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Tasting: Pierre Usseglio et Fils ‘Panorama’ Vin de France 2016
I hate wines like this.
Not because there’s anything intrinsically wrong with the wine, this was pleasant enough, but more that I can find very little detail around it. The wine geek in me is not amused.
chateauneuf-du-papecotes du rhônefrench winefruitygranachehigh alcoholmerlotvin de francewineHot sauce scrambled eggs with rocket and dill
First breakfast recipe so I had to start with eggs.
Pretty much the staple of any solid breakfast over the centuries, eggs are one of the more versatile ingredients in my arsenal. I love them in almost any kind of form – baked, fried, poached, scrambled, in omelettes, the list really does go on.
breakfastchampagne breakfasteggsrecipeTasting: Cascina Fonda Barbaresco ‘Bertola’ 2013
There is something about Nebbiolo.
I was first introduced to the grape about a decade ago via an Australian wine made in the high volume region of North West Victoria outside of Mildura by Trentham Estate. It was a young, vibrant, fruit-driven wine without much fanfare or complexity and paired pretty well with just about anything you decided to put with it. My wife loved it.
barbarescohigh tanninitalian winelanghenebbioloSpaghetti with Tomato, Basil and Olives
I’ve been on the road a lot over the last couple of months visiting all over the Australian east cost from Brisbane and the Byron coast, Orange and Bathurst in Central Western NSW, and finally two trade shows over consecutive days in Sydney and Melbourne this last week.
Getting back to the Hunter Valley with my wife and girls heading away to Canberra on the same day has equalled a lot of time eating alone, both on the road and at home. In these moments, I have a few go to meals.
dinnerdinner for oneolivespastaspaghettitomatoTasting: Domaine Michel Lafarge Meursault 2013
Burgundy.
If Bordeaux has captured the imagination of the rich and the aspirational, Champagne of those seeking luxury and status, then Burgundy is for the hopeless romantics. There is, quite simply, nothing more exciting in the world of wine than a perfect Pinot from the Côte du Nuits, or a crisp Chardonnay from the slopes of Montrachet.
burgundychardonnaymeursaultRack of Veal
Roasting meats has to be one of my favourite ways to cook.
From the ultra simple roast beef with just seasoning of oil, salt and pepper to a more fiddly roast chicken with lemon and thyme to the more decadent venison loin with horseradish, and everything in between, roasting meats has possibly brought more families to the dinner table more frequently than most other type of cooking (except maybe pasta in Italy).
dinnerfamilyfamily mealsRECIPESroastroast meatssunday dinnersvealTasting: Yves Cuilleron Crozes-Hermitage ‘Laya’ 2015
It comes as no surprise to me that, as a lad that’s found himself in the Hunter Valley over the last two years, I have begun to develop a natural affinity towards Syrah/Shiraz in all it’s forms.
More recently, that’s taken my tastebuds to France and the Northern Rhône.
crozes-hermitagecuilleronfrancenorthern rhônesyrah/shiraztasting notesWhy I don’t have wine scores
The wine world is filled with writers, bloggers and self-described experts tasting and writing about wine. Scores are the highlight real, the headline. Used by marketing departments the world over.
Trouble is, there’s no real consensus and whilst some writers and critics have a set way of scoring, bloggers and more casual commentators are often all over the shop. This is an oversimplification, to be certain, but one that resonates more than it’s disproved.
criticsscoresthoughtswine
