Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Winefox goes Aussie...

Winefox
Last week I attended the Winefox Media Tasting featuring the wines of Australia. The event was held at the ever-so-fabulous Eight Wine Bar inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The goal of this tasting was to showcase Australian wine for good value. None of the wines were over $20. That sly fox! He's a sleuth when it comes to finding that quality to price ratio.
The tasting book

This was probably the most casual media event I've been to in recent history. It was small and intimate. There were individual tasting stations for each of the 8 steps of the Winefox tasting chart. Along with various bottles at each station, there were also delicious food pairings to match. Yum! Good thing I skipped lunch that day (well, if you minus the Starbucks cheese plate I ate at my desk).

Cute tasting cards!
Check out the easy-to-follow Winefox tasting chart: www.winefox.ca/taste-chart

Eight Wine Bar
It was a pour-yourself style of tasting. I can't say I've ever been to one of those before! What a great idea. You could just go from station to station, helping yourself to whatever you wanted to try.You could take your time trying each wine. I had to be more mindful to spit though. When it's self-serve, one must always stay focused and in-control. I'm sure the fox agrees. ;)

Winefox.ca is a website dedicated to "taking wine from snobby to hobby". It's an approachable resource for those who are new to wine and for the seasoned experts. It has everything: an online magazine, store and community. It also contains interesting articles, wine reviews, videos and blogs. I like this site. It's modern, easy and fun to use.

A kangaroo in the bar!
"Winefox is all about giving insight that will help you discover fabulous new wines and learn more about who and what makes wine so great." -  www.winefox.ca

On the site, there are lots of videos, including the unique Winefox tasting chart: www.winefox.ca/tools-tips/wine-101

Following the WineFox tasting chart, here were my personal favourites:

Bubbly station
Bubbles
"Low temperatures and CO2 bubbles emphasize the brightness, making it oh so refreshing and fun."

Jacob's Creek Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV $14.95




The Whites
Crisp Station
Crisp
"You know that juicy, fresh burst of flavour you get from biting into a green apple? That's what these wines are like. Light, happy and refreshing."

 James Oatley Tic Tok 2009 Sauvignon Blanc $14.95

Loved the Pinot Gris


Mellow Station
Mellow
"Just like jazz baby, it's smooth all the way. Medium-bodied, balanced soul. Blissed out and relaxed."

Cooralook 2008 and 2010 Pinot Gris $15.95


Lush
"Rich, deep and full-bodied. Like a plush velour throw on a cool winter's night. This wine comforts with joy."

Xandu 2009 Next of Kin Chardonnay $14.95





The Reds

Vibrant Station
Vibrant
"It can be delicate. It can be powerful. It can be a symphony of delight for your palate. Vibrant wines sing with excitement."

Lenswood Hills 2010 Pinot Noir $17.35


Smooth Station
Ok now that sounds funny
Smooth
"With sweet fruit and soft tannins, these wines are the smoothest of operators."


Mitolo 2010 Junior Shiraz $16.20

Bold Station
Bold
"Intense and uncompromising. Strong tannins. Assertive flavours. A bully that will win you over in one sip"

Stone Dwellers 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon $19.95





Sweet Station
Sweet
"You taste the sun in every glass. Sweet rays and concentration give this wine a warm heart. A classic with dessert or as dessert - and who doesn't love dessert?"




Matt Fowler's wife designed this
label of the Shiraz
"Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch"
I have to admit that I don't drink a lot of Australian wine. Not that I don't like it! I just find my wine rack stuffed with all sorts of bottles from Ontario, Germany, California and France. This is probably due to the fact that I've traveled extensively to these regions and visited many of their wineries (minus Germany). I remember talking to Erika Neudorf, who works for Wines of Australia telling her that I just need to really discover this vast wine producing country. When one thinks about Australia, they think Shiraz. Am I right? However, the more I attend tastings like this and the more research I do, I'm continuing to discover what wide-range of wines Australia has to offer the consumer.

"Australia has a diverse range of climates, from cool and crisp to warm and dry. This diversity ensures there will always be a great location for each grape variety to prosper. No matter what your taste or occasion, from white to red and sparkling to fortified" - www.apluswines.com

I made a small video at the event featuring Lindsay Gavey who is the brand manager at Winefox.ca as well as Matt Fowles, who represents Plunkett Fowles winery. Enjoy!


Love the swag!
At the end of the event, we each received a pretty cool bag with various items such as a bottle opener (always need those!), an apron and some learning materials on Australian wine...plus the bag itself which always comes in handy. Thanks!

For more information on Winefox.ca and Australian wine you can go to the links below. Both sites are well-developed and have a ton of information.
www.apluswines.com

Follow on Twitter:
@WinefoxCA
@apluswines

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Posted by Monika at 10:44 PM
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