Under
the influence:
31.01.2010
Even more what we have been drinking
Maybe it would be quicker to say
what we haven't
been drinking. We've been very 'active' and 'diligent' in our wine
tasting you see ....
more
31.01.2010
The 2010 Tasmanian Wine Show ... dinner
Somehow we didn't make it to the
wine show
proper this year. We could make excuses but we would just lose what
little respect you have for us. At least we managed to organise
ourselves sufficiently to get to the dinner. It was a near run thing
though ... more
31.01.2010
Bah Humbug ...
Late last year we had the good
fortune to talk
to Paul McShane about Humbugreach vineyard. Here is the results of that
funny and very interesting chat. We also get to try the 'wine of shame'
and learn how to pick up girls from foreign lands ..... more
12.01.2010
Unofficial / housekeeping update
We know we said the next update
isn't until the
end of January but we have been a bit busy, in between
drinking too much at the Taste and sundry other places, and we wanted
you to know just in case you thought we might have just been lying
drunk in some gutter somewhere.
Our humble site has undergone a bit of renovation. You can now search the
site simply by clicking on the search option on this page and on the
winepunters cellar page. We have used the Google functionality which is
great but with it comes ads which is not great but programming our own
search function would have taken too long and the ads are not
particularly intrusive.
You are also now able to Subscribe
to winepunters by clicking on the subscribe option on this page. This
free service means that you will receive a
fortnightly update email letting you know all about the latest content
on the site.
Lastly, as we metioned in our 2010 prediction article, PJ has succumed
to 'mid-life crisis' fever and commited himself to doing the Windsor
half-marathon. He will be joining up to 6,000 athletes,fun runners and
fellow midlife crisis suffers for a jaunt around Windsor Castle in the
United Kingdom in September this year. You can follow his 'progress' on
our new half windsor blog.
31.12.2009
Winepunters in 2010 ...
We have been pleased, gratified and
frankly surprised
at the progress of this humble website. We hope to continue in the next
year by adding to the functionality of the site (we want to add a
search function), offering the ability
to subscribe to winepunters and by
continuing to uncover more stories and more wines. We hope you
all have a merry and
prosperous new year.
31.12.2009
Well hello 2010 ...
Due to wine induced technical
difficulties this update is both small and late but we hope
entertaining. "Tis the season to make predictions far la la ..." Rather
than be like so
many others at this time of the year we wanted to apply a risk analysis
approach to the coming year and decade
.... Warning .... there was a spontaneous outbreak of seriousness in
the following article. .... more
20.12.2009
More what we have been drinking
See what we have been drinking as
we train incredibly hard for the demands of another festive season ....
more
20.12.2009
2009 the year that nearly was
We sat down with Mark Smith and
Gill Christian
to discuss this year's highs and lows. Yes it's that time of the year
when content doesn't matter just like on TV.... more
20.12.2009
A plea from master winemaker Rick Burge
It's not often we get to spend time
with someone from a multi generational winemaking family who lives on
that big island to the north .... more
30.11.2009
WIT launches a new Tasmanian Wine Route booklet
The useful bit of kit that is the
Tasmanian Wine
Route booklet gets updated and a make over and we get to experience a
media scrum! .... more
30.11.2009
We go to the show and get learnded!
The Royal Agricultural Society of
Tasmania has
done it again organising another great royal international
wine
show. We went, we mentally disputed the judges decisions, drank hot
wine and learnt to love the semillon .... more
30.11.2009
We chat to Dick Friend
Dick has a long association with
Tassie food and wine as well as his brush with state politics. You
might not agree with him but you can't deny he does love Tassie .... more
15.11.2009
More great Tassie wine is decanted into our stomachs!
Your favourite functioning
alcoholics have been at it again .... more
15.11.2009
I say .. what the blazes is that in my glass!?
Ever experienced the gritty,
powdery stuff at the bottom of a wine glass? No? Well maybe you aren't
drinking top quality wine ... more
15.11.2009
The attack of the clones .....
Oh god we are so funny we just
crack ourselves up. Oh wait, you don't know what the hell we're
talking about. Clones people clones. The domain of wine geeks or
something worth knowing? .... more
31.10.2009
The inaugural Rhite wine 'BIT' award goes to .....
We know we have banged on about
this to the point of being annoying but
there is just one last thing to do and that is to award the BIT (best in
taste) to the wine that sold the most on the
day. That's right, a 'what made the punters part with their hard earned
cash'
based award (and about
time too! - Ed). Next year we will be a bit more
scientific
or something but this year it was about the cash.
So the winner is .... Milton vineyard for their Laura Rosé
sparkling.
All the girls loved it and everyone who bought wine bought at least one
bottle of this zesty, fruity, lively and never made before
wine. Asked for a comment Michael Dunbabin said "this is such
an
honour ... sob .... we're not worthy!"
So the winepunter's bow of approval goes to Milton, and to everyone
else, what can we say - try harder next year (oh now that's just harsh - Ed).
31.10.2009
Natalie and Tim added to the The White Wine Weekend punter
hall of fame
A scientist and a media producer.
Is there
anyone we won't talk to so you get to hear from punters about Tassie
wine? By the way, we've added more photos to the Gallery
.... more
31.10.2009
When you're rhite, you're right
During the planning stage of our
first wine based event to
raise money for breast cancer research we did have a few concerns.
Would we get support from the industry? Would anyone want to come
along? Would we be able to organise a worthwhile event? Well weren't we
the worry warts!
.... more
16.10.2009
The 'Rhite' Wine Event
We have stopped our usual
tomfoolery for once to help raise money
for a good cause. Oct 17th is the Rhite Wine Event, a Winepunters.com
organised
event that will allow punters to try some of Tassie's finest wine, be
amazed
by the wine inspired winepunter's quiz and contribute to funding
research into a cure for breast cancer.
A huge thank you from us to the event sponsors: Andrew Hood, Bream Creek Vineyard, Darlington
Vineyard, Frogmore
Creek, Glaetzer
Dixon Family Winemakers, Milton Vineyard, Pooley
Wines, Puddleduck Vineyard, Spring Vale Wines, and Winstead Vineyard.
You will
hear more about this (hopefully) annual event in the next update.
16.10.2009
Craig and Karen - mild mannered scientists by day .....
"We're bucket ecologists, we look
at marine creatures in buckets" Craig Mundy explained. "Sometimes we
poke them" Karen Miller added helpfully. When they are not looking and
poking for science they work hard in the vineyard at Two Bud Spur. ....
more
16.10.2009
Elmslie cab sav to the rescue
Sometimes it is necessary to look
the disagreeable in the face and deal with it. That elderly relative
you have locked in your attic isn't whimsical, wonderfully eccentric or
uniquely interesting - they're stark raving bonkers! .... more
16.10.2009
Gallery updated
We have added some more photos from
the Taste of the Tamar and the White Wine Weekend to the gallery.
Maybe send the kiddies to bed
before you get to the one of Julian Allport!
16.10.2009
The White Wine Weekend
Yes it was that time of the year
again. The juggernaut that is the Winesouth's annual 'take a gander at
our whites' rolled into town and gave us all an excuse to sniff, swirl,
sip and swallow/spit so much that it can't be good for you.
.... more
30.09.2009
The Taste of the Tamar
It was off to the north of the
island to check out the Taste of the Tamar. Wine, food and punters who
could ask for anything more? .... more
30.09.2009
Guess who's been in the news?
Isn't it nice to
open a newspaper, even if it's a Murdoch newspaper, and read about
someone you know. Especially if the article doesn't involve crime,
scandal or lewd behaviour. Yes punters Nick Glaetzer is in the
newspaper for all the right reasons (finally!!! - Ed). ....
more
30.09.2009
Winetasting at Sinapius
Vaughn and Linda won a gold medal
with their
very first chardonnay. Blatant show offs? Bit too lucky for their own
good? Or the start of a very successful career? We had to go and find
out .... more
13.09.2009
A punter's adventure in Heathcote
It was off to that big island to
the north to check out Heathcote and it's cool climate shiraz, cabernet
and everything else. We really enjoyed the trip but we were left a
little
perplexed .... more
13.09.2009
Tasmania unbottled - so how did it go?
Unfortunately we couldn't go
ourselves but we wanted to know how it went so we asked WIT, some
exhibitors and punters
.... more
13.09.2009
Now it all becomes clear!
An email from punter Dave has
completely explained why the President of France has been behaving so
strangely lately.... more
13.09.2009
Mike and Philippa Sharman - They helped revive winemaking
in Relbia
Never heard of Relbia? Never been
to
Relbia? Well unfortunately you are not alone. This
area, 15
minutes from the centre of Launceston, doesn't get as many wine loving
visitors as the more famous Tamar Valley. Shame really, people are
missing out on some very good wine ... more
28.08.2009
Happy birthday to us
Has it really been a year ...
really!?
When we started 12 months ago we were not sure whether anyone
would enjoy our take on the Tassie wine industry but happily we were
wrong. We have seen our audience grow and received some good support
from a number of people in the industry. Thank you all for that. In the
face of this encouragement and
because the police are too busy doing other stuff to shut us down we
intend to continue!
28.08.2009
Winetasting at Morningside
Peter and Brenda were very
hospitable when we
interviewed them recently. The bit that impressed us was them letting
us try nearly all their wines ... more
28.08.2009
Nick Glaetzer and his wines
Recently we caught up with Nick at
Frogmore Creek for a chat. We were so impressed we decided to head back
and get him to talk us through his range of wines ... more
28.08.2009
Matt Pooley - one year on
It doesn't seem that long ago that
we had our first winepunter conversation but a year can go by pretty
quickly. We thought it might be nice (for us at least - Ed)
to go and see what Matt has been up to over the last year ... more
11.08.2009
What we have been drinking so far in August
Much to our surprise our last 'what
we have been drinking' sparked some appreciative, nay, complimentary
emails (onya punter
Kath - Ed) so we thought we would do it again. See
what happens when you are nice to us! ... more
11.08.2009
Look what I found under my bed!
Punter Paul has been in touch to
tell us he
found a 1994 Winstead Pinot under his bed. He wants to know is
it
any good? ... more
11.08.2009
Peter and Brenda Bosworth - Pinot is sexy
apparently
Sexy seems to be a bit of a theme
with Peter - last time it was him and now he reckons Pinot is sexy.
Plus
Brenda has a nice nose .... more
... or have a
listen
28.07.2009
What we have been drinking
We have received a number of emails
or comments from punters asking us
for wine recommendations, the latest being from someone who goes by the
name of "Savage". (We're
not sure if it's his real name or his
day time soapie name! - Ed). We are very reluctant to get
in
the business of recommending wine simply because we are not convinced
our opinion is worth more than someone else's. ... more
27.07.2009
How
make the most of it when interviewed by a person of national
renown .... or not
Imagine, if you will, being given
the opportunity to promote
your humble website on one of the most popular radio shows in your
state.
... more
26.07.2009
We can't hear you! - update
We have re-edited a number of
previous podcasts,
particularly the Milton and Springvale wine tasting files, and we
believe the volume problem is now fixed. So enjoy and if there is still
an issue, or in fact any issue, please let us know - we have people
standing by waiting for your comment or email (That's right ... people just
standing by
..... just ..... waiting .... waiting for you- Ed).
26.07.2009
Peter and Brenda Bosworth - A successful winemaking
partnership
If you haven't tried a pinot from
Morningside,
particularly their 2006, then you have been missing out on one of
Tasmania's best estate grown, hand crafted wines. Also Peter thinks
he's sexy .... more ...
or have a listen
9.07.2009
We can't hear you!
We want to thank those
people who have let
us know that the volume of the last couple of podcasts have been too
low. "Even on full volume I couldn't hear so I turned off" said punter
Tom. Well Tom and everyone else please accept our apologies. We have
started re-editing the most recent podcasts to lift the
volume.
They will be replaced as necessary over the next week. Anyway
thanks for trying to listen.
9.07.2009
Andrew Hood - the winemaker, not the other alleged drug
runner one
Having followed Andrew all through
his career in the previous part we wanted to delve
below the surface - so we did. We also unveiled our new personal
question - "Here is a
fictitious news headline and you have to fill in the missing word.
Andrew Hood failed former - beep - was seen in public today
for the first time since his latest scandal. What is the beep". .... more ... or have a listen
9.07.2009
Tasmania unbottled - it's on again you lucky mainlanders
OO er haven't aren't we the major
media
organisation! Yes punters we received our first official media release
recently informing us that the
previously successful wine roadshow and general wine tasting junket
Tasmania
Unbottled is on again
.... more
More
"Under the Influence" mayhem in the
Winepunters Cellar
If
you
like being under
the influence why not over indulge and read more in the cellar