No.2:Josef Chromy NV

This review must come with a disclaimer. I work here but then again I only work in good places so you'll have to decide for yourself what level of bias I am possibly at!

Josef Chromy is located in the southern part of the Tamar Valley wine route in the little village of Relbia. Josef has been a part of the history of many local wineries including Tamar Ridge but it is here that Josef Chromy wines reside with Jeremy Dineen at the helm.

All the sparkling wines are made traditionally and disgorged on site at our fancy winery across the lake from the cellar door. See below for aforementioned lake and winery peeking around the corner.

I give people the NV to try every day so being the consummate professional that I am I try it frequently to make sure it's at its finest. A citrussy nose with hints of white flowers amongst the fresh lemon and green apple it follows through on the palate to create a racy, clean and crisp sparkling wine.

A good palate cleanser, the fresh vibrancy of the wine is an ideal match for our oysters or a cheeky livener pre-dinner to awaken the palate. The Josesf Chromy NV has a youthfulness about it without tasting under ripe or too green and I would recommend it as a drinker more than a keeper as its sprightly nature is its selling point.

Biased or not? Why don't you pop down and see me at the Cellar door and decide for yourself?

Sir James 2004, Hardy's

The joy of being back in Tassie isn't just the wine it is the fabulous food that we take for granted. Bruny Island cheeses, quail, venison, Lilydale and Nichols chickens and other goodies are gloriously easy to find making it a greedy girls dream.

My day off rocked around again so with lemons from the backyard and a chicken from up the Tamar in Lilydale on the menu I thought an older sparkler would be just the thing. 

Sir James Hardy is the great grandson of Thomas Hardy founder of one of Australia's most famous wine labels. The wine is a blend of Chardonnay 35%, Pinot Noir 55% and Pinot Meunier 10% and the fruit is sourced from Tasmania, Tumbarumba and the Yarra Valley. 

After a primary fermentation in stainless steel the second fermentation is spent in bottle for at least 3 years. All this sounds fabulous and I wish I liked it more than I did. I hope I just had a duff bottle as despite an appealing nose of lemons, apples, stone fruits, honey and yeast the palate did not follow through.

Despite some ripe tropical and stone fruit flavours and a little yeastiness it was lacking in intensity of flavour. It didn't have the taste of a sparkler that was over the hill but it had the taste of something that couldn't quite get itself going. 

At this point I'm not fully going to write this off as a disappointing wine but I will wait a while before going back for another taste. Like watching a film once the hype has died down, far more enjoyable if one can judge it on its own merits rather than be swayed by reviews.  

Bubbleduck 2008, Puddleduck

Being the lucky kind of girl that I am, for my birthday this year I got what I wanted. It was quite simple really, I just wanted to spend my birthday back in Tasmania and have some delicious local bubbles and that is exactly what I got!

Bubbleduck is made by Puddleduck Vineyard in Richmond, southern Tasmania and is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with the Pinot being more dominant. Made traditionally the nose is a really inviting blend of yeast, baked apple, honey, orange peel and stone fruits.

As my birthday is now an Autumn/winter experience the weightier autolytic flavours, bready and yeasty are perfect for this time of year and the wine is freshened up with apples, honey and crisp lemon flavours. 

Although still youthful the Bubbleduck is drinking beautifully and a big thank you to Jason and the Josef Chromy folks for treating me on my birthday. I would be very keen to see how this develops over the coming years but until then Puddleduck joins the ranks of cracking Tassie sparklers.

Josef Chromy, Relbia not a bad place for a glass of bubbles!

No.34:Rococo Blanc de Blancs, De Bortoli

26th May 2011 was chardonnay day across the globe and although the thought did fleetingly cross my mind that I should taste something without bubbles, I did not waver from the effervescent path.

This beautifully opulent bottle comes from one of Australia's first families of wine, De Bortoli who are located in the Yarra Valley and make a range of sparkling wines alongside some impressive still and fortified options.

Soft and fruity is the best way to describe this wine which has spent 14 months on its lees after its initial fermentation taking place in both barrel and tank. Apples, lemons combine with floral and citrus notes on the nose which is carried on to the palate where it is eagerly welcomed by some peachy stone fruit flavours and a little yeasty fresh bread.

Created for consumption on purchase (maybe get home first, I don't think they mean the car park!) this wine performs a neat trick in being easily accessible without being tedious. A smooth and creamy mouthfeel with fresh ripe fruits and hints of the 14 months spent on lees, Rococo is a pleasant and enjoyable glass of bubbly. For mid-week luxury, this was a real hit.

Yellowglen Cremant 2007

The last night in Wellington was an emotional one as I was heading back to glorious Tassie to start work but it meant saying goodbye to my small friend. My small friend is not a plastic giraffe but she is a very, very funny 1 year old so we had a big family dinner to see me off to Tas and them off to Thailand.

Having spent a whirlwind week which saw me toast my wonderful grandmothers long life with Pol Roger Rose 2002, Sunday lunch was a more muted affair with our usual roast chicken and a bottle of something. Off-dry and easy drinking according to the blurb I thought I would give Yellowglen another try after the success of the Yellowglen Perle 2006.

After writing up the Rosemount Ruby O it is interesting to go to another big branded sparkler and get such a different response.  Pale lemon with small fast moving bubbles and some beading on the rim the nose had toasty notes, baked apple, yeastiness and tropical fruits all thrown in.

Ripe and fruity on the palate the residual sweetness added a roundness and softness to the wine and it doesn't become cloying due to the fresh acidity and crisp lime and lemon citrus elements.

The wine held up to gossiping and a fine roast chicken so it did its job for the evening. Some tears, smiles and giraffe impressions later we were all off on to the next adventure to see what life has in store for us all.

Rangipo Desert, New Zealand

Rosemount Ruby 'O' 2009

So fashion and sparkling wine...... Many years ago when God was a boy and dinosaurs roamed the earth I modelled some clothes from the local designer store and was given a comfortable amount of Moet Rose for my trouble (and a faaancy black dress).

When I was told there was to be a lingerie fashion show with drinks I had high hopes. Sadly this didn't go quite so well on either front. I was hoping for the sort of lingerie a Bond girl would wear or something that Scarlett Johansson would wear in those Dom Perignon adverts and the bubbles to match.

The lingerie wouldn't have covered a mouse and the wine also did not elicit excitment nor luxury. They are indeed high-ball glasses with ice which contains the Ruby O in the picture above. Made from non-specific varietals in the year 2009 the Rosemount Ruby O is a spectacularly non-descript wine.

Pale salmon pink with medium sized bubbles and aromas of cherry and redcurrant. On the palate wild strawberries and candy floss get in the mix to create a ripe and fruity wine. I don't really have much more to say about this to be honest. There's nothing wrong with it, not chock full of sugar or anything like that but it's just....fine, which I appreciate is up there on the insult scale of calling something nice but it is just fine.

I'm sure this is the sort of wine that would go down a storm on Ladies Day at the races and hen nights but the highlight of the evening of me was the cake, chocolate dream from Floriditas. If you're ever in Wellington, pop down to Floridita's for a Jansz rose and cake and pick your own undies! A far superior combo and more fun without a shadow of a doubt.

Pol Roger Rose 2002

To poorly mis-quote from one of my favourite films, Serendipity "The Ancient Greeks did not write obituaries, they simply asked 'Did he have passion?" So, as expected, the sad news of a loved one passing brings questions of how to live ones life and whether one will be happy with the view when one looks back over the years.

I am a big fan of Pol Roger personally as was former Prime Minister Winston Churchill the former inhabitant of No.10 Downing Street where my grandmother worked in the 60's. So when the chance appeared for some Pol Roger 2002 rose, I felt it would be a fitting toast to a woman who lived a long and varied life.

Medium salmon-pink in appearance with tiny, fast moving bubbles forming fine beading on the rim. Crisp red fruits and savoury notes combine on the nose with hints of cocoa and quince. These flavours continue onto the palate where hints of vanilla, Iberico ham, crunchy red apples and citrus. 

This wine is still in its infancy with many years ahead of it but it was delicious despite its youth. So after much pondering I figure one should drink the good bottles not look at them, buy the nice biscuits, kiss the wrong boys and take that trip. 

Life is for living and I want to look back at my life having drunk some incredible wines not just read about them. I want to see the world and all it offers and when I'm sat with my grandchildren in my 90's I'll have stories to tell about the life that I lived. Thank you Granny.

Joyce Haslam-Stuart