2014 Cake Wines Adelaide Hills Rose

A Rose to add to Rose-lovers' lists: 2014 the Hills (SA) Cake Wines. A Grenache Pinot Noir. That mid-red, strawberry pink or tangerine/blood orange. It smells of milky apple, strawberry sugar or piquant pepper orange; on the palate just that little bit sweet, but ultimately dry through orange peel. Ten per cent of proceeds go to independent radio = go figure. And they select parcels of grapes etc. Found at the fab-O Bangalow Cellars.

The image below is from their website = see flavours:

This is from their 'Artist Series', 'a light to medium bodied approachable range of wine'. Cake is 'a boutique wine producer, created in 2011 by young wine makers and young wine lovers. [Their] wine making team is based in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills headed up by Tim Burvill'. The artist is Bennett.

2012 Betty and Max Clare Valley Reisling

From the FabO Bangalow Cellars. The beautiful, clear gold of Reisling. And it smells of a strangely, even alien sweetness with a citrus lime/lemon. On the palate it's unexpected: a kind of drinkable/not so easily drinkable subtle citrus.  A great Reisling, I think. But I may not return to it. Try harder, I implore, and I may be with you forever. Reisling can be astonishing. You just got to get there.

2012 Tahbilk The Tower MVR

Tahbilk make an Australian icon: their Marsanne. And the MVR is a mixture of that and Viognier and Roussanne. Both Marsanne and Roussanne are what I would describe as pretty rare in Oz wine. But try the MVR if you want to get back to wine the colour of rock-pool seawater:  a kind of clear gold tinged with green. It smells of strawberries and lime, if that's possible. And is kind of salty like sea water. It would be fab with food: whitebait or sardines. At the time that I write this, it's new to Dan Murphy's in Lismore: thank god someone had the nous to get it.

2013 De Casta Torres Catalunya Rose Wine

Made from  Cariñena (Mediterranean) grapes (only found this out by looking up the winery on the web: I wish all wineries would put the grape variety on their labels!), this s a rose, made by Miguel Torres, which you think of when you think rose. Sensual if not luscious: just the tiniest bit underplayed to be exceptionally luscious (but, then, who wants a luscious wine?), but very close to it, too close to call probably. A scintillating strawberry-pink (mind, I said pink) of great clarity, with strawberries and cream on the nose and palate, but without any sweetness in the fruit or cream, perhaps only a hint, like strawberries on the turn from mid-ripe to full ripeness. A completely luscious wine, there I said it, to drink in early summer, or winter when you're having red beans in a fake shepherd's pie or in tacos, or salami pizza. Under $20. I got mine from the fab Clunes bottle shop/cellars, under the helm of Jared Dixon of Jilly Wines. He knows a good wine when he drinks it ... or makes it! Pretty much a to-die-for rose. (Possibly a bit too lolly water for some, but those some, then, don't get it.)



2013 Torbreck Barossa Valley Saignée

So I would not say no to a Mataro-based Rosé after this one (though I will maintain Pinot Noir is still hard to beat ultimately).

Smelling of strawberries. Looking like watered blood or semi-ripe tomato juice in colour. And tasting of ... I don't really know as yet what blood orange tastes like, but this tastes like what the words 'blood orange' should taste like.

A good food wine. But also available to drink slowly late summer / early autumn out in the open air.

A clear, elegant label of black o white with a tree-like vine image. Bought from the ever-reliable Cellars, this time at Bangalow.

2012 Kilikanoon 2012 Killerman's Run Clare Valley Riesling

Great Year and Great Place for Riesling. While this is good, it is not as lush as some Rieslings I've had lately. This is a mixture of vineyards, although that has not meant less-than-good in Rieslings I've tried lately.

This is gooseberry in perfume and tart citrus on the palate. But a beautiful, clear, almost opalescent pale gold in colour.

The Kilikanoon is a distinct label: you always recognise the star and circle-rim caps lettering.

I recently tried a Shiraz which I'd recommend first before this Riesling.

Kevin Mitchell = winemaker.

2009 Rookery Kangaroo Island Riesling

Looking for the bestest Riesling (I know, it's not hard if you choose a Clare Valley Watervale aournd 2012)? But, hey, this is another, but probably difficult to find. And surprisingly I found it in the Northern Rivers: the fab Cellars (three shops in the area). Mind you, Rookery also take grapes from Eden Valley. I was sceptical at first, since the label referred to 'confectionery' and 'sweet lollie' (meant to the lolly methinks). And I am never after a sweet Riesling unless it's an ice one with dessert. But here was a dry, finish-the-bottle-in-one-go Riesling.