Secret Vines Blog

Showing all entries for 2009

Summer seafood and a cool dry white......

19th November, 2009

Munching on summer seafood and washing it down with with a cool, dry white wine is a favourite at our place. And boy, we've needed a few cleansing white wines after sweating in our jocks through Adelaide's latest heatwave. I've been down on the beach in McLaren Vale fishing every afternoon to escape the heat and have been bringing home a little bounty of seafood.Marion's been doing what she does best in the kitchen and her latest creation is really tasty...full of fresh crabs,...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Pleasing Oscar.....

9th November, 2009

A favourite line of mine is from one of the early Oscar Wilde plays, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act III.Oscar asks.......What is a cynic? The man who knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing.I reckon this line of thought applies to buying wine like no other.  It's a pretty tricky field in which to judge value. Australia alone has well over 2,000 wineries and there are tens of thousands more around the world. So there are literally millions of wines...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Lets talk 'alternative' grapes.

21st October, 2009

In a wine sense 'alternative' has nothing to do with hairy armpits or grass skirts, but everything to do with an evolving Australian winemaking tradition. Different types of grape varieties are like different types of any other fruit. Everyone knows the difference between a Red Delicious or a Granny Smith apple. Just like everyone knows the difference between a Roma tomato or a Big Red.Although some grape varieties were brought out with the First Fleet, James Busby...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Leave pass granted...

29th September, 2009

I've got a ‘leave pass' from my partner Marion, so I'm out of McLaren Vale for a couple of weeks and in Sydney, catching up with a few friends over birthday season.The problem is, I'm always hungry and I've left my chef (Marion) at home.Yer it's tough.... but I still remember how to fend for myself from my bachelor days. I'm into the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) method of self preservation.And sashimi is all about K.I.S.S.So hit your local fish monger and get hold of some seriously...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Secret Vines Q & A

17th September, 2009

I've had a few emails over the last week asking for a bit more detail on our service. I thought I may as well share the Q & A with everyone to shed more light on why we operate the way we do....1.                   How come you have such a small range?We taste hundreds of wines a month, yet we only sell twelve different wines at a time. We cull mountains and mountains of dross to make sure every wine...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Pizza time.....

28th August, 2009

The response by a few members to my wine nerd email this week was..... 'geez you carry on Tim, less nerd words and more recipes from Marion please.'So here's a favourite..... Marion's Turkish Lamb Pizza's.   For the dough; 450g plain flour ,1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp dried yeast, 350ml warm water &  2 Tbsp olive oilPlace flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Pour in water a bit at a time while mixing with your hands.  Add in the olive...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Getting a little wine nerd on it.........

26th August, 2009

Today we're going to get a little 'wine nerd' about Hollywood, while we're talking museum releases and the 2001 Frankland Estate 'Olmo's Reward'.I just love when a winery does all the hard work for me when it comes to ageing wines until they're at their absolute peak. It prevents my impetuous nature getting the better of my cellar after maybe one too many vinos with my mates. I'm sure you'll have been there too.Well, there's no threat of prematurely ejecting the 2001 Olmo's...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Lamb shanks for a lazy day

7th August, 2009

Lamb shanks for a lazy day4  big, meaty lamb shanks 1/2 cup  plain flour 1  onion, finely diced 2  carrots, diced 4  celery stalks, diced 4  garlic cloves, finely chopped 1  fennel bulb, diced 1 Tbsp  ground fennel seeds 2 cups  red wine 3 cups  stock (chicken, vegetable or beef) 1 can  tomatoes 1 Tbsp  sugar 1  rosemary sprig 2  bay leaves olive oil for frying...
Read more… | (0) Comments

Colour me Autumn with Hewitson's 'Gun Metal' Riesling

23rd May, 2009

Some of you may know me from Tim's description on this website as the 'Minister of War', but when I'm not giving Tim a hard time I'm fiddling around in the kitchen and blogging as The Hedonistic Hostess. I wanted to share my latest blog recipe with you because when we paired it with Hewitson's 'Gun Metal' Riesling, it was just too good a match to keep to ourselves.  The zestiness of this wine cuts through the rich stickiness of the roasted veggies.  Try it for...
Read more… | (0) Comments

A joke from member Colin B

12th May, 2009

A new hybrid grape variety, I kid you not...New Wine  for Seniors  California  vintners in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produce Pinot  Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new  hybrid grape that acts as ananti-diuretic!  It is expected  to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the  bathroom during the night.  The new  wine will be marketed as   PINO  MORE ...
Read more… | (0) Comments