But the beer list is ordinary, and almost insulting next to the wine list. Pilu aren’t making any claims about their beer list, it should be said, but the dismissive treatment of ales is indicative of a wider trend among (some) restaurants and sommeliers for whom there is a divide between beer and wine (or assumptions about their demographic).

I rather take the line of thought that suggests that both wine and beer are so diverse; with depth of style, flavour, and pairing; and ability of their brewers and purveyors, that being dismissive of one field or the other is erroneous and naive.

As such, it was refreshing to see an article titled Beer Me, Sommelier over at Slate, the conclusion of which is as follows:

Like great wine, great beer deserves well-trained people who can build a strong collection of barrels and bottles, and know how pair them well. Many restaurants and bars have a long way to go, but the example of people like Engert and Daniels points the way to an auspicious future. A well-chosen and expertly-paired beer can be a revelation, so it’s time for more establishments to get their people in the revealing business.

I concur.

Winery: Fox Creek

Region: McLaren Vale

Vintage: NV

Alcohol: 14%

Review

So, unlike the Padthaway Estate Eliza which I bought concurrent to this, the packaging of Vixen was a big turn off. However it had far more in common with the Eliza than the label suggested:

The wine looks identical the Eliza.

The wine smells identical to Eliza.

The wine tastes identical to Eliza, but with more Mr Sheen.

It really felt like they splashed whatever leftover shit was around into a barrel and added bubbles. If it weren’t for the price tag, it’d belong with many of the Cheap Tuesday cohorts. How this got an 89 for Saint Halliday is beyond me.

Alas, a same old story that’s getting tiresome; 2/5.

Fox Creek | Bought at Vintage Cellars Mosman for about $25

Pairing

South Park – You’re Getting Old

[IMDB | Wikipedia | South Park Studios]

From Wikipedia:

“You’re Getting Old” is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 216th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 8, 2011. In the episode, Stan, after celebrating his tenth birthday, begins to develop a profound sense of cynicism, and his inability to see anything positive in the world around him alienates him from his friends.

The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and is rated TV-MA L in the United States. It was seen by some critics as a metaphor for the frustration experienced by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone stemming from the show’s continued production, and an unofficial series finale. However, Parker and Stone denied being unhappy with the show and stated that they still enjoy producing episodes.

This episode was frequently mistaken as a swan song for South Park, and indeed, the cynicism Stan Marsh was afflicted with in this episode was similar to the (brief) feelings of cynicism I had while reviewing this wine.

On it’s own merits, the episode manages to be tasteless, satirical and somewhat poignant. And much, much better than Vixen.

Alternative

Not in the mood? Red Duck Limited Release Golden Dragon is worth checking out.

Red Duck are one of Australia’s smallest microbreweries, but some of they’re releases are deserving of much more notoriety and acclaim. Golden Dragon is well balanced and very tasty, and a very pleasant pick as I work my way through the extensive McCoppins Fitzroy beer range during my month-long stay in Melbourne.

Image taken from Highly Hopped review

Red Duck | RateBeer

In the new year sometime, I’ll be reviewing one of the 2009 Disgorgement I have… but man, 2010′s sounds amazing.

Haven’t had much of chance to write any posts/reviews this week. I’m in Melbourne on a kind-of break; meaning I’m not “working” but Heartbreak Club are writing a new album and when we’re not in the studio, I’m furiously plowing through my Summer Semester readings. It’s all fun, just not sparkling-shiraz-fun.

In saying that, I had the pleasure of drinking and playing Euchre with friends last night. We started in Collingwood’s The Gem Bar (we also had a pretty grouse dinner there too; Haloumi burger this time) with some pints of Cavalier Pale Ale.

Altogether a very pleasant, summery ale with refreshingly fruity hops.

Taking a detour on the way back home, we stopped in at McCoppins Beer & Wine which had a highly impressive beer selection, and a pretty good sparkling shiraz section. We picked up a bottle of BlackBilly Sparkling Shiraz NV for $15. I was too lazy to write notes. It’s the second time I’ve had BlackBilly, and I was certainly more underwhelmed than the first time I had it. It’s not bad by any stretch; it actually ticks many boxes for the style, but it wasn’t unique or complex enough to warrant much more than a 3/5 rating. Good price though.

Family holidays, assignments, more writing in the studio, and study will mean posting will be sporadic until mid-January. But in the pipeline I have a bundle more reviews and a feature which has proven to be quite interesting in writing.

In short, thanks to my incrementally increasing readership for the comments, feedback, tips and general welcoming into the underground Australian BoozeBlogosphere! Have a happy holidays, play safe, and I guess it’d be remiss of me not to recommend you have some sparkling shiraz on Christmas Day (or any hot summer day these holidays!).

2011 Recommendations

No particular order.

Houghton ‘Museum Release’ 2004 (review) if you can find it!

Leasingham ‘Classic Clare’ 2004 (review) if you’re willing to pay a bit more…

D’Arenberg ‘Peppermint Paddock’ Chambourcin Shiraz NV (review) a bit divisive this one; you’ll love it or hate it!

Bleasdale NV (review) best <$20 widely available I rekon

Joseph Sparkling Red (unreviewed; link to website) absolutely delicious; unbeatable, and a superior yet unique expression of the style. 

Winery: Padthaway Estate

Region: South East Australia

Vintage: 2005

Alcohol: 12.5%

Review

Offered in a restrained but rather attractive bottle, I had reasonably high hopes for this sparkling shiraz. It poured with a pinky mousse, and held cranberry, aniseed and peppermint on the nose. The medium body felt a little watered down, alas. Tart berries and faint hint of dark chocolate. Meh.

The label was better than the wine 2.5/5

Bought at Vintage Cellars, Mosman, for about $30 | Padthaway Estate

Pairing

Forget the Film, Watch the Titles [click for website] | Art of the Title [click for website]

Above: American Horror Story title sequence (far better than the show itself)

A wine label has much in common with the title sequences of films and television shows. In fact, much of what is written here, by Forget the Film, Watch the Titles, parallels the role of wine packaging and marketing:

You know what they say about first impressions…
Title sequences can be engaging or wildly entertaining, funny, exhilarating, or simply drop dead beautiful. They can be oozing with visual poetry and sophisticated imagery while others hit you hard with their bold and audacious stylistic gestures. And let’s face it, everybody loves a good title sequence.

The very best title sequences not only succeed in putting the audience in the right mood for the movie, they transcend their proper function and venture off into the realm of something far deeper and far greater. They are the signifiers of contemporary pop culture and an art form in their own right. 

Whereas some wines have splendid packaging that matches the quality of the wine (such as Tuesner’s Sparkling Shiraz), other wines rely too much on the labels, packaging and marketing rather than the wine itself (indeed, in some instances, the packaging and marketing is a way of avoiding the fact the product itself is absolute shite).

Some television shows are actually overshadowed by their title sequences; American Horror Story (above) and True Blood (see below) are prime examples. Unlike AHS, TB, the title sequence – as with the wine label (in this instance, the Eliza) – should be a complement to the show (or wine), as is the case with Dexter (also below).

Above: Dexter title sequence (by Digital Kitchen)

From Art of the Title: A blood valentine to the fucking madness, the opening title sequence for Showtime’s “Dexter” is a veritable annunciation of an unholy but likable embodiment of the common rage we can root for. It is a sociopath’s ability to focus on the little things.

While stabilizing sources suggest Dexter’s episodic beginning was carefully designed, it is also enjoyable to view it as slick Grand Guignol, relatable and savage. Here is a killer consumed by the pursuit of an unattainable satiety, all jaw and maw, whetting this morning-time macabre in florid, ratcheting fashion. With a twisted lick of piano wire/dental floss, a favored mosquito going red, and food gone wild, we are able to refine and contextualize the shape, scream and vision of one Dexter Morgan. The butter of all that blood, shaving to bleed and the tang of hot sauce pyrotechnics, plays toward our tendencies of psychiatrist and sidekick.

Below: True Blood title sequence (Digital Kitchen)

For more excellent title sequences, some of which are better than their actual shows, see this article by Mole Empire.

Alternative

Not in the mood? Clonakilla’s 2011 Riesling is pretty rad, especially if you can get it for $25 (maybe buy some online from the winery?). I’d have no hesitation in saying you should buy this instead of the Eliza; there’s no contest. We had a bottle last week, and I want more!

Clonakilla | Australian Wine Journal

]]> http://journalofsparklingshiraz.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/padthaway-estate-eliza-2005-sparkling-shiraz/feed/ 1 teddyhernandez Riesling http://journalofsparklingshiraz.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/jip-jip-rocks-sparkling-shiraz/ http://journalofsparklingshiraz.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/jip-jip-rocks-sparkling-shiraz/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:10:07 +0000 Teddy Hernandez http://journalofsparklingshiraz.wordpress.com/?p=340 ]]>

Winery: Jip Jip Rocks

Region: South East Australian

Vintage: NV

Alcohol: 12.5%

Review

I can honestly say I went into this bottle with no preconceptions. So the first pour was attractive: a persistent pink-crimson broth clung to the rim; a dark purple and a slight glow. Fertile, if not ubiquitous, brambley jam and minty freshness led the nose.

Though not inundating, the optimist in me felt the sight and scent held promise. Hoping it’d deliver, the taste was disappointingly mundane. Not bad… mundane. There’s nothing really poignant at the start, and no real grip at the end. The middle is white pepper, sour plum and lime. Pretty perfect to be flogged off through Wine Selectors, I guess.

Taste is on par with ther Wyndham, but not on price. 2.5/5

Bought at Porter’s Balgowlah for about $20 | Jip Jip Rocks

Pairing

Anne from Arrested Development.

Not bad…. mundane.

Alternative

Not in the mood? A Magner’s Irish Apple Cider with a taste of Orange and Honey perhaps? Not bad… just mundane. Easy drinking summer nothingness.

Winery: Leasingham Wines

Region: Clare Valley

Vintage: 2004

Alcohol: 14%

Review

This is interesting. There’s broad agreement that the Classic Clare is one of the best examples of the style, and I recommend reading the summary on WineStar as a case in point. It was also made by Ed Carr, the “Australian fizz master“ who also put the sparkles into the Houghton Museum Release, which makes it very promising. I’m not quite as enthusiastic as many other reviewers, and I’m not entirely sure why. I’ll hypothesise at the end of this review; but for now, let’s sing it’s virtues, of which there are many!

Classic Clare pours as a brilliantly full-bodied dark mulberry-purple, with a red mousse from an almost-perfect effervescence that clings to the glass-rim for longer than many-a-sparkling shiraz. The nose is fruity and has a pinch of aniseed and spice. The mouthfeel is dense and drier than I had expected, a notch below the dryness of the Ulithorne. I really didn’t find nearly as much sweetness out of this as some other reviews have alluded to (am I desensitised?). The focus for mine was slightly sour berries and a bit of tartness, port, licorice and spice.

My hypothesis for my marginally-diminished enthusiasm was that maybe I was expecting a smidge more sweetness in it’s balance. In some sense, I think that may well be a problem with some of the releases at the ‘serious’ end of the style; the seriousness nudges the frivolity to the side, as if it were trying a bit too much to prove itself to be a serious wine to sparkling shiraz doubters. (This reads much harsher than intended, I might add).

Alas, my focus on this one particular aspect overwhelms the immense positivism to be had from this release. I’m going to grab a couple more too: partly because I want to revisit this in a few years time, but also – sadly – Constellation (now Accolade) shut down and sold off much of the Leasingham vineyards (but retained the brand-name). It’s not all sad – Tim Adams and Pam Goldsack have taken on the winery as a going concern – but these pre-2007 releases will become very scarce and the style may never be repeated in the same fashion.

It’s a splendid wine, and well-worthy of 4/5 (if not a fraction more).

Bought from Vintage Cellars for about $59 | Cheaper at Nick’s and Dan Murphy’s

Leasingham Wines | WineStar | Chris Plummer on the 2002

Constellation sell to Tim Adams and Pam Goldsack

Pairing

The Dark Knight (2008)

There’s broad agreement that The Dark Knight is an excellent vision of Batman, and as far as film versions go, it’s my personal equal favourite with Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). One of the best things about Batman is that he can be envisioned in many ways; replicated in camp fashion (i.e. the 60′s TV version) at one extreme, to Frank Miller’s nihilism at the other.

The Dark Knight, a bit like the Leasingham ‘Classic Clare’, appears to be trying that wee bit too hard to espouse it’s Seriousness credentials at the expense of the comic. The uncompromising bleakness, unbroken by any humour or warmth, is mostly justified; after all, it is The Joker (a chilling and brilliant portrayal by the late Health Ledger), whom revels in decay and orchestrates chaos, who is the primary driver of film’s narrative and theme.

Aside from the (ultimately minor) criticism that The Dark Knight and the Classic Clare are too serious for their own good, there’s another parallel; that of haunting tragedy. The Classic Clare, as discussed above, will never be made again, and likewise, The Dark Knight is overshadowed by the death of Ledger. A certain foreboding and dearth of humour is concurrent is each that presses on their brilliance; however, Classic Clare and The Dark Knight are paired mellifluously.

Alternative

Not in the mood? Something a little out of left field: Brewdog’s There is No Santa Spiced Christmas Beer (Stout). Cinnamon and ginger abounds! Not brilliant, but it does get the balance between seriousness and frivolity pretty much spot on. Christmas cake in a bottle!

RateBeer | BrewDog

Said thoughts have now been posted over at Sociological Images, a great US-based blog that uses various images to discuss sociological concepts.

UPDATE: And, also in a writing mood, I wrote a post about the banning of The Human Centipede: Full Sequence by the powers that be over at AnythingHorror.

Cool!