Woodstock Muscat NV

 

Dangerously smooth, I received this Muscat from Woodstock as part of their celebration of International Chocolate Day. Three fortifieds and a Botrytis have been matched with Haigh's Chocolates for a very different cellar door tasting.

Dirt Candy The Falcon White Pet Nat 2021

Made with fruit sourced from a derelict vineyard, this Dirt Candy Pet Nat has some street smart textural appeal. My only gripe with Pet Nat is that it can be a lottery with how much you actually get to drink. You see, with sediment in the bottle, like this one, you need to agitate things slightly I upended this bottle twice and opened it five minutes later. I lost close to 20% as it gushed out. Sigh. But that's Pet Nat...

Golden Grove Estate Marnita Muscat NV

Soak your dried fruit in this overnight and then spoon over ice cream. There is a Christmas hack. Or just sip slow. A fab non-vintage Muscat made from Golden Grove Estate's 65-year-old vines - the oldest and the original vines planted on the estate.

Westcourt Wines Liqueur Muscat 2000

Awarded the Outstanding Fortified Wine of Show at the Mudgee Wine Awards in 2018. A superb eighteen-year-old Muscat.

Ballandean Estate Angela's Reserve Liqueur Muscat NV

A tribute to Angela Crema,  mother of Mary Puglisi, the wife of Ballandean Estate founder Angelo Puglisi. Cool nights and cheese boards will warm the soul with a nip or two.

Witches Falls Saignée 2017

A crowd-pleasing Rosé made from a blend of Sangiovese, Black Muscat and Syrah.

Dirt Candy The Inheritance Liqueur Muscat NV

Handcrafted and barrel aged, something special sits inside this beautifully packaged bottle. It's the little touches that catch the eye with these Dirt Candy releases. This Liqueur Muscat is hand bottled, hand corked, wax capped by hand, hand stamped and labelled, you guessed it, by hand.

La Violetta Patio Pét Nat 2017

For those playing at home, Pét Nat is a wine bottled before fermentation has finished. There are no sugar adds and the wine is cloudy and funky and completely out of control from the winemaker who may like to 'pretty things up' for the consumer. Topped with a crown seal, this is an enjoyable fizz. A style that will tickle the fancy of some, not all.

Fortified Night SwirlSniffSpit 19 June 2012

We were privileged enough to indulge and have the opportunity to share in some wonderful fortified wines at Swirl Sniff Spit this week. Our taste buds were led on a journey by Julian Coldrey who did an outstanding job educating us all.

Fortified wine is some of the best aged and best value wines on the market yet it is so under appreciated by the consumer market. The age of some barrels used for blending solidifies this, particularly as Rare fortifieds as seen below use a base wine of at least 60 years of age as seen in this case.

I was keen to seek out some fortifieds with a point of difference as all these wines could easily fall into the raisin, toffee, butterscotch categories.

A few of the highlights:

The Pfeiffer Wines Rutherglen Muscat was a great start. Fresh, with aromas of orange rind and orange oil. An engaging mouth warmth and long finish. Nicely balanced and top value.

Who: Pfeiffer Wines http://www.pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.au/
What: Muscat (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $20 (500 mL)
Follow them: www.twitter.com/PfeifferWines



The Morris Wines Class Liqueur Tokay had a most amazing nose of vegemite and marmite which was very distinct. A smooth palate which was moreish but the finish didn't kick on as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, lots to like about it.

Who: Morris Wines http://www.morriswines.com.au/
What: Tokay (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $17 (500 mL)

The Chambers Rosewood Winery Old Vine Muscat had some oomph factor. Beautifully balanced with lip smacking depth and length. A whiff of coffee bean with great intensity and a smidge of spice. This oozes Christmas cake and left a subtle warmth in the mouth along with a delicate soft length. Yummo!

Who: Chambers Rosewood Winery http://www.chambersrosewood.com.au/
What: Muscat (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $65 (375 mL)
Follow them: www.twitter.com/ChambersWinery

Sublime! This Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat is without peer. Incredible viscosity and impeccable length and it would be rude not to lick out the glass in respect. Something that really stood out for me apart from the never ending length, was that there was no mouth warmth as experienced with the other wines of the evening. This a is complement of the blending but also demonstrates the age of the wine which has a base wine of at least 60 years old. Another 50 years easy left in this wine, and oh how graceful it will be then. Looking at the value component, a definite special occasion drop, but by the same token, a 60 year old table wine of this quality would easily be significantly more expensive. A special treat deluxe and easily the Wine of the Night.

Who: Campbells Wines http://www.campbellswines.com.au/
What: Muscat (18% abv)
Where: Rutherglen
When: NV
How: $125 (375 mL)

Follow me: www.twitter.com/Qwine