Matt Skinner - Blog Archive
Hot Food, Cool Wine
January 2012
Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to the Year of the Dragon. Whether via one of the many events planned in major cities right around the globe or a new-year banquet at one of your favourite Chinese restaurants, hopefully you’ve managed to help celebrate - possibly you’ve even managed to it with wine – although wine and Chinese cookery, like Asian cookery in general, don’t always see eye to eye.
Designed to contrast a mixture of flavours and textures, Asian cooking largely concentrates on four key cornerstones - sweet, sour, salty, and spicy – cornerstones which individually prove a big enough challenge for most wines, let alone having to face two or three of them at once. Common hurdles include wines with excessive alcohol and oak – both of which have a nasty habit of overpowering delicate flavors. Overly tannic wines can be a real problem too - particularly when it comes to balancing subtle textures, and when combined with the raw hit of fresh chili, those wines naturally high in acidity, but low in sweetness can make spicy food seem mind-numbingly hot.
Think about your food. Delicate and aromatic food-styles such as Thai and Vietnamese require wines of similar nature. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and often those with a bit of sweetness, will be spot on. The richer, earthier flavors found in both Japanese and provincial Chinese cooking should have you looking at varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. While heavier sauces and the use of dried fruit and spices in much Indian cooking will require you to seek out wines richer in flavour, but softer in texture. Viognier, Merlot and a cast of un-wooded reds from warmer parts of the world should be top of your list.
With Chinese New Year in mind here are three delicious wines, each perfectly suited to specific Chinese dishes and well worth the hunt.
PEWSEY VALE PRIMA RIESLING 2011
EDEN VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
RRP $25
From South Australia’s Eden Valley, this is delicious Kabinett-like Riesling that boasts a bright and explosive nose of pretty spring flowers, green apple, pear and ginger. The palate is pure, nervy and delicate with racy acidity, apple-like fruit, and a long and tightly structured finish that finishes just this side of dry. Drink it with Sunday morning Yum Cha.
LOGAN APPLE TREE FLAT ROSE 2011
MUDGEE, NSW
RRP $12
Logan’s entry-level wines have long offered serious value for not a whole lot of money. This years instalments are no exception. Bright pink and virtual patchwork of varieties, expect a compact and pretty nose of sweet summer berries, juicy red apples and currents. In your mouth it hits bright and fruit-forward, while snappy acidity and a clean, drying end keep things beautifully balanced. Drink it with whole steamed coral trout with ginger & spring onion.
WICKHAMS ROAD GIPPSLAND PINOT NOIR 2011
GIPPSLAND, VICTORIA
RRP $20
There’s plenty to love about this great value fruit-driven Pinot from Victoria’s South East. Offering serious bang for your buck, Wickhams Road Pinot oozes smells of dark red fruits and sweet spices, while in your mouth there’s no shortage of fleshy pinot fruit, fine grippy tannin, and a long and balanced end. Drink it with Chinese roast duck.
Dreaming of a Plumm Christmas
December 2011
CHRISTMAS CHEERS
Deck the halls and break out the mistletoe, Christmas week is upon us once again which - along with the giving, the eating and the drinking - means parties. Yes, and whether it’s a slap up dinner with friends or the annual office blow out, please spare a thought for what wine you’re going to take, what wine you’ll give - or - which wines you’re going to serve over the coming week. With all of this in mind, here are half a dozen great wines to help you survive what’s left of the festive season.
BUBBLES FOR DRINKING THIS WEEK
Set to once again be the hit of the summer, Brown Brothers Prosecco 2011 (RRP$20) is an incredibly well made, well priced bottle of bubbles where a nose of lemon sherbet, green apple, and pear lead to a palate that’s bubbly, direct, and fresh as a daisy. Great on its own, or for sparking appetites pre dinner.
And as Champagne prices continue skyward, the need for good value, and well-made Sparkling wine has never been greater. Raventos I Blanc Cava Brut NV (RRP$35) is polished Cava that comfortably ticks all the right boxes. Expect a compact wine concealing plenty of stone and citrus fruit character, while in your mouth there is lots of lemony intensity and a charge of tiny bubbles that balances things out nicely.
But if the party budget does happen to extend to France then Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV (RRP$70) is simply one of the best value non-vintage Champagnes going around. Expect a nose full of ripe citrus, fresh bread, strawberry and spice smells. The palate has terrific drive and intensity, all of which is bound up by lots of stylish little bubbles and a long, balanced finish.
WINES FOR GIVING
Part of the new breed, Vasse Felix Heytsbury Chardonnay 2009 (RRP$50) manages to be intense and full-fruited while still retaining plenty of charm and character. From its tightly packed and intense nose of grapefruit, cashew and hazelnut to the finely structured palate, this is a terrific lesson in just how good great value New World Chardonnay can be. Give a bottle to the doubters.
Lovers of Pinot Noir are in for a treat too. From the southern end of New Zealand’s North Island Escarpment Pinot Noir 2009 (RRP$40) is a stylish example from one of the country’s top producers. Drinking beautifully now expect a nose that’s ripe, plush and jammed full of seductive fruit and spice smells, while textbook silky mouth-feel leads to a long fine finish.
And for the big red lover in your life, Balnaves ‘The Tally’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (RRP$90) is about as good as Aussie Cabernet gets. Super-colour leads to a nose flooded with lifted black-current, ripe juicy plums, dark chocolate and sweet cedary oak, while in your mouth ‘The Tally’ is full, dense and inky with terrific drive and balance – long fine tannins provide a gentle landing.
WINES FOR DRINKING THIS WEEKEND
I’ve long given up on trying to be too tricky with wine on Christmas Day. Once upon a time I’d open spectacular bottles & think carefully about specific matches, only to find many of those spectacular bottles three quarters full at the end of lunch. The best advice is simply to keep it simple. Pick a decent fizz to spark appetites at the start of the day, an all purpose white and red to sit on the table during lunch, and something sweet, dark and sticky to serve with your pudding. Simplicity is key. And besides, you’ll no doubt have plenty of other far more important things to worry about this weekend. And then there’s the weather...
Wherever you are in the Southern Hemisphere, because it's summer chances are it’s going to be warm this Christmas Day. Given that’s the case, it’s worth thinking about the kind of wines you’re drinking at this time of year. Delicious as they may be, if the sun is shining then it’s worth taking a wide berth around any heavily wooded wines. Similarly, full-bodied wines from warm climates – wines that are often prone to higher levels of alcohol are also worth avoiding, as these tend to really suffer in the heat. With all of that in mind, here are a few of the wines that will be gracing my table this weekend.
True to form, there is plenty to love Oakridge Chardonnay 2010 (RRP$35) – the latest instalment being multi-layered, restrained and sublime. Expect a subdued and stylish nose of grapefruit, struck-match and nicely knit nutty oak, while the palate is rich and steely, boasting terrific intensity of bright citrus fruit, racy acid, and a long drying finish.
My hands down favourite all purpose red of 2011 was the delicious Shadowfax Minnow 2010 (RRP$30) from Werribee, Victoria. Assembled for drinking now, Minnow is an utterly delicious, yet motley blend of co-fermented Carignan, Mataro, Grenache, and Cinsault where a nose of sweet red fruit effortlessly knits with smells of tobacco leaf and dried woody herbs. It's not at all heavy on the palate either, and well supported by a wash of fine grainy tannins to finish.
And then to finish it all off, it would be wrong not to stop at one of Australia’s great fortifieds. Pricey as it might seem, few fortifieds will leave an impression on you quite like Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Muscat NV (RRP$110). Mahogany color and thick syrupy appearance lead to a deep and exotic nose of dried fruit, mocha, rancio, spice and spirit - a wine that delivers style and complexity well beyond comprehension, and as close to fortified perfection as you will taste. Make sure you have some on hand for your plum pudding.
Children of the Revolution
November 2011
It doesn’t seem to matter where you go in the world right now, if the sun is shining then people will almost certainly be tripping over themselves to shed layers and drink pink wine. Rose is the fastest growing wine category on the planet and only getting bigger. In a sign of the times, November sees the launch of Rose Revolution 2011 – a national campaign masterminded by Leanne De Bortoli and designed to raise awareness about dry, purpose made rose. Activity around this years campaign includes plenty of winery events, lots of tastings around the country, and for the tech savvy among us, a number of social media initiatives kicking off with a national tweet up/tasting on November 11. If you’re keen to get involved, or to simply find out more about how far rose has come, be sure to check out www.roserevolution.com. In the meantime, here’s my pick of what you should be drinking as Rose Revolution 2011 gets underway, and as the weather finally takes a turn for the better.
FOSTER E ROCCO ROSE 2011
Heathcote, Victoria
RRP $30
Subdued fruit, bright acid and chalky drying tannins make Sangiovese a walk up starter when it comes to producing rose. Plenty of bright and bouncy red berried fruit with orange rind and dried herb smells will get the ball rolling here, while the palate is similarly fruit-driven, bone dry and mineral textured. Edgy acidity and a lick of tannin act as bookends in one of the most lovable pink wines of the year. Drink it if the sun is shining in your part of the world.
DE BORTOLI PINOT NOIR ROSE 2011
Yarra Valley, Victoria
RRP $25
Pinot Noir is the star of this dry and textural rose from the Yarra Valley outpost of De Bortoli. And utterly delicious it is. Tuna pink colour sets the tone for smells of wild strawberry, rose hip tea, current, and spice, while in on the palate soft and intense with loads of lovely red fruit richness, racy acidity, nice weight and a snappy drying finish. Drink it with pan-fried salmon and salsa verde.
ROGERS & RUFUS ROSE 2010
Barossa Valley, South Australia
RRP $20
Those with a weak spot for good dry rose should make a beeline for the latest pink installment from Rogers & Rufus. From its pretty rose gold colour to its compact and fresh nose of wild raspberry, juicy red apples and dried flowers, this bone dry rose from 100% Grenache is bright, bouncy and as good with food as it is simply by itself. Drink it with cured meats, smoked almonds, and anchovy-stuffed olives.
Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2011
October 2011
Celebrity Apprentice, Next Top Model, Masterchef - I’ve got a reality TV idea for you - it’s called ‘Pick a Winner’, and while the title needs work, it involves taking anyone who thinks tasting wine for a living sounds easy and subjecting them to a week in the life of a wine judge - their aim; to pick the best wines from thousands. Day one will see our contestants taste and write notes on 100 or so wines, then struggle through a further 100 after lunch. We’ll be amazed as they finish the day with a couple of cold beers, we’ll cringe as they chat and forget their teeth are stained purple, laugh when they fall asleep on the train, and cry as they have to get up and do it all again the next morning. For many seasoned campaigners of the Australian Wine Show circuit, it’s all in a week's work.
It's show time, and throughout the second week of this October a crack panel of judges swirled, sniffed and slurped their way through nigh on 3500 wines entered into this years Royal Melbourne Wine Show, culling the bad, praising the good and awarding the prestigious Jimmy Watson Trophy to the best red under two years of age. As a Judge, it’s a week I look forward to more than pretty much any other in my calendar. There is much I love about judging. For starters I love the camaraderie that comes with the show – that I get to judge with my friends and peers. I love the discipline that comes with having to taste upwards of 150 wines per day, and having to remain as focussed at the end of the day as you were at the start. I love that I get to calibrate my palate against those of my peers, and I love the often-difficult process of elimination that goes with handing out trophies and major gongs at the shows end. This year's show was no exception and every bit as challenging, exhausting, exhilarating and rewarding as the last. View a full list of award winners.
Cape Mentelle International Cabernet Tasting
September 2011
Known as the king of the red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon has it all; power, structure, focus, longevity, and an uncanny ability to travel, adapt and survive. As the love child of red grape Cabernet Franc and white grape Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet is reliable. Give it sunshine and it will prosper. Cabernet is recognizable. Smells and flavours will nearly always include an element of blackcurrant, plum or cedar. Cabernet is a survivor. Thick skins mean more tannin that, provided you have the fruit to match, can make for some extraordinarily powerful and long-lived wines. And last but not least, Cabernet sells. Global demand means virtually every country with vines has at least some Cabernet in the ground.
This past week saw one of the most highly anticipated bi-annual events on the Australian wine tasting calendar take place in sunny Sydney. The Cape Mentelle International Cabernet Tasting celebrates the very pinnacle of cabernet production from around the globe. Coinciding with the release of the company’s flagship cabernet, this tasting - taking shape in a blind tasting of three brackets - also doubles as an incredibly unique benchmarking exercise.
Stokehouse Loves Giant Steps
Monday, 15th August
Everybody loves a day out, but maybe nobody more so than hard working hospitality folk who rarely get a chance to leave their place of employment, let alone escape the confines of the city for a day. And so for no good reason other than the fact that they're currently In the midst of a particularly grueling winter, and another bumper summer is quickly approaching, this week I decided to play cupid and introduce the team from downstairs Stokehouse to the amazing set up that is Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander in Healsville. It was love at first sight.
If you've never been to Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander before – and I know plenty of you have – this is an incredible set up. A purpose-built a cellar a door smack bang in heart of Healsville where beyond simply producing wine, they roast their own coffee, offer one of Victoria's best selection of cheeses, turn out phenomenally good wood fired pizzas, and bake some of the best sour dough bread on the planet - sour dough that is rumored to include starter from the legendary Poilaine bakery in Paris.
Suitably caffeinated, the team dived headfirst into tour of the building, which, when it comes to processing grapes and making wine, is arguably one of the most efficient of it's kind in the country. Next up was a run through all of the new release 2010 Pinot Noirs with head winemaker, Steve Flamstead – my highlight being the brilliant new offering from the Applejack Vineyard, a wine with plenty of flesh yet an ample framework to match.
And while there's little doubt that the more you taste, the easier wine will become, there is nothing quite like going to the source to truly understand what is in the glass in front of you. And so with that in mind, we bundled ourselves into a couple of cars and headed up to the Sexton Vineyard to see where it all begins. With 270-degree views of the Yarra Valley, this is not only one the best vantage points in the region, but an ideal place for a group snap! With beer o'clock fast approaching, the team was presented with a window of opportunity for a whistle-stop tour and taste at White Rabbit Brewery that sits adjacent to Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander. It was the perfect end to what was a big, but unforgettable day out - huge thanks to Cam, Steve and all the crew at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander for making it possible.
15 Years of Felton Road @ Vue De Monde
Monday, 8th August
It's not like you need an excuse to go to Shannon Bennett's recently relocated shrine to gastronomy, Vue de Monde, but when an invite to attend a fifteen-year retrospective of Felton Road arrives, I twist my own arm, foam at the mouth in anticipation, and start counting sleeps like its almost Christmas. Yes, it's fair to say I'm excited.
Fifty-five floors up, Vue de Monde Mk 2 is spectacular in every way. The views themselves should be enough, but instead I find myself repeatedly drawn to the insane detail of the fit out, the wall of wine, the kangaroo skin tables, the bluestone bar, the cutlery, and the epic open-plan kitchen. And then there's the food, which today includes a delicate dish of crab, avocado and kohlrabi, melt in the mouth veal shank with quince, turnip and mustard, and a hit of sugar to finish courtesy of cleverly paired apple and Jerusalem artichoke. Insane, indulgent, and way beyond my expectations - which like many of yours I suspect - were already dangerously high.
But the reason we are here is Felton Road, which in 2011 find's itself celebrating a decade and a half of winemaking in Central Otago. Under the guidance of winemaker Blair Walter, today's plan is to look at a retrospective from single vineyards Calvert, Cornish Point and Bannockburn, as well as the latest installments from the 2010 vintage. All vineyards at Felton Road are organically and biodynamically managed, everything in the vineyard is done by hand, and as with Vue de Monde, the attention to detail is astounding. Big thanks to Red & White, Felton Road & the team at the Vue de Monde for an incredible lunch.
You can find my notes on all of the wines here.
2001: A Burgundy Oddessy
Monday, 1st August
It's easy to forget about the things you love. Like classic albums, favorite restaurants, and particular items of clothing. But then, eventually, when you rediscover them, you remember what it was you loved about them first time around. Wine is no different. And so over the course of the past week – along with the likes of David Bowie's Space Oddity, South Melbourne Market Dim Sims, and a favorite Adidas tracksuit top I found stuffed under the front seat of my car - I was also fortunately reminded of how much I love 2001 red burgundy.
2001 was a great albeit much underrated vintage in burgundy. It may not have delivered the ripeness found in many 99's, or generated the kind of hype that came with the 02's, but the reds of 01 are classically styled and remarkably transparent wines – wines which, ten years down the track, remain surprisingly youthful and every bit as pure and edgy as they were upon release.
My chance to revisit 2001 came courtesy of Melbourne wine group, Gastrovins. The setting for their monthly dinner was The Botanical with the mighty Cheong Liew presiding over the pans. High points from a night stuffed with high points came in the form of Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 & deep fried golf ball sized bundles of prawn meat, a spectacular mini vertical of Corton Charlemagne from the seemingly re-energized Domaine Bonneau du Martray, and a pinot-fest of duck neck, pigeon sausage, truffle, prosciutto biscuits, black lentil & leek salad accompanying a bracket of six 2001 Grand Cru red burgundies that included Rousseau Ruchottes-Chambertin 'Clos des Ruchottes', Domaine Leroy Chambolle Musigny 'Les Fremieres', Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin, Meo Camuzet Corton Clos Rognets, Robert Arnoux Clos Vougeot, and Anne-Francoise Gros Richebourg.
Big thanks to Gastrovins & the team at the Bot for an incredible night.
Hello & Welcome
Tuesday, 26th July
Hello fellow Plummers & welcome aboard the section of the Plumm website where I get to add my five cents worth and have my say. If blogs need a reason for being, then the purpose of this blog is to give you a snapshot into the weird, the wonderful, and at times, ever so slightly frightening world of Matt Skinner. Updated weekly, these entries will take in all things wine and beyond.
We'll check out restaurants, visit those far away places you'd probably rather be, we'll unashamedly pay homage to those working with Plumm, and review copius amounts of good wine in the process. In short it's a vehicle for me to highlight the things that inspire me and the things that I love, and in turn I hope they inspire you too. And god forbid – should you want more - then come pay me a visit me at www.mattskinner.net, make friends with me on facebook, or follow me on twitter @skinnermatt.
So until next week, drink well & let the good times roll.
