Throwing a wobbly

The Aussie saying for one going a little bit crazy is "throwing a wobbly"! It has been pretty crazy the last few days as we have covered quite a bit of ground. After spending several days in The Barossa, we made our way through The Riverlands region where we visited the vineyard that produces the fruit for Paringa. This vineyard was absolutely massive, capable of producing more than 700,000 cases! And, they are continuing to plant more vines. The vineyard's owner, David Hickinbotham, uses only the best fruit for the 50,000 cases of Paringa. And, his motto is "We make the best damn $10 bottle of wine in the world". And, the wines are quite good. We tasted through the 2005's, and the Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Sparkling Red are all excellent values.

We left Paringa and headed to a tasting of a brand new winery created by Dan Philips and Chris Ringland, called "R". Another outstanding value line that includes such names as "Evil" Cabernet and "Pure Evil" Chardonnay. There is also "Bitch" Grenache, and "Bon-Bon" Rose. Also, the flagship Marquis Philips wines are now under the R Winery portfolio. The wines are being made by Chris Ringland and Lisa Wetherell, and these are truly exciting wines. The quality is in the bottle and the packaging is quite unique. The Bitch and Bon-Bon arrived in the store last week, and the others will be coming soon.

The last two days we have been in McLaren Vale, a coastal region located just below the town of Adelaide. The maritime influence tends to have a more floral, elegant red/black fruit style while the Barossa, which is more inland, tends to have more deep black fruits and more of a peppery spice. We have been to some outstanding producers, including Noon, Kay Brothers, Shirvington, Clarendon and Rudderless. Again the theme is of small producers that are very much hands on in the vineyards, working very closely with the vines. Production is very small, and their wines are very difficult to find. Shirvington's Cabernet Sauvignon was called The Screaming Eagle of Australia by Robert Parker. And Drew Noon is producing one of my favorite wines in the world. Every now and then we will get some allocations, but it can be very difficult.

The other running theme is that all of these producers own or control vineyards with vines that are extremely old, 80 to 100 year old vines. The time and effort to manage and maintain the vines is quite hard, but the payoff is incredible quality and power, an expression of fruit that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Looking at my schedule, I have one more day in McLearn Vale, and then I am off to Coonawarra. I will keep you posted. Internet service has been very spotty as we go from hotel to hotel. I am typing this blog from the back office of the manager's office! I told them that it was an emergency!

Cheers