Thank you Mr Halliday

We were pretty nervous this week awaiting the publication of the 2011 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion. At least, I was - Jamie seems better able to maintain a calm approach to wine reviews and show results. After many years in the industry, we do understand how wildly results and reviews can fluctuate - a wine can win a gold medal in one show and score below bronze in another. However, the bottom line is that good reviews are great for marketing and sales...and sales are what we need to stay in business!
James Halliday is one of Australia's most respected wine writers. There was a wild flurry of twittering a few days ago when the 2011 Australian Wine Companion was launched and top scoring wineries posted their results online. I knew we hadn't scored the coveted five stars - I think you get a personal email when you join that club - but I still had high hopes for a decent review.
Well, we drove through sleet and snow to Orange today to buy our copy, and we are pretty happy with the result. Our 2007 Sangiovese was awarded 90 points - "highly recommended". Mr Halliday wrote;
"...this is for lovers of Italian (home-grown) wines, winning a gold medal (at) the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show '08; its cherry fruit is more than a matched by its tannins, and demands food."
We will aim for five stars next year!