There aren't a lot of vineyards in Ballarat, so it's always a treat to taste one I haven't tried before. Nintingbool Vineyard is about 10km south-west of Ballarat, on the way to the little town of Smythesdale, where I grew up. Their 2017 Pinot Noir is a beautiful example of Victorian Pinot Noir. Quite savoury
Is this not a heavenly combination? A stage full of music and fine food and drinks. The Kingston Food & Wine Festival had all the right ingredients today, including sunshine, and I got to do two of my favourite things - play music and talk about great produce.
I don't know why a super-flat banana peel with tyre marks made me laugh. It seemed quite absurd lying there on the road. I hope it gives you a chuckle too.
I did a wine course earlier this year. There were a lot of wines to taste and an enormous amount of information to learn about wine all over the world. The good news is I passed! I now have my little green badge and certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust in London. Cheers!
It feels quintessentially Brunswick to be sitting in a bar on Sydney Road, listening to afternoon ultra-groove and surrounded by 1970s decor. Trams are running past the window with their familiar metallic swoosh, jostling with the peak hour traffic. Brunswick Green
There's something about Friday that just feels better with a glass of wine in a nice little bistrot. Woods Yard in Albert Park is doing it perfectly. A beautifully balanced Albariño from Margan in Orange is in my glass next to a tasty bowl of olives.
The beauty of having a cellar (as in 'a collection of wine' rather than 'underground room') is that you end up with aged wine. Cabernet Sauvignon blends are particularly good for ageing - their tannins soften and they develop a velvety smoothness and savoury fruit character. I found this 1999 on the rack last night
The practical side of wine study is definitely the most pleasurable part.
The Wine Nose - Le Nez du Vin - is a wonderful collection of 52 tiny vials containing aromas found in wine. I got it out tonight to prepare for my wine exam and was reminded how fun it is to stimulate the olfactory senses. Is that lemon or grapefruit? Truffle or Mushroom? One smells
There's a special joy in the first afternoon of holidays. You've had time to wind down and your brain has almost accepted that can now relax and settle into holiday mode. A wine mid-afternoon wine feels like the perfect marker of the transition into the new state. It has hint of naughty and good dash
