Australian wine a winner in Italy (at least in my house)

Well they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but I’m wondering if a flash bottle of wine isn’t better. My boyfriend was very impressed with the "gluggability" of our Penfold’s Koonunga Hill shiraz cabernet and had himself a second and third (!) glass.

I am proud to say the Heineken was put back in the fridge. And I thoroughly enjoyed that teeth staining, full Aussie red for a change. Probably not something I would always drink as I think my taste, like many I think, is changing slightly and I now enjoy an elegant wine, particularly in the heat we’re having in Italy in the moment.

Buying this bottle in Italy though, I was also able to appreciate the 2001 vintage. I find when I’m here mostly I can only get hold of recent vintages, if not the latest, and this is not always a good thing when we’re talking nebbiolo. One bad Australian habit is, in my opinion, drinking our wines too young. Maybe it’s just a lack of patience when ripping the cork out of a bottle. But the patient will be rewarded!

Anyway, here’s to Koonunga Hill and taking over the world. I only need to find the funds to support my now more expensive habit.

Australian Wine in Italy: buying wine in Milan

Well, I’ve updated my profile to get to where my life’s at and I hope this will become a more regular, disciplined thing on my part. Anyway, Italy has gotten less beautiful and more of a struggle, the honeymoon is definitely over.

Anyway, I’ve found myself in Milan for work and while the trip is a bit of a pain in the arse (what with suicides, strikes, break downs and just generally late trains, the track record could do with some improving), I suppose I am enjoying the minimal time I get out on the streets, indulging in some city scape.

On the topic of missing Aussie wine, I finally got myself organised to go and buy some. Not far from where I work, but far enough that I nearly took a couple of wrong turns – thank God for Google maps really – I found an Enoteca that had a modest but selective offering.

For Aussies in Italy, finding Australian wine around these parts is not easy. People either know nothing about it, or totally scoff at it, and apart from that, demand is hardly worth it. So it’s a tough gig when, at the end of a hard day at work, you can’t put your feet up to a nice glass of shiraz.

Anyway, I got myself a bottle of Penfolds Koonunga Hill shiraz: a quaffer I presume, and one which I’ll test out on my boyfriend tomorrow when we try our new grill plate. He knows bugger all about wine so even if it’s crap, I’ll still look exotic.

And the other bottle I got, which is high in the intriguing stakes for me, is Charles Melton’s Nine Popes. I recently read about the GSM blend in Gourmet Wine Traveller (courtesy of Mum’s recent trip to Italy) and am keen to try it out.

From Enoteca Ronchi in Milan, the Koonunga Hill was particularly overpriced at 16 euros I thought, but the Nine Popes was 41 euros which works out around 65 AUD – not too bad considering the trip it’s taken to get here. Other Australian wines that Enoteca Ronchi has on offer include Moss Wood, Grosset (but not the riesling), Rosemount and Domaine A among others. My only doubts: the wines originate from a French importer...