Kalleske - moving on up

I first tried a Kalleske wine about a month ago. I have not been inspired enough recently to blog any wine at all, but now its time to get GoodGreen drops flowing again - not only because of the wine coming out of this vineyard but also because I have a couple of friends who have re-ignited my passion for sharing who's out there producing delicious organic and bio-dynamic vino.

Kalleske ... moving on up. The first wine I tasted was a 2008 organic Shiraz. The next one I tasted was a bio-dynamic 2009 (? forget to take notes - oops) Shiraz. Both were classic Shiraz in my book - spicy and earthy with that full mouth filling 'oomph' that only a Shiraz can give. Without the full vintage details I might be leading you a stray here, but I will say this - the bio-dynamic Shiraz was smoother and fuller and probably more expensive (don't know for sure as a friend shared this second wine with me). All I can recommend is to try them both, you won't be disappointed. I was just personally curious with the difference and believe that moving from organic to bio-dynamic is a notch above.

My experience with Kalleske has only just begun - as you can see from their web site they have a very good portfolio on offer and they have been named in the Top 10 of Decanter World Wine awards of organic and bio-dynamic wine with their 2009 Moppa Shriaz.

Recommendation - drink these good green drops and share the love!

Happy Days,

Sam

Stefano Lubiana Wines - lush as!

I could easily have been in Tuscany as my partner and I approached this somewhat parched looking vineyard. And then, as soon as we turned the corner and saw the concrete slab and Colourbond cellar door I was brought right back to earthly Oz - Tassie Oz to be precise! The looks should by no-means deceive and as I entered the cool and minimal interior I was greeted by a smiling somebody who I didn't know from Adam and who turned out to be Steve himself (he doesn't go by Stefano!).

Well the next hour or so was simply heaven in my book. You don't very often get a wine maker's undivided attention for tastings and Steve is amazingly generous with his knowledge especially in the area of creating a very tasty GoodGreen drop! He now produces all of his wines bio-dynamically and has a great range. We sampled his whole range - bar the reserve sparkling - and the following wines were particularly exceptional:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• NV Brut
• Pinot Noir
• Pinot Grigio

All I can say is find these wines and try them! They are not easy to find however as quantity is not the focus here. You can order from the website but better still - get your winey buts down to Tassie and visit the cellar door. Steve is once in a blue moon there, but the whims of Bacchus may be with you and you might get lucky!

Happy days.

S

Image: Courtesy of Leanne Chisholm

A new home on the GreenIsle of Tasmania!

GoodGreen drops has had a long rest and now relocated from NSW to TAS. There's still plenty to report on up on the big North Island but to celebrate the grape and grain change I'll be focusing on some oh so very green Tassie drops for the next wee while.

Also - to help spread the word a little more GoodGreen drops has a Twitter account and almost a Facebook page .... watch this blog for deets!

Wine drops to be covered off on first will be Stefano Lubiana Wines and Frogmore Creek. On the beer front Van Dieman Brewing and The Two Metre Tall Company (who also do cider that I'm hanging to taste!).

Pip pip for now. GoodGreen drops springing back in to action.

GGd

;0)

Lowe Family Wines - a Mudgee green jewel

These guys have got green drops droppin' from the compost heap to their heady Zifandel! I visited this gorgeous vineyard last September and their recent newsletter has prompted me to get them up on the blog.

When I dropped in last year I was lucky enough to be the only visitor at the time and unusually (I think) had the undivided attention of Jane Wilson co-owner and wine maker. A real treat as she really knows her stuff and is both a delight and inspiration to talk with. With her business partner David Lowe they have progressed this Mudgee vineyard in so many ways.

They are running the vineyard organically with a real focus on composting and soil/health balance. Their recent soil tests show they've increased the organic matter by 1.7% over the past 3 years. This might not sound much but in the world soil science this is v.good indeed! Not only does this mean their soil retains an extra 270,000 litres of water when it rains, it also means that the vines get to drink up an organic soil cocktail packed with bio-nutrients. This in turn bears fruit in a myriad of ways - flavour, terroir and quality of the wines to name a few! Yum ....

The Lowe Family Wine portfolio is not extensive but it is a case of quality over quantity and its all red. They also have a label under the name of Tinja - some whites in this range too. Here are their main players:

• Reds under the Lowe brand -Zifandel, Merlot, Shiraz and Climate Change Red
• Wines under the Tinja brand - Pinot Noir, Pinor Gris, Riesling, Sav Blanc and a Botrytis
  

Their website has excellent tasting notes - worth a look. And my favourite lines from the notes are about the Botrytis, which I'm sure Jane wrote .... as follows:

'Hedonism in a glass. Good with blue cheeses , tart tatin or just while lying horizontal on the sofa perhaps.'

Love it .... and so to the sofa. Bon nuit!

Krinklewood - Biodynamic Vineyard

This in my view is a very special vineyard. As one wine writer recently described Krinklewood - it is dynamic as well as biodynamic (BD). Their cellar door is as exquisite as their wine. I better confess - this is the only winery that I currently have a membership for because their wine is very hard to get hold of at bottleshops and it is a must to drink!

Krinklewood is fully certified BD - have been since 2007 - and they have a great range of wines now available - lots of them winning medals and getting rave reviews by the likes of Huon Hooke and James Halliday. Biodynamic and organic viticulture is taking off in a big way around Australia and New Zealand .. not to mention the planet ... and you need to know about it. The Krinklewood website explains BD farming extremely well so I am not going to re-invent the writing wheel - read here if you want to know how this wholistic and nature loving system works and why its producing great wine

So the wines ....

Being a Hunter vineyard you'd expect good things from their Shiraz and Semillon .... and so you should .... and indeed they do deliver in both these varietals! Their 2006 Shiraz is considered their best yet and I have to say having drunk a couple of bottles of it - its a good green drop for sure. Their 2007 Semillon is also v good and won Gold at the Royal Melbourne Show.

One wine of theirs I have yet to taste is their sticky 'Lucia Dessert Wine' made from botrytised chardonnay. Will have to pop up to cellar door soon and snaffle a bottle - James Halliday says it has flavours of peach and cumquat balanced by zesty acidity; excellent length and balance. Yum ....

The last thing I'm going to say is that their 'run of the mill' wild white and wild red is fabulous quaffing wine and so inexpensive for what it is - beautifully crafted wine that's been produced with cosmic flair. These are every day good green drops to drink .... and you know in macrobiotics, the strictest of diet regimes .... you are encouraged to drink a 'fermented' beverage with all meals. This means I do believe - that if only for health drink wine with food every time!

Enjoy Krinklewood - special stuff.

'Go Green - Go Growler'

Murray's Craft Brewing Co., Port Stephens NSW, have just launched their 'Growler'. This is basically a large glass flagon, almost 2 litres worth, that can be filled up at the brewery (and we're hoping at any other place that has Murray's on tap but this has yet to be confirmed ...). You pay $10 for your 'Growler' and then you keep filling to your hearts content! We need much more of this recycling concept especially with micro breweries like Murray's who are producing such delicious and well crafted beers like Sassy Blonde and Endless Summer.

The latter is their most recently released brew - a hybrid Belgian Style that has that typical moreish finish .... a couple of friends and I filled our 'Growler' with this and it was heaven! Thanks Steve and Dave for your research assistance.

My next mission with Murray's is to find out just how green their drops are. No info on this yet so just watch this blog! But well done Murray and team on the 'Growler' - great initiative.

The post to launch a 1000 drops

This is the launch post for my new blog GoodGreen Drops! You'll see there are two posts below to get things flowing and set the green scene for delicious ecological drinking. Over the next few weeks I've decided to highlight the following breweries and vineyards who are all doing great things in the world for the sustainable tipple.

The Drop Sheet:

Breweries
• Mountain Goat Brewery, Richmond, VIC
• Cascade Brewery Co, Hobart, TAS
• Barossa Valley Brewing, Barossa, SA
• Avonmore Estate, Elmore, VIC
• Red Oak, Sydney, NSW

Vineyards
• Krinklewood Biodynamic Winery, Broke, Hunter, NSW
• Lowe Family Wine Co, Mudgee, NSW
• Cullen Wines, Margaret River, WA
• Stefano Lubiana, Derwent Valley, TAS
• Henschke, Clare Valley, SA

By word of mouse I aim to share my taste bud sensations and research revelations. So - bottoms up ... and as my Nana Mac used to say when she made a toast 'Happy Days!'

Feature : Mountain Goat Brewery

GreenDrop Production Rating: o o o o o

Overview

Now these guys are one of the very good reasons behind me starting this blog. I just got so excited that there was a brewery in the heart of Melbourne that not only created damn delicious beer but was truly sustainable and progressive. But hardly anyone had heard of them outside of Melbourne let alone tasted their masterpieces, so I thought I have to share this info! And here we are.

On the production side I feel Mountain Goat has set the benchmark for what a micro brewery can and should be doing. They use as much solar powered energy as they can off their own panels and all other energy off the grid is 100% renewable. They have a rain water tank that holds 11,000 litres of water that they use for drinking and flushing the loo and they pay their staff annual bonuses if they ride to work! To get the full low down on 'Green Goat' go to their web site. Details at the end of this post.

The Beer

All their beer is naturally brewed meaning its preservative and additive free. Their India Pale Ale (IPA) is organic and was in fact Australia's first organic IPA. Go the Goat! Their two key beers are the Hightail Ale and the new Steam Ale which is replacing the Pale Ale. Two seasonal ales are always brewed as well - the Surefoot Stout and the organic IPA.


GreenDrop taste ratings:

Hightail Ale: o o o o
Classic English 'Real Ale' taste with a slightly fruity edge. Beautifully malty but not too heavy. A very well rounded beer that my palette tells me is close to heaven. I would give this 4 and half green drops bu I can't work out to cut an 'o' in half!

Steam Ale: not tasted yet


I will revisit Mountain Goat soon but in the mean time check out their website which is packed with great stuff including their new branding and the seasonal IPA just out.
Click here Mountain Goat Beer

Intro: Features and creatures

Best to start with sharing the plan of how I'm going to cover real GoodGreen drops of beer and wine. Thought I'd lift off with a feature brewery and then move to a feature winery. Will overview their green credentials and then offer personal opinions of how their various creature creations actually taste. You might not agree with me but I'm gonna share what my pallette tells me and maybe you'll share what yours says!

To keep things simple and a bit visually interesting I will set up a rating system as follows:

• Production rating - 5 green drops means top sustainability rating while 1 green drop means good but could do better.
  
• Taste rating - 5 green drops means a high delicious rating while 1 green drop means tasty but could be better.

The rating system may start of a bit patchy but over time my research will hopefully reveal a full and comprehensive overview of GoodGreen drops in Australia.