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We moved our Feb 1 Members Only Tasting due to the Super Bowl to Feb 22nd at 7pm.  Like any good business, when your handed lemons, you make lemonade.. so when we found out that Feb 22nd is the Academy Awards, I am now making the Feb 22nd event an Academy Awards party and justifying the purchase of a 60 inch plasma screen for the new HD system at the loft…. Lemonade anyone?  How about a glass of GRANGE instead – we will taste the icon wines of AUSTRALIA and QANTAS VACATIONS will be doing some nice things for the members.  Almost sold out, but we would love to know if you interested in attending.

Australia the trip. It was almost a year ago that I was able to take my first trip to Australia, time flies doesn’t it?  I think we all need to think about the most meaningful things we have ever done, and do more of it!  Personally I can connect most of the meaningful moments with the great vacations I have been blessed to take in my life. France, Italy, South Africa, Spain. In that order. These four trips take up huge blocks of space in my favorite memories of all time file. Australia was my most recent, and perhaps my most life changing and I want to share a few great moments.

Places I went to in Australia:

Sydney (Harbor, Opera House & Bondi Beach!)
South Australia (Adelaide & Kangaroo Island)
Wine Regions I visited (Barossa Valley, Claire Valley, McLaren Vale)
Gold Coast (surfers paradise!)
Byron Bay (amazing ocean community a must!)
Brisbane (Australia Zoo)

The Flight

Honestly, flying has become of my favorite things. When do you ever get to sit still, chill out with a great beverage, read, and sleep, watch TV, and make progress at the same time? The flight is non-stop to Australia and it’s only about 13 hours. Qantas is famous for their service, their clean planes and their beautiful staff. It’s a totally comfortable flight. You get about 200 movies & TV programs on-demand at no additional cost! All seats are fitted with their own personal entertainment system which makes the ride very entertaining. I was also quite surprised that on the flight they give you a menu to choose your meals! This is for all classes Economy & Business and includes unlimited wine & beer! I tasted a nice selection of Aussie wines before I even landed!

Sydney

Most destinations have an iconic city, and Sydney is no exception.  The waterfront, the bridge, the opera house  you have seen all of these on TV.  But did you know how clean the city is?  How European the feel is?  How international it is I was very impressed and I loved eating in Sydney  there are restaurants everywhere and the seafood maybe the best I have ever had anywhere in the world.

Right: Torbeck, Center: Desk at D’Arenberg Left: Ralph Hassock, Life is a Cabernet (driver/wine expert)

Wine Country when we say wine country in California, we have visions of vineyards in Napa, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles right? When you say wine country in Australia you mean an entire country of wine!  Grapes vs. People  Australia makes 20 times the wine than the population can drink! That is a lot of vineyard country!

The Food

Picturesque settings are typically accompanied by a great restaurant either in or associated with the wine industry. Remember the population is very small,  so the restaurants are very important places and really top notch.  Pictured left  ICEBERGS what a view and the food was divine.  Right: The menu from Star of Greece in the south of Australia on the ocean amazing!

To me, Australia seemed so far away that it didn’t make my top 5 first places to go and I think that is probably the case for most Americans. When I did some research though, I found out that most Americans have never even left the State they were born in or perhaps have never left the US. To me, that is sad because the world is huge, diverse and majestic and the people, the food, the wine, the history, the architecture, the air, the water, the ocean, the wildlife are so breathtaking seeking to see and experience the world is the definition of living to me.

“Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.”

My top ten values for 2008 – the top ten wines under twenty dollars:

1. Palacios Petalos Bierzo, Spain 2006 $18.99

2. Valle Reale Vigne Nuove Montepulciano D Abruzzo, Italy 2007 $9.99

3. Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2007 $13.99

4. Argiolas, Costamolino Vermentino Di Sardegna, Italy 2007 $11.99

5. Tilia, Mendoza, Argentina 2007 $7.99

6. Paitin Serra Barbera D’Alba, Piedmonte 2007 $14.99

7. La Fenetre/A Cote, Pinot Noir, Cedar Lane, Arroyo Seco 2007 $19.99

8. Loosen Brothers Dr. L Mosel, Germany 2007 $8.99

9. Avalon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2006 $9.99

10. Domaine Les Grands Bois, Les Trois Soeurs Cotes Du Rhone, France 2007 $10.99

Here is the list of wines the class tasted

GERMAN RIESLING 2007 The streak of impressive wines continues

Loosen Brothers Dr. L Mosel, Germany 2007 $8.99

Leitz, Riesling, Rudesheimer Drachenstein, Rheingau, 2007  $15.99

SPAIN AND ITALY simple White wines are so amazing from the old world

Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2007 $13.99

Argiolas, Costamolino Vermentino Di Sardegna, 2007 $11.99

SAUVIGNON BLANC quality going up!

Mulderbosch, Sauv Blanc, Stellenbosh, South Africa 2006  $15.99

Benziger, Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast 2006  $14.99

PINOT NOIR what a year!

La Fenetre/A Cote, Pinot Noir, Cedar Lane, Arroyo Seco 2007  $19.99

COTE DU RHONE 2007 Another great year

Saint Cosme, Cotes-Du-Rhone, Rhone Valley 2007 $10.99

Domaine Les Grands Bois, Cotes Du Rhone Les Trois Soeurs $10.99

ITALIAN REDS of VALUE

Valle Reale Vigne Nuove Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2007 $9.99

Paitin Serra Barbera DAlba, Piedmonte 2007 $14.99

ARGENTINA – Always a great wine for the money

Felino Vina Cobos, Malbec, Mendoza 2007 (by Paul Hobbs) 17.99

Altocedro, Malbec, Mendoza 2007 18.99

Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec, Mendoza 2006 18.99

SPANISH RED VALUES – hard to narrow down this to just a few:

ALTOS Del Duraton, Castilla y Leon, 2005 $9.99

Palacios Petalos Bierzo 2006 $18.99

Cabernet  Becoming a value

Avalon, Napa Valley, 2006  $9.99

Tilia, Mendoza, Argentina, 2007 $7.99

Here is the list selected by the participants in the class:

1. Palacios Petalos Bierzo, Spain 2006  $18.99

2. Paitin Serra Barbera D’Alba, Piedmonte 2007  $14.99

3. La Fenetre/A Cote, Pinot Noir, Cedar Lane, Arroyo Seco 2007 $19.99

4. Valle Reale Vigne Nuove Montepulciano D Abruzzo, Italy 2007 $9.99

5. Avalon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2006  $9.99

6. Altocedro, Malbec, Mendoza 2007  $18.99

7. Loosen Brothers Dr. L Mosel, Germany 2007  $8.99

8. Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec, Mendoza 2006  $18.99

9. Altos Del Duraton, Castilla y Leon, Spain 2005  $9.99

10. Mulderbosch, Sauv Blanc, Stellenbosh, South Africa 2006  $15.99