http://www.shangri-la.com
http://www.wolfblass.com.au
Thanks to Louise Tran from Liquid Ideas for inviting me to the Wolf Blass Journey event at the Shangri-La Hotel. As guests arrived they were treated to pre-drinks of refreshing Red Label Moscato and Pink Moscato — I hope it’s acceptable to have your first sip just before midday. Very drinkable and a suitable welcome drink for any occasion I think. The first stage was entering the themed Red Room where three Wolf Blass Red Label wines were talked about. The Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010 was matched with salt & pepper squid which I probably would have preferred grilled with a simple seasoning for more natural flavour. The young and approachable Shiraz Cabernet 2010 was matched with quite a nice mini beef burgundy pie and the fairly smooth Cabernet Merlot 2010 was matched with grilled lamb loin on chive and rosemary mash although a more succulent and tender piece of meat straight from the grill would have done wine justice. I’m glad some food was provided because I’m not a fan of the spittoon — what a waste I think. The plating of the canapés wasn’t quite aligned with the order of the wines consumed so I’m not sure what was happening there.
Next stage was exiting the room with a stamp in your wine tasting notes passport and being directed upstairs through the lift to the themed Yellow Room for the next tier of Yellow Label. A step up in complexity, intensity and naturally price range although still approachable and drinkable as a house wine perhaps — the view got better too. The Riesling 2010 was matched with South Australian blue swimmer crab with coconut, chilli and lime. I think a freshly shucked oyster or freshly grilled prawn would have worked equally well. The Chardonnay 2010 was matched with Kangaroo Island queen scallops on potato rosti — I would have maybe preferred just a grilled scallop with a simple buttery cauliflower puree. The Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 was matched with seared wagyu beef with basil mash — a perfectly fresh cooked medium rare steak would have been great at the time.
The final stage was up on level 36 where Blu Bar resides with breathtaking views over the harbour for the themed Gold Room — which looked more white and silvery grey. Chief winemaker Chris Hatcher guided guests through the premium range of their Gold Label Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2007, Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010 and Barossa Shiraz 2009 — definitely more sophisticated in flavour. Canapes of Salmon gravalax with dill mayo and Lime cured beef were on offer as well as more substantial Veal shank with truffle polenta and Black pepper gnocchi with roast tomato compote which needed to be precariously positioned on the small tables with a final collection of 6 wine glass tastings. Stepping up to the highest appreciation level guests were then introduced to the Grey Label Shiraz Cabernet 2009 and Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec 2007 being their ‘business card’ wine worthy for restaurants. Finally ending on the Platinum Label Barossa Shiraz 2008 being all about region and the best Australian shiraz they can muster. Goodie bags of two wine glasses were handed out with a Wolf Blass tasting guide although sadly no sample bottles of wine were to be had to fill the glasses later at home.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
Yellow label canapes Riesling – South Australian blue swimmer crab with coconut, chilli and lime, Chardonnay – Kangaroo Island queen scallops on potato rosti, Cabernet – seared wagyu beef with basil mash
A journey of appreciation
Thanks to Louise Tran from Liquid Ideas for inviting me to the Wolf Blass Journey event at the Shangri-La Hotel. As guests arrived they were treated to pre-drinks of refreshing Red Label Moscato and Pink Moscato — I hope it’s acceptable to have your first sip just before midday. Very drinkable and a suitable welcome drink for any occasion I think. The first stage was entering the themed Red Room where three Wolf Blass Red Label wines were talked about. The Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010 was matched with salt & pepper squid which I probably would have preferred grilled with a simple seasoning for more natural flavour. The young and approachable Shiraz Cabernet 2010 was matched with quite a nice mini beef burgundy pie and the fairly smooth Cabernet Merlot 2010 was matched with grilled lamb loin on chive and rosemary mash although a more succulent and tender piece of meat straight from the grill would have done wine justice. I’m glad some food was provided because I’m not a fan of the spittoon — what a waste I think. The plating of the canapés wasn’t quite aligned with the order of the wines consumed so I’m not sure what was happening there.
Next stage was exiting the room with a stamp in your wine tasting notes passport and being directed upstairs through the lift to the themed Yellow Room for the next tier of Yellow Label. A step up in complexity, intensity and naturally price range although still approachable and drinkable as a house wine perhaps — the view got better too. The Riesling 2010 was matched with South Australian blue swimmer crab with coconut, chilli and lime. I think a freshly shucked oyster or freshly grilled prawn would have worked equally well. The Chardonnay 2010 was matched with Kangaroo Island queen scallops on potato rosti — I would have maybe preferred just a grilled scallop with a simple buttery cauliflower puree. The Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 was matched with seared wagyu beef with basil mash — a perfectly fresh cooked medium rare steak would have been great at the time.
The final stage was up on level 36 where Blu Bar resides with breathtaking views over the harbour for the themed Gold Room — which looked more white and silvery grey. Chief winemaker Chris Hatcher guided guests through the premium range of their Gold Label Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2007, Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010 and Barossa Shiraz 2009 — definitely more sophisticated in flavour. Canapes of Salmon gravalax with dill mayo and Lime cured beef were on offer as well as more substantial Veal shank with truffle polenta and Black pepper gnocchi with roast tomato compote which needed to be precariously positioned on the small tables with a final collection of 6 wine glass tastings. Stepping up to the highest appreciation level guests were then introduced to the Grey Label Shiraz Cabernet 2009 and Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec 2007 being their ‘business card’ wine worthy for restaurants. Finally ending on the Platinum Label Barossa Shiraz 2008 being all about region and the best Australian shiraz they can muster. Goodie bags of two wine glasses were handed out with a Wolf Blass tasting guide although sadly no sample bottles of wine were to be had to fill the glasses later at home.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Approachable and drinkable wines that range in price from the affordable to the more sophisticated, Using different rooms for different labels helped educate about the tier system of complexity and intensity of the wines
CONS: A lot of wine to appreciated in one session if you don’t use the spittoon, I wish some of the canapés were a bit simpler to match better with the wines, No wine in the goodie bag
WORTH TRYING: Red Label Pink Moscato, Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010
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Pink Moscato
WORTH TRYING :-)
Welcome drinks & mingle
Red label room
Moscato and Pink Moscato
Red Label Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Shiraz Cabernet 2010, Cabernet Merlot 2010
Canapes matching Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – salt & pepper squid, Shiraz Cabernet - mini beef burgundy pies, Cabernet Merlot – grilled lamb loin on chive and rosemary mash
Taste testing the red label wines
Official photographers in action in the red room
Getting your wine passport stamped
On to the next wine room
Yellow label room
Yellow Label Riesling 2010, Chardonnay 2010, Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Yellow label canapes Riesling – South Australian blue swimmer crab with coconut, chilli and lime, Chardonnay – Kangaroo Island queen scallops on potato rosti, Cabernet – seared wagyu beef with basil mash
Winemaker and MC
Gold label room
Gold Label Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2007, Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010 WORTH TRYING :-), Barossa Shiraz 2009, Grey Label Shiraz Cabernet 2009
Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec 2007, Platinum Label Barossa Shiraz 2008
Canapes salmon gravalax with dill mayo and lime cured beef, black pepper gnocchi with roast tomato compote, veal shank with truffle polenta
Chris Hatcher - Wolf Blass Chief Winemaker
Gold room tasting setup
Great view from level 36
