{Crash Test Wine} Women and Wine Series Wrap Up

Welcome to Friday!  I hope you’ve enjoyed the Women and Wine series over the last 5 weeks.  The winner of last week’s giveaway is:

Pauline Tan – Congratulations!  You’ve won a 3-pack of wines from Gemtree Vineyards

What did we review?

Here’s a quick recap of the wines from the series:

• First up was the Alta Rosé made by Sarah Fletcher in the Adelaide Hills.  A perfect drop on a warm summer night at a BBQ with friends.
• The Pinot Noir from Moorooduc Estate is scrumptious and the 5 tips offered from Kate McIntyre Master of Wine are great advice for a wine newbie to start discovering great wines.
• I slipped in the All Saints Moscato because so many of you had a taste for the sweeter and slightly bubbly style.  CEO Eliza Brown and her siblings love to make wines that can be enjoyed with friends and it’s a staff favourite.
• Narelle King from Tar & Roses introduced us to some gorgeous European style wines with her Pinot Grigio and inspired us with her advice about making a big change in your life.
• Viticulturist Melissa Brown from Gemtree Vineyards in McLaren Vale uses a biodynamic approach to growing her grapes which gave us another aspect to appreciate when looking at the Gemtree Bloodstone Shiraz.

What did I learn?

I’ve really enjoyed this series.  I loved all the questions you asked about wine, and the fact that I often had to get help from CrashHubby.  This means I learned new things too and it really ignited my passion for wine and awakened my previous knowledge.

A lot of you are pretty new to discovering wines which is great!  I hope you realise that there is nothing too mysterious about wine.  Also, that you don’t have to be a wine expert to enjoy it and just a little bit of knowledge will give you enough confidence to start trying new wines and styles.

I’m going to take a break from the wine reviews for a little bit.  I’m starting to drink too much wine again ;).  But before I wrap it up I have a few tips:

• Every now and then, give the big stores a miss and see if you can find a local independent wine specialist.
• Talk to the staff,  let them know what you like and ask for recommendations.
• If you see someone offering wine tastings in-store, go for it!  Ask the rep about the wine – they’ll be happy to help!

Thanks for joining me on the series!

I’d like to thank Mezzanine Wine for supporting the series and providing the wines.  You can check out the rest of the wines they represent in their portfolio of boutique wineries and vineyards.  It’s a great way to discover some new wines that are similar in their craftsmanship to the ones I have reviewed.

Cheers ;)

Laney