Author: Hugh Maclean

Topper’s Mountain

Published by

Some wines are an omen’s bet, picked up because the name means something, or is significant, or  “just ‘cos”. This wine is one of those. Topper’s Mountain 2009 Tannat $36 from Olinda Cellars. I was speaking to Ross at Olinda Cellars, and asked him to pick out a couple of wines for me to chose from, which he dutifully obliged. Choosing was a no brainer, Topper’s Mountain it was! Because? Because I played footy in Brisbane with a bloke called ‘Topper’, and he was a man mountain…..HUGE! A bit slow, not overly flash on the park, but a fearsome sight, both on the field and more importantly, in the bar afterwards. His weapon of choice was beer followed closely by Bundy, but lets not let the facts get in the way of the story. A ripping bloke! So hopefully a ripping wine. And this wine comes from up north too, not quite Brisvegas north, but close enough not to quibble. It comes from New England, up near Armidale NSW. Not exactly a thriving hub of …

Best’s Bin No.1 Shiraz

Published by

Wine’s a wonderful thing. It tastes great, is full of mystery and romance, tells a fascinating story and evokes memories to treasure time and time again. Not your bog average wine which has no providence, the favourite of the chain store and bargain bin, but wines with a rich heritage, or back story. Best’s Bin No.1 Shiraz 2012 $25 from Great Western, Victoria. The Great Western region has long been a favourite of mine, so much so I indoctrinated Rachael into it’s seductive charms, and we got married there. Not at Best’s but down the road at Seppelt, outside Vine Lodge. Great Western and I go back a ways, from the obligatory speeding ticket outside Ararat (more cops per square mile than anywhere on earth!) on the way to the Great Western Cup, to drunken wine tours at Seppelt fancifully called “conferences”. Suffice to say, we got ourselves barred from most of the motels in Stawell and Ararat at one stage or another. The Great Western Cup is a ripper race day (Australia day weekend) on …

Point Leo Road Lagrein

Published by

Have you every had a time when you put your foot right in it, without any way of retrieving the situation without looking like a dick? Well….this wine did just that! Point Leo Road Lagrein 2011 $28 @ Blairgowrie LG My mate down at Blairgowrie loves this wine, strongly recommended it, so I bought it. Better be good, Chris!? Never heard of the varietal before, Lagrein, which comes from northern Italy, and is a cousin of Pinot Noir and Shiraz amongst others. Point Leo Road winery is, surprisingly, on Point Leo Road…..Red Hill Sth! God’s own country, Mornington Peninsula! So far, so good. Trying new styles is always interesting, helps broaden your mind to the possibilities, and provides a nice change of wine scenery. There’s only so much Shiraz you can wash down with a roast leg of lamb! Roast lamb, open fire, bottle of red….perfect! Have I mentioned my hatred towards all reds 2011? No? My mantra to all who do, or don’t, listen…..never buy 2011 unless absolutely no alternative. It was a stinker …

Massey Wines

Published by

Why do we pick the wine to buy that we do? Is it because we know and respect the brand? Or do we like the varietal, or vintage, or region? Or was it something recommended to us?! Price? The whopping big display smack bang in the front of the store! Choices are endless. Me, I just ask a mate to pick something for me, which is what Noel from Red, White & Amber Wine Merchants did. A choice between a fancy Italian number of unpronounceable name and origin, or a wine from Massey Wines in the McLaren Vale. The shallow character I am decided on the Aussie if for no other reason than the name of the wine, and the fact Noel raved on about how good it was! Massey Huey’s Patch 2008 Shiraz @ $35 from Red, White & Amber in Hawthorn. I have to admit I’d never heard of this wine before, never seen it anywhere, hadn’t read about it…nothing. Just another of the hundreds of wineries out there battling for recognition in …

Yarnbomb by Corrina Wright

Published by

One of the joys of working in the wine industry is, ahem……..drinking wine! I have plenty of contacts, and good understanding of varietal/vintage/region/maker, a reasonable understanding of what is (and isn’t) a good drop………….and an expense account! So, how about I pick a wine each week, picked randomly by either myself or by recommendation from learned wine folk, and force myself to drink it (with Rachael, of course) and ruminate… Nothing over $40. Unless its impossible to say no! So, here goes… YARNBOMB by Corinne Wright 2012 McLaren Vale Shiraz $22 @ Dan Murphy’s What, not a Dromana Estate Pinot to start things off, you ask? Well I don’t want to come across as a complete tightarse, so just take it as given that it is a brilliant wine, and c’mon people..buy some! I know. Of all the retailers, I pick the biggest first. Still, they do have quite the selection, prices are keen….and we just happened to be passing when I developed a thirst. This wine is made exclusively for Dan’s, has a great …

Homeward bound for Jack’s 21st

Published by

Homeward bound for Jack's 21stHong Kong, China Hong Kong, China Our last day. So what better way to start than with a sleep in? Sort of, met Cards at 8.45 for brekky across the road, then on to Harbour City for a bit more shopping. Just needed to get a couple of things for kids, so all done in no time at all. We looked at a Playstation 3 for Jack as they were pretty cheap, but Bluray not compatible and no warranty, so no sale. Sorry Jacko! The shopping in Honkers is so over the top, designer everything, about six thousand watch dealers all flogging top end pieces, Chanel on every corner, dodgy Indians everywhere selling tailored clothing, fake everything, and all down skanky lanes as it is most illegal. Markets on every other corner selling cheap clothing, phone covers, **** jewellery, plants, animals, food (I think), you name it. Shopping mall after shopping mall selling the most amazing array of designer labels, interspersed with electronic stores, camera dealers, did I mention watch shops? …

Last full day in Honkers

Published by

Last full day in Honkers Hong Kong, China Hong Kong, China With our only full day in Hong Kong it was up and at ’em, with Cards waiting in the lobby at 8.30am to commence our day. First stop was breakfast across the road as the Hotel charges $30 and we couldn’t possibly eat that much to make it worth the spend. The coffee was pretty good and it was our first proper cooked breakfast of eggs we have had in 9 weeks. Our first stop for the day was the Star Ferry Terminal to catch a ferry across the harbour to Hong Kong Island. From there we caught a skinny double decker tram which took us along the Main Street amongst all the shops. 20 minutes later we disembarked and headed into a shopping centre called SOGO. This place is like Myers and DJ’s all rolled into one and is the size of Chadstone and Southland put together……huge. Hugh and I went one way whilst Cards went the other with the intention of meeting …

Honkers

Published by

HonkersHong Kong, China Hong Kong, China Welcome to Hong Kong! Oh, the joys of an 11 hour flight with no sleep! We left Milan at 1pm yesterday and got into Honkers at 7am, 3 movies & 2 TV doco’s later! Customs was a breeze, unbelievably quick, then straight to the taxi and off to our hotel, the Intercontinental Grand Stanford. Waiting there was Cards, ready to go after two days on her own. Luckily, we were able to check in straight away, so off to our room to freshen up before heading out into the city. Cards had done wonders on the itinerary with us readily handing over the organisational duties. First we headed off to get Cards bags from her hotel, and while she checked out Rachael and I wandered along Nathan Road, one of the busiest shopping streets in Kowloon. If I had a dollar for every person who asked if I’d like a tailored shirt or suit, or a cheap knock off watch, we would have funded the whole trip! Every 5 …

Arrivederci

Published by

ArrivederciMilan, Italy Milan, Italy Our last morning in Italy and up early as we need to be in Milan by about 10.30, and its 200k’s away. It’s typical that the best breakfast place we’ve stayed at doesn’t open for business till 8am, and we left at 7! Stop off at an Autogrill on the autostrada and into Milan by about 10, filling up with petrol before dropping the car off. Petrol here is about €1.80 per litre ($2.60), but if you don’t fill it up Hertz charge you €3.56 per litre ($5.15)! Plus another €20 service charge, plus they charge you for a full tank! There’s a lesson here, folks! Anyhow, into the airport straight to baggage check in…..no one else in line….miracles continue in the lovely country. We’ve been accumulating luggage along the way, and had madly rearranged to try to save on excess costs, but placed bags on weigh bridge with some trepidation. Rachael 2 kg over limit, place mine on……waiting, waiting. It’s like wheel of fortune here! Waiting……kerching, right on the button….40kgs, …

Castle to Mount

Published by

Castle to MountMalcesine, Italy Malcesine, Italy Our last full day in Italy started with a run…..for Rachael. I dressed for the occasion, but once we got out the front gate, claimed injury and retired to the safety of our room, and bed! From all accounts the run was lovely, the scenery spectacular, and the air clear, but I still didn’t feel guilty. Yes sirree! I’m injured and must rest up. Rested, we headed for breakfast. The Hotel Meridiana has quite the reputation for its breakfast, and unlike our previous hotels slapdash affair, this one lived up to the kudos. Muesli, yoghurt, fruit, croissants…the list goes on. Relaxed, fed, exercised (ok, it’s overrated!), and ready for our last day in Italy. Its most prominent landmark is the Castello Scaligero, which has 13th-century fortifications and an older medieval tower We made our way thru the old town to the Castle which sits on the high point by the lake, with commanding views in every direction, the perfect place from which to defend the town. Next we wandered …