A democratic wine auction
Stephen Doyle
A wine auction is as good a place as any to observe democracy in action. To me it represents the very pinnacle of the western market economy, and therefore demands certain forms of behaviour …
Read MoreBlogwood Blog
Cool climate wine
Stephen Doyle
Bloodwood Winery is a family-owned and operated winery located in the heart of the Orange wine region. The winery has been producing cool climate wines since its establishment in 1983, and its focus on sustainability and organic farming practices has earned it a reputation as one of the leading wineries in the region.
Read MoreVombatidae Vombatidae Vroom Vroom
Stephen Doyle
There is a winery in the Upper Hunter Valley which has a problem with toilet doors. (Indeed, in so far as one can allocate a gender to a securely hinged reinforced protuberance, this particular winery has a problem with male toilet doors.)
Read MoreTasting is a sleight of hand
Stephen Doyle
It is my wont, in these balmy days of leisure and lunacy between the late recent terror of winter bottling in Orange and the appalling challenge of another damp (sic) Spring, to take in the odd wine tasting.
Read MoreBloodwooed - The New Tradition
Stephen Doyle
Let’s call him Brian and let’s call the wife of Brian, Lorraine. Brian and Lorraine (the wife of Brian) visit the Bloodwooed cellar door. They engage in the full Saturday afternoon wine tasting experience which involves plenty of risqué repartee, some little historical banter and a double dose of the tales of Bloodwoods past and present.
Read MoreBe proud of your poultry
Stephen Doyle
Standing in the blend block the other day, pruning my way along a row of restless Cabernet Franc vines, I had a very strong feeling of pride in our livestock. An investigatory vehicle had rolled up to the cellar door and, as is usual in these cases, Mum and Dad struggled out of the front seats, while a phalanx of kids, freshly blooded greyhounds that they were, bolted from the back of the vehicle and raced towards the dam.
Read MoreThe continuing story of Bill and Ben; our robotic psychotic embden geese
Stephen Doyle
A rather nervous looking bloke recently stumbled into the Bloodwood Cellar Door and ordered a Pinot Noir Magnum and a straw. Apparently he is a recovering anatidaephobic (look it up) not at all impressed with the omnipresent Bill and Ben story in the previous newsletter.
Read MoreThere's something about Riesling
Stephen Doyle
This great grape of Germany and Alsace produces the finest of all white wines. That’s a bold statement in these days where the latest fashion in wine styles is the highest contemporary currency in the wine business. Still, Bloodwood belongs in the Wine Trade, and while we do, we will continue to assert that Riesling does it for us.
Read MoreHe ist from Denmark and iz harving troubles with "arnimarles".
Stephen Doyle
And iz harving troubles with "arnimarles". According to Christian, who is but one of approximately five million Danes in Denmark but a very comfortable majority of Danish types at the excellent Reynolds Yarraman vineyard in the wild sandstone country of the Upper Hunter,"dees arnimarles are dicking
Read MoreLearn how to be a wine judge without ruining your reputation
Stephen Doyle
This tasting of wine is a funny business. I find that there is a general reluctance to actually examine, let alone identify flavours and impressions during a tasting. It's as if the messages being relayed from the tongue and palate are lost on their way to the brain..as if there is such social intimidation tied up in the use of descriptive terms during wine tastings
Read MoreIf anyone doubted that spring was well and truly here...
Stephen Doyle
Even Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the later varieties around here, is at advanced bud swell. By this time in the progress of viticultural events, we have a fairly good idea of the potential for next vintage.Even Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the later varieties around here, is at advanced bud swell. By this time in the progress of viticultural events, we
Read MoreThis being early Spring, I thought it time to get really filthy for a change...
Stephen Doyle
When you are selecting a site for your vineyard, there's a lot to be said for dirt. Not only is it a fairly handy medium in which to stand trellis posts but it can also play a critical role in the quality of your fruit.
Read MoreEverybody has heard of fermentation.
Stephen Doyle
It's that unpleasant business where the tucker you eat is broken down by micro-flora resident somewhere below last years hiatus hernia. This reaction releases quite a lot of heat, and copious amounts of gas as well as providing you with the energy needed to catch and cook your next meal.
Read MoreEveryone knows someone named Gilchrist
Stephen Doyle
It's the sort of name that attaches itself to the family chemist, or local barber. It may even be the maiden name of the captain of the best team of net ballers you've ever seen clout the canvas. It's a name of some moment and conservative style!
Read MoreOur industry has its fair share of lunatics
Stephen Doyle
Mind you, having a few bottles loose in the top pallet isn't a pre-requisite, but it is helpful in coping with the sometimes inhuman demands of production and marketing in a modern winery.
Read MoreAbout the drought
Stephen Doyle
So here’s the thing. It’s been dry before and it will be dry again. What is so different this time round? Why has the proverbial hit the fan across such a wide area of Eastern Australia from NW Queensland to SE New South Wales.
Read MoreA satellite dish nesting precariously over a swamp
Stephen Doyle
I mean, there must be thousands of swamps around the world, and we are all witness to the fecundity of the Common Rufus Mounted satellite dish
Read MoreThe dogs are barking at Rosewood Winery.
Stephen Doyle
The dogs are barking at Rosewood Winery. Bill Chambers leaves the cellar door visitor with the distinct impression that he is one of the genuine gentle men of the Australian wine scene.
Read MoreCanopy Splitting (or) Pigs in Space
Stephen Doyle
Forget about Eisenmeyer's Swine Science in dowdy old hard-covered tomes published in some backwoods mid-west State of fly-over America and read on.
Read MoreA long discussion about the merits of irrigating wine grapes
Stephen Doyle
Traditionally, in Australian terms, the quality of wine has been related to the use of irrigation. If your particular vineyard was irrigated, then your product was known as irrigated, and therefore, inferior.