USA orange wine, Channing Daughters '10 Meditazione

Channing Daughters '10 Meditazione

Beautifully Apricot in colour and a little warm. There is a big lychee hit and pink musk lolly on the nose. I also detect a woody spice, perhaps cedar or ashwood. Can you guess what it tastes like? White-peppered musk lifesavers. Seriously. As well as booze-soaked dried apricots.. and more. This is definitely a white wine that will appeal to red wine drinkers.

Meditazione is an exotic, non-traditional white skin-fermented (or orange wine) blend inspired by the “Vino da Meditazione” wines in the Friuli region of Northeast Italy. The Channing Daughters 2010 Meditazione is comprised of 28% Muscat Ottonel, 20% Chardonnay, 18% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Pinot Grigio, 10% Tocai Friulano, 5% Viognier, 5% Aligote, 2% Semillon. What a mouthful!

You need to try this for yourself. In Australia, contact Brooks and Amos.

Margaret River Rosé, Si Vintners 2012 Sophie

Si Vintners 2012 Sophie Rosé

Ah, the Margaret River. What a magical place in the world of wine. You probably know by now that I am a huge fan of purpose-made, dry rosé. The Sophie has quite a heavy nose, like you would expect from a dessert wine. However this is truly an amazing dry wine. It tastes like strawberries and porridge with a somewhat creamy mouth feel on first inspection. With some peppered pork, however, the wine is spicy and really savoury. Awesome. You could enjoy this wine either chilled or at room temperature.

A beautiful rosé, bio-dynamically grown, hand-picked, concrete-ferment and unfiltered.

Si Vintners.
Available via Brooks and Amos

USA wine, Channing Daughters '12 Rosato di Refosco.

Channing Daughters '12 Rosato di Refosco.

Wines from Long Island come from a salty, maritime climate and I find that there is always some slight salty aromas or tastes with these wine. Coupled with the Refosco grape makes for a challenging and interesting flavour profile. I say challenging because I personally do not have a reference point for the flavours. Refosco is a very dark-skinned grape, native to Friuli, Italy. Channing Daughters Winery have an amazing array of alternate varieties. They also make quite a lot of rosé, seven, in 2012. This rosé is purpose made with as little as 3 hours skin contact.

To try and describe a unique flavour such as this is tricky, but here goes: The nose is a little like a Pinot Noir, with the promise of something more, perhaps Sangiovese. Sound weird but it is good. Refosco is a very tannic variety plus lends itself to real black fruit flavours. I also got some black olive pip come through. A dead-set perfect match for charcuterie.

To try Channing Daughters wines in Australia, get in touch with Brooks and Amos here.

#MeetTheMaker- Ned Brooks from Brooks and Amos

When you meet Ned Brooks at Brooks of Melbourne- and you are introduced by Matthew Brooke- you know you will be in for a fun evening. Apart from all those Brooks & Brooke gags. Apart from the wine tastings on offer. You just have to listen to the little voice in your head asking, "is that Spiderman?".

I cannot show you his face, because sometimes Ned acts as a dentist on television, but boy oh boy does he resemble a certain Maguire-esque Peter Parker. Regardless of that boyish, mischievous face; Ned, along with partner Joel Amos, get about the place with some smashing wine. I mean, who wouldn't want to drink wine with labels like these?

Bird & Fox - 2012 MSG from Barossa

Big grenache nose, but not as sweet. Decent, peppery middle, minimal sulphur added. An enjoyable drop.

Oiseau et Renard - 2011 certfied organic Shiraz from McLaren Vale, the fruit from Ochre Vale vineyard, Maslin Beach. Minimal sulpher added.the bottle is sealed with cork and wax. 14% alcohol.

Warm and raisiny. Great with cheese. Or, you know, a proper dinner!

Brooks and Amos also kindly look after these fabulous wines: Channing Daughters and Limbo Wines by Ben Gould nationally... Si Vintners east of Perth... Izway, The Wanderer and Patrick Sullivan.

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