Denkmark Wineries (Singlefile and Harewood)

Hi everyone,

BF and I went down south to Albany for a few days and while we were there I managed to stop in at two wineries between Albany and Denmark. I had planned to visit a few more wineries around Albany and Mt Barker however I ended up getting sick towards the end of the trip and have spent the week since recovering. BF and I adored the region however! The scenery of the region is quite unlike that of Margaret River. The wineries too are not as well accessible as Margaret River, which has spent a significant amount of time, money and effort to create itself as the wine-seekers destination when heading south of Perth.

Harewood

2012 Porongurup Riesling ($21).

Floral, citrus and passionfruit nose with green apple and passionfruit on the palate of this wine is finished off by a nice mineral finish. I did like this wine and would happily have it again!

2011 Chardonnay ($34).

I quite liked this Chardonnay. Grapefruit, stone fruit and a nice touch of vanilla from it’s time on oak came through on the palate. Would have again.

2011 Pinot Noir ($21).

A much younger and less complex Pinot Noir to the reserve. Nice, but didn’t wow me.

2010 Reserve Pinot Noir ($45).

I really liked this wine but was hanging out to try more from Mount Barker before picking up some bottles to bring back. A really nice wine, a little more expensive that what I would have liked to paid for a Pinot I liked for the region but I would be happy to splurge for this one from time to time. Lots of dark berries, dried fruits and rich chocolate to be found in this wine.

2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($34).

Blackcurrant, plums and vanilla on the palate and nose of this wine had me quite excited! It was a nice delicate wine that could be drunk now, however I personally feel it would be superb with a few more years in the bottle.

Singlefile

I featured Singlefile winery in a Halliday Day post last, which can be found here.

NV Run Free Serendipity Curvée ($26).

Quite a nice sparkling. Grapes sourced from Pemberton region. Citrus on the nose and palate with the palate having a nice texture and crisp finish. Would have again.

2012 Pemberton Fume Blanc ($30).

This wine is a testament to how my palate has changed since starting this blog! I had the opportunity to try this wine back in November of last year at the WA Boutique Wine Show and was not overly impressed with the wine, this time around I ended up walking away with a bottle of it to take home with me. This oaked Sauvignon Blanc had a beautiful texture and it really enhanced the grassy and spicy flavours and aromas in the wine.

2012 Reserve Chardonnay ($45).

A delightful wine with stone fruit, a hint of citrus and a good creamy nuttiness across the nose and palate of this wine. This wine was very nice and getting closer to a Chardonnay that I feel I would enjoy (one with a good amount of oak). I contemplated picking up a bottle of this wine but in the end decided against it as the backseat of the car was beginning to look like a wine cellar. Would happily try this wine again!

2012 Run Free La vie en Rosé ($20).

Shiraz and Grenache blended Rosé. Grapes sourced from Porongurup region. Lovely strawberry, herb and vanilla nose to the wine. Palate did not disappoint with a refreshing and clean finish. Picked up a bottle of this to take home.

2012 Pemberton Pinot Noir ($30).

This Pinot Noir was nice, but it did not ‘blow my socks off’ as I was hoping for a Pinot Noir to do during my time in the region. Lots of cherries, other berries and spiciness on the nose and palate. Good texture and palate weight. Overall not a bad wine and would try again.

2010 Mount Barker Syrah ($37).

A medium bodied Shiraz with delicate berry flavour on the palate and a hint of pepperiness. This is a Shiraz that I wouldn’t mind drinking and I ended up picking a bottle of this up as a gift.

2010 Barossa Shiraz.

This Shiraz was full bodied and packed a punch. It was nice to try this wine however it was not a style of wine that I would quickly go back to, I must admit that Shiraz is not a favourite varietal of mine.

Until next time!

Wine(s) of the Week: University (week 8)

Hi everyone,

I caught up with some friends to farewell one who is leaving back to Norway. We went to a regular haunt of ours – Little Creatures in Fremantle for a meal. With my meal I decided to have a glass of the Bellarmine 2011 Riesling from Pemberton. It was an ok Riesling for me, with its zesty, fresh, vibrant and a clean mineral finish on the palate however I would have loved to see more stone fruits on the nose and palate as I love and cannot resist a Riesling with apple flavours.

The other wine I tried this past week was a new red wine at work from Portugal called ‘Lab’. I was also drawn to this wine as it had two new grape varietals for me (Castelão and Touriga Nacional) in it along with Shiraz and Tempranillo (Tinta Roriz). At only $10 a bottle I was prepared to give it a go, and even if it wasn’t that great I would be two grapes closer to my 100 needed for the Wine Century Challenge.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with the wine. I used my Vinturi to really open up the wine and besides it being a a little more sharp than smooth at the start before mellowing out towards the back of the palate. This wine is punching well above it’s price bracket and one that I would happily recommend!

My last ‘drink’ for the week was some tea from T2. I was given a gorgeous tea cup by a friend as a graduation gift and figured it was only fitting to whip out the fancy teas again to test out the cup. I have retried the English Breakfast which I tried many weeks ago and still love as a hearty tea to start my morning.

I also decided to give Earl Grey tea another go after having been turned off it when I over brewed it a few too many times while backpacking Europe. I  must say it was much better than I remembered and quite a relaxing cup of tea over the weekend.

Until next time!

Wine(s) of the Week: UnWined WA 2012

Hi everyone,

I’ve just returned home from a day out at the UnWined WA show in Subiaco. Had some amazing wines and spoke to numerous lovers of food and wine as well as some very friendly wine makers and winery staff.

Some Highlights from the show (in no particular order):

1. Fifth Estate Wines (Harvey, Western Australia)

Their Rose was the standout for me out of all the ones I tried at the show! I cannot put my finger on what it was but I was so impressed I ended up with two bottle plus one of their Tempranillo to take home with me, thanks to winning a competition for pre-purchasing my tickets to the show. Jessica who was running the booth was friendly and approachable and a good ambassador of the winery! Keep an eye out for a more in-depth review of these wines in the near future.

2. Silkwood (Pemberton, Western Australia)

I tried their dry Riesling (still quite sweet), Verdelho and Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir was definitely better than the ones I tried at the Blackwood Valley Wine Show last weekend and renewed my faith in their being potential for a Pinot Noir from Western Australia. The Riesling as well was a pleasant drink and one that I will definitely purchase once I’ve depleted some of the wines I currently have at home!

3. After Hours (Margaret River, Western Australia)

The wines I tasted at the After Hours stall were all solid Margaret River wines. The white wines were fresh, zesty and refreshing and the Cabernet Sauvignon was smooth but had a decent amount of body to please me. You can find these wines in Perth at Glendalough Liquor, Wembley Hotel and Bottel-o in East Vic Park.

4. Chalice Bridge (Margaret River, Western Australia)

The father and son duo running the booth were a pleasure to talk to and kept us entertained while the brief bout of bad weather passed over. The wines all had the expected Margaret River characteristics, and the quality was definitely there! Halliday has rated a number of their premium line at 93 or 94 points (wines RRP is $25). A tricky winery to find in Perth as they export much of their wines to the eastern states of Australia and overseas. However they are stocked at Celebrations in Myaree!

5. Woodland Winery (Margaret River, Western Australia)

This is the winery which produced the $45 wine to rival Penfold’s Grange in Halliday’s eyes (article here) – for a fraction of the cost! Their reds were a standout with their high use of Malbec across their red wines creating some interesting and yummy wines. Will have to check out their full range of wines at their new cellar door, which opens this summer!

6. Plantagenet Winery (Mount Barker, Western Australia)

This is the winery who’s Riesling took out three trophies at the 2012 Qantas Wine Show of WA, and will be featured in my Halliday Day Winery blog post tomorrow. While they only had their Omrah basic line available for sampling there was still very nice wines to sample! Their Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc being the best that we felt we had tasted across the day! The staff on at the booth were also a pleasure to talk to!

7. Woodgate Winery (Manjimup, Western Australia)

The best Bubbly that I tried at the show! The Wine Maker (Mark Aitken) followed the traditional methods from Champagne to make a wine that I would personally pay far more for than its $30 price tag and would say it is superior to many of the true French Champagne’s that I have tried in the past. One to keep an eye out for in independent bottle shops around Perth!

Overall it was a pleasant way to end the weekend and I am already looking forward to the 2013 show! For those of you who wish you had gone to the show this weekend fear not! There is also a show being run by this same company this coming weekend in Bunbury, details can be found here.

I did also get the chance to sample some dukkah, mustards and vinegars. This resulted in the only purchases I made at the event as the Guava Vinegar was so different a taste that I had to buy some so I could give it a try over a salad! I will let you know how the vinegars turn out!

Hope you all had a good weekend! Please feel free to add me on Twitter, Like me on Facebook and continue to follow this blog!

Until next time!