilk but mainly through their renowned Marsanne. We don’t generally buy from supermarkets but Syrah is my favourite red varietal and I’ve not tried their Shiraz. I will look out for it.

Tbh Yarra was our least favourite wine region, not helped by being there on a weekend when the cellar doors were rammed with day trippers from the city and they were only pouring the cheap stuff. Much prefer tasting on a slow week day when you’re likely to meet the winemaker, or at least someone who knows something about the wines to keep us geeks happy!

All the best, Si

[servodude]

Perhaps it's (unwarranted?) snobbishness from me, Servodude.

But I don't in general rate Victorian (nor most New South Welsh) wine. It typically gets the "South Eastern Australia" regional classification as far as I can tell in the UK.

That said, maybe it's improved - just like Australian wine in general - I'm sure many remember the Monthy Python skit: http://www.mit.edu/afs.new/sipb/user/ayshames/Python/WINES.PYTHON

Regards, Newroad

Hey!The most South Easternly parts of Australia give some of the best sparkling wine (then again I'm "married" to a Taswegian)

But i think that's probably a fair assessment for most of it
- there's not a huge variety of conditions throughout the Yarra Valley where most of Vic wine is from

The old growth Tahbilk Shiraz though was a standout; possibly the age of the vine? or the position on the Gouldburn river? Possibly we got given the good stuff? It was a work thing, one of the family ran our marketing dept, and the firm did a fair bit of work for other viticulturists so they might have been trying to impress? (And they did it was far better than the Vasse Felix stuff we were always being given through work)

-sd

[servodude]

Tbh Yarra was our least favourite wine region, not helped by being there on a weekend when the cellar doors were rammed with day trippers from the city and they were only pouring the cheap stuff. Much prefer tasting on a slow week day when you’re likely to meet the winemaker, or at least someone who knows something about the wines to keep us geeks happy!

Exactly my experience Si!
The Yarra winery "thing" is like a pub crawl/hen party nightmare!
It's lucrative for them but I think it's a bit past its sell by date

-sd

[simoan]

Tbh Yarra was our least favourite wine region, not helped by being there on a weekend when the cellar doors were rammed with day trippers from the city and they were only pouring the cheap stuff. Much prefer tasting on a slow week day when you’re likely to meet the winemaker, or at least someone who knows something about the wines to keep us geeks happy!

Exactly my experience Si!
The Yarra winery "thing" is like a pub crawl/hen party nightmare!
It's lucrative for them but I think it's a bit past its sell by date

-sd

Yep. That's a great description of what we found - it felt just like being in the middle of multiple hen and stag do's quaffing free wine. The cellar door was manned by temporary employees who were just pouring and knew nothing about the wines. All very disappointing but I guess it's quite lucrative for the wineries.

[dionaeamuscipula]

Hi Simoan.

Australia's arguably pre-eminent red is a Shiraz/Cab Sav blend (only a little of the latter): Penfolds Grange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penfolds_Grange

Yes, I know. One exception doesn't disprove a rule though! Also supposedly the most expensive wine in the world IIRC.

I spent a happy couple of years working in Australia in the mid-80s. Some fool put me in charge of the CEO's booze cupboard, and we bought a bottle of Grange Hermitage for what was not a huge amount, for a special occasion. Well that special occasion never quite seemed to appear so on our last day the CEO and I sat in the office and finished it off. Very nice it was too.

Then dodged the booze buses on the way home.

DM