Welcome

Welcome

This is a resource for people who want to buy an interesting bottle of wine on a budget of about $20. If you get lost between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and have access to a Dan Murphy's or Vintage Cellars (or Aldi, as of 2015!), you've come to the right place. Where possible, wines are listed with their single-bottle price from DM/VC/A and the winery's home page.

A good place to start is the 'Index', or if you know what type of wine you want, head straight to the 'Recommended Reds', 'Worthy Whites' or 'Stunning Sparklers' that only show 4 & 5 wines.

Your experience will be different to everyone else's, which makes wine such a pleasure. The same vintage wine at different ages will be distinct, as will the same aged wines from different vintages. What the glass holds is a unique parcel of time that should be enjoyed as such.

Saturday 5 November 2016

(S) Devil's Corner: Cuvee NV, from TAS, Australia

Appearance
Pale straw yellow, with constant streams of fine bubbles.

Smell
Apples, peardrops, acacia, some confected red fruits & faint hints of mango & pineapple.

Palate
Dry, with lots of crisp acid, a solid body/mouthfeel & you can sense there's a healthy dose of alcohol, but it's not obvious at all & actually quite well integrated. Similarly, the flavours are lively, but not bold or punchy & they're primarily apples, some lemon pith & subtle red cherry. The mousse is surprisingly thick and creamy, & the crisp mouthfeel lasts a long time.

Tale
Turns out Devil's Corner is now a Brown Brothers subsidiary, purchased when BBs were hedging against climate change by investing in Tasmanian wine, including the Pirie & Tamar Ridge wineries.
I won't rabbit on too long about the national (at least Victorian) treasure that is Brown Brothers winery, based at Milawa in the King Valley. That will come with the next wine review of their Prosecco/Glera-based sparkling wine (& I'll be sure to add a link to this page). In short, the Browns began winemaking in the late 1800s & helped the largely Italian population of the King Valley transition from growing tobacco to becoming vignerons when the local tobacco industry collapsed.

This is a really satisfying & great value wine! As a Tank Method sparkling wine (similar to Prosecco), it's never going to be a show-stopper or the main focal point of a wine tasting. These roles are reserved for Traditional Method wines (such as Champagnes & Cavas). This Devil's Corner is better suited as the wine you drink on a Christmas afternoon whilst digesting lunch, or as a party-starter for NYE celebrations, before you crack a vintage Champagne at midnight. This wine delivers delicious fruit with crisp acidity & pleasant drinking - everything you hope for in the $20 & under bracket!

Price: $20
Quality: ☆☆☆☆
Value: ☆☆☆

www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_757669
www.brownbrothers.com.au/products/13190-sparkling-cuvee


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