However, while I am waiting for my camera battery to recharge so I can load the pictures, I was scrolling through the 'next blog' feature to see who is in my part of the blog world. Last time I had a blog I was followed up by a porn star, which is when I abrupting stopped blogging. This time, I am deep in bee keeping country and people with interesting plants or photos of interesting plants. Weird.
So the Grange tasting went really well, as you know. It was completely nerve wracking leading up to the tasting. My budget was $1400 in total to feature Australian and European wines, of which one needed to be the 2004 Penfolds Grange (like there is any other kind of Grange).
Michael and I went to Dan Murphy's to choose most of the other options as our wine list at work is not at the stage we would like it to be just yet, although it is doing well (you will be surprised at the new range - Capercaille has made it on).
I chose a Burgundy and a Victorian Pinot, a Crozes Hermitage, an Australian Chardonnay and a Chablis, and then a real confusing blend - a Cab Sav/ Zinfandel / Tempranillo which was desigend to confuse everyone. I'd already sourced a Victorian Shiraz from Heathcote, made biodynamically using French oak and tradtional slow fermentation, as well as an Alsacian Riesling and a NZ Riesling. To top it off we had the Grange, which I included in the Shiraz bracket.
It was all set up to be blind, with the European wines matched to a new world wine for guessing and comparison. We set it in the lounge of the homestead, with all the men (and one lady) gathered around on lounges, so it was very informal.
About half of the people present knew something about wine. The other half were very informal drinkers or not at all. The wine drinkers in the group had all heard that there was to be a Grange somewhere in the line up but only two or three had ever tried it.
We started with the riesling, it was confusing for the guys as most of them were not into modern riesling, having only the old sweet style as a reference. Once I knew this, I was not surprised when they went for thr riper more quickly matured NZ riesling over the more interesting and tightly closed dry Alsace riesling.
The two Chardonnays were much easier. Everyone picked up the Australian Chardonnay as it was so heavily and clumsily oaked. I had tried to find something that might be comparible so harder to guess, but it was a real embarrassment for Australian Chardonnay at $60 a bottle compared to the Chablis at $50.00 a bottle. The Chablis had the typical French nose to start but opened into a nice crisp Chardonnay, that mellowed well over the hour it was open.
The next round was the Burgundy vs the Victorian Pinot. This round was again not popular due to the lack of Pinot drinkers in the group, but I was glad that I'd made a better match. The wine drinkers of the group found it harder to choose between the French and Australian, and the main difference was the length of time to open and the classic 'Burgundy' nose compared to the slightly riper Victorian with its subtle rapsberry and hints of cherry. (I deliberately chose wines of the same year if possible and similar alcohol).
The Shiraz round had the Crozes Hermitage, the Grange and the Heathcote Shiraz. The Hermitage was easier to choose as French, being a lighter body and duller colour. However everyone was very impressed, as most of the wine drinkers had had the same problem as me, not finding a Hermitage that I've ever enjoyed. It was very smart at $35 a bottle.
The Grange and the Heathcote Shiraz presented a condundrum. For me it was easy to pick it, but I made it deliberatly confusing enough - giving out lots of technical info and hints so that even the wine drinkers second guessed themselves, having sharp palates for varieties and regions but not knowing much of the tecnical info. Most people have no reference in their palate for fine wines, so dont recognise the indicators when they taste them. This is where I found myself at Henschke a few years ago tasting the Hill of Grace. But I'd done some research on the Grange and knew it was supposed to be a typical Penfolds American oaked, in modern clean winemaker techniques - technically perfect. This is what made it easy to identify for me - Helen from Uni had drummed it into us for years about the compaisoin between American and French oak. However, the wine was smooth and sweet and clean, bright purple, dense and delicious.
The Heathcote had a much longer ferment with wild yeast and French oak. It was slightly duller but still really dense, with a dirtier (earthier) palate, but still quite intense, without the sweetness or smooth finish of the Grange, it was nevertheless an exceptional wine.
Without any background on what to expect from a Penfolds or knowledge of the wine making techniques or even understanding of what techniques will give what effect, the average person would be guessing, as the quality was very close (though in different styles). The best part was telling them that one wine cost $750 and the other was $32. It was the crowning part of the night.
After the tasting I had several men in the group approach me about their wine experiences and background - some were foreign, one from Italy who hates French wines (I promised him an Italian comparison next time) and a Texan who does not think wine is made where he lives. Another man had helped a friend set up a winery at Alice Springs years ago.
It was a fabulous experience to lead a group like this for such a prestigious wine. I would never buy one myself, but I wouldn't turn down a glass if one was offered. After the tasting, the group went into dinner and just for a comparison, ordered a Hill of Grace....
Today we took the new kitty to the vet for vaccination and identification. The vet thinks that Charlotte (as Michael has named her) is just over a yr old, making her about 6 months younger than Kitty. It was a real shock as she is the same size as Kitty was when we got her and the vet explained that she is just a small breed (as well as being short haired while kitty is long). She will probably not get much bigger and will likely stay sleek and slim like she is now, with a little Persian in body shape and Burmese in face.
Michael called her Charlotte because he hated the name I gave her - Miss Piggy. Instead he named her for Charlotte's Web because it has a pig in it - random really, but it suits her.
These pictures were taken with a setting on my camera called 'drawing' which I have never seen or used before.
Bravo
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