Just sitting at the pot drinking some wine…
Archives for : Food & Wine
Great start to Womad 2012
The Finn family.
Kerry and I survived another day with 698 other passionate Shiraz drinkers and 150 winemakers at the 2011 Great Edinburgh Shiraz Challenge.
As usual, we attempted to try lots of different Shiraz styles and break the day up with our old favourites to reset the palette.
This amounted to us tasting about 41 wines over 4 hours.
Many of Kerry and my favourites hit the best of show this year.
http://www.edinburgh.com.au/cellars/shiraz-day-info
It was also great to catchup with Karel again from Lengs & Cooter who made it to 35 on the list this year.
It took a day to re-hydrate, but it was well worth it.
Just spending time with Kerry in front of a fire with a good bottle of red (Flying Fish from WA) and eating some great cheese.
Well Kerry and I had been looking forward to going to the ‘Great Shiraz Challenge‘ all year. It’s one of those events that is a must if you like reds and live in Adelaide. You just can’t drive home from it 😎
It’s also one of those events where you bump into people who you haven’t see since last year. An example of this was catching up with Karel from Lengs and Cooter Wines, although Barb wasn’t around this year Kerry and I both promised that we would catchup with them before next year… mmmh that’s what we said last year.
Kerry and I had a great day (as usual) and enjoyed sooooo many great wines. The main reason we go is to make sure we sample the wines we have never seen or have never tried. This year was no exception.
Our top pic this year was Scarpantoni Block 3 which didn’t make the official list… but we liked it. The Kalleske which won was very good, just didn’t stand out enough for us this year.
It was a draw this year:
2008 Kalleske Eduard Barossa Valley Shiraz and
2006 O’Leary Walker The Claire Clare Valley Shiraz
With the Best wine under $30 being Torbreck’s Woodcutters Shiraz.
The Top 40 Shiraz results were
1 08 Kalleske Eduard Shiraz
1 06 O’Leary Walker The Claire Shiraz
2 08 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz
3 06 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Syrah
4 07 Hentley Farm The Beast Shiraz
5 08 Hart of The Barossa Organic Shiraz
6 07 Torbreck The Factor Shiraz
7 05 DogRidge MVP Shiraz 05
8 08 Pirathon by Kalleske Shiraz
9 08 Whistler Barossa Shiraz
10 08 Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz
11 08 DogRidge The Pup Shiraz
12 07 Yangarra Ironheart Shiraz
13 08 Heathvale William Heath Shiraz
13 08 Whistler Reserve Shiraz
14 06 Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz
14 08 Dandelion Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz
15 08 Torbreck The Gask Shiraz
16 05 Trevor Jones Wild Witch Shiraz
17 07 Tomfoolery The Artful Dodger Shiraz
18 08 Arete Greenock Single Vineyard Shiraz
18 07 Eldredge Blue Chip Shiraz
18 05 Majella Sparkling Shiraz
18 07 Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz
19 08 Morgan Simpson Basket Press Shiraz
20 07 Dutschke Gods Hill Road Shiraz
20 05 Lengs & Cooter Old Vine Shiraz
21 07 Hewitson Mad Hatter Shiraz
21 08 The Islander Shiraz
22 08 Tonic Estate Fountain of Youth Shiraz
22 08 Vinteloper Shiraz
23 08 Majella Shiraz
23 09 Teusner Riebke Shiraz
24 08 Bird in Hand Shiraz
24 08 Eagle & The Fool Shiraz
24 09 Mike Press Adelaide Hills Shiraz
25 08 Cardinham Estate Shiraz
26 09 Arete The Chatterbox Barossa Shiraz
26 08 Bleasdale Powder Monkey Shiraz
26 06 Murray Street Vineyards Sophia Shiraz
Now all we need to do is detox ready for next year.
Kerry and I went along to the EDinburgh Cellars Great Shiraz Challenge.
Between Kerry and I we tasted more than 25 great wines over a harrowing 2.5 hours of hustle and bustle in a huge tent in the ED’s carpark. It was great, we both thought that it was well worth the $30/head entry fee.
One of the great things was the amount of large and small wine companies presenting their spoils. Refreshingly many of the tasting areas were manned by the wine maker, winery owner or someone of similar stature. This made for great conversations and allowed us to find other great non-mainstream wineries on the day.
As Kerry (Wine group – 9yrs) and I (Corporate) both worked for SouthCorp (Prior to Fosters), we agreed that we would be looking for the special wines of the day. Well we did grab an RWT on the way out as the last tasting for the day – we are not stupid.
We had a great day overall and purchased and ordered some great wins at the Cellars after the event.
It was great catching up with Barb and Karel from Lengs and Cooter Wines and taste some of their great wines. Barb used to work at SouthCorp for many years and Karl worked at Telstra, but Kerry and I agree that they make great wines.
Of the wines in the winning list below our favourites are:
2006 Woodstock “The Stocks” Shiraz
2004 Bullers Caliope Shiraz
2006 Hentley Farm “The Beast” Shiraz
2005 d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz
2006 Glaetzer ‘Bishop’ Shiraz
Other top votes from us for the day are:
2008 Mike Press Adelaide Hills Shiraz (It’s been a long time since we’ve tasted such a good cheap wine)
2007 Honey MoonVineyard Adelaide Hills Shiraz
2004 Lengs & Cooter Old Vines Shiraz
2004 Lengs & Cooter Reserve Shiraz
2005 Artful Dodger Barossa Shiraz
2007 Veronique Regions Shiraz
2006 Cape Jaffa La Lune Biodynamic Shiraz
2006 Ceravolo Sparkling Shiraz
2007 Yelland & Papps Greenock Shiraz
Results – Shiraz Challenge
Shiraz Day 2008 was a massive hit, with a record crowd of over 900 slurping through a field of just over 300 Shiraz. As always, we ask attendees to vote for their favourite wine of the day, and congratulations goes to Clarendon Hills for their superbly compelling 2006 Liandra Shiraz. Here’s the full list of the Top 20:
2006 Clarendon Hills Liandra Syrah
2005 Torbreck Factor Shiraz
2005 Langmeil Freedom 1843 Shiraz
2006 Hentley Farm ‘The Beast’ Shiraz
2005 Whistler Reserve Shiraz
2006 Penfolds RWT Shiraz
2005 Wild Witch Shiraz
2005 d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz
2005 Dutschke St Jakobi Shiraz
2006 Woodstock ‘The Stocks’ Shiraz
2006 Brick Kiln Shiraz
2004 Bullers Caliope Shiraz
2006 Hentley Farm ‘The Beauty’
2005 Pikes ‘The E.W.P’ Shiraz
2004 Paracombe Somerville Shiraz
2006 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz
2005 Bendbrook Goat Track Shiraz
2004 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz
2004 Bethany Wines GR9 Reserve
2005 Paxton EJ Shiraz
TOP 20 UNDER $30:
2005 Tin Shed Melting Pot Shiraz
2004 Carlei Estate ‘Green Vineyard’
2004 Majella Shiraz
2007 Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz
2005 Hugo Shiraz
2006 Tar & Roses Shiraz
2004 Whistler Shiraz
2005 2 Mates Shiraz McLaren Vale
2005 d’Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz
2006 Mitolo Jester Shiraz
2006 Guichen Bay Vineyards Reserve
2006 Pirathon Shiraz by Kalleske
2006 Scarpantoni Block 3 Shiraz
2006 Naked Run Barossa Shiraz
2006 Bird in Hand Shiraz
2006 O’Leary Walker Shiraz
2006 Glaetzer ‘Bishop’ Shiraz
2007 Paxton Quandong Shiraz
2006 Trevor Jones ‘Boots’ Shiraz
2005 Dutschke Gods Hill Road Shiraz
d’Arenberg
I recently read an article in a magazine and was shocked to see some of the toxic dangers which modern living introduce. Australian Men’s Health April 2008, by Susan Casey, pg 87.
I thought I would expand on this article here as a method of analysing some of the things Kerry and I need to be careful of. I hope this also assists others in understanding some of these dangers.
“Except for the small amount that’s been incinerated every bit of plastic ever manufactured still exists”
Toxic Articles | Polycarbonate Bottles (marked with a #7 in a triangle) | Cling wrap and plastic takeaway containers (marked with a #7) |
Dangerous Ingredients | Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic oestrogen, which can leach into the bottle’s contents when heated.span> | Phthalates, a probable human carcinogen and endocrine disruptor, can seep into food (especially fatty foods, such as delis meats and cheeses). |
Linked to | Prostate cancer, reduced sperm count and reproductive-organ abnormalities, according to US studies at the universities of Missouri, Chicago and Cincinnati. | Reproductive problems like undescended testes and low sperm count, reveal researchers at New York’s University of Rochester and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. |
How to reduce your exposure | Pots, pans and bottles made from stainless steel are a non-toxic alternative. If you’re using polycarbonate, keep it out of the dishwasher and replace it every 60 days or if it’s scratched. Plastic releases toxins over tie when damaged or exposed to high heat. | Keep it out of microwave and dishwasher. Don’t store fatty or acidic foods in these containers, rather use waxed paper and buy meat wrapped in paper from the butcher. If you use plastic-wrapped cuts, trim the edges off where the product touched the wrapping. |
Toxic Articles | Polystyrene cups and takeaway containers (marked with a #6) | Fast-food containers (with waxy lining) and non-stick (Teflon) pans. | Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used in vinyl flooring, shower curtains and car interiors. |
Dangerous Ingredients | Styrene, a possible human carcinogen, can leah into the contents of the cup. | Perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA), a grease-repelling flourotelomer chemical and likely human carcinogen, can transfer from the waxy-plastic coating onto the food inside, especially at high temperatures. | Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen that gives off gas into the surrounding air, so it’s inhaled instead of ingested.span> |
Linked to | Cancer, warn scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development and the World Health Organisations International Agency for Research on Cancer. | Cancer, lung and kidney damage, according to studies at the EPA and Environmental Working Group in the US. | Cancer and liver damage, predicts both the EA and the Centre for Health and Environmental Justice in the US. |
How to reduce your exposure | Never drink hot liquids out of polystyrene ups. Use paper ones (those without a wax lining) whenever possible or a ceramic coffee mug. If your takeaway comes in polystyrene, transfer it to ceramic dish or glass as soon as possible. | The best alternatives to drive-through and delivery are sit-down restaurants and home cooking. At home, never use Teflon-coated pans. If you own any, replace with non-toxic cookware made from copper, cast iron or stainless steel. | Use natural materials for home flooring. Buy a shower curtain made from hemp, which lasts longer and is naturally mildew-resistant. New vinyl gives off aerial toxins at highly concentrated levels, so open windows to air spaces where this material is present. |
These are also great articles:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/326907_plastic09.html
http://www.bravenewleaf.com/environment/2008/02/updated-repeat.html
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/environmental-breast-cancer-links/plastics/
http://io9.com/how-to-recognize-the-plastics-that-are-hazardous-to-you-461587850
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/avoiding-toxins-in-plastic
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/11/plastic-use.aspx