Every week the Prince Wine Store offeres free tastings on a large range of Australian and international wines. They also often have some very high-end wines that require a small fee. Last Saturday was the book launch for James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2010 accompanied by free tastings of the ‘best by variety’.

I am certainly no expert in wine but back to back tastings with informative notes is by far the best way to learn about wine flavours. On offer that day included:

Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Vally Riesling 2003
Curly Flat Macedon Ranges Chardonnay 2007
Balnaves The Tally Reserve cabernet 2007
Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling 2005

And… if you brought any of the books you got to taste the Penfolds Grange 2004. I cannot resist having a sip of this wine-that-dosen’t-need-introduction. I can tell you, it was excellent. Maybe not $700 excellent because I can find much better things to do with that money now. What did it taste like? Very refined flavours (?plums, berries – like a good cab sav) and well balanced tannins. Most stunning was this powerful perfume of oak/cedar. It didn’t just taste like oak but more like the smell when you walk in to an old and quiet Chinese temple. A touch of incense.

Wow