233 – Wine Direct To Your Ears

 Last week’s “dumpster” wine was worth $75

Robert Godden will be on soon to compare political parties to teas

Over the summer, I bought some wine from Mark at winedirect.com.au and after trying a few bottles from the pack, I sent him an email explaining how the wine was just not resembling the way I had read his wine notes. I wasn’t enjoying it. What did he do? He didn’t get terse, he didn’t scream, he didn’t hide. Instead, he embraced the feedback and asked me some questions to learn more about my palate and offered to replace my purchase with some different wines, in the hope that I would stay loyal and he would be able to become my trusted wine advisor. It is exactly the sort of attitude that forges loyalty between customer and business person because it can turn whining into winning.

Here is the bit that threw me. “Bright blue and dark fruits are powered by fine urgent acidity with dark chocolate and plum and dark cherries swimming in the wake. Finished by beautifully fine tannins. This is absolutely stunning right now and should cellar well for another 20 or more years.” In my email back to you I said I was getting blue fruits on the nose but a green, stalkiness on the palate. What went through your mind when you read that email?

Is wine note writing the bain of your existance?

How different are your notes from what is on the bottles?

Some labels:

• Kaesler Stonehorse GSM. Stonehorse wines are full of character like the team of Chlydesdale Horses that used to work the heavy clay soil at the Kaesler Vineyard, long before tractors were invented.
• Peacock’s Tail Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine can be described like Christmas time with dark fruitcake aromas wafting through the kitchen … with hints of Nanna’s old rocking chair. Combined with a huge bowl of ripe, rich plums and juicy red cherries. Our cabernet is spicy, smooth, and will hang around for a very long time.

Brenton Lodge, an old primary school buddy of mine, showed me a Clare Valley wine he picked up. How’s this for a wine label: Over The Fence, Ben’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. This is our first vintage from Ben’s house block, next door to Nic. Yield was low, only 97kg in total. However, quality suggested that the block should be looked after for future vintages. Picked by Patrick, Digger, and Nic on 19 February.

How do people assemble some trustworthy keywords for picking wines?

Should the use of certain terms be controlled by law, or is wine too subjective?

What happens next for me as a customer?

Nigel Dobson-Keeffe challenges the panel to pick the fake story from three stories from South Australia’s past.

Evening Journal June 1871
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WINE SHOW.
The Australasian, whilst commenting favourably on the system of classification adopted for the next Adelaide Wine Show, points out that “in the limitation of full-bodied wines to an alcoholic strength of 28 per cent, an error appears to have been committed. There are many dry wines grown on the Murray and in South Australia that will thus be excluded from competing. As the matter has not been finally settled, the necessary change should be made.”

Daily Herald May 1917
PROHIBITION IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The general secretary of the South Australian Temperance Alliance {Mr. Stanton) has received an intimation from the Premiers office to the effect that Mr Vaughan has consented to receive a deputation on June 5 from the Alliance and kindred organisations, at which it is proposed to ask the Government to grant a referendum at the next elections on the prohibition issue in South Australia. On the last occasion when a deputation from the Alliance waited upon a member of the Government, the room provided was far from large enough to receive those who desired to attend. The Premier is making arrangements on this occasion for the deputationists to meet him in the large deputation room in the in new Education Block.

Bunyip February 1937
First Can of Wine.
Canned wine has arrived in South Australia. Of the size of a tin of green peas, it has – blazoned on its front the words in yellow, Vin-tin-age. This is super imposed over the waistcoat of a cheery looking individual— a cross between a badly drawn Captain Light and an anonymous user of a cough mixture. Then comes the word, still in yellow, Angaston ; and then, in red, on a dark blue background, Port Wine. Statistics follow in small almost illegible letters– Alcohol 19-25 per cent, by volume, vacuum sealed in non-fillable cans.