WINE GUIDE A MUST FOR BAR OR CELLAR

HELPING hand for all with an interest in juice of the grape

Wc2Aug10 

David Ellis

NO buff worthy of their wine glass should be looking to the coming twelve to eighteen months without a copy behind the bar or in the cellar of Matt Skinner’s informative and entertaining Wine Guide 2011.

A writer for some of our leading food and wine magazines, consultant to wine buyers and consumers around the world, and a well-known wine educator, Matt’s book is an easy-to-follow guide to some 250 Australian wines for drinking now or for cellaring, and to suit all budgets and occasions.

He also gives pen-pictures of major wine grape varieties, and introduces readers to some varieties that have been around for centuries overseas, but  are new to many of us as Aussie winemakers start looking seriously at them.

But its his reviews that make his little tome worth every cent of its $24.95 price tag: no matter whether you are into fizzes, pinks, whites, reds, sweet, light-alcohol, crisp, delicate or full-bodied wines, he has an easy-to-follow appraisal with tasting notes, a photo of the bottle – and importantly, with many of these 250 wines a recommended food match to go with it.

WINNING international acclaim, and ideal with a hearty Osso Bucco

And he should know what he’s talking about with the latter: we was Jamie Oliver’s wine expert for his Fifteen restaurants, and Editor of the Wine Section of the Jamie Oliver website. Grab a copy of Matt’s Wine Guide 2011 for your-self – and a few for the stockings of wine-buff rels or mates come Christmas.

ONE FOR LUNCH: NUGAN Estate have just released their 2008 McLaren Vale Shiraz that’s been wowing show judges here and internationally, and despite all the accolades is selling for a very reasonably, good-value $22.95.

Its a wine whose bouquet literally jumps out of the glass with beautiful aromas of cherry and plum, dark chocolate, vanillan and all-spice, with follow-through on the palate of concentrated juicy dark plum, chocolate, black pepper and silky tannins. Enjoy at this price with a hearty Osso Bucco.

(NEED A FOOD/DRINK IDEA? Check out  http://www.vintnews.com )