Rubicon Reserve Wines

Astrolabe has been awarded 91 points in Wine Spectator for the 2011 Astrolabe Province Sauvignon Blanc and now the 2008 Astro Pinot Noir. They cannot help but win. Read the reviews here. more »

Astrolabe fills a nice niche:  it has a cool name, a cool label, and it’s a pinot in a decent price range.  Thus, it is perfect to bring to a swanky party, or to deliver as a nice gift. Not to mention, its delicious.

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Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and it's estimated that at least 8 per cent of women are iron deficient.

Use this quick iron calculator to check whether your iron intake is adequate.

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Think of a traditional European meal and a tall glass of chilled clear wine, set on a table under a blue Mediterranean sky comes easily to the mind. From a humble beverage made by farmers trying to preserve grape juice, wine making has come a long way through the centuries. more »

With the holidays rapidly approaching, now is the time to stock up on the perfect Champagnes for those special occasions. more »

A basic introduction to wine, plus pairing suggestions to make every dinner special. more »

Keep a few simple things in mind when you taste wine, and you'll get that much more enjoyment.

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There's a lot of rubbish talked about food and wine matching. I blame the Californians, mostly. In controlled restaurant conditions where a chef and a sommelier collaborate to create tastes matched to particular wines, maybe. But what wine can stand up to the combined assault of turkey and all the trimmings? more »

Veteran English wine writer Hugh Johnson is quite right when he observes that a wine tastes best in the village where it is made.

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In celebration of Chinese New Year Rubicon Reserve Wines is releasing a limited edition wine - Gong Xi Fa Cai.

The Gong Xi Fa Cai wine is a stunning South Australian Shiraz, with aromas of plum and blackberry with spice, pepper and cinnamon. The palate is well rounded and fruity with rich flavours of ripe plum, blackberry jam and spices. These characters are balanced with vanilla and caramel flavours to result in a wine with good depth and intensity of flavour.

Shiraz is a wonderful wine to couple with food and this wine in particular succulent red meats dishes and pasta. Australian shiraz has developed a name for itself on the international stage for producing high quality, distinctly varietal and bountiful wines.

The fruit for this wine was sourced form vineyards in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. The parcels of fruit were treated individually; fermented and matured, before being blended to create this outstanding wine.

Click here to order.

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It seems that one of the most common topics at dinner parties these days is the cost of the beverage they are drinking and how it is either so much cheaper at home or how the tax here is to blame. But is it? more »

Ash Ridge on Sun Live more »

Szigeti from Austria

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We are about to release the new to market Astrolabe wines next week. For this we have put together a tasting pack for people to try the wines and compare them. If you are keen on one of these give me a call or email me back and I will sort you out with a "friends of Dave" discount.

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Investment wine like all things vino related comes with its own lingo and what appears to be closed inner circle of those that are in the know, intimidate with their talk of En Primeur, left bank, right bank and perfectly pronounced names of French chateaux. But all this bluff and bravado is easily interpreted and wine investment is no more for the “anointed” few than wine generally is today.

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Marlborough New Zealand is well known as a region that produces stellar sauvignon blancs. But it’s not really just one region, as Michael Franco finds out.

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This week I was going to write an article on the emergence of a number of new wine investment companies in Singapore and give you an update on a how a few of the established ones are traveling or not traveling as the case maybe. While this will be a timely article unfortunately it is not yet ready as I am waiting on a few last bits of information. more »

Ron Fraser of Chapman Grove Wines explains the origin of the name Atticus.

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There’s nothing complicated about opening a bottle of wine, unlike what some people would have you believe. Like many other things, all it takes is a bit of practice – remember, even the best sommeliers were amateurs once.

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