When a wine deal is a steal

We have been back from our 3,000km trip through NSW, ACT, VIC and SA wine country for a few weeks now and I thought I would do a little internet searching for some of the wines we could only bring back in small quantity, most were just a bottle or two among the two doz bottles we brought back.

Miranda's favorite dessert wine is Seppeltfield Tokay but its simply not available in the USA (at the present) so I chased up a few others, and found Campbells 'Isabella' Rare Tokay for $39.99USD or $24.99USD in 6-pack. Seeing as how we paid around $100AUD (around $64USD) each for a couple of bottles of this just a few weeks ago I'd say a more than 50% price reduction is a steal. I think I could learn to like the falling interest in Aussie wines coupled with the recession!

Anyone score any deals on Aussie wines recently?

Mike

We have been back from our 3,000km trip through NSW, ACT, VIC and SA wine country for a few weeks now and I thought I would do a little internet searching for some of the wines we could only bring back in small quantity, most were just a bottle or two among the two doz bottles we brought back.

Miranda's favorite dessert wine is Seppeltfield Tokay but its simply not available in the USA (at the present) so I chased up a few others, and found Campbells 'Isabella' Rare Tokay for $39.99USD or $24.99USD in 6-pack. Seeing as how we paid around $100AUD (around $64USD) each for a couple of bottles of this just a few weeks ago I'd say a more than 50% price reduction is a steal. I think I could learn to like the falling interest in Aussie wines coupled with the recession!

Anyone score any deals on Aussie wines recently?

Mike

Mike, the Campbell wines from Rutherglen have always been a steal. They're just a bit more of a steal now than they were before.

Hoke
(who brought a bottle of Campbell's Rutherglen Tokay stickie to Thanksgiving dinner with friends, with all it's wonderful toffee-chocolaty deliciositiness making it the hit of the night)

I've been buying quite a few Aussies recently at dirt-cheap prices. Found a lone bottle of the 02 Veritas Hanisch at USD 25, which is probably the best deal I've ever come across. Also bought some Wild Duck Creek Springflats at 22ish and some Cullen Diana Madeline at just over $30.

[I'd also note that I bought some 97 Glaetzer Shiraz at 10 bucks - yes, ten - but don't consider it a steal, as the wine was god-awful, simply undrinkable and not even worthy of that price tag.]

Hoke,

Being an expat Aussie I'm in full agreement that Australian fortifieds are the most undervalued and underappreciated wines in the world. No where is the uniqueness of these wines more evident than at Seppeltsfield where you can stand in front of a barrel of wine that will only be bottled when you are 100 years old!

Mike

Being an expat Aussie I'm in full agreement that Australian fortifieds are the most undervalued and underappreciated wines in the world.

SHHH!

BTW Mike, have you ever tried any of the De Bortoli fortifieds?

Mike, I couldn't agree more on Aussie stickies---especailly those of Rutherglen----being amongst the most under-rated and undervalued in the world.

Had occasion a few years ago to do a "Great Stickies of the World" seminar at the SWE Annual Conference. In the middle of some rather outstanding worldwide selections (Royal Tokay 5 puttyonos, Vintage Port, Reserve Madeira, German Eiswein, Ch. d'Yquem and others) the Campbell's Muscat more than held it's own.

On top of that, Malcolm is a first-rate guy, one of the best.

Salil: I've had some deBortoli sweeties, as in LH Botrytised SB, but never seen the fortifieds.

I have a small bottle of The Noble One stuck way in the back of the rack, way down low and out of sight, so it has a chance to mature a little before I can't resist any longer.

[David M. Bueker]

Aussie wines are such a bargain right now that Salil even got me to buy some of that Cullen.

[Jenise]

Mike, speaking of bargains I barely missed the 04 John Riddoch at $17 a few weeks ago. You might have encountered the same offer--being in Southern California, I presume you're familiar with Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach?

Being an expat Aussie I'm in full agreement that Australian fortifieds are the most undervalued and underappreciated wines in the world.

SHHH!

BTW Mike, have you ever tried any of the De Bortoli fortifieds?

Salil,

Never tried any De Bortoli fortifieds, didn't know they made any. We were very fortunate that during dinner with Roger Pike at his Marius vineyards he brought out a 750 ml bottle of Noble One from the early 1980's - past its luscious best but still very sound and an interesting bit of Aussie stickie history.

We did try fortifieds outside Rutherglen including a beautiful Muscat at Kay Bros in McLaren Vale and the fortified range by Wayne Dutschke, and last but not least the fortifieds of Seppeltsfield that come from the Barossa and Rutherglen. Also worthy of a mention are the (very) sweet whites of Hobbs Vintners (Barossa Ranges) - a little pricey but worth chasing down esp. the Viognier.

Mike

Mike, speaking of bargains I barely missed the 04 John Riddoch at $17 a few weeks ago. You might have encountered the same offer--being in Southern California, I presume you're familiar with Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach?

Jenise,

Yep, these are the same guys that have the Campbells deal. In fact they have had some excellent deals in the past year or so. Its a pity that their web site fails me so often when I want to order more than the one wine.

Mike

[Jenise]

Mike, speaking of bargains I barely missed the 04 John Riddoch at $17 a few weeks ago. You might have encountered the same offer--being in Southern California, I presume you're familiar with Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach?

Jenise,

Yep, these are the same guys that have the Campbells deal. In fact they have had some excellent deals in the past year or so. Its a pity that their web site fails me so often when I want to order more than the one wine.

Mike

From experience, their website is generally quite out of date. They don't have a lot of the wines you see listed there as in stock, and they often sell out of sought-after things before they get on the website. Best bet: call, place all orders live. Oliver, John and Greg are always happy to help and that way you know you're in. If I'd followed my own advice a few weeks ago, I'd probably have not missed the Riddochs.

Salil,

Never tried any De Bortoli fortifieds, didn't know they made any. We were very fortunate that during dinner with Roger Pike at his Marius vineyards he brought out a 750 ml bottle of Noble One from the early 1980's - past its luscious best but still very sound and an interesting bit of Aussie stickie history.

That old Noble One sounds lovely, Mike. If they didn't taste so delicious young it might be easier to lock a couple away for a few years.

I'm not sure where the De Bortoli fortifieds are available, but we tasted some really fantastic stuff at their cellar door in the Yarra Valley. In the flight of stickies, they had started with the Noble One - then moved onto a 'Show Liqueur Muscat', a tawny and then the 'Black Noble' - which was from a solera of fortified botrytis Semillon. The Muscat/Tawny were very good, on par with a lot of other wines in that style in Aus - the Black Noble though was freaking amazing. Probably the best non-German sweet wine I've come across in my life so far.