Eileen Hardy Pinot noir 2008

Tasmanian and Victorian (Yarra Valley) fruit, Australia. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A60

It's taken close to four hours, but I think I'm starting to like this. Just a little. The Eileen Hardy name has been synonymous with chardonnay and corporate wine making for as long as I've been interested in wine, though this is the first year a pinot noir has been released. Like it's more established sibling it's a blend of fruit from two different Australian states. I can just picture the purists shaking their heads. . . It's varietal, though heavy handed, and if I had tasted this blind I'd like to think I would have called it Tasmanian. Rubber and char to begin, it eventually settles and becomes more appealing, though never feminine. Nutmeg and stalk, earth and game. It's smooth and expansive, hefty and cherry liqueur flavoured, the stalks take the whole night to finally soften and coalesce. 89+. 2012 - 2016.

These are a few of my favourite things

As much as I enjoy raindrops on roses, I think I prefer plump figs on notebooks and the scratch of pencil on paper. . . Perhaps I'm showing my age, but I love having notebooks for scribbling thoughts, tasting notes, recipes, quotes and bites of information.

A few random ones from my 2010 notebook.

Kierkegaard - Life must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.

Twain - Be good and you will be lonesome.

Dave Rosenberg - Most people think of a panic as something like when somebody yells 'fire' in a crowded theatre. The difference with a panic on the sharemarket is that even if you pick the back row on the isle, you still have to find someone to take your seat before you can leave the theatre.

Abraham Maslow - It isn't normal to know what you want. It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.

Bitterness in olives is mostly due to the glycoside oleuropein.

Emerson - We are always getting ready to live, but never living.

Northop Frye - The primary function of education is to make one maladjusted to ordinary society.

Il dolce far niente.

Berlin - Pleuralism and untidiness are, to those who value freedom, better than rigorous imposition of all embracing systems no matter how rational. . .

WWII postal acronyms. ITALY - I trust and love you. BURMA - Be undressed and ready my angel.

Hilary Rose - We are so over Victoria Beckham-style half grape fruits. Breasts should move. They should be soft and yielding and have a visible relationship with each other, not with a bony ribcage.

Cyberdyne.

Compaticum - the root of companion - one who eats bread with another.

Willie Sutton when asked why he kept robbing banks - Because that's where the money is.

Percy Craddock on China - an acquired taste, much of it bitter.

RPJ on Clarendon Hills - Bratasiuk has rarely gotten accolades from the Australian press, largely because of his stubbornness and overall contempt for a wine press that seems largely bought and paid for by the large Australian wine companies.

Rodgers and Hammerstein - When the dog bites / When the bee stings / When I'm feeling sad /
I simply remember my favorite things / And then I don't feel so bad.

Review: Yú

I had a wonderful lunch today at arguably Perth's finest Chinese Restaurant. The setting is wonderful, elegant and refined, the food is well executed, and the wine list is comprehensive, fully priced, and studded with vinous bling. Grange and Hill of Grace feature prominently, there's Petrus and Mouton, Vintage Krug, Dom and a 95 Winston Churchill, though curiously only one red Burgundy from the unassuming village of Santenay.

Being lunch, the room was quieter than usual and the more cavernous back half of the restaurant was unused. Even so, the service was reactive (they come when called) and inattentive (water glasses were not replenished for duration of the meal), and sure annoy some, especially given the hefty prices, reputation and the salubrious decor. I thought the food was excellent and compared to the handful of recent Chinese meals I've had, it seemed less riddled with MSG. Of course the Barramundi they served was perhaps the smallest one I've seen on a plate ($A65) and many of the other dishes seemed similarly modest in size.

In conclusion, a place that is sure to polarise. The food and setting is lovely while the service and value is less convincing.

Two out of three

A jumble of wines, cider and beer over the last few days. I wonder what our society and Christmas would look like if it were more abstemious. . . I managed to open two of the three wines in the picture. The Eileen Hardy Pinot (which like the Chardonnay is a blend of Tasmanian and Victorian fruit) will have to wait.

The 06 Bindi Quartz which I've tried before is still lovely and notable for its intensity, struck match and grilled pineapple. I think it's better now, the flesh and tightness giving some tension and edge.

The 2005 Teusner Sparkling Shiraz (Barossa, South Australia, 14.5%, crown seal) is a paradox. It proves that it is possible to end up with less by adding more. . . A dusty and spiced nose with a hint of rubber. It seems truncated in the mouth and a little too abrasive.

Cono Sur Bicycle Pinot noir 2009

Chile. Pinot noir. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A7.

Though chilled for a hour or so, this is still lifted and quite volatile. Dust and pencil shavings, spice and a faint suggestion of stewed plums. Assertive and disjointed in the mouth. Char and tea leaves. Ink. The finish is quite rushed and abrasive and already for a wine of such youth there is a suggestion of animal hide. This is a one sip* wine for me.

Image: The kitchen sink.

* see Sarah's borrowed rating scale.

Two more sleeps

and the shops are packed. That last minute scramble for gifts and provisions, which in our mostly secular and material society signals more than Church or solstice, the imminent arrival of Christmas.

Time then to thank to all the kind souls who have shown an interest in Wino sapien. I hope you all have a lovely, peaceful and very merry Christmas.

Image: Iris by Greg James

Joseph Sparkling Red

For a few weeks either side of Christmas I buy and drink as much Australian Sparkling shiraz as I can stand. It's rarely more than half a dozen bottles and as such I think I miss some of the nuance that other more frequent drinkers might find. This one comes in an over sized and over heavy bottle. The back label makes the bold claim that here it is, the modern history of Australian red wine in one bottle. Disgorged in July 2010 the base wine contains three decades of shiraz, random Australian wines purchased at auction from the 1960's and 70's and each year a hogshead of Primo Estate Moda Cabernet Merlot. It's wonderfully balanced and poised, quite silken and on the nose there is notable spice and only the faintest suggestion of sweetcorn.

Pegasus Bay Pinot noir 2007

Waipara, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Screwcap.

Cherry and char, some mid palate sweetness, plenty of extract, and for me, hard work. Big boned and assertive, earth and stems, spice, wilted petals and cherry pips. Bold, slightly diffuse and cola like, though in time it becomes quite silken despite the weight and slightly tadpole shape. 88-90. Now - 2014.

Domaine Pellé Menetou-Salon Morogues 2008

Menetou-Salon (West of better known Sancerre), Loire, France. Sauvignon blanc. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A25.

Evocative and convincing, I suspect even wavering supporters Sauvignon will like this. All the adjectives and fruit you would expect are present and the wine has a lovely combination of bustle and drive. Melon and green bean, tomato vines and cat spray. It's quite fleshy in the mouth and there is a curious note of lychee along with the more expected and louder notes of grass, bean and citrus.

Image: The green ones have the most extraordinary burst of umami. I thought the first one I tried tasted of soy sauce. . .

A cork with form and function

I'm always pleased when I remove the foil from a bottle and find the closure is Diam. It's a relief not having to wonder if the liquid within is stuffed. . . Usually though, they resemble the example on the left. Grainy, slightly dull and obviously synthetic. Curious then to find a Diam which is pale and covered in specks and man made seams. The cosmetic additions presumably add nothing to function, though I can imagine they will make Diam acceptable to an even greater number of consumers.

Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 2008

Chablis, France. Chardonnay. Diam. Approx $A40

A bracing combination of intensity, line and amplitude. Sealed with the most attractive Diam cork I have come across, this is typical of its place with a combination of flint, gun smoke and citrus. My nose twitches as I sniff. . . Searing and vibrant, this bristles in the mouth and the flavours are clear and distinct. Sap, mineral and citrus combine, giving a lovely presence, zip and persistence. 92. Now - 2015+

Image: I'm glad now that wine and taro were separated.

Abacus beads

My attempt at Poh's Abacus beads. Not being as dextrous, or familiar with the use of taro or tapioca or glutinous rice, I had some trouble in making my beads, which ended up looking like playground knucklebones. I followed the recipe fairly closely, but found I needed to add close to a cup of water to the dough mixture to get what I thought was the correct consistency.

I had planned on drinking something vinous, I even had a photo of a bottle with the taro I purchased this morning, but once the cooking was done all I felt like was a bottle of 'cider'.

Rekorderlig Strawberry Lime Cider (4% alcohol. Sweden. $A6 for 500ml bottle). A vivid pink and like its siblings this is like drinking cordial. A riot of sensation, this is 500mls of undiluted and uncomplicated pleasure.

Adelina Shiraz 2009

Wendouree, Clare, South Australia. Shiraz. 13%. Diam. $A39

Tasting note 991.

Despite the seam of acidity and brightness, there is something uncoiled and languid about this. Like its identically clad sibling, it smells like an Australian summer, I can imagine the scent of dried gum leaves being trampled underfoot, though some would correctly label this as bay leaf. Like summer, it possesses something warm and enveloping. Raisins, a suggestion of clove, spiced oak. In the mouth it seems bigger than 13% and it seems Porty in its emphasis - that juxtaposition of sweetness and acidity, extreme ripeness and juicy brightness. 90. Now - 2015.

Horseradish

Perhaps once a year I get an insatiable craving for horseradish. Curiously it often coincides with roast beef. . . Not having a ready supply of fresh roots, I end up buying a jar of the condiment and inevitably it ends in disappointment. Where is the bite and punch?

For some years, I've thought of growing my own, but I've never been able to find it as a plant. Presumably that has something to do with its weed like propensity once unfettered and subterranean.

A few weeks ago, while looking for something else (possibly enoki mushrooms) I found a tub of these gnarled, forlorn, finger like roots. Horseradish! I picked the two most encouraging ones, the ones that seemed to have some turgidity and green, and within a few hours had buried them deep in my garden. Which is of course an extraordinary act of confidence given my track record at nurturing and growing things. . . Still, life and nature tends to find its way, and not quite three weeks on, the first leaves of what I hope is a fine crop of horseradish has started to emerge.

Summer rain

The East Coast of Australia is covered in rain. An abnormally strong La Nina effect has meant a damp start to summer. Retailers are concerned that no one seems to be spending money, crops are sodden and close to ruin and the coal trains are having to go slow, which is further exaggerating the infrastructure bottlenecks.

Living on the other side of the continent, the opposite seems to be in effect. An early November heat wave and water restrictions. Pleasing then to hear rain early this morning and to find this showy but delicate lily in bloom.

Pizza

I've spent a life time thinking about pizza as a fast food which is home delivered or scoffed down before mains at some cheap and cheerful ristorante. No more. Convenience and speed dial have been replaced by respect and D.I.Y.

After 18 months of trial and error, I can finally produce a reliable dough (The ratio of flour to water is 100:60. So - for 4 medium pizzas I use 400g "OO" flour and 100g of semolina flour, 3 pinches of salt and 300mls of warm water, to which has been added 1 sachet of dried yeast and a pinch of sugar). I try to let this rise twice - punching down to release the carbon dioxide after 90 minutes or so before reshaping into another ball which is left for another hour or so.

While the dough is maturing I prepare the other ingredients - a tomato paste is made by adding a tin of diced tomatoes to a pan, along with 4 cloves of diced garlic. This is then brought to the boil and allowed to simmer and reduce by about 50%. This is then blended with a small bunch of fresh basil.

In the pictured pizza - which is essentially an uncooked Margherita plus olives (sitting on a perforated pizza baking tray, which is far more useful than any pizza stone), the other main preparatory step is making an olive paste. I used home pickled olives and a stab blender - 1 cup of seeded olives, 1 clove of garlic and half a tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar.

Once the dough is ready, a newly rolled base is coated with the tomato paste, a thin layer of grated Parmesan, diced tomato (I prefer peeled and seeded - as there is less liquid), chopped basil, bocconcini fragments and random spoonfuls of olive paste.

Moric Blaufrankisch 2008

Burgenland, Austria. Blaufränkisch. 12.5%. Cork. Approx $A50.

A delicious wine, though perhaps the enjoyment and impact is greatest at the opening. Bright and sappy, I find raspberries and cranberries and something that seems pert and alert. Presumably it's the scent of whole bunches. Svelte and streamlined and yet sinewy and strong. Not quite chiseled, though with lovely definition, brightness and persistence. 92. Now - 2015.

Related.

Image: An early summer harvest - a single garlic clove and a bunch of rose hips

Marqués de Riscal Reserva 2003

Rioja, Spain. Tempranillo. 14%. Cork. Half bottle. Source: cellar.

Once free of its golden fishnet stocking and cork, this is dark and at times volatile. I'm left with fond thoughts, but no quickening of the pulse. A changeable nose - prickly and acetic to begin, pencil shavings, cedar, wilted leaves and ripe dark fruit. Cherry and blackberry I think. It's savoury and spiced. Leather and roasted meats perhaps. . . Slightly broad to begin. Raisins and warmth, before a swish of acidity and then the char and graphite flavoured, slightly adhesive tannins.