Massolino 2016 Moscato d’Asti DOCG

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Massolino 2016 Moscato d’Asti DOCG ($25.99) with Gateau Basque

From the beautiful and historic Asti region in Piedmont, northern Italy, comes this lightly sparkling and sweet wine from the “grape of the bees”, so-called by the ancient Romans because of its inherently floral, honeyed quality. For a variety of reasons, this style has fallen out of favour with serious wine nerds, but Massolino is not exactly the industrial moscato operation down the road: this comes from a single, 4 hectare site; yields are quite low; only about 3000 cases are made each vintage – a fraction of what the ‘big producers’ churn out. A delicate style bursting with aromas and flavours of orange, honeysuckle, pear and sage leaf. Serve at 9-10 C, and it is recommended that it be uncorked just prior to serving to fully appreciate the vibrant aromas and slight effervescence.

Barone Pizzini Animante Franciacorta Brut DOCG

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Barone Pizzini Animante Franciacorta Brut DOCG ($32.99) with Baked Scallops & Clams in Marinara Sauce

Hailing from one of the oldest wineries in Franciacorta, Barone Pizzini was established in 1870 by the noble Pizzini Family. They were the first winery to implement and promote organic winemaking and sustainability in the region. Indeed, producers in Franciacorta use very unique techniques to fight diseases and pests in their vineyards. For example, to counter the devastating effects of the vine moth, pheromones are strategically placed throughout the vineyards to disrupt the moth’s mating cycle. This is an expensive but eco-friendly way to minimize the moth population. This wine is exceptionally balanced, with fresh acidity supported by a creamy mousse on the palate. Notes of apricot, honey, and something distinctively toasty – from the ‘champagne’-style in-bottle fermentation – linger on the long and expressive finish. Drink 8-10 C.

Curator White

This white blend is made up of three grape varieties; Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier. All the grapes are handpicked. Predominantly Chenin Blanc, this wine has great structure and a nice medium body, the chardonnay is fermented with natural yeast adding flavours of dried peaches, apricots and ripe citrus. The Viognier helps to add a bit of spice and complexity to the finish. Overall this wine is a wonderful food wine.

Served with Focaccia at April 2016 event

Bertha nv Lounge Cava, Spain

A  young Cava wine which has gone through only 9 to 13 months of maturation. It is this youthfulness that provides its most appreciated values - it is fresh, fruity, aromatic and with prevailing primary aromas of the grape itself. The grape varietals chosen for its elaboration are Xarel·lo and Parellada. Cava Bertha Lounge is a special cava with contemporary touches. A different glass adapted to our times. Easy to drink and perfect to experiment with.

Welcome wine at April 2016 event

Luigi Baudana 2012 Dragon Langhe Rosso DOC, Italy

Served with Carbonara at March 2016 Event.

Luigi Baudana 15 one of the last garagiste estates in Langhe With just 4 quality hectares, they are located in some of the most prestigious Barolo crus in Serralunga, Alba, The wines of the Luigi Baudana collection are an expression of powerful, genuine and true to-terroir wines, expressing the best of the Nebbíolo grape.  Baudana, the family name, the historical cru and the hamlet, is a sign of just how deep the family's roots are tied to this land. In 2009 Luigi Baudana entrusted the Vaira family with his historical vines in Serralunga d'Alba.

This wonderful wine is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera. Full of ripe red fruit, spice, bins of earth and mushroom, The structure of this wine should pair wonderfully with the rich, salty character of the carbonara. The fresh acidity will help refresh and cleanse the palate, while the hints of earth and spice should complement the cured pork in the dish. This wine is medium weight and is more about elegance than power.

Rob Dolan 2012 True Colours Chardonnay Yarra Valley, Australia

Rob Dolan 2012 True Colours Chardonnay Yarra Valley, Australia

Rob Dolan is a towering, ex-Aussie rules football player and somewhat god-like in his home city of Adelaide, South Australia. However, it’s in the Yarra Valley, Victoria where he has been making his name for the past 20 years as a winemaker. In 2011 he acquired the Yarra Burn Winery, which was a state of the art winery. In 2012 he released the first wines under his ownership, simply known as” Rob Dolan”. The True Colours range refers to the fact that Rob never hides his true colours. He is friendly, approachable and extremely likeable – just like his wines!! The winery also doubles as a consultant winemaking facility.

In 2013 Rob won the James Halliday “2014 Newcomer of the Year” award.

This Chardonnay, after 10 months in barrel has amazing freshness of fruit but swathed in creamy oak. The palate is full of stone fruit and has balanced acidity.

Tedeschi 2014 Soave DOC, Italia

Tedeschi 2014 Soave DOC, Italia

This wine is produced with grapes originating from the vineyards located in the hills of the Soave area, in the commune of Monteforte d’Alpone, near Verona.  The name of the city of Soave, and thus the wine, derives from “Svevi” or “Suavi”, after the population that attempted to conquer Italy in the year 568.  

This wine is 100% Garganega.  The wine is a lovely straw yellow and has a bouquet of ripe apple, lemon and hints of chamomile and almond.  A great pairing to a variety of classic Italian dishes, but the ripe fruit quality should pair particularly well with the vegetable, fish and cheese dishes.  Serve at 10-12 degrees.

Some Young Punks 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills, Australia

Some Young Punks' texture-rich, zingy Clare Riesling is sourced from 3 sites in the Valley (from north to south): Gully View and Milburn in Watervale and Mocandunda (next to Hanlin Hill), each lying around 440 metres above sea level with a vine age of 14-26 years. 

The winemaking takes in a mixture of whole bunch pressing (80%) and destemming and crushing prior to pressing, before fermentation in a mixture of stainless and neutral oak. A quarter of the wine is fermented with indigenous yeast. The finished wine is a refreshing Kabinett style with only 10.8% alcohol, a gentle 25g of residual and mouth-watering, crunchy acidity. Peach flesh with strong lime and lemon zest on the nose; the palate is saturated with clear, textured fruit - think the mouthwatering flesh of a ripe, cold Feijoa pear - and 2014's incisive, cleaning acidity draws the wine to a succinct close, making it seem a good deal drier than the figures suggest.

October 2015 paired with Green Beans

Niepoort 2009 Tiara Douro DOC, Portugal

Very complex, intense citric and green apple notes. With a wet stone mineral character, even though coming from a warm year, shows only freshness in the aroma. The palate is vibrant and intense with fresh fruit flavors and exceptional lightness. Dryer than previous versions, Tiara 2009 is marked by its mineral character.

October 2015 paired with Greek Salad

Chateau Megyer 2012 Tokaji Furmint, Hungary

Situated in the picturesque region of Tokaji-Hegyalja in northeastern Hungary, the  Megyer estate was classified as “First Growth” in 1772 by Royal decree. In 2002,  UNESCO classified the wine region of Tokaj as a ‘Historic Cultural Landscape’. Soils in the region are largely composed of igneous and sedimentary soils. Vines are  situated on exposed southwest facing slopes and the area enjoys a Continental  climate with cool mornings and hot days during the ripening season.The dry furmint  is aged for 8 months in stainless steel tanks to preserve the freshness of the wine  and to allow full mineral expression. Approximately 125,000 bottles are produced  each year. This wine is notable for its aromatic intensity. Fresh aromas and flavors of white flowers combine with pear, white peach, litchi and soft aromatic pepper.

October 2015 Event - Paired with Spanakopitakia

Callegaro Francesca 2013 Antichi Reassi Pinello Colli Euganei DOC, Italy

From a very small producer in Italy's Colli Euganei, this delightful wine is perfect for summer sipping. Made from the rare, indigenous Pinello grape, the Antichi Reassi is  full of apple, pear and white peach flavours. The gentle sparkling quality of this just  off-dry wine makes it a refreshing choice as an apertif or with lighter fare.

October 2015 Welcome Wine

La Escapada nv Demi Sec Cava, Spain

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La Escapada nv Demi Sec Cava, Spain

 A blend of Macabeo and Parellada, this Cava was aged for a total of 12 months in bottle, 9 months of which was on its lees. This wine is bright, pale straw yellow colour and has a steady rising stream of fine bubbles. Pronounced ripe and aromatic nose with hints of honey, citrus, apple and brioche. In the mouth it shows good structure and excellent balance between ripe fruit and acidity.  The touch of sweetness makes it the perfect accompaniment to generously spiced cuisine.  

Luis Fillipe Edwards Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc ($17.99)

Intensely fragrant with quince, lychee, and lemon zest on the nose, paired with apple, and pink grapefruit in the mouth.

Paul Mas “Vignes de Nicole” Chardonnay/Viognier 2011 ($16.99)

Rich nose of mango, pineapple and vanilla with hints of toast & floral aromas, with a full bodied lingering palate of fresh fruit.

San Salvatore 2013 Falaghina Campania IGT - $25

Aromas of cedar with accents of acacia and hawthorn. With extraordinary minerality on the palate, this is an excellent wine to pair with fresh cheeses like Mozzarella di Bufala and is also very good with shellfish and seafood

Pelee Island Winery - “Secco” $16

Light and frothy with flavours of green apple and pear. Ideal as an aperitif or with a delicate fish such as sole.

Montresor Pinot Grigio $19.99

This dry white wine has a straw yellow color. Its clean,  intense aroma and bone-dry taste (with an appealing flavor of Golden Delicious apples)  makes montresor Pinot Grigio a wine of great personality and versatility.

Villa Chiopris Prosecco $19.00

The grapes are harvested in the vineyards of Villa Chiopris, with only the best grapes being selected. The must is cleaned through cold settling in order to create the sparkling wine base. Fermentation is carried out at low temperature. When the fermentation is complete, the product is filtered and placed in autoclaves and subjected to a sparkling process at a controlled temperature between 14° and 3°C degrees. At the end of this period, the wine is bottled and then there is a further period of refining in the bottle before the wine is distributed. 

ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS:
It has a straw-yellow color with a fine, vivacious perlage.Its bouquet is typical, harmonious and fruity. The taste is fruity, vaguely aromatic and vivacious.

Banfi Pricipessa Gavia Gavi (24.99) ltaly

100% Cortese Grape from the classic Gavi region of Novi Ligure. Intense crisp apple and pineapple with a fresh acidity, well balanced with a delicate dry finish.