Last of the Festivale wine

With Festivale done, it's time to take stock of the wines we presented there.

2009 Pinot Noir is down to its last handful of cases. We will put this one away to allow age development and for use in some planned guided tastings and food matching events.

2010 Pinot Noir is plentiful and going strong! Still youthful, but developing nicely with being allowed to breathe, this wine has fruit like the 2009, but also Pinot's amazing funky/earthy characters. Comments such as savoury, mushroom and forest floor were tossed about by the crowd. It is youth still, but has a lot more going on than the 2009 did.

2011 Chardonnay - wild yeast batch. We had a small batch of chardonnay that came to Festivale with us as a bit of a one off. Its mild oak, savoury and leesy characters were nicely balanced by fresh citrus. This was a hit with people who don't normally enjoy a chardonnay. I have only 3 cases of this wine left.

Very soon, our standard 2011 Chardonnay will be available. It is a close cousin to the above wine, so stay tuned for further news of it!

cheers!

Festivale 2012

Festivale is done for 2012, and what an experience!

A combination of rain, bright sunshine, big crowds, Daryl Braithwaite, big fat Slim Chefs and a glowing technicolour Polar Bear made for a memorable weekend of fun, wine and good food.

Gryphonwood's first public outing was an eye opener, with a lot of people coming to see us as the new kids on the block. It was a surprise to be announced runners-up for Best New Stall!

I have to offer a big thanks to the many people who helped us get there - you are too many to list, but are remembered nonetheless.

The wines were well received, and our Wine Matched Sampler Platter was a hit. The local produce was stunning.

Check out our website for more pics. In the meantime, have a technicolour Polar Bear!

A great Australia Day!

January 26th, Australia Day.
A day that lets us be proud of what a great place the Land Down Under is!
There are a few traditions that must be observed on Australia Day -

Small flags should be placed on your letterbox or gate/fence. A minimum of two is required.

A BBQ, over which senior males present must observe the excess charring of lamb chops. We even did our bit for multiculturalism this year - we marinated some of them with honey soy and sweet chilli!

Beer, as soon as the day gets warm, a lull in conversation, or you exert yourself in any fashion, then a beer is necessary hydration. Women may enjoy wine; Queenslanders may use ice cubes in their wine.

Music should be played, with  fair percentage of Aussie artists. In the absence of music, cricket on the telly is the other option available. Tennis may be used as an alternative if females outnumber males in the room...particularly women's matches.

Water should be mixed with children - be it a pool, at the beach or a sprinkler in the back yard. Rain may be deemed the same effect as a sprinkler.

A dog should be on hand to collect scraps of chops, or steal food from plates and people too short to hold said food safely overhead. If the dog refuses bbq scraps, it is not an Aussie dog.

Dress code may be selected from red/white/blue or green/gold. Canary yellow is an inappropriate colour.

The word 'mate' should be used frequently.



It is a good thing, to be an Australian!

2010 Pinot Promo Winner!

Congratulations to Julianne Ferrier of Newcastle, for her win in our 2010 Pinot release promotion!
She now has a fantastic set of Pumm B glasses to enjoy, and we are sure she will make good use of them!

Well done!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a wonderful and merry Christmas and festive season!

Be safe, play fair (or cheat well)!

Love from everyone here at Gryphonwood Vineyards!