Murray Street 2007 Viognier Marsanne

Murray Street winery was one of our "exciting finds" on our trip to the Barossa last year. We had been to Appellation restaurant the previous night and 2007 Viognier Marsanne was the wine matched up to one of the courses. Chatting to the wait person she told us how to get to the winery and, more importantly, recommended lunch there as they had platters that you could order to have while tasting.

So that is what we did. It was lovely sitting there in the dappled sunlight looked at the vines, eating great food and sipping wonderful wines. In fact we ordered a bottle each of all we tasted to be shipped back home.

The 2007 Viognier Marsanne is so hard to describe - but it was drunk sitting next to a pool, birds chirping, with scallop pate, prawns and fresh crunchy bread to accompany it - nothing could be better. it is rich, perfumed, fruit salad and lingers and lingers.

If you want you can visit the winery

Woop Woop Chardonnay 2007

I am a great lover of Ben Riggs wines - the only wines of his that I haven't liked are the ones he has created for the US market - they must have a different palate to me over there :)

While in South Australia last year we wandered into Penny's Hill winery - simply because we were informed that this was Ben Riggs central. He is their winemaker - but also some of his other creations are sold here. What a wonderful winery. We were so taken with the place we ended up having lunch (their 5 course tasting menu) at their fantastic restaurant and could barely move when we had finished. We had to wander around the property and looked at the sheep to (a) sober up, and (b) walk off the meal.

But I digress, Woop Woop Chardonnay is a very drinkable wine - we actually bought two cases as was a very nice wine and the price was right. It is very hard to find a chardonnay under $20 that is a good 'every day' drink. Yes we have tasted top of the range chardonnay's. But you can't drink them everyday - well at least not on our salary. It is fresh and crisp - with not too much acid. it is an oaked wine - but is a very gentle taste - you don't have to pick the splinters out of this one. A nice Sunday afternoon sipper :)

Fox Creek Wines- Shadow's Run Unwooded Chardonnay -2007

Haven't blogged my wines for a wine - which doesn't mean I haven't been drinking really fine wines - just that I forget.

Shadow's Run is an unwooded Chardonnay and is a very nice wine. A pale gold in the glass, crystal clear with a green tinge - it tastes as good as it smells. I smelt peach, pear with maybe a hint of rock melon. Slightly citrusy on tongue - but not a lot of acid. Is very soft to drink and went perfectly with our goats cheese and biccies. A lovely way to relax after work - pool, wine and cheese.

Fox Creek Wines are in the Mclaren Vale wine region in South Australia, and we spent a very pleasant week there in November last year (2008). Sadly when we got to Fox Creek - we didn't get to meet Shadow who had passed away shortly before our arrival. The winery is very pretty - and we were happy to see we actually cross 'Fox Creek' on the way to the winery itself. Lovely gardens, with statues of strange birds and animals scattered here and there. We joined their club there and then and have just had our first delivery.