November wine review

The end of winter arrives and this is probably the last of the reds I drink for a while.

Montgeard-Mugneret Vosne Romanee 2002

This was the real bargain of the month. A bottle of this plonk usually costs abut $100. But thanks to some staining of the label the price is reduced to $50. In the world of wine appearances are important. Any taint of disfigurement of the label after all could indicate that the wine was mistreated. We gambled and came up a winner.

this is a very young burgundy. Subtle, smooth and I would say sophisticated. But surely for the non-expert being sophisticated is an oxymoron when it comes with a whiff of the compost heap (which in wine terms in a good thing).

This isn’t a bold in flavour as many Aussies may like. This smelt very fresh with all the usual berry fragrances but I’m sure I also caught a whiff on fish sauce. It could have been from the Asian food I was eating. Or it could have been something from the compost heap.

McClay Road Shiraz 2003

If you are in to cult wines then you’ve probably already been seen with a few bottles of Giaconda. Impressive and very expensive. For down nearer $30 McClay Road is the diffusion range from the boys at Giaconda. Still great wine but better value. Again there is the smell of a nicely fermenting compost pile and a whiff of wet dog. It reminds me of kicking damp autumn leaves on the forest floor. Very dark in colour, spicy, yet smooth. Great for a meat like beef. Too heavy for pork or lamb.

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2003

As near to a classic Burgundy as you can get from Central Otega, New Zealand. Again, the faint whiff of compost returns (maybe it’s the worm farm out back, we’re getting so much of it today). This red smells of spring thanks to notes of citrus cut by underlying spice. But at over $60 a bottle is bloody expensive.

Finally,we were down at Aldi buying boring things like recycled bog roll. Among the generators and unbelievably cheap computer stuff is wine. The bottles, casks and flagons of sherry look pretty ordinary stacked in the supermarkets no frills style. The $6 clean skin shiraz tasted pretty good and at the checkout a couple were singing the praises of the casks. We’ll be back to pick-up a selection to taste for the blog. After all Aldi is a global brand and probably doesn’t want to be known for selling shit – unlike some supermarket brands we could name. Could be some bargain gems to be had.