Right, I’ve been threatening to do this for a long time and finally getting round to it.
I love wine, it’s fucking great, but that wasn’t always the case. Up until my late 20’s I barely drank the stuff, certainly not white wine - I’d buy the odd bottle, mainly cheap stuff, without really knowing what I was buying.
When I moved to Australia 20 odd years ago, that changed because wine culture is very different over here. I started to drink and try more wines and actually visit wineries. Then about 15 years ago I started to actually try to learn the differences between wine to try to understand what I liked and why I liked it.
At the same time I started writing wine lists for pubs - so over the years I got a formal Wine Qualification (WSET Cert 3) and started down the route of doing the WSET Diploma (got about halfway through it), which is in effect the stage before going for a Master of Wine, which is comparable to the Master Court of Sommeliers you saw people training for in the film Somm.
So, I’ve got some knowledge, but I’m by no means an expert.
End of the day, the only way is to try lots of wine and being in the trade means I’ve had the opportunity to attend many trade tasting events - for example I was very fortunate to attend a Trade tasting in London when I was in the UK a few years back, that was all UK wine - which was really interesting.
I’ve go to wine region a lot and have been to wineries in Chablis, Cote Rotie/Condrieu, Chateauneuf du Pape, Languedoc, Rioja, Piedmont, Hawkes Bay, Martinborough, Waiheke Island, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Margaret River, Swan Valley, Heathcote, Grampians, Pyrenees, Tamar Valley, Geelong/Bellarine Peninsula, Gippsland, and the Macedon Ranges and I’ve also done a bit of associate judging at a wine show.
There are a few more on the bucket list.
Anyway, I’ll try to put together a few posts explaining some of the “mysteries” of wine, also how to taste and assess wine that will hopefully, for those that are interested, help you understand what you’re drinking and why you like it.
Happy to try and answer any question - otherwise I start with some general stuff, then maybe post on individual grapes, then go into regions, etc.
I love wine, it’s fucking great, but that wasn’t always the case. Up until my late 20’s I barely drank the stuff, certainly not white wine - I’d buy the odd bottle, mainly cheap stuff, without really knowing what I was buying.
When I moved to Australia 20 odd years ago, that changed because wine culture is very different over here. I started to drink and try more wines and actually visit wineries. Then about 15 years ago I started to actually try to learn the differences between wine to try to understand what I liked and why I liked it.
At the same time I started writing wine lists for pubs - so over the years I got a formal Wine Qualification (WSET Cert 3) and started down the route of doing the WSET Diploma (got about halfway through it), which is in effect the stage before going for a Master of Wine, which is comparable to the Master Court of Sommeliers you saw people training for in the film Somm.
So, I’ve got some knowledge, but I’m by no means an expert.
End of the day, the only way is to try lots of wine and being in the trade means I’ve had the opportunity to attend many trade tasting events - for example I was very fortunate to attend a Trade tasting in London when I was in the UK a few years back, that was all UK wine - which was really interesting.
I’ve go to wine region a lot and have been to wineries in Chablis, Cote Rotie/Condrieu, Chateauneuf du Pape, Languedoc, Rioja, Piedmont, Hawkes Bay, Martinborough, Waiheke Island, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Margaret River, Swan Valley, Heathcote, Grampians, Pyrenees, Tamar Valley, Geelong/Bellarine Peninsula, Gippsland, and the Macedon Ranges and I’ve also done a bit of associate judging at a wine show.
There are a few more on the bucket list.
Anyway, I’ll try to put together a few posts explaining some of the “mysteries” of wine, also how to taste and assess wine that will hopefully, for those that are interested, help you understand what you’re drinking and why you like it.
Happy to try and answer any question - otherwise I start with some general stuff, then maybe post on individual grapes, then go into regions, etc.
