Ribatejo, Portugal, MOP98, diam cork seal
Returning from holiday to a garden shrivelled from lack of water is never fun. Lucky though mint's a tough old thing and mine seems to be making 
something of a comeback. While not quite up to the vigour of past features the bright new leaves are a sign of hope. Just as exciting as mint is a bottle of wine with horses on it; in this case a purchase from Macau made from 50% Castelão, 25% Pinot Noir and 25% Touriga Nacional. It comes from the Ribatejo province.
The wine is a vibrant purple colour. The nose is all about dark cherries with sniffs of cranberry, dried herbs and a slight smokiness. These dark cherries that are hanging around the nose also dominate the palate, but in addition there's a distinct milk chocolate creaminess. It's a medium bodied wine that is soft, drinkable and nicely bound with a touch of tartness. The tannins are smooth and integrated and the alcohol well balanced. Quinta da Lagoalva Monte da Casta 2004 is a lovely wine that offers pleasant drinking at a fair price.
Visit winery's useless website.
Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia, stelvin seal
Victoria's Macedon Ranges are an area in which I've spent a bit of time; climbing in the phenomenal bad weather of Camel's Hump and fishing in places I wasn't supposed to. While not particularly well known in Hong Kong, the region makes some cracking good wines. Metcalfe Valley is a relatively new winery and this is their first Sauvignon Blanc realise. This was a gift from a mate who's involved in the venture and it may be the only bottle to have come to Hong Kong.
Metcalfe Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007 is a classic straw gold in colour. The nose is an absolutely delicious mix of tropical fruits; it's dominated by pineapple and passionfruit, but I also smell aromas of starfruit, peach and apricot. These tropical flavours continue on the palate, but there's also a citrus component that brings zingy grapefruit and lime. I was impressed by how drinkable this wine was - it had a lovely long finish, yet remained crisp and refreshing. If I had to find fault I'd say it was a little empty in the mid-palate, but it really is a lovely wine; I'm a fan.
Visit winery website.
28 Kimberly Rd, TST
Visited 22nd August 2008
Some people you just don't want to be stuck with in a confined space (ie. the third floor of a Yuen Long village house), so when a mate's visit happened to coincide with a visit from Typhoon Nuri we decided to sit out the storm in the relative luxury of Lan Kwai Fong. For a good part of the day the eye of the storm was passing over Central and during this eerie calm we scuttled across to TST to visit friends. After a few beers watching the spectacular views of storm clouds streaming past their window it was time for dinner. Most places were shut, but just outside on Kimberly Rd Yuen Kee was open and doing a roaring trade. There's nothing flash about this local eatery which I suppose you'd call a Cantonese dinner.
Typhoon Nuri must have hampered supply lines as they'd run out of duck, run out of pork and even run out of vegetables. Contenting myself with the basics I went with a bowl of noodle soup with prawn wontons and beef. It was a tasty dish; the chunky wontons were packed full of prawn, the beef meltingly tender and the soup base was good. The serve was huge and I couldn't get through it all, though a couple of cans of cold San Miguel did help with digestion.
At only $28 for a huge bowl of noodles and $18 for a beer you can't complain about the prices at Yuen Kee. While the settings not particularly glamorous there's nothing wrong with the food and if you're ever stuck in a typhoon Yuen Kee could be a good option.
Kat Hing Back St, Tai O
Visited 20th August 2008
Back in Hong Kong and a visiting mate needed a break from the bars of Wan Chai so we headed off for a day exploring the wilds of Lantau. Remote Tai O situated on the island's extreme west is a great spot to bring visitors. This old fishing village, where many of the houses are raised on stilts over the water, offers short boat trips to try and see Hong Kong's pink dolphins; we were lucky and I got my first glimpse of these allusive mammals. Tai O's restaurants are outnumbered by stalls selling 'souvenirs', but we managed to find Fook Moon Lam amongst the jars of shrimp paste and pungent piles of dried mussels.
This basic local style restaurant has a pretty standard menu with a focus, as you'd expect, on seafood. We ordered salt and peppers squid and fried grouper with 'sweet' sauce. The heaped plate of squid was excellent with slithers of fiery chilli mixed into the thin, crisp batter. The 'sweet sauce' in which the fillets of grouper were swimming was basically a mix of sweet corn and starch and was interesting though a little too cloying. To accompany the food we kept things simple with a couple of bowls of rice and cans of soft drink.
I didn't mind Fook Moon Lam; things are pretty basic, but there's nothing wrong with plates piled with fresh seafood, especially the tasty tender squid like we had. Prices are reasonable; our squid cost $68 and the fish $60. While it certainly isn't five star the blokes running the show were friendly and the service was efficient. I probably wouldn't trek to Lantau Island just to eat at Fook Moon Lam, but I would to visit Tai O, so get motivated and take a trip to this great little corner of Hong Kong.
20 Middle Hong Kong Rd, Qingdao
Visited August 2008
Being in China is normally a culinary adventure of the highest magnitude, but when you're with a bunch of Olympic athletes things aren't quite as exciting. In Qingdao exotic wok offerings and suspect things on sticks took a back burner to the security and comfort of daily doses of pasta. Located smack bang in the middle of the Central business district Salvatore was our restaurant of choice and I reckon I ate here three or four times while in town. The big open restaurant has an old-school vibe with checked table clothes, cheesy murals covering the walls and an open kitchen at the end ruled over by a very Italian chef, with a very cool moustache.
The menu has all the Italian classics, but features a fantastic selection of pasta sauces and a good number of interesting meat dishes. I remember fondly a serve of spaghetti marinara packed with plenty of fresh seafood and some delicately tender spinach stuffed ravioli. The big generous serves at Salvatore were good and I was perhaps most impressed by the use of fresh ingredients, especially fresh herbs and seafood. In China were wine is very much hit and miss so I was shocked by how good Salvatore's winelist was. The selection was all Italian, but it was balanced; there were some big Amarones and Barolos, but also plenty of value plays from Sicilia and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We drunk decent wine every night and didn't spend over ¥200 a bottle which, for China, is good.
OK it is kind of a bit surreal to spend night after night in China eating at an Italian restaurant, but if you've going to do it Salvatore's isn't a bad place to be stuck. The foods authentic, reasonably priced and tasty; the winelist is surprisingly decent and the service is good. I'm a fan though next time I'm in Qingdao I would like to try somewhere else...
Tsingtao, China, ¥52, cork seal
A rainy day in Qingdao means a day watching wet Olympic sailors from the couch. As the cheese and biscuits emerge we decide (perhaps against better judgement) to open a bottle of Chinese wine. It's a local drop from the Huadong Winery in Tsingtao.
Huadong Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is rather light in colour; a bright ruby red. Hey this smells like Cabernet! OK it's thin, green Cabernet, but still Cabernet. There're aromas of herbs, tobacco overlaying dark cherries and blackberries. The palate's dominated by green vegetables and capsicum with a hint of plums. It's a soft and simple wine. Though it pulls up rather short, there's a little lingering acidity on the dry finish. This is unripe and thin, but it's certainly not terrible and at least has a bit of varietal flavour. Not a totally terrible attempt from an area renowned for its beer.
Visit winery website.
CZ 3451 Shenzhen to Lijiang 10th August 2008
Apart from having to offset a heap of a lot of carbon credits, one thing about taking ten flights in a month means you eat way too much airline food. I thought I offer a quick little summary of how it all tasted: 
• QANTAS - relatively good and assisted by an solid choice of beverages.
• Virgin Blue - having to pay results in a very polite "get stuffed".
• Dragon Air - pretty good and washed down with banter from a very amusing Captain.
• China Eastern - below average and just palatable.
• and finally China Southern. What do China Southern and food have in common? Nothing. The picture shows the box of 'delicious' treats we were given on the five hour flight. A stale 'bun' filled with suspect tuna like substance, an extremely solid piece of 'cake' and a tub of iron hard 'jelly' that resembled a yellow rock; mmmmm truly tasty.
Ping'an, Longsheng, China
Visited 8th August 2008
The Guilin area has bucket loads of natural wonders to awe the visitor. Exploring the town's limestone caves, cruising the spectacular Li River and checking out the fantastic Yangshuo Lightshow are all impressive, but for me the highlight was the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. This truly spectacular spot is located in mountainous Longsheng county, a couple of hours north of Guilin. From the c
arpark visitors trek through steep, but scenic rice terraces to the village of Ping'an were we found the Moon Lake Hotel and lunch.
Though it's packed with eager sightseers the Moon Lake Hotel is still beautifully basic; there's chickens cruising the floor, but there're also fantastic views of the village and valley. Regional specialities are the name of the day and we enjoyed an assorted feast that included: bamboo baked chicken and rice, fried frogs, sautéed potatoes, fresh water fish and a fried local vegetable. The tasty chicken was packed tight into its bamboo case and the rice beneath absorbed a lot of flavour. Appropriately green and slimy the pile of frogs' legs were complimented by a sweet sauce and vegetables. The fish and potatoes were both good, while the 'fried local vegetable' was interesting. I'm not sure what the leaves were, but they had an almost furry texture and a strong, slightly aniseed taste.
There wasn't much to dislike about our lunch at the Moon Lake Hotel. In spots like this price doesn't really matter but it was still good value, with most dishes under asdsd30. The food was fresh and authentic and the views awesome, though they got even better as we followed the trail higher. If you're in the Guilin area get yourself up to Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, lunch at the Moon Lake Hotel will only be the start of the fun.
2/F, Lower Block, City Hall, Edinburgh Place, Central
Visited 4th August 2008
Yum Cha is on of the quintessential Hong Kong dinning experience and Maxims Palace is perhaps the quintessential place to indulge. A house full of guests keen for a day at Ocean Park called for a serious breakfast so we all tumbled into Maxims to prepare for the pandas, turbo drop and pushy hordes following stupid flags. Once located on prim harbour real estate, City Hall now seems to have been a little lost in the glamour of recent developments and land reclamation. Maxims however has lost none of its popularity and though we arrived early enough to avoid the queue, by the time we left there was a huge line waiting for tables. The decor is rather traditional with lots of red and dragons dominating the huge, high ceilinged room. For me though, a touch of class was derived from the gorgeous white porcelain tea-cups and a spectacular view of Victoria Harbour.
Dim Sum is still served by traditional trolley wielding waitress and we ordered up a tower of baskets that included all the usual favourites: sui mei, barbecue pork buns, steamed beef balls, shrimp dumplings, steamed pork ribs, rice paper rolls, spring rolls and fried squid. The quality of ingredients used was obvious and most of the food was top-notch. I was particularly impressed with the seafood and loved the prawn dumplings and sui mei. The selection of alcoholic drinks available 
is pretty limited, but seeing what time of day it was that didn't particularly bother us as we were happy with tea.
Maxims Palace really is a perfect place to bring guests to Hong Kong; the foods excellent, the view fantastic and the restaurant has a classic Hong Kong busy bordering on craziness, yet it's restrained with a hint of elegance. The service was fine and the staff were than happy to assist us ordering items that weren't rolling past on trolleys. Maxims' reputation ensures prices are above your street average yum cha joint with the dim sum ranging from $25 to $44. The bill for four of us came to $503, which isn't bad considering the restaurant's reputation, quality and location. Visiting Maxims seems a bit too much bother for Sunday yum cha - I'd prefer somewhere more local in both location and ambiance - but I'll certainly be taking visitors there in the future. 
Visit restaurant's strangely Chinese only website.
Veneto, Italy, $213, cork seal
This is probably the most widely available and reasonably priced Amarone in Hong Kong. From what I can discover Corte Giara is a side project of the Veneto producer Allegrini who started the brand to make approachable and value-driven, yet regionally true wines. Like all Amarone you'd assume this to be a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.
The dark, inky colour of this gives a hint of things to come. My mate started with a big "how's the nose" and he was spot on in how amazingly intense and complex this smelt. I detected aromas of black cherry, olive, prunes, spice and raisins all wrapped up in a little porty sweetness. The palate took time to open up but when it did there was liquorice, red berries, cherry and a little spice. I was really impressed by how well this wine fitted together. The 15% alcohol was integrated and only showed itself as a pleasant touch of warmth on the tail end; there was plenty of acid that gave it a lively freshness, while the tannins were soft and approachable. Corte Giara Amarone Della Valpolicella 2004 was a lovely wine that beautifully balanced intensity with refreshment; power with approachability.
Lunch with friends
I'm back in Hong Kong for a few days preparing for a holiday in China. Excessive sightseeing with visiting friends has resulted in a much needed rest day spend in front of the TV watching footy. Dinner's a lamb roast, for afternoon tea there's a selection of cheese lined up and for lunch? Why squid sandwiches of course. My mate's passion for these tentacled critters meant that we decided to try this slightly abstract meal; something none of us had ever had before. Generous serves of fresh barbecued squid were squashed into crusty white rolls with lime mayonnaise and lettuce. The result was absolutely superb; a tasty sandwiches that went down perfectly with a few crisp beers.
342 Bridge Rd, Richmond, Melbourne
Visited 27th July 2008
Shopping, no matter where you do it, imparts a very standard response from me; flee, find a cafe and drown the sorrow of the whole thing in caffeine and a good book. Prowling Melbourne's Bridge Rd for bargains, is about as much fun as Causeway Bay on a Sunday afternoon so, before you could say "get-me-the---out of here" I found myself settled in Chimmy's. The place is decked out with mismatched 
chairs, big wooden tables and a counter stacked full of home baked goodness. They're part of Abbotsford's Convent Bakery; which is where they get their baked treats and a certain mate of mine has been know to eat a lot of pies.
I'm sure there's a menu at Chimmy's, but we just selected a couple of things from the display that surrounded the front counter. I went for a ciabatta stuffed with salami, roasted capsicum, tomato and home-made pesto; the crisp, salty bread was divine and the chunky pesto the highlight of the tasty filling. Naomi enjoyed her tomato and onion quiche; the filling was soft and light, while the flaky pastry was buttery and rich. We shared a slice of berry cheesecake that was just as good as it looked and I enjoyed the couple of cafe latte I drunk.
I liked Chimmy's; the food was good and reasonably priced, the staff cheerful and atmosphere perfect for a casual lunch. I was also impressed that they're pretty social aware in choosing their produce; the coffee was fair-trade and many of the ingredients were organic. Bridge Rd however nearly has as many cafes as it does shoppers and though the food was excellent, I'm not sure if it was truly enough to make Chimmy's stand out from the crowd.
Visit restaurant website.
Yarra Valley, Victoria, A$17.99, stelvin seal
I went to school with the D'Anna boys; though I'll quickly add they were a couple of years older. I see Anthony occasionally when I buying wine in Melbourne, but all I hear about Franco is the awesome wines he's making at Hoddles Creek; their family's Yarra Valley winery. Their whole range has gained a reputation for offering super quality and super value; selling for sub A$20 a bottle, they are certainly a contender for offering the best QPR in Australia.
Sparkling yellow in colour the nose on this is clean and fresh. I smell stone fruits, chalk, faint citrus aromas and a hint of spicy oak. On the palate the stone fruit are hanging around with grapefruit and pear flavours, watched over by a nice mineraly edge. It's well put together with a restrained, clean-cut jibe, integrated alcohol and good length. Hoddles Creek Chardonnay 2007 is an awesome wine; it drinks beautifully and offers pleasure and sophistication at bargain price.
Visit winery website.
49 Cook St, Flinders, Victoria
Visited 25th July 2008 
Located on the south-east corner of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, the sleepy fishing village of Flinders, is now more a sleepy village of million dollar holiday homes. For me a visit to Australia isn't complete without a stop at the Flinders Village Cafe; a place where many of my mates have washed dishes and made coffees over the years. Located in a charming old weatherboard house, the cafe is decked out wit
h stunning art, while out front there's a shady courtyard that's a great place to sit and appreciate the resident bird life.
Normally at the Flinders Village Cafe I can't go past their famous homemade sausage rolls, but we'd dropped in for breakfast so bacon and eggs it was. I ordered up a serve of eggs and selected sausages, mushrooms and bacon for accompaniments. The huge pile of food rivalled the massage sausage rolls in both size and flavour. My eggs were cooked perfectly and severed atop thick cut grain bread, while the generous amounts of bacon, mushrooms and sausages were hedonistically delicious. At only $15 for such a huge plate, the food's great value for an area where dollars often rule over common sense. To drink I enjoyed a couple of excellent coffees.
The Flinders Village Cafe is a favourite, a place I associate with good times; friends and holidays at the coast. Warm, welcoming service, excellent food and a charming environment make it a great stop for breakfast before a visit to the Paringa or Moorooduc Estate wineries or lunch after a surf.
31 Phillip Road, Woori Yallock, Victoria, Australia
Visited 19th July 2008
Sometimes life just tumbles into place. Friday night dinner with mates at the Healesville Hotel meant I was in the perfect location to swing past Woori Yallock and Hillcrest Saturday morning. Run by David and Tanya Bryant, Hillcrest is a small winery that has gained a big reputation for producing top quality Yarra Valley wines. Only open to the public once a year they put on an annual retrospective tasting where every past vintage of every wine is opened.
Chardonnay
This was perhaps the series of wines I found most interesting. Ranging from 2002 to 2007 all the wines showed excellent elegance, finesse and class. I was particularly with both the 2005 and 2006 Premium Chardonnays and the 2003 Estate Chardonnay. I suppose what impressed me the most was the ability of these wines to age gracefully; retaining their elegance and complexity, yet remaining clean and drinkable.
Pinot Noir
The range of Pinot Noir at Hillcrest stretch back to 2001 and it was interesting to try them side-by-side. Perhaps with the exception of the 2002 all the wines were holding up well, with the intensity of the fruit and tannins suggesting long futures. The Estate Pinot Noir 2003 won me over with its rich fruit, but my favourite was the delicious herbs, cherry and game flavours of the awesome Estate Pinot Noir 2006 (which I preferred to the higher priced 'Premium' and 'Reserve' wines). Structured, rich and multi-layered Hillcrest makes Pinot Noir as it should be.
Cabernet Sauvignon
I'm not sure if I prefer Yarra Valley Pinot or Cabernet, but the region does both bloody well. The first realise of Hillcrest Cabernet was 2003 and all five vintages were still fresh and vibrant. My favourite was the Premium Cabernet 2005. Though it had plenty of delicious dark fruit flavour, it wasn't a massive over-bearing monster, but more a thing of beauty and balance; it was a classic wine where acid, fruit and tannin met in harmonious bliss. Yet again an impressive line-up of wine.
The Hillcrest Open Day was a fantastic opportunity; being able to see how top quality Yarra Valley wines age was a fascinating and informative experience. The wines themselves were outstanding and the chance to chat to the enthusiastic David Bryant put the whole experience into perspective. Though it's only open one day a year the Hillcrest winery is certainly worth a visit.
Visit winery website.
Touring the Clare Valley
15th July 2007
Thankfully breakfast options in Clare are slightly better than what's available of an evening. We started the day with a good selection of fried treats and decent coffee at the Epic Cafe and after a quick browse of the local Op Shop it was again time for a little sip and sample.
Sevenhill Cellars (website)
First stop was Sevenhill Cellars. Founded by Jesuit monks in 1851 Sevenhill Cellars is the one of Australia's iconic wineries and the Clare's oldest. The beautiful grounds come complete with chapel, crypt, cellar and an interesting museum of early wine making in the Clare. They grow a lot of Pedro Ximenez for making alter wine of which they are Australia's main supplier. Of their more secular offerings I enjoyed the floral nose of the Inigo Riesling 2007, but thought their reserve St Aloysius Riesling 2007 didn't live up to expectations. Both the Gewurztraminer 2006 and Inigo Semillon 2007 were OK wines, but nothing particularly special. The Grenache 2006 was soft and fruity with plenty of pepper, while the Indigo Shiraz 2005 had a smoky gaminess about it. I enjoyed the Indigo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 which had more complex aromas, rich plum flavours and excellent texture. Sevenhill is worth a visit for its historic grounds and beautiful setting, but to be honest the wines didn't particularly offer inspiration.
Tim Adams (website)
When I met Tim recently at a tasting in Hong Kong he encouraged me to drop in and visit his cellar door. We stuck our heads in and he proved just as friendly and informative as he was in Hong Kong; stopping work for a chat and a bit of banter. He's a genuine guy and I can say I really like Tim Adams and his wines. My notes for many of the wines are similar to the last tasting, though I was impressed by the reserve range that I hadn't had before. The Reserve Riesling 2007 was a lovely drop with balanced acidity, minerality and citrus flavours. I liked the elegantly structured Reserve Merlot 2004 and loved the excellent Reserve Tempranillo 2006. The back vintage Aberfeldy Shiraz 2001 was an awesome wine; still fresh and youthful it had a good dash of intriguing pepper while the excellent Botrytis Riesling 2006 was a deliciously sweet finish.
Paulett Wines (website)
Named after settlers from Poland who arrived in the 1850s, the Polish Hill River sub-region has some of the most renowned terroir in The Clare and the balcony at Paulett's cellar door offers a great perspective of the valley. They're a small family owned company and I was impressed by the quality of their wines. The Paulett's Polish Hill River Riesling 2008 was fresh and crisp with lovely citrus flavours and good length, while their Sauvignon Blanc 2008 was refreshingly fruity, nicely balanced and not over the top. The Cabernet Merlot 2004 had a delicious aroma of raspberries, good structure and nice herbal notes on the palate. I liked the Shiraz 2004, but their reserve release The Andreas Shiraz 2004 was a superior wine; dark, rich and tannic, it was packed with loads of intense black fruit.
Pikes (website)
Pikes could be responsible for my love of Riesling. Years ago their version was my knock off drink of choice while working in Chinese restaurant in Darwin. The Pike family started off as brewers back in 1886, but today they're all about their wine. I though both the 'Traditionale' Riesling 2007 and the semi-sweet 'Olga Emmie' Riesling 2007 were excellent. The 'Gills Farm' Viognier 2006 was a good example of a variety I'm not overly enthusiastic about; it wasn't 
'oily' or 'flabby', but a fresh and intense drop with a lovely nutty flavour. The reds were all of a high standard, but my favourites were the 'Dog Walk' Cabernet Merlot 2006, the 'Premio' Sangiovese 2004 and the outstanding 'Eastside' Shiraz 2005, all of which had powerful noses, impressive length and beautiful texture.
A pie stop at the South Gawler Bakery and we were on our way back to Adelaide after an absolute cracking couple of days in the Clare. The Rieslings I tried were all fantastic, but for me the surprise was how good Clare Cabernet was. I was also impressed with the Semillon, Grenache and Tempranillo I tasted; varieties that I think have a real future in this fantastic part of the world.
Touring the Claire Valley
14th July 2008
Australian Riesling is awesome, yet sadly it doesn't get the recognition it deserves here in Hong Kong. Even in Australia it's undervalued and the large number of bottles I've got stashed under my parents' house testify to the ridiculous prices it can often be had for. The Claire Valley, along with nearby Eden Valley, are the traditional homes of the variety in Australian and surprisingly were two areas I'd never previously visited. My mate didn't take much convincing and pretty quick my couple of days in Adelaide had become a couple of days exploring The Claire. It was a quick pie at the Gawler South Bakery before onwards to Riesling ...
Neagles Rock (website)
The first two places I wanted to visit - Grosset and Mt Horrocks - were both shut so we ended up at Neagles Rock. Established in 1997 they are a relatively new winery that's done a good job marketing their wines with some very cool labels. They had two vintages of Riesling on tasting though I preferred the fresh acidly and citrus flavours of 2007 to the 2006. Their Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007 was round and full with nice nutty characteristics; a pleasant wine. I liked the soft, bright Grenache Shiraz 2005 that had all the required red fruit and pepper, while the Sangiovese 2006 was a nice wine with a performed nose, good length and beautifully balanced fruit. I wasn't particularly taken with the Shiraz 2005, but I liked the Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 which was packed with varietal richness.
Mitchells (website)
Our next stop was Mitchell Wines; a producer that I reckon unfairly slips through the net of popularity. The winery was established in 1975, but the cellar door is housed in a rustic old sandstone apple shed. There Riesling 2007 had sold out, but the Riesling 2004 they had open was a lovely aged release that was still vibrant, with a lovely long finish. The Mitchell Semillon 2006 was complex, yet good value and had a lovely herbal nose. Their GSM blend used Sangiovese instead of the usual Shiraz and had lush berries on the palate, a peppery nose and was soft and drinkable. The Cabernet was the highlight and Mitchells 2003 release had an awesome nose, rich flavour and good tannin structure. The Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz 2005 was a dark and intense wine, though I preferred the more complex and better integrated McNicol Shiraz 2000.
Kilikanoon (website)
Kilikanoon is a Cornish word that travelled to South Australia with the immigrant tin miners who worked at nearby Burra a hundred and fifty years ago. While Cornwell's famous for exporting tin miners, pasties and my mother, Kilikanoon's renowned for it's Oracle Shiraz that was recently awarded the title of 'World's Best Shiraz' at the London International Wine Challenge. I enjoyed the citrusy Mort's Block Riesling 2007, but though the Mort's Reserve Riesling 2007 was a better balanced, more flinty and subtle wine. The tasty Barrel Fermented Semillon 2007 was all about pineapple and toasty oak, while the Prodigal Grenache 2005 ha
d flavours of cherry and pepper with an herbal edge and lovely length and texture. My favourite wine at Kilikanoon was the Blocks Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2005; a big, well structured wine with a delicious nose and plenty of lovely fruit. The Covenant Shiraz 2005 was also a tasty tipple with an intense, spicy nose, silky tannins and a real moreish quality.
Knappstein (website)
Located in the Claire township, Knappstein started life as a brewery. The cellar door is still located in the original stone brewery and they have recently re-released the fruity Enterprise Ale. I actually found the Hand Picked Riesling 2007 a little disappointing, though I did enjoy soft, sweet pear and apple flavours of the Late Harvest Riesling 2006. Half their selection required a fee to taste (something I'm not keen on paying), but of the wines I did try I enjoyed the Shiraz 2005 and the intense, sweet cherry flavoured Fortified Shiraz 2002. My mate was a big rap for their sparkling Shiraz, but by this 
stage I'd lost patience with a rude cellar door manager and had called it an afternoon.
For a wine region quality dinning options are relatively sparse in The Clare. We managed to get a nice coffee in Wild Saffron as they were shutting and then decided a bit of reconnaissance was in order. It only took a drink in each pub to decide that Bentley's Hotel was the option for dinner and settled for a reasonable counter meal. After a packed day and an early night was in order and it only took a brief reminder of how terrible Australian reality TV is to send me straight to sleep.
78 Penfold Road, Magill, Adelaide, Australia
Visited 13th July 2008 
Summer holidays day one and I'm back in Australia. Instead of heading straight to Melbourne I've decided to first spend a few days in Adelaide visiting mates (and wineries). After a delicious breakfast, that only Australian cafes do so well, we were looking to fill in a little time until it was deemed acceptable to visit the great Wheat Sheaf Hotel. The suburban winery of Magill Estate provided a very workable solution.
One of the World's few city vineyards Penfolds Magill Estate was planted in 1844, just eight years after Adelaide's foundation. Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and his wife Mary established the vineyard for medicinal wine around their cottage; 'The Grange', from which, of course, sprung the Penfolds empire. Over the years Adelaide has 
(slowly) grown, land has been sold off and the current 12.94 acres of vines is piddly compared with the 296 acres the estate had at its height in 1949. It's now all Shiraz; the best of which goes into the premium, single vineyard Magill Estate wine and on occasions Grange. The estate still works as a functioning winery producing many of Penfolds premium and ultra premium labels, while their huge Barossa winery churns out their commercial ranges.
The small cellar-door was honestly a bit of a disappointment. There were only four wines open for tasting and it seemed more set up to sell souvenir t-shirts and corkscrews than introducing visitors to the Penfolds wine range. I did however enjoy their Eden Valley Riesling that was on tasting; fragrant, citrusy and acidic, it was a nice wine from a producer famous for reds. The limited realise Penfolds Koonunga Hill “Seventy Six” Shiraz Cabernet 2006 was nearly worth the asking price for it's funky retro label alone; though it was also a nicely balanced wine with plenty of dark berries and spice.
For us the highlight came when my mate clicked he knew one of the wine makers and we were off on a tour of the cellars before you could say "show use your barrels of St Henri my good man". For an Australian wine lover descending into the old brick tunnels to see barrel after barrel of Grange, RWT and St Henri is something akin to looking at the Federal Bank's gold reserves. Whether you love or hate Penfolds, the renown of their wines, especially Grange, has done much to show the world the potential of Australian fine wine. We walked out of out Magill Estate with smiles on our faces, but decided we'd had enough of history and wanted a beer.
Visit winery website.
Sierra Foothills, USA, $119, stelvin seal
This sounds like a perfume - "Obsession Symphony; the new fragrance for the Californian Man" - but it's actually a bottle of wine made from the Symphony grape. Created at the University of California in the 1960s Symphony is a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris. I'd never heard of Ironstone Vineyards, but after a little research and I now know that they're a large producer located in the Sierra Foothills AVA which is apparently "in the heart of California’s scenic Gold Rush Country".
OK; Ironstone Vineyards 'Obsession' is a nice straw golden colour. It smells delicious with plenty of lush tropical flavours; guava and melon dominate but there's also a twist of lime, grapes and flowering herbs. The first couple of sips were very 'fresh' with a touch of frizzante action, but it settled down to become rather full and lush. There're plenty of tropical fruit flavours on the palate, plus peaches and pears. It's got a touch of sweetness, but it's subtle enough to just round the palate off nicely. Ironstone Vineyards 'Obsession' Symphony 2006 really is an attractive wine; reasonably priced, well suited to local cusine and delightfully aromatic.
Visit winery website.
something of a comeback. While not quite up to the vigour of past features the bright new leaves are a sign of hope. Just as exciting as mint is a bottle of wine with horses on it; in this case a purchase from Macau made from 50% Castelão, 25% Pinot Noir and 25% Touriga Nacional. It comes from the Ribatejo province.
The south-western Chinese province of Yunnan is by all accounts pretty spectacular. Natural wonders like 
Lijiang truly is a marvellous spot. It's a long way from Hong Kong and Beijing and this is perhaps part of its charm. The couple of days I spent there have inspired me to return and I'm looking forward to exploring more of Yunnan Provence in the future. I'd definitely recommend Lijiang to those interested in a visit to a spectacular and unique part of China.
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