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!
A gift that keeps on giving? http://pearlbeachrentals.com.au – 20 Pearl Beach Drive
After being long overdue, I (with some help from my business partner Tatham Oddie) finally got around to building my parents a website to showcase their holiday home, 20 Pearl Beach Drive. It is located on the central coast at a little spot called Pearl Beach (just between Patonga and Umina) which is only 1 hour and 15 minutes drive from the centre of Sydney.
It is perfect for the weekend getaway from Sydney and sleeps 9. So you can easily share it with another family, or even a few mates. I love going up there as it is so close to Sydney, has a really nice beach and a slower pace of life. And if it’s a special occasion there is a restaurant called Pearl’s on the Beach just down the road, which is arguably the best restaurant on the coast.
If you would like to book the house or have any questions just give us a buzz.
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!
Taking the engine out of our 1970 1275cc MG Midget
It was becoming embarrassing to drive the car, when taking off from traffic lights the car/s behind would disappear in a cloud of blue smoke. After much procrastinating it was time for a quick engine rebuild.
Firstly off with the head to measure the capacity using a burette. Bearing in mind that the head was only cleaned up 18 months ago, there was a huge amount of carbon build up, an indication of how much smoke the car was burning.
Using a burette purchased off ebay for $25 AUD, some kerosene and a perspex disc we measured the head capacity – a consistent 21cc (standard). It appears the head is unmolested and hasn’t been skimmed. The nifty little magnetic stand was a worthwhile purchase (bought at a machine shop called Hare & Forbes ) it kept the burette perfectly steady and could be easily and quickly adjusted.
Using the same method we measured the capacity of the bore – 10cc. This is slightly less than standard, and explained by the AE 21253 pistons that were fitted.
The a-series is a pretty small engine, and could probably be lifted out by two people – but a borrowed engine winch made life very easy.
Just as a matter of interest and to try out our new dial gauge and stand – a quick check with a timing disc show the camshaft to be within 1 degree of the recommendations in the workshop manual.
Pistons came out without any dramas. Appear to be in very good condition. Revealed extremely glazed bores and piston rings with an excessively large gap of 0.0026′.
The Value of a "Brand"
Wouldn’t it be terrible to get 2-3 years into a business venture and suddenly realise that not only have you got the wrong name – in fact your whole brand is not inline with your intended audience. This happens to a lot of businesses whether they realise it or not – they have inappropriate names and associated brands for their intended audience.
At work I talk to people everyday about creating an online presence. Many of these people have existing businesses, however a few are start-ups or new businesses. As part of the process I ask people “so what are you calling your business?” So often I’m told “Oh, I don’t actually have a name yet. I’m going to have a chat about it with my friends…” this is where the troubles begin.
The name & brand of your business should say:
- Who you are and what you do
- Why you do what you do
- And how you’re different from all your competitors
I am continually astonished at people’s hesitation to spend money on creating a name and associated brand which has an intelligent/educated/professional reasoning behind it.
The name of your business is very important. The brand of your business is arguably even more important.
My experience is, If you are starting a business and you have no marketing, branding or naming experience – get help. If you’re not a heart surgeon you shouldn’t perform heart surgery, Pay Someone! Yes that’s right, pay someone, it might cost you hundreds/thousands of dollars but at least you won’t end up with a name/brand which is not only worthless, but detrimental to your business.
This is an extremely good video which covers the importance of a brand which differentiates itself:
After naming several businesses myself, with fairly average results, I finally paid someone. This guy is good – Scott Lawrie, Creative Director @ XXVI. He’s professional “namer” and “brander” who aims to connect brands with people through simple engaging words. Money very well spent:
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