Under the influence:

08.08.2011

Does a glass matter?

So the question is, does the type of glassware make any difference to the taste and smell of a wine, or is it just a load of marketing spin? We at Winepunters HQ were firmly in the 'spin’ camp until recently. At the 2011 “Taste of the Tamar” in Hobart we were invited to a Plumm Glassware masterclass (okay, who did you bribe? - Ed). Fearing this was going to be the wine equivalent of a time share presentation we were a little reluctant but the chance to try some free wine convinced us it was worth the risk. ...... more

08.08.2011

What we've been drinking

As we write this July has come and gone and it's tax time again. This time of the year is where accountants strut around telling everyone "oh yes it's our time to shine!" Meanwhile the rest of us 'normals' are thinking "somebody kill me ... please". Is there anything that can get us through this awful situation? ...... more

08.08.2011

It's the Northerners!

Tassie has this north south rivalry thing. It makes otherwise normal people go a bit .... well stupid. "They've got the cricket so we should have the football" and "they've got a pulp mill so should we". It's ridiculous, unhelpful and makes us all look like country bumpkins to the rest of the world. All this came to mind recently because a gaggle of Tamar valley winemaking notables were heading south ...... more

30.06.2011

The Red Wine Weekend in pictures

We've been to a few of Wine South's red wine weekends and they continue to deliver. It and the White Wine Weekend are just what your enthusiastic wine lover ordered. Heaps of wine, nice food and a convenient location. Rather than just bang on here are some pictures ...... more

30.06.2011

Punters "we came, we tasted and we judged"

We've been quite excited about running this blind tasting/ judging event and thought it was all organised. The Gods however like to have their fun and just four days before kick off we got the news that Make a Wish were pulling out as they hadn't sold enough tickets to make it financially viable ...... more

30.06.2011

Andrew Hanigan - Looks like a surfer, acts like a wine maker

It occurred to us, as we argued over whether a sangiovese is even half as good as a pinot, that it's been a while since we featured a conversation with a wine industry luminary. Then we remembered we had a fantastic chat with Andrew Hanigan (pinot producer for 2011) late last year and now would be a great time to finally post it ...... more

30.06.2011

What we have been drinking this month

Due to a dalliance with scotch whiskey we've had to combine May and June for this update. The last 6 weeks have pretty much carried on from where April left off as far as the weather is concerned. What's more you get less daylight for your money! Aside from that, May and June are pretty good months unless you're trying to plant fruit trees in sodden clay, but that's another story ...... more

17.06.2011

 

It's about time punters had a go at picking the best pinot

If you've followed this site at all you'll know that we reckon that punters don't get enough opportunities to tell the wine industry what they think about the greatest drink in the world. It seems every week there's a wine show somewhere and yet another bunch of professional wine judges, industry types and wine writers decide what wine is worthy. This is fine of course but the problem is that what really matters is whether or not a wine sells. Sure gold medals do sometimes help to sell wines. There are people who either can't, or don't want to, make up their own minds. 

However we think most punters don't care about, or understand, wine show results and don't want or need to be told what they should be drinking. For example, despite the ridicule from well known wine critics punters love their sauvignon blanc and pinot gris. What we need is to hear more from the people who open their wallets. In fact the industry would be better off if the buying public had more opportunities to be 'the judge'.

Someone should organise a punter wine judging event. Well someone has ....

Winepunters has teamed up with some of the best family owned Tasmanian wine labels and Make a Wish to give punters the opportunity to be a wine judge for a day.

On June 25th punters will be given the very serious task of picking a 'winner' from 9 great Tassie pinots.

Our show will borrow a few of the techniques used by the 'professionals' but will also add a twist. 

There will be two judging rounds. The first will be a classic blind tasting. For the uninitiated this means the punters don't know anything about the pinots they're trying, during which the wines will be ranked with the punters scoring each out of 10. 

The top four will then progress to the 'award' round where the wines will be tasted with a tomato based pasta. Another burst of scoring from our punter judges will then identify the 'winner'. Having decided which pinot is the 'best' you'll be able to buy it or any of the other pinots you've tried. 

Jealous?! 

There's no need to be as you can come along if you're reading this in time. All you have to do is be free on the 25th of June between 11am and 3pm. Email Michelle (michelle@winepunters.com) for your ticket. You'll be doing sick kids a favour, the wine industry a favour and best of all you'll be doing yourself a favour.

11.05.2011

"It's going to be the best red wine weekend ever"

So said Gill Christian from Coal Valley Vineyard. We're not convinced. Sure you can try a truly massive amount of premium red wine. Sure Nick Stock is coming down to run a masterclass. Sure there is a tasting of pinots from around the world. Sure there is a pre-event dinner where you can try aged Tassie wines. Sure there's a tasting of gold medal and trophy winning Tassie pinots and sure there's a cheese tasting and Zum cafe platters ..... OK now we're convinced.

All this is at the Long Gallery in Salamanca Place, 25th and 26th May starting at Noon and going through to 5pm. Click on the right thumbnail above for more details.

10.05.2011

What we have been drinking this month

April didn't just happen, it "arrived baby", cold temperatures and the wettest day in Hobart for nigh on fifty years! Mind you the garlic we just planted is impressed .... the grapes in vineyards around the place ... not so much.  As the daylight hours shorten there's more time for sittin', thinkin' and drinkin'. Mind you April has been so busy ... what with cruising to Jervis Bay and organising our upcoming 'You be the Judge!' function we haven't gotten nearly enough Tassie wines pass the taste buds. But what we did try was pretty tidy..... more

10.05.2011

We're on a boat to nowhere

To paraphrase that famous 80's band Talking Heads we've been on a boat to nowhere. P&O run three day 'food and wine' cruises from various cities within Australia and New Zealand. Our ship, the Pacific Jewel, left from Darling Harbour in Sydney. Your food and wine cruise is a unique beast. There is very little travel, no foreign ports and no exciting opportunities to experience new and wonderful cultures. Nope, there's just food, alcohol and the odd onboard activity thrown in for good measure ....... more

31.03.2011

A Sauvignon Blanc roundup

Quite by chance we have tasted a number of sauvignon blancs this month and it's been a bit of an eye opener. Despite it's well known critics this variety continues to be one of the punter's favourites. While most punters still seem to stick to the New Zealand versions Tassie is quietly producing some fantastic examples. Overall the Tassie version is tighter, perkier and far more tasty. If this continues it won't just be sparkling, riesling and pinot for which the Apple Isle is famous ..... more

31.03.2011

What we have been drinking this month

Ah March ... usually the month with the nicest weather of the year and this one hasn't let us down. Brilliant blue sky, unless you live near a Forestry Tasmania burn off, warm days and cool nights. The AFL has started and since Australia is out of the Cricket World Cup we no longer have to pretend to be interested. Yes, there's a lot to like about March. All this happy contemplation makes one thirsty and we've been indulging ourselves with a broad selection of Tassie's finest . ..... more

28.02.2011

So you think you can wine - part 3

Darren's first homemade pinot vintage is ready for bottling but a fair bit has happened to it since the last time we talked about it .... more

28.02.2011

What we have been drinking this month

February is nearly over but still no sign of anything that resembles a proper summer. Not sure if the old garden will produce many or even any capsicums. On the plus side this means an extended red wine drinking season which is the next best thing to an extended AFL season .... more

28.02.2011

Festivale - waiting, waiting

There was quite a famous joke doing the rounds when the Soviet Union was still 'the evil empire' rather than a part of history. It summed up perfectly what life was really like in that 'worker's paradise'. Two Russians are standing in yet another endless queue waiting to buy bread when one of them turned around and said "I am sick of always lining up. Everything we line up, all the time we line up! I am going to kill our leader!". "Don't bother" said his friend " that queue is even longer"...... more

31.01.2011

What we have been drinking in the new decade

A new year and a new decade and it's hard not to be nostalgic. Just think 100 years ago Britain had an empire on which the sun never set but now all they have is a test cricket team and a reasonably good male tennis player. Mind you that's more than we have but at least Australia is a nicer place to live. We also make vastly superior wine .... more

20.01.2011

Fancy 'life on the otherside'?

Have you ever wondered about all those people who make the Taste of Tasmania the fantastic event that it is every year? Not the 'suits', the people who actually break into a sweat so that you have a good time. Sure, you notice the foreign sounding, wisecracking street performers, you notice the musicians, particularly the very good and the dreadful. But what about the people who clean up or even the people who serve you all that wonderful food and wine. Ever wonder about them? ..... more

20.01.2011

Have glass will 'Taste'

The 2010 Taste of Tasmania wasn't just about developing an enormous respect for the people who make this event work. Sampling all the wines at the Taste is a daunting task. Although some of the exhibitors do try to make it easier by pouring extremely stingy tasting sizes. Despite this 'assistance' you need a couple of days, preferably three, to get your tastebuds across everything on offer. But what if you don't have that long? Well then some thinking is in order. ..... more

24.12.2010

What we have been drinking lately

After coming back from France and Italy it has been really nice to get back into the local food and wine. Our experiences in England and Europe confirmed how lucky we are to live in Tassie. The wine here is simply world class, here's some examples .... more

24.12.2010

The trouble with Jeremy

The problem with being a wine expert is that sometimes you just see the wine. But what if someone asks you a food and wine matching question? Listening to the ABC recently we realised reknown wine officianardo Jeremy Oliver needs a little bit of assistance when dealing with punters...... more

24.12.2010

Natalie Fryar - Sparkling specialist

If you've had a glass of Janz sparkling wine over the last few years you are across Natalie's work. While she makes other wines (under the Dalrymple label), it's sparkling wine that gets her out of bed each morning. You don't have to talk to her very long to notice she obsesses about sparkling in the same way the rest of us obsess about our fingers we have just jammed in a car door. Nothing else matters ..... more

30.11.2010

Anatomy of a masterclass

Wine masterclasses, normally we avoid them. Frankly we've been too intimidated to go along, seeing them as the place where wine industry people, wine toffs and other assorted smart arses go to be insufferably nerdy about wine. Turns out we were being unfair to both the classes themselves and the people who attend them ..... more

30.11.2010

Talking with Matt Skinner

At the 2010 Taste of the Tamar we had the opportunity to have a chat with Matt Skinner. During this wide ranging conflab Matt tells us why drinking wine from a vegemite glass is a bad idea, he predicts that Tasmania will be world leaders in sparkling and pinot, we talk about why all wineries and vineyards in Tasmania need to work together, we hear Matt's sensible ideas about wine and child rearing and we finish on the bombshell that Jamie Oliver may be a cross dresser ..... more

21.11.2010

Winepunters' bow of approval

We're not the only ones raising money for breast cancer research. We wanted to acknowledge and applaud the efforts of Darren and Jackie Brown from Puddleduck Vineyard who donated $5 from the sale of each bottle of Bubbleduck this year. They raised nearly $6,000.

They decided to contribute after their very close friend Debbie died of breast cancer. This amazing woman organised her own wake so she could say farewell to her friends before she became too ill. Since Bubbleduck was Debbie's favourite wine Jackie and Darren, inspired by her bravery, wanted to raise money in her memory by dedicating a Bubbleduck vintage to her. 

All money raised is used by the National Breast Cancer Foundation to fund research into breast cancer. "The NBCF is in the business of funding research that leads to the termination of breast cancer" Janelle Larkin told us. Jackie and Darren are justifiably proud of their efforts and intend to continue finding ways to contribute to this worthy cause. Well done to you both.

21.11.2010

When you're rhite, you're still right

Last year saw us raising money for cancer research and to our relief the inaugural Rhite Wine Night was a success. Normally we'd quit while we were ahead but since the cause is so important we had to do it all again. We kept the previous format. The wine tasting, sort of funny quiz and silent auction all made a reappearance ..... more

7.11.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - Tuscany

"Catching buses in Italy is not advisable" a local told us. "Oh you must take the slow bus to Siena it goes up to the hills and you stop in all the little villages" said another. Hmmm mixed messages our favourite kind! In the end we took the bus ..... more

6.11.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - Burgundy

We had only been in Burgundy a couple of days and already we were in crisis. Sure the railway strike had caused delays, heartache and an outbreak of midlife crisis white man dancing on an isolated train platform - but that wasn't it. Sure we'd discovered that Dijon is a big noisy place with beggars, no proper mustard but plenty of soulless sky scrapers - but that wasn't it ..... more

5.11.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - Alsace

Alsace is a meatlover's paradise. Vegans will wake up in a cold sweat at the mere thought of the amazing range of smoked meats, scrags of pork, sausages and bacon that are only relieved by the occasional salad and trademark sauerkraut. This region is also home to some of the best white wines you will ever taste..... more

19.10.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - Paris

Sitting on yet another French train a week after leaving Paris has given me the opportunity to digest and write about my whirlwind visit to the French capital and surrounding countryside. By any measure Paris is a fantastic place and one that should be on your list of things to see before you die..... more

13.10.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - Champagne

If you think the bubbles in sparkling wine is like static on the television ... move along nothing to see here. But if sparkling wine makes your mouth sing then Reims, the capital of the Champagne region, is for you. Trouble is it's not all frocks, giggling and fabulous food there's a lot of walking and wallet opening!..... more

9.10.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - England

Sorry this took so long but no internet for days and then the distractions of Paris, you know how it is. We have been trying English, yes English wine. The Poms make wine and guess what the whites are pretty good but the reds oh the humanity!..... more

29.09.2010

A punter's adventures in Ye Olde World - Travel

Getting from Australia to anywhere takes a long time. In our case 28 hours. We made it thanks to Etihad but little thanks to Flight Centre. But then we hit London and suddenly everything was good again..... more

14.09.2010

Grey Sands - A study in intensity

Grey Sands is a family owned vineyard just above the fog line at Exeter in the Tamar Valley. It's at the crossroads where European style hospitality meets an almost obsessive focus on quality..... more

14.09.2010

Max Allen - Wine writer and tasting tutorer

At the 2010 Tas Unbottled event in Melbourne we had the chance to pick the brains of one of Australia's best wine writers. What we found was a man that's hardly ever a wine tosser ..... more

30.08.2010

A new wine and an old wine

Chilli and spicy food means reaching for an 'off dry riesling' so we went for the Waterton Vineyards Late Picked. While we were reaching we raided the cellar and tried the Hoeyfield Pinot which we picked up during the Open Winery Weekend earlier in the year. .....  more

30.08.2010

Goaty Hill ... or distraction hill?

We were supposed to find all there is to know about the Goaty Hill team and their wines. Somehow it was Spice Girls, horror movies and the Gee Wizz Tram Driver. We're still trying to work out what happened .....  more

30.08.2010

2010 Tasmania Unbottled ... in pictures

Having heard about this event over the last two years we wanted to experience it for ourselves. So after spending frequent flyer points like there is no tomorrow it was off to Melbourne with that raging Winepunters thirst and a camera.

So was it any good? .... more

14.08.2010

I say, what the blazes is that in my bottle! - update

We love getting emails from punters, even ones that point out we've been inconsistent and wrong. Punter Linda got in touch to put us straight about our previous article on sulphur and to make a good suggestion.  .... more

12.08.2010

Wines brought to you by the letters 'M' and 'R' and the number 2

Two very different wines but ones that would work well together to round out that perfect Saturday afternoon.

The 'fun' 2007 Panorama Merlot and the 'civilized guest' 2010 Puddleduck Rose

29.07.2010

This is lucky John

John Rees is a lucky man. He, along with his wife Joy, owns Nandroya Vineyard just outside Margate in souther Tasmania. That's lucky, but that's just the start.

Come into the Sauvignon Blanc haven and meet lucky John .... more

29.07.2010

Tasting team in turmoil

Weird things are happening here at Winepunters HQ. We like to get a number of punters together to taste the wines we review. This team approach gives us the best chance of reaching a balanced opinion.

Our normally quiet and easy going tasting team has been torn apart by conflict. Debate has raged, insults exchanged and tantrums thrown. So what has turned these wine loving peaceniks into an episode of Underbelly? ..... more

14.07.2010

Unbelievable bargain?!

We don't normally do this and won't be making a habit of it but when we find such an amazing bargain we feel duty bound to bring it to your attention.

Home Hill Vineyard are selling an 05 oaked reserve chardonnay as a clean skin at $8 a bottle.

It is an absolute cracker. Full flavoured, rich and with just the right amount of oak. Frankly we couldn't believe our luck when we stumbled across it. The hall way at Winepunters HQ is quite a bit narrower due the boxes of chardonnay we have stashed there. Not a lot of it left so if you want some give them a ring.

14.07.2010

More from Waterton Hall Vineyard

We were so impressed by the 2008 Waterton Hall Shiraz that when Peter Cameron told us that  "we're really known for our rieslings" we went weak at the knees.

So are they any good? .... more

14.07.2010

Introducing your kids to the good stuff!

Can you remember your first alcoholic drink?

Chances are your Mum and Dad played a big part either in what you drank then or what you've drunk since.

Introducing your children to their 'drink of choice' at the right time is critical to their development as Aussies ..... more

30.06.2010

Stop calling her your girlfriend ... again or is it still?

We keep getting complaints from feminists made more confident by Julia's successful hatchet job on Kevin 'this is not a salad sandwich' Rudd which is annoying but to our joy we actually got a comment that makes some sense! .... more

30.06.2010

The 2010 Red Wine Weekend - Location, Location, Location

Despite one punter complaining that there was too much on offer and that some reds had a 'poofteen' of grassy flavours the 12th and 13th of June saw another triumphant parade of Tassie red wine .... more

29.06.2010

Observing an Australian Love Story

"You wanna dance?" .... "Aw yeah"

If you're of the right vintage you'll recognise those words as the mating call for young Aussies during the 70's and 80's. Many a terrified young man, having left their mates at the bar and walked over to the girl of their choice, mumbled the 'wanna dance' bit and breathed a massive sigh of relief if they got the 'aw yeah' in return. In fact they were so relieved that they often didn't know what to say or do next  .... more

14.06.2010

What we have been drinking in June

A real eclectic bunch for you this month. 'Drink widely and often' wine and food writer Graeme Phillips advised us and we have taken that wise advice to heart.  Graeme if we get sick from all this drinking our lawyers will be in touch .... more

14.06.2010

A Parallax Universe

Hearing about Temple Bruer's organic vineyard has motivated us to try and find the Tasmanian equivalent. That is, a successful, commercially run, organically certified vineyard that produces premium wines under it's own label  .... more

30.05.2010

Cape Bernier - a leaf plucking frenzy?

How do you produce high quality wine from a difficult site? Pluck young man pluck .... more

29.05.2010

What we have been drinking in June

The road tests have taken up a bit of time, but there is always room for a little more .... more

14.05.2010

Organic wines - for nutters, hippies and people on a diet?

The notion that organic is somehow an inferior way of producing wine just won't go away. As James Halliday noted in his book 'An introduction to Australian wine' (HarperCollins 1999):

"It is possible to make wine without chemical additives of any kind ... The irony is that additive free wine is more likely to be harmful at worst, due to the fact that bacteria will grow more readily in sulphur free wines, or simply less pleasant at best ... "....

Elmslie Estate - out Grindingwalding Grindelwald

We know the good folk make rich and deeply satisfying wines but they want to become an 'experience', and what's all this about - a sweaty Elvis? We went to find out .... more

14.02.2010

The place where the Festivale article would have gone

The amazing event that is Festivale was on this weekend. Given it's importance we sent someone to have a look and write an article. But the 'writer' who shall remain anonymous (cough .. PJ ... cough - Ed) drank too much and slept too little so all we got was "Festivale - great food and wine festival, some broken down old muso was the headline ..... I need to go lie down".

Next year .... punters  .... we promise to do better next year.

14.02.2010

I say, what the blazes is that in my bottle!

You see it all the time on wine labels. Preservative 220 added. What is it? Why is it in my bottle? Is it giving me hang overs?  .... more

14.02.2010

For he's a jolly good velo!

Professional people would have avoided that pathetic play on words but .... anyway ... we caught up with Michael Wilson, reputedly one of Tasmania's most successful road cyclists, for a chat about the Velo label, Grange and that range of hospitality training videos "Faulty Towers" .... more

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

31.12.2009

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