Peter Lehmann RIP
28 June 2013 Filed in: Cellar Notes News & Views
The word ‘legend’ is bandied about with such tiring frequency these days that it is easy to lose sight of its true meaning. But not that easy. Those in the wine world keen to reacquaint themselves with what it really means only have to look at the life of Peter Lehmann, who passed away this week. Read More...
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ANZAC Dinner
25 April 2013 Filed in: Cellar Notes News & Views
What better way to celebrate ANZAC Day than by organising a themed wine dinner with wines from Australia and New Zealand, and the food giving at least a nod to the Antipodes? That’s precisely what I did last weekend. Read More...
Mosel Magic
Exactly six years ago I wrote: “…to evince an interest in wine in general while ignoring German Riesling is like claiming to study literature while disregarding poetry.” Those words remain as true today as they were then, yet an alarming number of wine drinkers continue to disregard the poetry. In Germany’s Mosel region (also known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) the poetry reaches a peak of perfection that is unmatched by any other wine region in the world. Reaching such heights, however, is no easy task and calls for a high-wire balancing act between sweetness and acidity. Veer in favour of the former and you end up with sugar-water. Over-emphasise the latter and the result is a teeth-jarring concoction utterly devoid of charm. Get it right and every sip of your wine tingles with excitement. Read More...
Wine Australia Tasting
In order to ‘prepare’ as fully as possible for last Monday’s mammoth annual Australian tasting I opened our penultimate bottle of Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 1993 and drank it with lunch the day before. In the days when you still could carry wine in your hand luggage my wife had brought home a couple of bottles, after playing at the Barossa Valley Music Festival about 15 years ago. Stonewell sits at the top of the Lehmann portfolio but a big vertical tasting conducted in Dublin last year by winemaker Andrew Wigan left some doubts as to how well it ages. Read More...
Riesling & Foie Gras
11 May 2011 Filed in: News & Views
On the page it read like a train crash, on the plate it looked more appealing and on the palate it sang like a nightingale, especially when matched with a glass of JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2008, introduced by the lady herself, Katharina Prüm. I speak of a dish described as: “Scallops in a foie gras and spaghetti shell,” served at dinner last week in the Brasserie les Saveurs at the St Regis Hotel in Singapore. In short, it was the best dish I enjoyed over the course of five days spent at the Far East’s gastro-fest, the World Gourmet Summit. Read More...
Richter Riesling at l'Ecrivain
28 April 2011 Filed in: News & Views Cellar Notes
The Riesling grape reaches its apogee in Germany’s Mosel Valley where, when handled skilfully, it produces wines of unparalleled excellence. Their signature is a thrilling electric charge of acidity that keeps even the sweetest nectars free of saccharine cloy, and bestows on all styles the ability to age and develop for decades. A noted master of the Mosel is Dirk Richter of Weingut Max Ferd Richter and he will be presenting a selection of his wines, matched to appropriate dishes from the able hand of Derry Clarke, at l’Ecrivain Restaurant, Dublin on Tuesday, 10th May. Read More...
Austria Moves Forward
01 November 2010 Filed in: Food & Wine
Austria is on a roll. In 2009, as the world economy tumbled into the abyss, her wine exports reported a healthy increase of 16%, achieved at a time when all other Austrian exports declined by 20%. Leading the charge were traditional markets such as Germany and Switzerland, while relative newcomers like the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan all posted healthy increases. Read More...
Showing Its Age: Part 2 Landmark Australia
18 February 2011 Filed in: Tastings News & Views
The 2010 displayed the off-putting cosmetic character that is the hallmark of very young Riesling and which mercifully fades after a year or so, like an adolescent losing puppy fat. If I were a winemaker I would never present a Riesling for tasting at this stage of its development. Read More...
