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THE ROAD TO WINE

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Wine Travel Wineries & Wines Search All Travel Tips About Subscribe Contact

THE ROAD TO WINE

A passion for travel and wine

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Sharing my favorite champagne on this #globalchampagneday

I know you don’t have to save champagne for a special occasion, but this one came with one. It also held its own against some of the big name Champagne Houses we drank in celebration ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Pol Roger is a family owned Champagne House that still practices hand riddeling. Hope you all are opening up one you enjoy today. Tell me about which one 🍾 Cheers 🥂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#bubbles #tinybubbles #bubbly #sparklingwine #champagne #champagnelife #champagnetoast #champagnelover #cheers #winetravel #winelover #tastewine #wineblogger #youcansipwithus. #winetasting #polroger

These are national treasures and imho should be added to Australia’s world heritage sites! Since Australia was spared from phylloxera they have many old vine plantings, some upwards of 160 years old. To me these vines have so much character, each unique, I could photograph them all day.

Australia and the vintners go to great lengths to make sure their agriculture remains disease-free; from your initial entry to the country to vineyard visits. When we were allowed to enter a vineyard, we had to have our shoes cleaned prior to going to see the vines

Today they are dealing with, eutypa, a disease causing part of the vine (arm) to die off. At one biodynamic producer we visited, they are experimenting with various methods to stave this off.

Another thing that threatened these old vines was in the late 1970’s, the Australian government was paying farmers to pull out their vines! We should be celebrating those family producers that didn’t follow suit during these difficult times, thus resulting in these precious vines still producing great wines today

@outwines had a recent post on old vines, that does beg the question, what should be the classification criteria? With no standard to provide guidelines, anyone can utilize the term ”old vine” on their label. What are your thoughts?

#oldvines #vines #winetravel #theroadtowine #winery #travelandwine #winedestinations #winecountry #vineyard #vineyards #wineregion #winerylover #winerylovers #winetrip #winetasting #wineinspires #winelover #barossa #wineblogger #travelblogger #youcansipwithus #aussiewine #australianwine #barossavalley #winegeek

Do you enjoy meeting passionate people? How about supporting small family-owned businesses? If so, then let me introduce you to Izway wines.
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We had a wonderful visit with Liam, assistant winemaker, who provided not only the history of the winery but also what goes into making every wine. Izway produces small-batch wines in their solar-powered Barossa Valley winery just off Seppeltsfield road; mostly Shiraz, Grenache and Aglianico.
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The roots of the winery started in the early 2000’s in Beaujolais where Catherine and Craig Isbel and their friend Brian Conway spent time working a harvest. The time spent there influences the style of their wines; terrior driven, gentle press, wild fermentation and utilization of mostly neutral oak.
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In 2006 they bought a vineyard with Grenache bush vines planted in 1901 (that's 118 year old vines). These organically grown grapes go into their Three Brian's wine. All of their wines are named after family, friends, or things of significance
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Liam’s passion jumped out of the glass, as we sipped our way through their two lines of wine, he shared the significance of the name and what went into making the wine. Needless to say, we were very excited to try the Aglianico to see how this Italian grape is expressed in Barossa. There is more to be told, but for now, suffice it to say that this wine came home with us

If you find yourself in Barossa, do yourself a favor and visit Izway. They may even let you help with a harvest (🙏 @simply.wines for the tip).
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#izwaywine #Barossavalley #Barossavalleysa #barossa #barossawine #aussiewine #australianwine #winetravel #theroadtowine #shiraz #grenache #aglianico #winetasting #winetravel #theroadtowine #winegeek #youcansipwithus #winelover #winecountry

Australia was known for big bold Shiraz. Like many world wine regions, producers had slipped into an over-ripe, over-oaked style, but Australia is in a new phase of evolution.
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There has been a wave of producers who want to work more naturally, picking earlier to preserve acidity and seeking site expression. Additionally, using alternative forms such as concrete and large oak; moving away from barrique and all new oak. One winemaker told us the biggest modification which impacted the texture and complexity of the wine was moving to large oak barrels.
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These are some of the pleasant surprises we’ve found in Australian wine;
* The dry Rieslings; both Clare and Eden Valley, these Rieslings can hold their own to Germany. We had to stop buying so many or our entire suitcase would have been filled (😂 we went to Australia to bring home white wine)
* The Grenache; it’s not all Shiraz, this is a grape that shines in Victoria and SA. The aromas on some of these old vine wines make you want to swoon.
* The International varietals; from Fiano, Aglianico, Nero d'Avola, to Tempranillo, to Touriga Nacional; all with light or smooth tanins * The cool climate Chardonnay and Pinots. Surprised how ”Burgundy-like” most seem to be * We found many of the wines lower in alcohol (less than 14%) and most were approachable now
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Have you discovered any new style Australian wines?
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#aussiewine #australianwine
#Barossavalley #Barossavalleysa #barossa #barossawine #edenvalley #yarravalley #rieslinglover #clarevalleywine #clarevalleysa #mclarenvale #adelaide #adelaidehills #winetravel #theroadtowine #riesling #grenache #winetasting #winetravel #theroadtowine #winegeek #youcansipwithus #winelover #winecountry

Yalumba, in Barossa’s Eden Valley, is one of Australia's oldest family-owned and run wineries and part of the 12 First Families of Australian Wine. Not only that, they have an impressive lineup of wines, from top to bottom you won’t be disappointed.
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The Grenache from some of the oldest vines in the world, dating back to 1889, was one of the standouts for me (the Tri-Centenary is tucked in my suitcase)

If you have the opportunity don’t pass up their Pewsey Vale Contour dry Riesling and their Viognier has historical significance too (see @lenckdrank post).
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Then you must discover their Shiraz’s. The Signature 2015 was already drinking fantastic, but the Octavius (their flagship) will be a standout in years to come

A big thanks to Jess Hill-Smith (6th generation) for arranging our tour. So much more to share when I return, but I’ll post some shots of their beautiful estate in my Stories for now.
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#Yalumba #edenvalley #southaustralia #oldvines #grenache #shiraz #viognier #riesling #yalumbawine #aussiewine #australianwine #Barossavalley #Barossavalleysa #barossa #barossawine

Excited to share with you our wine travels to South Australia. Flying into Adelaide, you have over four regions within roughly an hour's drive, all with their unique personalities. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Barossa is the most historical region and well known for top producing wines making it a must-visit, but don't just stop there. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Adelaide Hills is a cool-climate region with day to night swings of over twenty degrees. This makes for perfect Pinot and Chardonnay, but they don't stop there; there's plenty of varietals to explore. The young guns seem to be landing in this region, and a bit of a natural wine movement is happening here too, so lots to come from this area.
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Claire Valley, a little further afield, is another cool-climate region renowned for their Rieslings. Upon visiting, you’ll find the various micro-climates make for some unique distinctions. For any Riesling lover, this is one that must be discovered

Mc Laren Vale is a coastal region with a Mediterranean climate. The winemakers here have found similarities with Italy, Spain and Portugal, and you’ll find some great expressions of these international varieties. As well, the region is known for their Grenache and Syrah. If you want to experience old-world grapes in a new-world location, put this region on your list

Australia is a long way to travel if you're in the northern hemisphere, but no reason you can't go there in your glass. Hope you’ll join me as we deep dive into each area. Have you explored Australian wines? Any favorites?
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#aussiewine #australianwine
#Barossavalley #Barossavalleysa #barossa #barossawine #edenvalley
#clarevalleywine #clarevalleysa #mclarenvale #adelaide #adelaidehills #winetravel #theroadtowine

Oakridge has it all; beautiful setting, fantastic restaurant, great hospitality, and wonderful wines. Tuck this one away in your must visit list for Yarrow Valley, Victoria ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The 864 wines (their address) denotes the best estate blocks. While they focus on Chardonnay and Pinot, they also make small batches of; Semillion, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Meunier, Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot (to blend). The Arneis was cracking too, but I can't carry them all back (had to save some room for South Australia.)
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Suitcase Wines:
2017 Chardonnay, 864 Funder & Diamond vineyards; this is their flagship wine and it was outstanding. Picked early, no malolatic fermentation, solids stay with the wine in large format oak. This was my first suitcase wine (yes, if you can believe it, a Chardonnay!). It has a perfect minerality, stone fruits, with a long creamy finish

2017 Pinot, Henk Vineyard (upper valley); whole cluster, cold soaked for 2days, 2weeks on skins, 10 months in large format oak. This was another standout!
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2017 was a great year for these #YarraValley Pinots and Chardonnays. In the states you may be able to find these @klwines
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Thanks @palm.and.vine & @tigesthewinemaker for the tip. More 📸 in my Stories ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#oakridgewines #yarravalleyvic #aussiewine #australianwine #winetravel #theroadtowine #followmetowine #pinot #chardonnay

Travel gets you outside of your routine and opens your eyes to new experiences. What experience has given you a new point of view?
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We thought it would be easy going to an English speaking country, but we gave up the language barrier for driving on the left side. You have to get your head around who yields (”gives way”) in roundabouts and we took out a few curbs before mastering the left turn. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You also have to wrap your head around the fact that southern regions have cooler climates, while the northern states are far hotter and dryer 🤯
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It’s been fun picking up some new terms too mate 😁
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#adelaide #wow_australia #seeaustralia #exploringaustralia #discoveraustralia #takemetoaustralia #travelblog #traveltheworld #travellife #instatravel #igtravel #wanderlust #ilovetravel #welltraveled #welltravelled #travelgram #travelpics #travelblogger #ontheroad #neverstopexploring #passionfortravel #passionpassport #mytinyatlas #aplacetoremember #prettylittletrips #winetravel #winetrip #winetasting

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