WRITE IN FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A TRIO OF PRINTHIE WINES.

Thanks to Printhie Wines in Orange, NSW, we have their three flagship wines to give away: the 2018 Super Duper

Chardonnay (the highestscoring white from Orange in the 2021 Companion),

2018 Super Duper Syrah,

and the late-disgorged

2010 Swift Sparkling

Blanc de Blancs, each

worth $85.

Visit printhiewines.com.au

CONGRATULATIONS DANIEL.

To help with your new cellaring hobby, you have won a Coravin Model Three Wine System.

Blame it on lockdown

I’ve always enjoyed wine (who doesn’t), but never really gave it much thought. I knew what I liked and was never afraid to try a wine if it came with a solid recommendation from a friend. But the past few months have been different, to say the least. We’ve all been confronted with a set of circumstances that have fundamentally changed how we go about our daily lives. In some cases, it’s caused us to reflect and think about what’s important. Too much time on my hands led me to the natural conclusion that I ‘needed’ to start a wine cellar. So, what did I do? Surf the net, find a goodlooking online store and buy, buy, buy? Well, not quite.

I did some research and found a wonderful family-owned business in the middle of South Australia’s wine heartland.

They were helpful and assisted me in choosing a great range, from the drink-now bottles to those I should hold on to for 20 years or more. But what really provided the comfort backstop to start building my collection was those recommendations. In this case, that came from putting my faith into the

Halliday rating system.

Focusing on curating a 95-point selection has enabled me to progress this new hobby with a solid degree of comfort. Already I find myself continuing the search for a wider range of varietals and expanding the list of complementary musthaves. The wine racks have been ordered, ideal storage conditions researched and I’m adding my newly acquired bottles of gold into my Virtual Cellar on your site to keep track of everything. Well, at least some good has come out of the lockdown!

Here’s to taking the very first steps in what I believe will be a life-long hobby.

DANIEL THACKRAY, NSW

Mixing it up

The June/July issue provided extraordinary help. My wife and I are a bit set in our ways in regard to our cellar. We tend to stay with our Hunter reds, such as Tyrrell’s Vat 9 and Petersons, some Mudgee reds, and the obligatory Penfolds vats. While reading the mag, I came across two wines that rated 97 points. One was $28 per bottle, the other $30, both with free delivery and plenty of time to mature. Both at 97 points and under $30! Both are now safe in my cellar. Thank you Halliday

Wine Companion team – that’s my annual subscription saved in one magazine.

TONY JECKELN, NSW

The never-ending journey The idea of writing this letter was borne from a conversation with a friend who manages a liquor store. He bemoaned the fact that so many of his customers bought the same wine week in, week out. As much as he tried to tempt them to try something different, he had very little success. It reminded me of my early foray into wine and I was much like those customers. It was either a cabernet for red or riesling for white. But with encouragement from my wife and others, I started my own journey and the beauty is that it seemingly has no end, thanks largely to the wine producers of Australia.

Every time I go to my liquor store there’s a new variety to be discovered. Yes, I love the traditional varieties, but, as an example, I recently bought a bottle of fiano, which is now my go-to white. Similarly with red wines, I now enjoy a zinfandel or tempranillo, straight grenache or merlot.

While we might be described as a New World wine country, I sometimes wonder whether we are the most innovative and experimental in the sense of planting and blending new varieties – and long may that continue.

I haven’t finished my journey yet, and while writing this letter, I was reminded of a ‘real’ wine journey. My wife and I were in Verona at an outdoor cafe with the river just metres away. We asked for a bottle of white wine, which turned out to be a Soave, and we spent a relaxed hour sipping on it and enjoying the different flavours of this new discovery for us. I’m no wine expert, but I enjoy the thrill of opening and tasting a new variety. That is almost a journey in itself.

JEFF RIMMER, WA