2011 Australian Wine Companion - out now

I don't know why but I'm one of those people that enjoys having books sitting in my book case. Not that I read a lot but it is something that would give any visitor a reasonable glimpse into my personality.

Among my collection is 6 editions of James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion which will probably tell you straight away that I am an Aussie (No Prize for Guessing). So I was delighted to hear that the latest book of Aussie wine wisdom is out now being the 2011 edition.

The big change this year is the addition of an iphone application, which at $9.99 (AU I think) will be a big hit with New World wine buffs. Brilliant! Now anyone, and everyone, will be an annoying wine expert.

Next time you go out for dinner watch the guy who gets the wine list, excuses himself to go to the bathroom and then comes back an expert on the Australian wines on the list. Chances are he has the new Australian wine companion app!

Personally I will stick to the book because I enjoy sharing the joy of discovery with friends as we try the wine and then flip through the pages together to look up how close we were to the official ratings.

You can get your BOOK copy of the companion HERE and the iphone app HERE.

Dean

'Touch Here" for your Wine List!

The iPad has taken the world by storm but the amount of creative uses that people are coming up with is truly amazing!

A New York City restaurant, South Gate, is now featuring their Wine List on iPad.
A taste of things to come?

For the full story check out SlipperyBrick.com

Summerhouse wines 2010 vintage news.

The team at Summerhouse wines in New Zealand have been working hard lately in some pretty cold conditions as well. Here is the latest information they had on the 2010 harvest and other happenings around the vineyard.

     2010 Harvest News

This years harvest was a fairly relaxed time. We were blessed with fantastic weather so all the fruit was picked and in the winery before the late autumn rain set in. The fermentations have now come to an end and the labour intensive process of lees-stirring has started.

This is Heather and Meric's 12th harvest at Summerhouse. "So to the end of another harvest at Summerhouse" comments Meric. "The cool, slow start to the year was followed by perfect summer and autumn weather conditions that enabled us to pick individual parcels of fruit when they were ready. The fruit was clean, bunch sets were perfect and the yields were spot on. So far 2010 is looking like a fantastic vintage for Marlborough and Summerhouse."

Now we are about a quarter of the way through the long but important process of pruning the vines. We carefully prune the Summerhouse vines to ensure quality and even ripening in next years fruit. 

Wine Making News

We have some new additions to the barrel hall this year - French oak Pungeon barrels. These are the largest barrels we use and hold 500 litres. They will add warm sweet oak flavours to the chardonnay.

We will have a more detailed report on the vintage as soon as they get the chance to jot down a few words.

It's a fair Cop!

From The Drinks Business www.thedrinksbusiness.com

Police officers who confiscate booze from teenagers then pour it down the drain are breaking the law.


The Environment Agency says the action is polluting waterways because alcohol is poisonous - and offenders face a £50,000 maximum fine or 12 months in prison. Police have tipped thousands of litres of booze down drains to teach under-age drinkers a lesson since the Confiscation of Alcohol Act came into effect in 1997.


Embarrassed police forces say they will now dispose of the drink legally.


.