Crash course in colour

We already know that the aromas found in the wine give us hints about what type of grape the wine is made from and depending on the ripeness of the fruit present what region that might be. But what about the colour? 


Personally, I find that my eye sight is far more acute than my sense of smell. This is because we spend our entire lives training our eyes to recognise the subtle differences between teal, aqua and sky blue. It is for this reason that I find that it is easier to get more accurate hints about the wine from the colour when first learning.


When you look at a white wine the first thing that you probably notice is the colour. Is it so pale that you can barely see the colour? If so, you can draw two general conclusions. Firstly, the wine is likely to be a young wine, probably harvested within 24 months of when you are consuming it at your table. So, if it is 2012 now, then the wine that you are drinking is likely to be 2011 or 2010. This is a pretty good party trick for those interested in such childish games like moi ;).


Secondly, the wine is likely to have been produced in a cool climate. If you can think logically for one moment go with me here, when you are in a place that is known to be colder you always take a jacket with you for the evening. In summer in this cold place, the days can be nice when you are standing in the sunlight and you can warm yourselves. However, when the sun goes behind a cloud or sets earlier in the evening you need to put your jacket on. It is hard to imagine that luscious fruit would have the opportunity to ripen in this environment isn't it? 


Well, for that reason exactly grapes grown in a cool climate don't ripen like their sunnier counterparts. The fruit remains tight with flavours and acidity, never having enough sun to obtain a richer colour. The ripeness of the fruit used to make the wine then has a direct correlation to the colour of the wine made. For example if you juice an under ripe orange you will get light watery coloured orange juice with a much more subtle orange flavour. If the orange was however perfectly ripe with a bright orange skin and scent that permeated through, the juice you get from this orange will be brightly coloured with a strong flavour and smell. 


On the flip side, if your white wine is a deeper gold colour then you can draw the conclusions that it is grown in a warmer climate and is likely to have some age. The wines that are the lightest in colour and are best consumed in the first two years after bottling are called 'Aromatics' and include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer, Riesling and Viognier. Then there are some white wines that change their colour depending on where they are produced. The best example of this is Chardonnay. If the chardonnay grape is produced in the classic Burgundy style it is grown in a cool climate and creates a crisp and clean wine, with a light colour. A Chardonnay from sunny South Australia would have a much brighter disposition and be a deeper golden colour.

So white wines go from pale to dark as they age but red wines do the opposite. When red wines are young a vibrant they have a red/purple colour. As they age they lose the purple and gain brown hints. The best thing to do when you first get to try the wine is tilt the glass at about a 45 degree angle and look at the colour. If it has elements of purple in it then it is likely to be a younger wine. If it is simply a red colour then it is probably a few years old, and if it is somewhat brown then it probably has a few more years again. 


This is of course an initial guideline as with red wine the grape variety also has a lot to do with the colour. This is because with red wine the colour is determined by the skin of the grape and its contact with the juice. But that is a longer more complicated story for next time. I hope that has been helpful. Shoot me through any questions that you have and I will do my best to answer them.


Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac.

Once a month

As you have probably noticed the frequency of my blogs has become less in the last few months. Without being apologetic I wanted to let those who support my blog know that the lack of writing has not been from a diminishing interest in wine, quite the contrary actually! A few months ago my family received some life changing news and there has been less time to write and even less time to spend researching things that might somehow enrich your day, which is what I always try to do.


Rather than abandon my post during this time, my wonderful boyfriend suggested that I just write once a month enabling me to uphold my responsibilities to my family but also to my supporters and to my passion.


I promise to continue bringing you tales of wine from the secret world of Alex Mac on a monthly basis. Once through this difficult period I fully intend to get back on that horse and bring you weekly tales about my wonderful wine adventures and discoveries.


Thank you for supporting my blog. Love always Alex Mac.

Sydney Wine Bars to check out

Things have been a little hectic lately in the life of Alex Mac and the spare time that I would normally use to research all things wine seems to have evaporated just as wine does from my glass. Something that I can talk about without having to do further research is wine bars in Sydney.

Since the liquor laws changed and licences became more affordable for cafes and the like, it seems that there is a wine bar popping up on every corner. The transformation provides the late twenties, early thirties crowd somewhere to go where they can still enjoy drinking the evening away, without the hassle that accompanies monster bars like The Sheaf or the Ivy.

Some of my favourite wine bars in Sydney are as follows in alphabetical order.

Bambini Wine Room 185 Elizabeth St, Sydney
This is a truly stunning wine bar where the decor is fit for a French royalty of days gone by. The wine bar is a small room near the restaurant where more formal dining takes place. There are chandeliers hanging from the beautifully decorated ceiling, deeply enticing wall paper which creates a comfort and sophistication to the room. The wines are good and there are lovely little nibbles to accompany many different types of wine. Value for money is not really the point here though. The extra money you pay on your glass of wine and food goes to maintaining a superb ambience which is why I keep going back.


Bar H 80 Campbell Street Surry Hills
You must know by now that Bar H is one of my all time favourites. Other than the fact that it is literally two blocks from my front door, there is a calmness and elegance of this place that lures me time and time again. The walls are ingeniously decorated with steel frames filled with wine bottles from floor to ceiling. You can sit at the bar and nibble away on some chilli nuts as the lovely sommelier lets you taste some interesting and ever changing wines until you find something you like, have a full meal at one of the cosy booths or watch the world go by from the window. The light is low and warm, and the employees welcome you as if you were an old friend. Perhaps I have become one though...

Bootleg 175 Victoria Street Potts Point
This is a great little bar that I have met friends for a pre-dinner glass of wine. They do serve Italian food and the restaurant is very popular however to date I have not eaten here. The novelty of Bootleg is that they have an enormous wine list and are constantly changing it around. Each week or so they open several white varieties and several red varieties. Customers are encouraged to try some different types of wine to expand their wine knowledge and excite the taste buds with something a little different. I think that this is a pretty cool concept as it forces people out of their comfort zone and enables them to delve just a little deeper into their wine appreciation.

DeVine 32 Market Street, Sydney CBD
This is a little gem in the middle of the bustling CBD. I have again frequented this place. It was here that I discovered the wonderful world of wine from Alsace. It was like a ray of sunlight shone through the window and onto my heavenly glass of wine. There is a wine bar at the front but this becomes absolutely packed after work so you had better get in early to get a seat. The restaurant in the back is also nice but much less social. They have a great selection and the staff know what they are talking about when it comes to wine. Finally the food is definitely value for money. The antipasto plate offers a large assortment of goodies and not just a small piece of parmesan, two olives and some shaved parma ham (hello Felix!).

I have just realised that I am only up to D yet have filled a page more than I expected. I guess it is easy to see where my evaporated spare time goes. We will have to continue with the wine bars in later blogs, as we have only just begun! Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac :)

Wine Club - Oh what a joy!

As avid supporters of Alex Mac Wine Blog you will know that two weeks ago was the second instalment of wine club for the year and boy did we make up for lost time. I was joined by the usual suspects and a few new additions to the fun. We changed things around a little this time and tried to explore wines from different countries that are increasingly becoming apparent on wine lists. As a serious chill has hit the Sydney air we decided to warm ourselves with three different reds and loud belly laughter. Our victims of the evening were Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Tempranillo.

Ali, Phillipa & Laura J

To give you a little background: Pinot Noir is a light style of red wine that is particularly fussy in its growing requirements. I was informed by my friend at the Oak Barrel bottle shop that contrary to my initial thoughts that Pinot Noir is quite different to Sangiovese and Tempranillo which can be used interchangeably. However when I delved deeper into the discussion his opinion of this was primarily based on the growing conditions of Pinot Noir. A Pinot is somewhat like an Eastern suburbs metro sexual. He is sophisticated and elegant almost to the point of being feminine. With his slim appearance he fits in with the stylish crowd and complements dinner party festivities well. On the flip side though he is a little light weight and lets just say in a fight with Sangiovese or Tempranillo he would come out black and blue. While he can offer discussions of culture and history his view is somewhat narrow as his experience of life is limited to the Eastern Suburbs, Burgundy, Tasmania, Central Otago and a few others. 


We had a few Pinots to try and they were all delicious. The challenge this time was to match the chosen wine with a suitable plate. We tried Ninth Island Pinot Noir from Tasmania which was super light that cost around $30 and was incredibly easy to drink. Matched with this Ali brought a French brie with black truffle suggested by the assistant at the great little cheese shop on Bourke St, Uccello. 


Lovely Lilliana brought a 2009 Pinot Noir from Rabbit Ranch in Central Otago, NZ. We paired this with roasted kangaroo and pesto pasta. This wine had a little more depth and was strong enough to pair with the strong game flavours of the kangaroo. Our final Pinot was from the home of Pinot itself, Burgundy. Laura again brought cheese, some crackers and a little dark chocolate to finish off. The chocoholic in me was duly impressed at her foresight!

Chloe and her Sangiovese

Knowing a little bit more about the three varieties we moved onto the Sangioveses. We had two versions of this too and both were again delicious. Sangiovese is a medium bodied grape that is more liberal in the regions that it will inhabit. Sangiovese is the smooth talking Italian who is happy to travel abroad and share the joys of Italy, however he maintains a tight knit allegiance with his home country.


Chloe and Laura (number 2) were the wine clubbers who were seduced by Sangiovese. We tried the 2010 Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Sangiovese which was quite rich and dark in colour. It was a delicious wine, but something that you would more try with food in my opinion. The 2006 Montrose Sangiovese  from Mudgee was a real delight. Apparently the earliest plantings in Australia of the Sangiovese grape were by Mr Montrose in Mudgee, who would have thought? To go with this little treat that only cost $26 we had traditional Italian antipasti with parma ham, olives and sun dried tomatoes. Yummo!


Finally it was poor little Tempranillos turn and as fate would have it Phillipa and I brought exactly the same bottle. From my last blog you know that Tempranillo is the Spanish grape that defines wine from the Rioja region. From the wine that we tasted, the Calo 2009 Rioja Tempranillo it is easy to understand the confusion on the shop assistants face at the Oak Barrel when I said that we were going to compare Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. The spanish grape is clearly a medium to full bodied wine and will do the flamenco on your taste buds if you are not careful. I matched this wine with some chorizo fried haloumi with lemon.


Wine club was a smashing success once again. Thank you to my lovely clubbers who make learning about wine such a joy.


Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac :)

Pinot Noir, Sanviovese and Tempranillo

It is 2:39 on Saturday afternoon 19th May and I am hosting only the second wine club of the year in two and a half hours. I have swept and mopped the floor, cleaned the balcony and bought the food, yet still I have not chosen my wine which is a worry.

As we are almost in winter again, we decided that it would be a good idea to try some reds. Generally reds that are common in Australia are Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, however more and more often interesting varieties are appearing in our bottle shops and on wine lists. In an attempt to help my fellow winos meet the daunting challenge of facing a wall full of words one can't pronounce at the bottle shop, we decided to do something different this time. Each Wine Club member will choose a bottle of either Pinot Noir, Sangiovese or Tempranillo. With each bottle each member must also do a little research and bring a plate that matches the food. I am super excited about this one as I think that we are really going to learn something from each other.

Now you may already know that Pinot Noir is originally from the French region of Burgundy and has been in grown in Australia for many years now. The typical regions that are particularly good for Pinot Noir are Tasmania or in Southern Victoria as the climate is cool and allows for a long growing season. In New Zealand the place to get a Pinot from is Central Otago. 

Sangiovese and Tempranillo are newer additions to the Australian palate, however equally as exciting and both offering a great experience. Tonight though, I am sharing a Tempranillo - so I had better get researching so not to disappoint my guests.

Tempranillo is a Spanish grape that is blended in many Spanish wines especially reds from the Rioja region. Tempranillo is to Spain, what Shiraz is to Australia and what Bordeaux is to France. It is the most prized red wine and is at home in a variety of climates.

It is primarily found in the cooler climate of Rioja in the North Central Spain, slightly further south in Ribera del Duero and more and more often it is found crossing oceans in a world wide boom. As a thick skinned black grape it is relatively durable and grows best in cool climates at high altitudes. This type of environment allows the variety to obtain acidity and elegance.

Tempranillo is similar to Shiraz in some circumstances as the thickness of the skin of the grape also requires heat  to acquire a level of fruity ripeness. These conditions therefore lend the variety to a mediterranean climate. This variety shows versatility for growing conditions and therefore means that many different styles of Tempranillo can be made simply depending on the Terroir.

Tonight I bought a Spanish Tempranillo from Rioja so the club can taste what a typical Spanish variety tastes like. My friend at my local bottle shop 'The Oak Barrel' was particularly helpful in picking out this particular wine. The bottle cost $21.95 and has a pretty groovy label. I am serving it with Spanish tapas of chorizo, fried haloumi and stuffed bell peppers. I will let you know that the verdict is. 

Until then, have a glass for me. Alex Mac

A Taste for Investment

There are a number of characteristics of wine as an asset class that make it perform differently from other alternative assets, which makes it an interesting topic to explore. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the investment grade wines that offer the most consistent returns are those from the French region of Bordeaux. The reason for the superiority of the Bordeaux wines dates back to 1855 when Napoleon requested a classification be drawn up detailing the all of the best wines in France.

The Expoisition Universalle de Paris classified the red wines of Medoc and the wines of Sauternes as quality products. The 1855 classification came to dominate Bordeaux wine and now remains with us to this day. There is no regular review of the list and today there remain 61 chateaux listed, all in Medoc except for Haut-Brion which is the sole Graves estate.

The region is broken down into five categories:

1. Medoc Premiers Crus Classes (Class A) – First Growths
2. Medoc Deuxiemes Crus Classes (Class B) – Second Growth
3. Medoc Deuxiemes Crus Classes (Class C) – Third Growths    
4.  Medoc Deuxiemes Crus Classes (Class D) – Fourth Growths
5. Medoc Deuxiemes Crus Classes (Class E) – Fifth Growths

In 1855, classifying 61 wineries as ‘quality’ probably would have covered a significant proportion of the wines available in France. However, 157 years later we have a global population of 6,840,507,003 (World Bank 2010) and 26,216,967 tonnes of wine being produced by the top ten wine producing countries in the world (Food and Argiculture Organisation, 2012). All of a sudden it appears that the 61 humble Chateaux in Bordeaux may not be able to produce enough wine to keep up with the demand. It is this simple supply and demand phenomenon that causes many wines to be destined to an inflationary future.

Peter Lunzer, CEO and CIO of Lunzer Wine Investment recalls that “During the past 30 years I have been involved in the wine industry, it has become evident that one factor which regularly caused wine prices to rise was limited supply against a backdrop of sustained demand”.  He says that from an investment perspective Lunzer Wine Investments have always steered their clients toward the famed five famous Chateaux in the Premier Crus classification, and also the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th growths. Although diminishing in prestige numerically, the most interesting thing about investment grade wine is that as the best wines of the best vintages become scarcer, prices rise in value.

The rising middle class in China will affect this scenario greatly, with an estimated $1.3Bn middle class consumers predicted by 2030 (Forbes, 2011). While many investors take the business of wine seriously and get their hands on cases of premium wine ‘en primeur’ (before they have been harvested and bottled), there are many more who want simply one or two bottles to represent their status in society. In 1855 this would not have really been a problem, however today with our growing population, the pool of desired stock seems to be getting smaller and smaller every day.

Despite all this talk of the doom of supply of the historical greats, Peter Lunzar says that investors can still make money, you just have to be smart. For a consistent pathway with steady growth he suggests a generous helping of 2^nd – 5^th Growths, with a carefully selected pinch of right bank wines (St Emilion and Pomerol). As a novice wine investor myself I asked him to explain this is greater detail to which he replied “There are many wines costing $200 today which we believe will be $400 in five years time. However, if they cost $3000 today, will there be someone willing to pay $6000 for them in the future? While there will always be rare gems who fetch a ravishing price, they will be few and far between. Why run the risk when you can make consistent returns from wines which start at $200 and sail well past $400.”

Investing in wine today, compared to previous decades or centuries, we can see a greater correlation being established between the returns and major economic themes. Wine, however remains the only commodity with an inverse supply curve – the further you get from the harvest, the less wine there is available for the market. This is a particularly good reason to argue that wines will continue to create great investment returns.

Until next time, have a glass for me. Alex Mac.

Just a little bit about loving wine...

As the cool weather sets in and we replace bikinis and kaftans with stylish scarves and coats, so to does our taste in wine generally move from the crisp aromatics to something a little more smooth and comforting. Almost like Day and Night I have turned back into my red blooded wine loving self and see a few more red tainted blogs coming this way.

I just noticed the change last night as the cold snap of wind gushed around my bare neck. Jumping from the bus and hurrying along to the front door all I could think was that there was a lovely soft red to embrace me when I finally got inside. The sheer thought of the comfort a lovely glass of wine will bring when braving the weather, is almost as intoxicating as the drink itself. It occurred to me yesterday that there is just something so comforting about escaping the cold to warm up with a vino, and considering that Europe is so cold there is no wonder why they produce some of the best reds in the world.

Not only is the wine itself comforting but the premature conjuring of images about food and wine is a delight. The whole event in France begins with deciding what one will eat, followed by a spirited trip to the market to fetch the freshest of ingredients, the anticipation then builds as delicious complementary flavours permeate the air and whet the palate. Of course someone must bring the wine, but you can bet your bottom dollar that those guests have subtly acquired this information from the host and have selected a wine to match the meal perfectly. The actual meal itself is the icing on the cake as by this stage all the senses have been evoked through the preparation. Ahhh, such is the bliss of the delights of common day practices in France! Those foodies and winos among us can take heed from their practices though and add a modern twist.

Tonight I sit here drinking a delicious glass of Marlborough Pinot Noir from a label called Fox by John Belsham which retails for around $20. It is aged three years and has a slight brown tinge to the red colour. The palate is also more developed and the flavours last on my tongue for longer than I am able to resist another scrumptious sip. 

Unfortunately I do not have the luck of being invited to a dinner party with lavish courses this evening (or any evening that I can remember in recent history) however, as I walked home from yoga the crisp air hit my face and I was delighted by the thought of my Marlborough Pinot Noir that was going to greet me in my cosy apartment. The beauty of wine for me comes in so many different forms, from sharing with friends and family, to enjoying Sunday evening solitude with a glass all to myself. Perhaps I see the whole industry with rose tinted glasses, however as they say 'ignorance is bliss'.

This evenings blog may be a little more self indulgent rather than academic, however occasionally I think it is necessary to reassert why we do what we do, and why we love what we love. A life without passion is a sad life indeed and I am pleased to say that with a vino in my hand, or a lovely one waiting for me when I get home this will never be me. Decide what it is you love and make sure you have a little bit of it a lot of the time. Tonight I truly feel in a state of utter bliss.

Enjoy whatever you are drinking tonight and be grateful for the company you have sharing it with you. Tonight I don't need you to have a glass for me, I am having one for myself. Alex Mac.