While American Chardonnay has produced many of the memorable wine moments of our lives, our tastings have shown it has fallen to a bad place in the past decade. Most Chardonnays these days are simple, sweet, alcoholic and false.

From The Wall Street Journal see:

U.S. Chardonnay Has No Bargain Bin.

Posted in Wine Tales ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/american-chardoney-seems-its-tired-worldwide/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/australia-first-family-wines/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/australia-first-family-wines/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:58:40 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=96 ]]> In this long and rather rambling article from The Mercury GRAEME PHILLIPS describes how Australian wines are attempting to overcome the slump in wine exports and the growing label of Australian wines being “cheap and cheerful”.

See

Above cheap and cheerful.

Posted in Australia Wine News, Tasmania Wine News ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/australia-first-family-wines/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/wolf-blass-a-fruit-salad-of-australian-wines/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/wolf-blass-a-fruit-salad-of-australian-wines/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:19:19 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=94 ]]>

Wolf Blass has warned Australia is in danger of confusing the public with a ‘fruit salad’ of grape varieties.

See this article from decanter.com

Australia in Danger of Confusing Consumers: Wolf blass

Posted in Australia Wine News ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/wolf-blass-a-fruit-salad-of-australian-wines/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/italy-prosecco-and-paris/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/italy-prosecco-and-paris/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:52:39 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=92 ]]>

In Italy people sip this lightly fruity bubbly made in the hills northwest of Venice anywhere, anytime — at lunch, after work, before dinner, between shopping and sex.

For a lively account of Prosecco wine see this article from Bloomberg.com dated August 27, 2009

Paris Hilton’s Prosecco Cans Send Italians Into Fight Mode

Posted in Wine Tales ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/italy-prosecco-and-paris/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/tassie-wine-and-gastronomy-map/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/tassie-wine-and-gastronomy-map/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:22:42 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=90 ]]> First saw these at the ‘Tasmania Unbottled’ Event in Melbourne in August 2009. Martin von Wyss’s map was a work of art and this article from The Mercury reminds me I have to order my copy!

See:

Mapping Tasmanian wine and food..

Posted in Tasmania Wine News ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/tassie-wine-and-gastronomy-map/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/australian-champagne-a-name-game/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/australian-champagne-a-name-game/#comments Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:57:35 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=85 ]]> The (Australian) Sunday Telegraph launches the quest for a name for a Tasmanian ‘champagne’.

In search of Aussie champagne.

To start let’s forget about the sparkling, spumante and the champagne ‘names’ and look to one that reflects the island and the continent.

Posted in Tasmania Wine News ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/australian-champagne-a-name-game/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/of-blends-and-blends-a-blending-tale/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/of-blends-and-blends-a-blending-tale/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:42:25 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=79 ]]> The UK Spectator has this intriguing story on the blending of a new wine.

See this article from their Wine blog for August:

What’s in a Name? The genesis of the Wave Crest Ruby Blend

Posted in Wine Tales ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/of-blends-and-blends-a-blending-tale/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/labor-day-wine-not-an-aussie-in-sight/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/labor-day-wine-not-an-aussie-in-sight/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:31:12 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=69 ]]> Bloomberg.com has writes about wines to drink on Labor Day (note the spelling) in this article entitled

Wines Under $30 Good to Swill With Steak, Shrimp.

by the wine critic John Mariani

One wonders why there is not one mention of an Australian wine? (fruit-bomb style Kiwi’s not withstanding).

Posted in Wine Tales Tagged: Bloomberg News, Labor Day, USA ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/labor-day-wine-not-an-aussie-in-sight/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/villa-maria-reserve-gisborne-chardonnay-2007-not-all-doom-gloom/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/villa-maria-reserve-gisborne-chardonnay-2007-not-all-doom-gloom/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:21:32 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=67 ]]>

The Villa Maria Reserve Gisborne Chardonnay 2007, made from grapes grown in the McDiarmid Vineyard, managed by Mr Green, won the prestigious Bragato Trophy for Champion Wine of Show, along with the Bill Irwin Trophy for Champion Chardonnay at the awards.

Compare and contrast with our early post Gisborne, New Zealand – A Sorry Chardoney Tale. dated August 19, 2009.

From the The Gisborne Herald

Gisborne grapes make champion wine.

The story of the cancellation of the the Gisborne, New Zealand wine region Chardonnay contracts is summed up here by Wine Business.com

Gisborne Grape Growers Coping with Contract Terminations, Celebrating Top Wine Award

Posted in New Zealand Wine News Tagged: Chardoney, Gisborne, Villa Maria ]]> http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/villa-maria-reserve-gisborne-chardonnay-2007-not-all-doom-gloom/feed/ 0 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/italian-white-a-tale-of-vermentino/ http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/italian-white-a-tale-of-vermentino/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:26:33 +0000 Kim Rampling http://tasmanwine.wordpress.com/?p=62 ]]>

…In a recent tasting of 18 bottles of vermentino, it has much to offer, whether as a crisp, tangy accompaniment to seafood — fritto misto would be ideal — or as a richer, more complex wine with a distinctively oily sort of texture.

From the The New York Times ‘Dining & Wine’ section, and written by Eric Asimov The Times’s wine critic.

See Italian Whites to Silence the Snickers