

Semillon and Brachetto - unloved and unknown
"I find Semillon to be one of a few dry white wines that can age for decades" Dan Berger/Napa Valley Features Last night was our annual trek to our local fine diner Mercer's for 'diner à deux' but I have talked about Mercer's before, and yes the food was gorgeous - this is dessert - a kind of pavlova, but the thing that struck me most perhaps about the meal were two of the wines. We had decided to go with the wine matching options and they were all really, really nice - whi
Dec 21, 2025


Coq au sauvignon blanc
“This popular dish may be called coq au Chambertin, coq au Riesling, or coq au whatever wine you use for its cooking.” Julia Child Based on, based on, probably ad infinitum is the story of tonight's proposed dinner. And for want of a better description I'm calling it Coq au sauvignon blanc - or 'sav blonk' as some would say.. But of course it's not coq at all, so let's begin there on this tiny ramble around a classic french dish. For every group of chickens that actually ha
Dec 17, 2025


The lesser-known cabernet - franc
"a vegetarian's best friend" Dracaena Wines We have been drinking an Aldi rosé recently - well it won a couple of awards in some obscure...
Aug 18, 2025


Pinot gris or grigio?
"And why do Aussie winemakers not just call it ‘grey pinot’? Well, that one’s obvious – ‘a glass of the grey stuff’ doesn’t sound quite...
Jul 26, 2025


A Moscato dilemma
"it's the wine world's equivalent of milk chocolate or soggy white bread, a sneakily guilty pleasure." Fiona Beckett/The Guardian...
Dec 3, 2024


Party time in the wilds of Nillumbik
Nillumbik is our local council area. It calls itself 'The Green Wedge Shire' - because over 90% of it's 431.94 square kilometres of land...
Oct 21, 2024


Orts
Ort: "Whatever is left on one's plate after they finish eating" saggy sammy/Urban Dictionary "a small piece of something, especially of...
Dec 14, 2023


Views, lunch, wine, friends ...
reflections on a day out in Nillumbik Nillumbik is the name of our Shire - the local council area. In the bottom corner is where we are...
Oct 15, 2023


L'apéro
"People who wish to discipline the sexual organs should avoid drinking those artificial concoctions which are called 'aperitifs'"...
Sep 26, 2023


When a guru disappoints
'if you follow a recipe carefully and end up with a disappointing result, then it’s bound to be offputting.” Charlotte Pike It's a guru...
Aug 18, 2023


Delia let me down!
"although it looks luxurious, it's actually quick and easy to cook." Delia Online Team No it's not. The comment that I have written at...
Jul 23, 2023


An ancient wine, new to us
"The real magic of Aglianico appears to the patient." Wine Folly To go with our Crème de cassis pork ribs we drank a bottle of wine -...
Jul 19, 2023


In passing
"done or said when your main focus is something different" Oxford Learner's Dictionary "briefly and casually" Google? My main focus in...
Mar 9, 2023


In the middle of France is Berry
"a province unharmed by too many visitors in spite of the reputation of Georges Sand, Alain Fournier and Bourges Cathedral - and of the...
Feb 9, 2023


En passant
"if you say something en passant, you mention it quickly while talking about something else" Cambridge Dictionary So not really 'this...
Feb 7, 2023


Brown but so much more
"Colour fades as flavour deepens: a metaphor for much of life I suggest." Nigella Lawson Which is, indeed food for thought. In her book...
Feb 4, 2023


A 46 year-old bottle of wine
"Appreciating old wine is like making love to a very old lady. It is possible. It can even be enjoyable. But it requires a bit of...
Jan 20, 2023


A glass of wine
"Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere." José Andres A few random thoughts on wine inspired from a frame in...
Jan 3, 2023


What was it all about?
Was it about the wine, the view, the company or the food, maybe even the cookbooks? We had a really good day yesterday, theoretically a...
Oct 16, 2022


Coq au vin - slow food or quick and easy?
"The entire recipe for coq au vin in one popular cookbook, now in its third printing, read: 'Cut up two broilers. Brown them in butter...
Jul 25, 2022

