Wine of the Week:
De Bortoli Estate Grown Yarra Valley Syrah 2010
One of our frustrations has been that we (Trish and I) haven’t
been able to find another wine from De Bortoli that we like apart from Noble
One. Every time that we have done tastings; be it at both the Hunter or Yarra nothing – that is until we had the Syrah.
The 2010 Estate Grown Syrah is one of those reds that is an
above average every day wine. Generally, the Syrah is a little more subtle than
the Shiraz but this one has plenty of body for those who want some strength in
their reds without having to give it plenty of air to let it all out. It also
has enough of that pepper taste without seeming to overpower the fruit. Definitely has the potential for getting better if you leave it for a few years but it
loses nothing by having it now.
Great to have with a homemade pasta or even pizza…but a homemade
or pizza shop one. You can get it from the De Bortoli online store for $25
which is one of the better value wines that I have come across in a long while.
So here we are again. It has been over a year since the last
post which I must admit took me aback as I didn’t realise that it was that
long. Rather than going into the reasons as to why so long, the more pertinent
question is why come back?
Well, a couple of reasons I suppose. One very good reason is
that since the last epistle, Trish and I have visited a number of wineries;
both here and overseas. As such, there are many new wines that we have tasted
and subsequently stocked up on.
That and I am constantly reminded of the great power of
wine. Not only can it taste brilliant, but it also can provide a background for
some enjoyable times which in turn create some great memories; all of which can
be brought back to life with a single smell or taste.
The other main reason seems to be a collision of factors. I
enjoy writing but lately it has been limited to snippets via Twitter. Which has
been fine for the most part but I don’t know whether it is because there are
some things that have been happening in the world which have caught my
attention or whether my ‘whinging old man’ gene has kicked in as soon as I
turned 40, but there are some instances where 140 characters is not enough to
convey what I am thinking.
Thus to kick this little side project off again, I thought I
would just touch on a number of topics that are top of mind at the moment; some
may be explored in depth in future posts, others may be replaced by new things
that get me to drag out my virtual soapbox again.
1. Quite a few years ago, nearly every IT vendor was
proclaiming that access to the internet would be like water or electricity in
that we would expect it to just be there. Just turn on your device and you are
connected. I think we have reached that point; a point where having an infrastructure
that can deliver that now and be able to accommodate growth in the future is so
important. Then why isn’t the National Broadband Network treated as being such
a key investment in our nation’s infrastructure rather than a political
football to score short term points with…by both sides of the house?
2. There seems to be an ever increasing percentage of the
driving population that has forgotten what those ruler length, cylindrical things
that stick out either the right or left hand side of the steering wheel in
their cars are for. For the record, they are indicators which set off a signal visible
to other drivers when intending to turn or merge the vehicle. Please take the
time to remind others to use them.
3. I remember from my studies that Australian history shows
that typically (and I stress typically) when it comes to our economic health,
Labor have had a history of running things into the ground and the Coalition
look to rebuild. The key thing that no one mentioned was who looked after what
I call the ‘social fabric’ of the country. More to the point, why isn’t it as important
as our economic health?
There are some trends that are quietly and subtly happening
which are disturbing to me. Some of these include proposed changes to Medicare
so it is no longer the safety net for all, accusing the ABC to be “un-Australian”
for having the audacity to criticise and question the Government and the fact that
we are developing a track record of imposing our strong regional position on smaller
neighbouring nations as part of our solution to the issue of people trafficking
and those seeking asylum. Whatever your position is on any or all of these
issues, they need to be discussed and debated far more than they are – not accepting
the justification that they all fall under a supposed ‘mandate’ from the last election.
4. Growing up in Sydney, I have followed the game of rugby
league since I was very young hence like a lot of people I know, we all have a
lot of emotional investment in the game. Especially as the game looks to compete with
other sports for not just that emotional investment but of course our financial
one. So when will rugby league realise that you can’t look to build the game
for the future while still thinking that it needs to stay in the 1980’s to
survive? That and you have to have played the game at a high level to have a
valid opinion about it?
5. Last night saw the end of the professional career of
Harry Kewell; arguably Australia’s best football player. Certainly the best of
my generation. I am the first to admit that I am not a football aficionado but
whenever you spoke about how Australia and Australian players were progressing in
the world game, Kewell’s name was just about the first that was mentioned. Like
most of our significant sporting champions, Kewell first represented Australia
at a young age – eighteen. From there, he had a stellar career not just with
Australia but with Leeds United, Liverpool and Galatasaray.
In my opinion, when
we (we being the sporting nation) needed him and I mean really needed him, he
delivered. Namely against Uruguay in 2005 and against Croatia in 2006. I am
sure that true devotees of the game can name more examples for both club and
country. To me, he has been one of the country’s greatest sportsmen, not just
one of our greatest footballers. So why hasn’t his departure been given the
same gravitas as a Steve Waugh, a Robert Harvey or a Darren Lockyer?
Something to ponder anyway…welcome back!
