Harvey Steiman's Blog Archives
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August 2008
The Beauty of a Spiral
Posted: 04:24 PM ET, August 27, 2008
The forest of spiral-topped bottles in front of me attested to just how fast things can change. It seems like only yesterday that a twist-off was a rare thing to see on a wine bottle.
The sight cheered me up so much I grabbed my video camera to share my joy. Read more
Developments at Henry's Drive
Posted: 11:56 AM ET, August 25, 2008
Kim Longbottom, who started Henry's Drive in Padthaway, Australia, with her husband, Mark, recently stopped by for a visit and brought along some of their first wines to show me how they are developing.
They planted their first vineyards in 1992, continuing through the 1990s to reach almost 500 acres. Read more
Aussie Whites: Some Thoughts on Style
Posted: 02:00 PM ET, August 21, 2008
As I was tasting through a very impressive range of Australian Chardonnays and Rieslings this week, I couldn't help thinking how elegant and refined these wines were.
Granted, these were mostly wines that had scored well in the past with me, such as Leeuwin Estate Art Series from Margaret River, Shaw and Smith M3 from Adelaide Hills and Giaconda from Victoria, with several ringers to keep me honest. Read more
New Aussie Wines from Old Dogs
Posted: 02:34 PM ET, August 14, 2008
I recently got a preview taste of the first wines from Oatley Estate. I wrote about this project last year after sharing a few drinks with the principals, owner Robert Oatley and executive deputy chairman Chris Hancock. Those two started Rosemount Estate in 1976 and created the fruit-forward easy-drinking style that made Australian wines a hit with American consumers. Read more
Want to Buy an Aussie Winery?
Posted: 10:24 AM ET, August 11, 2008
Constellation Brands announced this week that it wants to sell three of its Australian winemaking facilities and lay off about 350 workers there. The announcement makes a lot more sense in the context of a conversation I had about a month ago with James Mariani, family proprietor of Banfi Vintners. Read more
A Tale of Two De Bortolis
Posted: 03:34 PM ET, August 04, 2008
When it comes to sweet wines, Australia might be best known for what used to be known as liqueur Muscat and and Tokay. Those are fortified wines, now simply known by their correct varietal names, Muscat and Muscadelle.
De Bortoli, one of Australia's largest independently owned wineries, makes an exceptional wine in the other notable sweet wine style, from botrtytis-affected grapes. Read more
Beyond the Restaurant Shuffle at Palmilla
Posted: 01:52 PM ET, August 01, 2008
Charlie Trotter is out and Jean-Georges Vongerichten in at the One & Only Palmilla, one of the top luxury resorts in Mexico, but that's only half the story.
A terse announcement earlier this week from Palmilla, the posh resort in Los Cabos, said that Trotter's five-year contract to run C, the featured restaurant there, would not be renewed when it expires in September. Read more
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