Foveaux Wine Bar – A little bit of Melbourne in Sydney
One of my favourite haunts in Sydney is the Foveaux Wine Bar, located on 65-67 Foveaux Street in Surry Hills. It’s actually a restaurant upstairs (I’m yet to visit it but it has been getting rave reviews) and a very intimate little wine bar downstairs. If you haven’t been taken to the bar before you’d struggle to find it yourself, it’s certainly not obvious. But once you do go down those stairs and through that little door to your left it feels like you are anywhere but Sydney – this is where I choose to reject my Sydney reality and escape to a better alternative.
The bar is a dimly lit cellar like room with sandstone walls and a theme of deep reds and browns. It wouldn’t look too out of place if used in a seductive scene in a gangster film by the leading guy and doll. This is a great place for a drink before or after a meal on Crown Street (in my case generally Pizza e Birra).
The bar has a more than complete wine list (even if most of it is beyond my budget), featuring wines from around the world. The cocktail list is also worth a look!Last time I was there the 2006 Langmeil Valley Floor from the Barossa was a decent drop, it was about $50 a bottle. It was a full, long wine, with a bit of spice.
And if you’re a little peckish while enjoying your glass of plonk they serve a decent cheese platter with 4-5 cheeses, crackers and fruit bread (a nice touch).
I highly recommend you find the place.
2 Medals and a Trophy, not a bad tally. Paterson’s 2005 Shiraz
I’m not usually so keen on wines with such a high alcohol content (sometimes it’s a wine makers way of cheating) but this time I let it slip. On the way to a ski trip to Hotham we picked up a few bottles of wine at Jugiong Cellars. A great shop, almost like a wine co-op, a place where you can fine ~ 60 local wines.
After some consultation in the cellars we walked away with a half dozen wines, 3 white 3 red. The Paterson’s 2005 Shiraz was in my opinion the stand out.
A really smooth red with a bold aroma, almost a little too enjoyable to drink. We haven’t had an unpleasant night together yet! It has deservedly won two gold medals (Canberra and NSW Small Winemakers) and one trophy at the NSW small wine makers show.
More than happy to recommend this wine to anyone who enjoys a decent red.
Disclaimer. As always with wine reviews – I am by no means an expert when it comes to wine, but I do enjoy a glass or two!
Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough New Zealand – 2007 Oyster Bay vs 2006 Cloudy Bay
I was lucky enough to enjoy my first 2006 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc the other day courtesy of Macquarie Bank. I had heard so many good things about this wine (expensive wine at ~$35 a bottle), but it turns out that it’s all a bit of a wank. Don’t get me wrong it was a nice Sav Blanc, but unfortunately the next bottle of wine we had was an $11, 2007 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. I could not tell the difference between them.
The similarities in taste are well explained by the two labels:
- Both were Sauvignon Blancs
- Vintages were within 12 months of each other
- The both come from the same area of New Zealand (Marlborough). In fact they are only separate by 9.4 km when travelling by car, see Google Maps.
- The satellite imagery would suggest that they were even grown with the same aspect
Both wines were subtle and very easy to drink, but I’m still left wondering why you would buy a bottle of Cloudy Bay when for the same amount of money you could by 3.18 bottles of Oyster Bay?
Disclaimer. As always with wine reviews – I am by no means an expert when it comes to wine, but I do enjoy a glass or two!
Mad Fish – A reasonable little drop from Western Australia
Joining the Mad Fish wine club certainly paid dividends this festive/over consumption period. I am a drinker who prefers red, however if I’m going to drink white it is quite often Mad Fish Premium White. Red and white are the the colours of Christmas, so why not a case of each to kick the season off?
I decided to be a bit adventurous and deviate from my norm. I ordered the Mad Fish 2004 Shiraz and the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon.
By joining the Mad Fish wine club both the Shiraz and Sav Blanc was discounted from $19 to $11 a bottle.
The Verdict:
Mad Fish 2004 Shiraz – The first bottle was opened and drunk immediately. It was a strong, sharp red with a high alcohol content (14.5%). The 2nd bottle definitely benefited from a quick decanting as this took the edge off the wine.
2008 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – A nice change from the Premium white, there’s not a lot to dislike about this wine. Mostly Sauvignon Blanc and a little bit of Semillon, a simple fresh little drop. It went quite well with the seafood. I must admit though, If I had the choice between the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon or the Premium white I’d go for the Premium White.
Disclaimer. I am by no means an expert when it comes to wine, but I do enjoy a glass or two!
leave a comment