Montclair Wine

[GrantSmith]

How about this for a description of a particular wine........

Quote: "Think rather of a gathering of warming mulled-wine spices: clementine’s, cinnamon quill, nutmeg, bay leaf and star anise woven together with hints of maple. Fine layers of texture and depth. I think of a worn fabric loom, subtle flax and linen combined with the worn hinges and the loom’s history. The smell of the ancient craft.

Heady aromatics bring to mind the first warm days of spring: a collection of sweet floral aromas. Peppery buds of nasturtium flower; the slight citrus of the caper berry. One, but never two juniper berries. Air dried mandarin colliding with the dry fungi from a marketplace in Central Hong Kong. The blistered, sea sprayed timbers of a coastal boardwalk. Goblets of this wine will cut through a feast of wild boar; it has just enough texture to cut through the juicy fat. Continue the feast with saddle of rabbit and grilled Tommy Ruff".

Phew!!

Have you tried it? Freaking delicious!

[xylophone]

How about this for a description of a particular wine........

Quote: "Think rather of a gathering of warming mulled-wine spices: clementine’s, cinnamon quill, nutmeg, bay leaf and star anise woven together with hints of maple. Fine layers of texture and depth. I think of a worn fabric loom, subtle flax and linen combined with the worn hinges and the loom’s history. The smell of the ancient craft.

Heady aromatics bring to mind the first warm days of spring: a collection of sweet floral aromas. Peppery buds of nasturtium flower; the slight citrus of the caper berry. One, but never two juniper berries. Air dried mandarin colliding with the dry fungi from a marketplace in Central Hong Kong. The blistered, sea sprayed timbers of a coastal boardwalk. Goblets of this wine will cut through a feast of wild boar; it has just enough texture to cut through the juicy fat. Continue the feast with saddle of rabbit and grilled Tommy Ruff".

Phew!!

Have you tried it? Freaking delicious!

Thought you might recognise it!! Lucky man, although in the past I have been disappointed with the Ozzie made GSM blends, but this does sound a bit "special".

[eezergood]

How about this for a description of a particular wine........

Quote: "Think rather of a gathering of warming mulled-wine spices: clementine’s, cinnamon quill, nutmeg, bay leaf and star anise woven together with hints of maple. Fine layers of texture and depth. I think of a worn fabric loom, subtle flax and linen combined with the worn hinges and the loom’s history. The smell of the ancient craft.

Heady aromatics bring to mind the first warm days of spring: a collection of sweet floral aromas. Peppery buds of nasturtium flower; the slight citrus of the caper berry. One, but never two juniper berries. Air dried mandarin colliding with the dry fungi from a marketplace in Central Hong Kong. The blistered, sea sprayed timbers of a coastal boardwalk. Goblets of this wine will cut through a feast of wild boar; it has just enough texture to cut through the juicy fat. Continue the feast with saddle of rabbit and grilled Tommy Ruff".

Phew!!

Have you tried it? Freaking delicious!

Thought you might recognise it!! Lucky man, although in the past I have been disappointed with the Ozzie made GSM blends, but this does sound a bit "special".

Is it SPY???

[animatic]

I've had more than I care to of Montclair, red and white.

Drinkable, but plonk. Still better than Spy by far.

Edited March 7, 2014 by animatic

[xylophone]

I've had more than I care to of Montclair, red and white.

Drinkable, but plonk. Still better than Spy by far.

I think he was being sarcastic...........at least I hope so!!!

The wine the description referred to was an Australian boutique wine blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, and according to the expert on these wines (GrantSmith) it is delicious. I have yet to try it, and doubt that it could be found in Thailand anyway.

[GrantSmith]

I've had more than I care to of Montclair, red and white.

Drinkable, but plonk. Still better than Spy by far.

I think he was being sarcastic...........at least I hope so!!!

The wine the description referred to was an Australian boutique wine blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, and according to the expert on these wines (GrantSmith) it is delicious. I have yet to try it, and doubt that it could be found in Thailand anyway.

Freaking delicious! Not just delicious

I have it on pretty good authority that it will be available in Thailand (rolling vintage I'm lead to believe) later this year, but it ain't cheap. It's twin, a Tempranillo Grenache blend is currently available in Thailand.

But then again, they're not designed to be everyday quaffers, they're occasion wines.

It's not in the price point of Grange or wines of its ilk, but they both certainly can match Grange for what's inside the bottle. Actually even the bottles could teach Grange a thing or two.

As for 'hype', well there's very few wines that can sit at the same table with Grange.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[xylophone]

I've had more than I care to of Montclair, red and white.

Drinkable, but plonk. Still better than Spy by far.

I think he was being sarcastic...........at least I hope so!!!

The wine the description referred to was an Australian boutique wine blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, and according to the expert on these wines (GrantSmith) it is delicious. I have yet to try it, and doubt that it could be found in Thailand anyway.

Freaking delicious! Not just delicious

I have it on pretty good authority that it will be available in Thailand (rolling vintage I'm lead to believe) later this year, but it ain't cheap. It's twin, a Tempranillo Grenache blend is currently available in Thailand.

But then again, they're not designed to be everyday quaffers, they're occasion wines.

It's not in the price point of Grange or wines of its ilk, but they both certainly can match Grange for what's inside the bottle. Actually even the bottles could teach Grange a thing or two.

As for 'hype', well there's very few wines that can sit at the same table with Grange.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

If that's the case, then I will try it when it arrives here...........always open to new wine experiences!

[GrantSmith]

If that's the case, then I will try it when it arrives here...........always open to new wine experiences!

Will keep my ear to the ground and let you know when it does...

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[glassdude007]

going to the wine store right now....

Total novice in the wine department beer is my specialty

What wine should I buy for tomorrows beach picnic..

under 1000bht a bottle?

any reccomendations out there???

[xylophone]

going to the wine store right now....

Total novice in the wine department beer is my specialty

What wine should I buy for tomorrows beach picnic..

under 1000bht a bottle?

any reccomendations out there???

Which wine store and do you/friends prefer red or white wine?

Everyone has different tastes but a wine which could be ok if chilled is an Italian sparkling white wine (Prosecco or similar) as not too high in alcohol and bubbles make people happy. A young Aussie red could do the trick but IMO Jacobs Creek not worth the money.

All a matter of taste.

[xylophone]

Seems like there's quite a few threads going dealing with boxed wine, however the good thing is that they do cover other aspects of wine including price, origins etc etc.

So here's something I would like to share with you, and also it's for people who would like to try an alternative to boxed wine, however the price for this wine is still the same as it was in the past, and in my opinion, you will not get a better red wine for the price, or even almost double it.

The wine I am talking about is called "Belleville" and it is from the South of France, however made more to the New World style of wine, so should please the Aussie wine drinkers amongst us. It always was 295 baht per bottle, and today I have checked this out, and it still is – – now whether this is because it is old stock or not, I don't know. I do know they made an Australian version which is the same price, however both are worth a try. There is a white version for the white wine drinkers amongst us, however I have never tried it.

I have seen them in Villa Market and in "Tops" supermarket.

[xylophone]

Having a hard time finding the red in casks (for the restaurant) at the moment seems to be a bit of a shortage?

WINE NEWS:-

Well Montclair is back in Big C in Patong, but don't go looking for it in the usual place where all of the wine is, because it has been placed a couple of rows in, on the way to the checkouts.

Now a couple of interesting pieces of news as regards alternative wines, apart from the "Belleville" which I have posted about previously, and that is, it would be worth visiting "The Deli" (the north end of Rat-U-Thid road, Patong) to peruse the stock of various Australian wines priced between 450 and 550 baht, as I believe they remain at the old prices.

Furthermore, the owner has a range of red wines from California, the company being Bouchon and the wines (a couple of red varieties and a white) called "Moute" at around 265 baht per bottle. From what I can gather searching on the Internet, the wine is made from grapes sourced in California, although on the bottle label, it strongly refers to "fruit wine" and even mentions "blueberries" although I think this is done deliberately in order to get it through customs.

I seem to remember tasting a bottle of this a few years ago, but cannot remember for the life of me what it was like. Maybe another poster would like to give it a try and comment.

Finally, I previously mentioned an Australian wine in the Wine Connection at 349 baht per bottle and wondered how that could be the case given the new tax etc. Well I have solved that little riddle because careful inspection of the small print at the back of the label says that it is bottled in Vietnam. The wine itself is called "Jump Yards" and refers to Australian Shiraz and also has a small picture of a Kangaroo on the label.

Judging by other practices spoken about on this thread, I would think that either the wine has been imported in bulk and bottled in Vietnam, thereby getting round some taxes, or the grape juice has been imported and then fermented and bottled in Vietnam, quite possibly getting round more of the taxes?

So for the enthusiasts looking for an everyday drinking wine which doesn't cost a fortune, some options available and plenty of room to post findings here.

[GrantSmith]

I saw that Jump Yard number as well the other day at a nearby wine connection... I didn't look at a bottle, so unsure who the importer is, that would give you a good idea as to what they're doing.

I'd say they're doing in Vietnam what Thailand does here with Montclair...

Anyone got the taxation info for Vietnam?

Xylophone, did you chance your arm on it?

I'm hearing some worrying stuff from back home with regards to cheap booze, I had a winemaker friend of mine 'expressing' his displeasure at the practice.

I just hope that the regulatory bodies back home don't make the products fit for export, it will turn Australian wine into a laughing stock.

I've tried some of the current stuff (and at 525 baht per bottle I would rather buy Jacob's Creek). I was quite gobsmacked when said importer started to bemoan the increased excise tax. Greedy rex hunt!

On the other hand, I've had another Mclaren Vale Shiraz brought in by a long term expat here and I tried it with another winery friend (who is a longtime chum of said expat) a month back and I was quite impressed. If we could work on re-designing the label I think it will do quite well here.

Now with that off my chest, I'm off to crack some decent <removed> booze! Need to relax a bit

[xylophone]

I saw that Jump Yard number as well the other day at a nearby wine connection... I didn't look at a bottle, so unsure who the importer is, that would give you a good idea as to what they're doing.

I'd say they're doing in Vietnam what Thailand does here with Montclair...

Anyone got the taxation info for Vietnam?

Xylophone, did you chance your arm on it?

I'm hearing some worrying stuff from back home with regards to cheap booze, I had a winemaker friend of mine 'expressing' his displeasure at the practice.

I just hope that the regulatory bodies back home don't make the products fit for export, it will turn Australian wine into a laughing stock.

I've tried some of the current stuff (and at 525 baht per bottle I would rather buy Jacob's Creek). I was quite gobsmacked when said importer started to bemoan the increased excise tax. Greedy rex hunt!

On the other hand, I've had another Mclaren Vale Shiraz brought in by a long term expat here and I tried it with another winery friend (who is a longtime chum of said expat) a month back and I was quite impressed. If we could work on re-designing the label I think it will do quite well here.

Now with that off my chest, I'm off to crack some decent <removed> booze! Need to relax a bit

Hi GS, No I didn't "chance my arm" on the "Jump Yards", but I may just try it for the sake of it, and who knows it might even go with Thai spicy food or something? As far as I'm concerned there is never a reason not to try a wine unless it is plainly "off", as it only enhances one's knowledge whether it be at the bottom rung or at the top.

Interesting your comment about the Australian cheap booze, because I have just started reading a book on the New Zealand wine industry, called "The Wild Bunch" and it details the "movers, shakers and groundbreakers of the New Zealand wine industry" and it is very interesting. Some of the winemakers I have met through various contacts in the hospitality industry, and it's great knowing the history behind some of the individuals, families, vineyards and wines.

However my point is that several of the winemakers have expressed concern at the fact that some New Zealand wine has found its way overseas, shipped in bulk when there was a glut, to be bottled by the likes of Tesco and others. You can see their point, because the New Zealand wine industry has worked hard to ensure NZ Wine commands a premium overseas, yet here is this wine exported in bulk which is undercutting its own product basically.

I suppose it's the realities of commerce versus positioning, because every vineyard/winemaker wants to make a profit to be able to continue to operate, yet sometimes this is happening at the expense of the very wine that made New Zealand famous.

Very hard to find a way round this.

[GrantSmith]

Xylophone, get what you're saying about trying wine for the sheer knowledge factor, to an extent I absolutely agree. I'll probably do the same among friends, the wife's become quite the wine snob nowadays so won't be doing it on a whim..

Maybe a blind tasting for giggles...

Your NZ comparison is exactly what I'm talking about and it's exactly what us Aussies did with 'chardy' all those years ago. It's taken decades for Australian wine to be taken seriously again because of it.

Ultimately it benefits the consumer as it almost forces the better wineries to lower their prices to remain competitive.

But that's only a part of the battle as it results in the growers being screwed down even further on their crop prices which are already struggling given current practice and lest we not forget Mother Nature...

It's a vicious cycle and the industry adapts quite well as it should, it should also gain from greater assistance from the hospitality trade to maintain certain standards.

Ultimately regulatory process should step in, but that's one of those things where you don't hold your breathe for too long..

[eezergood]

Australia had a better idea, with the clear skin revolution. The idea is sound, loads of juice blended & bottled then shipped off to be sold as SA white or whatever..... This, in theory, can protect brand integrity and commerce can freely flow. If they have a glut, sell it off and the consumer scores a cheap deal. Winner winner chicken dinner!

Maybe this is the Marxist in me seeing things that just aint so......

[GrantSmith]

Yeah the cleanskin theory is or was very sound idea to begin with and it was how a number of the bigger players got rid of their excess. Unfortunately being capitalist bar stewards that we are in Australia, someone got the idea that they might as well take the idea and make money from it, strip off the "cleanskin" label and wack one of their own on. Pay the winemaker a fee for his/her/their troubles and happy days.

To make it sound like it belonged - they gave it a moniker - Contract Winemaking.

This is how we get to where we are today, cheap imports bastardising an already sensitive market. Which, will affect some more than others. I could imagine the brains trust at Central would be concerned as would any off premise trader that deals with the on premise trade.

But similar to Thailand, Australian wine (domestically) is taxed at a ridiculous rate of 29% plus a GST (VAT) of 10%. I'm actually surprised that the wineries back home don't parallel import more via NZ (whom also receive rebates of the WET [Wine Equalisation Tax]) who don't have this B.S tax.

RANT: But what I'm hearing (possibly seeing as well) is this contract winemaking being seen as a meal ticket up here. If that is the case, by all means go ahead and bring it in, but don't be so smug as to sit there in front of your fellow countrymen and bemoan the taxation system up here and raise your prices by $5 a bottle. Your product isn't worth $5 back home, why on earth would you think it's worth 4 times that here?

/RANT

[xylophone]

Quote GS: "Xylophone, did you chance your arm on it?

Decided to give the "Jump Yards" wine from Wine Connection a try last night – – the "Bold Red" which has a little sticker next to the label saying it is "juicy Australian Shiraz".

I was quite expecting another one of the flabby South Eastern Australian wines, the land of irrigated vines and much bulk wine, however I was very pleasantly surprised. The wine is the 2013 vintage and because it was young, I decided to chill it slightly as one can do with young fruity wines, and I think this works especially well in this climate.

As would be expected, you wouldn't find much on the nose from such a wine, however what was there was just what you'd expect with a young, fresh fruity wine, and that was the smell of crushed fruit/grapes (which I have never found on any of the boxed wines– – not surprising) and just the smallest hint of the spiciness of the Shiraz grape.

It was a well structured wine, unlike the flabby offerings of Montclair, Cedar Creek and Jimberroo and was certainly very pleasant on the palate with soft tannins, but enough to keep the structure of the wine. Now I wouldn't think that wine like this would spend time in oak, so I can only assume that the juice that made this particular wine was either from very ripe grapes, or the producer let the wine spend some time on contact with it skins in order to extract some tannins.........this is just a guess.

It was a very easy drinking wine and if I was to rate it, it would rate well above the three boxed wines I have mentioned above, and dare I say it, it wouldn't be far from the rubbish which now seems to be sold as Jacobs Creek (at twice the price).

I would add one proviso, that IMO it does need to be chilled before drinking because this wine appears to be at its best having a slight chill on it, and when it comes out of that chilled state, the structure and integrity of it falls away a little. this is much the same with wines like Beaujolais and some of the wines of the southern Rhône, and indeed the Australian wine, Tarango.

Absolutely worth a try, and IMO would be great for the barbecue, spicy Thai dishes, Italian tomato/spicy style dishes, pizza and the like. Just keep it in the fridge for a while or put it into a bucket of iced water before drinking.

Any feedback on it from others????

[eezergood]

Quote GS: "Xylophone, did you chance your arm on it?

Decided to give the "Jump Yards" wine from Wine Connection a try last night – – the "Bold Red" which has a little sticker next to the label saying it is "juicy Australian Shiraz".

I was quite expecting another one of the flabby South Eastern Australian wines, the land of irrigated vines and much bulk wine, however I was very pleasantly surprised. The wine is the 2013 vintage and because it was young, I decided to chill it slightly as one can do with young fruity wines, and I think this works especially well in this climate.

As would be expected, you wouldn't find much on the nose from such a wine, however what was there was just what you'd expect with a young, fresh fruity wine, and that was the smell of crushed fruit/grapes (which I have never found on any of the boxed wines– – not surprising) and just the smallest hint of the spiciness of the Shiraz grape.

It was a well structured wine, unlike the flabby offerings of Montclair, Cedar Creek and Jimberroo and was certainly very pleasant on the palate with soft tannins, but enough to keep the structure of the wine. Now I wouldn't think that wine like this would spend time in oak, so I can only assume that the juice that made this particular wine was either from very ripe grapes, or the producer let the wine spend some time on contact with it skins in order to extract some tannins.........this is just a guess.

It was a very easy drinking wine and if I was to rate it, it would rate well above the three boxed wines I have mentioned above, and dare I say it, it wouldn't be far from the rubbish which now seems to be sold as Jacobs Creek (at twice the price).

I would add one proviso, that IMO it does need to be chilled before drinking because this wine appears to be at its best having a slight chill on it, and when it comes out of that chilled state, the structure and integrity of it falls away a little. this is much the same with wines like Beaujolais and some of the wines of the southern Rhône, and indeed the Australian wine, Tarango.

Absolutely worth a try, and IMO would be great for the barbecue, spicy Thai dishes, Italian tomato/spicy style dishes, pizza and the like. Just keep it in the fridge for a while or put it into a bucket of iced water before drinking.

Any feedback on it from others????

Not on this particular drop and sorry to hijack BUT this sounds like a perfect candidate for a sangria wine....

Add some local Mehkong/Regency etc... fruit juice (mango works well with orange) and off you go

[pagallim]

As an aside, my cooking a pasta dish at home tonight prompted me to look for a box of Mont Clair red. The usual outlets (Promphan, Villa Market) were completely bare (Promphan had a solitary box of white). I eventually got a 2 litre bottle of red from a wholesale type place near PTT on Chaofa West. Sadly, I hadn't read xylophone's last post before shopping..........

[xylophone]

Quote GS: "Xylophone, did you chance your arm on it?

Decided to give the "Jump Yards" wine from Wine Connection a try last night – – the "Bold Red" which has a little sticker next to the label saying it is "juicy Australian Shiraz".

I was quite expecting another one of the flabby South Eastern Australian wines, the land of irrigated vines and much bulk wine, however I was very pleasantly surprised. The wine is the 2013 vintage and because it was young, I decided to chill it slightly as one can do with young fruity wines, and I think this works especially well in this climate.

As would be expected, you wouldn't find much on the nose from such a wine, however what was there was just what you'd expect with a young, fresh fruity wine, and that was the smell of crushed fruit/grapes (which I have never found on any of the boxed wines– – not surprising) and just the smallest hint of the spiciness of the Shiraz grape.

It was a well structured wine, unlike the flabby offerings of Montclair, Cedar Creek and Jimberroo and was certainly very pleasant on the palate with soft tannins, but enough to keep the structure of the wine. Now I wouldn't think that wine like this would spend time in oak, so I can only assume that the juice that made this particular wine was either from very ripe grapes, or the producer let the wine spend some time on contact with it skins in order to extract some tannins.........this is just a guess.

It was a very easy drinking wine and if I was to rate it, it would rate well above the three boxed wines I have mentioned above, and dare I say it, it wouldn't be far from the rubbish which now seems to be sold as Jacobs Creek (at twice the price).

I would add one proviso, that IMO it does need to be chilled before drinking because this wine appears to be at its best having a slight chill on it, and when it comes out of that chilled state, the structure and integrity of it falls away a little. this is much the same with wines like Beaujolais and some of the wines of the southern Rhône, and indeed the Australian wine, Tarango.

Absolutely worth a try, and IMO would be great for the barbecue, spicy Thai dishes, Italian tomato/spicy style dishes, pizza and the like. Just keep it in the fridge for a while or put it into a bucket of iced water before drinking.

Any feedback on it from others????

Not on this particular drop and sorry to hijack BUT this sounds like a perfect candidate for a sangria wine....

Add some local Mehkong/Regency etc... fruit juice (mango works well with orange) and off you go

Would rate it above a Sangria type wine Eezer and certainly above the boxed wines I've tried to date.

Back to a 2009 Cab Sauv from the Limestone Coast tonight so try to vary the wines I drink whenever possible.

[emubob]

Hi everyone and thank you all for keeping this fabulous thread evolving. Currently sat with the Ozzie Jump Yards from WC which I bought last night. Ordered a spicy pizza and decided to open the red rather late! Was a little warm to start and was not that impressed. Have chilled it down now and although better still falls off the palate so quickly and nothing there to make me buy more. I personally thing the JC Grenache Shiraz at 100-150bht a bottle more is far better value. Although it has been a while since I had the Belleville I think that that is the better wine if looking into wines at the bottom end of the market.

I have the Jump Yards white also to try so will let you know my thoughts on that. Once again though I thank everyone who has contributed and who will continue to contribute to this thread as it has been a fascinating topic and one that I am sure the original poster could never have envisaged.

Time for one final glass then bed! Cheers!

[xylophone]

Hi everyone and thank you all for keeping this fabulous thread evolving. Currently sat with the Ozzie Jump Yards from WC which I bought last night. Ordered a spicy pizza and decided to open the red rather late! Was a little warm to start and was not that impressed. Have chilled it down now and although better still falls off the palate so quickly and nothing there to make me buy more. I personally thing the JC Grenache Shiraz at 100-150bht a bottle more is far better value. Although it has been a while since I had the Belleville I think that that is the better wine if looking into wines at the bottom end of the market.

I have the Jump Yards white also to try so will let you know my thoughts on that. Once again though I thank everyone who has contributed and who will continue to contribute to this thread as it has been a fascinating topic and one that I am sure the original poster could never have envisaged.

Time for one final glass then bed! Cheers!

Yes emubob, would have to agree that the "Jump Yards" does need to be chilled and when it warms up a little, you are quite right, the wine does "fall off the palate quickly".

However that is the same with many of the lower end wines which are made specifically to be young and fruity and drunk early. I'm afraid that is the nature of the beast, as they say. And I don't know of any of the wines produced in this way which will be any different.

Many years ago (try 40 +!!!!) I decided to try to rate wines on a scale of 1 to 10 on a trial index which I kept, however it soon became clear that I had to further differentiate this between what I would call "drinking/swigging wines" and the "better quality wines" because there was absolutely no comparison between an average "drinking/swigging wine" and an average "better quality wine".

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that at the lower end of the market, one can find a wine which seems to suit, however can never be compared to wines which are produced, for example, for the better end of the market, with more care and attention in the vineyards, quality vinification, some oak treatment perhaps and so on.

It comes down to the old adage, "you get what you pay for", however having said that, there are times when a few glasses of an everyday drinking wine will be sufficient, whereas there are other times when you really want to taste something a little bit special to get everything back into perspective.

[xylophone]

Hi everyone and thank you all for keeping this fabulous thread evolving. Currently sat with the Ozzie Jump Yards from WC which I bought last night. Ordered a spicy pizza and decided to open the red rather late! Was a little warm to start and was not that impressed. Have chilled it down now and although better still falls off the palate so quickly and nothing there to make me buy more. I personally thing the JC Grenache Shiraz at 100-150bht a bottle more is far better value. Although it has been a while since I had the Belleville I think that that is the better wine if looking into wines at the bottom end of the market.

I have the Jump Yards white also to try so will let you know my thoughts on that. Once again though I thank everyone who has contributed and who will continue to contribute to this thread as it has been a fascinating topic and one that I am sure the original poster could never have envisaged.

Time for one final glass then bed! Cheers!

In another post, Eezergood mentioned that the "Jump Yards" might be suitable for sangria, then we have "laislica" who spends a lot of time in Spain and likes the Spanish wine, so it must have been those things which fired a neuron, so I decided to cook a paella, something I used to love doing in the home country but haven't really done here much, and try the "Jump Yards" with that.

I did chill it quite severely in the fridge and as already mentioned, although it is a red wine at least it is young and can take some chilling...............and the result was, damn near a perfect match in my opinion. I really did enjoy that wine with the paella as I have tried many other wines in the past and the young, fruity and chilled wines seem to suit best. I have tried the ordinary Rioja, up to some very good ones, and have never found the match to be that good.

Because paella differs from region to region, I make my own version and go easy on the seafood, using only a few large prawns, along with chicken, chorizo sausage, and the usual array of paella ingredients (garlic, onion, bell pepper, artichoke hearts, peas with just one chopped chilli to give it a little bit of oomph, salt and black pepper and oregano, with just a little bit of paprika and turmeric for the colouring and flavour – – I find saffron stems hard to come by here).

If it worked well with this wine, perhaps it would work well with other every-day swiggers, even the Montclair would be worth a try with it!!

[eezergood]

Hi everyone and thank you all for keeping this fabulous thread evolving. Currently sat with the Ozzie Jump Yards from WC which I bought last night. Ordered a spicy pizza and decided to open the red rather late! Was a little warm to start and was not that impressed. Have chilled it down now and although better still falls off the palate so quickly and nothing there to make me buy more. I personally thing the JC Grenache Shiraz at 100-150bht a bottle more is far better value. Although it has been a while since I had the Belleville I think that that is the better wine if looking into wines at the bottom end of the market.

I have the Jump Yards white also to try so will let you know my thoughts on that. Once again though I thank everyone who has contributed and who will continue to contribute to this thread as it has been a fascinating topic and one that I am sure the original poster could never have envisaged.

Time for one final glass then bed! Cheers!

In another post, Eezergood mentioned that the "Jump Yards" might be suitable for sangria, then we have "laislica" who spends a lot of time in Spain and likes the Spanish wine, so it must have been those things which fired a neuron, so I decided to cook a paella, something I used to love doing in the home country but haven't really done here much, and try the "Jump Yards" with that.

I did chill it quite severely in the fridge and as already mentioned, although it is a red wine at least it is young and can take some chilling...............and the result was, <deleted> near a perfect match in my opinion. I really did enjoy that wine with the paella as I have tried many other wines in the past and the young, fruity and chilled wines seem to suit best. I have tried the ordinary Rioja, up to some very good ones, and have never found the match to be that good.

Because paella differs from region to region, I make my own version and go easy on the seafood, using only a few large prawns, along with chicken, chorizo sausage, and the usual array of paella ingredients (garlic, onion, bell pepper, artichoke hearts, peas with just one chopped chilli to give it a little bit of oomph, salt and black pepper and oregano, with just a little bit of paprika and turmeric for the colouring and flavour – – I find saffron stems hard to come by here).

If it worked well with this wine, perhaps it would work well with other every-day swiggers, even the Montclair would be worth a try with it!!

Saffron easy to find when you know the right people mate!!! BUt silly expensive & lots of fakes.... You also need a bit of rabbit in that Paella!

[xylophone]

Hi everyone and thank you all for keeping this fabulous thread evolving. Currently sat with the Ozzie Jump Yards from WC which I bought last night. Ordered a spicy pizza and decided to open the red rather late! Was a little warm to start and was not that impressed. Have chilled it down now and although better still falls off the palate so quickly and nothing there to make me buy more. I personally thing the JC Grenache Shiraz at 100-150bht a bottle more is far better value. Although it has been a while since I had the Belleville I think that that is the better wine if looking into wines at the bottom end of the market.

I have the Jump Yards white also to try so will let you know my thoughts on that. Once again though I thank everyone who has contributed and who will continue to contribute to this thread as it has been a fascinating topic and one that I am sure the original poster could never have envisaged.

Time for one final glass then bed! Cheers!

In another post, Eezergood mentioned that the "Jump Yards" might be suitable for sangria, then we have "laislica" who spends a lot of time in Spain and likes the Spanish wine, so it must have been those things which fired a neuron, so I decided to cook a paella, something I used to love doing in the home country but haven't really done here much, and try the "Jump Yards" with that.

I did chill it quite severely in the fridge and as already mentioned, although it is a red wine at least it is young and can take some chilling...............and the result was, <deleted> near a perfect match in my opinion. I really did enjoy that wine with the paella as I have tried many other wines in the past and the young, fruity and chilled wines seem to suit best. I have tried the ordinary Rioja, up to some very good ones, and have never found the match to be that good.

Because paella differs from region to region, I make my own version and go easy on the seafood, using only a few large prawns, along with chicken, chorizo sausage, and the usual array of paella ingredients (garlic, onion, bell pepper, artichoke hearts, peas with just one chopped chilli to give it a little bit of oomph, salt and black pepper and oregano, with just a little bit of paprika and turmeric for the colouring and flavour – – I find saffron stems hard to come by here).

If it worked well with this wine, perhaps it would work well with other every-day swiggers, even the Montclair would be worth a try with it!!

Saffron easy to find when you know the right people mate!!! BUt silly expensive & lots of fakes.... You also need a bit of rabbit in that Paella!

Get plenty of "rabbit" from this forum................ only joking!!.

As for rabbit, well I actually can't stand it, this ever since my pet rabbit was killed in front of my eyes when I was a mere seven years old, skinned and then cooked for dinner. Yes even though I say it myself, we were very poor in those days (cue Monty Python sketch) and it seemed to my folks as if it was a heaven sent opportunity for a cheap meal! Obviously I couldn't eat any of it, and have never been able to even look at it since.

And as you would know my friend, Paella has many different regional differences, ranging from pork, snails, mostly seafood to almost none, and so on. And as for the saffron, any that I have bought here, I have been utterly disappointed with, so they probably are fakes.

[GrantSmith]

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/04/239760/

This article made me chuckle

[xylophone]

As I have often commented in my posts, it's important to vary one's wine intake to experience good wines and the not so good wines, so as to retain a balance and to really appreciate the range of wines available.

So in amongst the talk of Montclair, boxed Chilean red, Jacobs Creek etc, I decided to go upmarket and try a 2007 Primo Estate Shale Stone Shiraz from McLaren Vale, and it was excellent. Despite being 14.5%, this didn't show through in the wine and although there were some good tannins in it, they had softened, making it a very lovely wine indeed.

I should do this more often.............. but then the wallet is always a consideration!!!

[eezergood]

As I have often commented in my posts, it's important to vary one's wine intake to experience good wines and the not so good wines, so as to retain a balance and to really appreciate the range of wines available.

So in amongst the talk of Montclair, boxed Chilean red, Jacobs Creek etc, I decided to go upmarket and try a 2007 Primo Estate Shale Stone Shiraz from McLaren Vale, and it was excellent. Despite being 14.5%, this didn't show through in the wine and although there were some good tannins in it, they had softened, making it a very lovely wine indeed.

I should do this more often.............. but then the wallet is always a consideration!!!

With that in mind, do yourself a favour.....

SAMUELS GORGE!

[GrantSmith]

I decided to step outside my comfort zone last week and I jumped across the ditch, well given it was a long happy hour 2-for-1 at 240 baht wine not right? It was that or a Chenin Blanc from South Africa, which I guess I'm glad I stuck with the NZ chard - the Chenin from SA that my wife had was far too sweet.

But not going the full heathen, I went with a Chardonnay from Pegasus Bay's lesser known label Main Devide. Now being Australian, I'm accustomed to a bit of oak and a bit of butter in my Chardonnay, but this being an NZ chardonnay I wasn't sure what to expect.

Unfortunately, all I was getting was a Sauvignon Blanc barrel residue taste which took until the 3rd glass (for either my palate to adjust or the high octaine alcohol punch I was also getting was beginning to take over) to overcome.

Price point wise, couldn't really get my bunches pressed, but just left a little disappointed.

xylophone, was that Primo Estate in Thailand or were you gallavanting about the Australian continent again?

Primo's a bit of an under the radar winery, never hear a lot about them except for when Halliday and Parker have something to say.