Grape Expectations by Max Crus Blow your own crumpet

from The Northern Rivers Times Edition 151

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LastThursday was International Chardonnay Day, but that’s enough about wine, let’s talk about crumpets.

People forget about the importance of the humble Golden Crumpet and how it has the ability to shape lives and meld families together or indeed tear them apart. So it was with shock and dread that I recently noticed a slight change in the breakfast staple.

Let’s be clear on two things frst however : one, there is no other type of crumpet than Golden

Yeringberg Yarra

Valley Chardonnay 2020, $69. Possibly a new vintage due soon, but this cool climate chardonnay has enough going on to keep you interested but not so much that you are overwhelmed. You can

Crumpet and secondly it shouldn’t and indeed isn’t restricted to merely breakfast food. It is equally a staple of after-school/ work snack, or midnight, wintry, fridge-forage food.

While we’re at it, let’s be clear on two other things about crumpets - and this is where they have the most potential to either unite or destroy families and create relationships or, alas, cause their breakdown.

The frst contentious aspect of crumpets is what to put on them.

You should not put anything on a crumpet think enjoy thinking about it, or just enjoy it. 9.5/10.

Yeringberg Yarra

Valley Pinot Noir 2021, $98. The crest on the labels of Yeringberg has the Latin phrase Ferme Droit, which could translate to ‘always

Max Crus is a Clarence Valley-based wine writer and Grape Expectations is now in its 26th year of publication. Find out more about Max or sign up for his weekly reviews and musings by visiting maxcrus.com.au except butter. The only question you need to ask is how much. This too is divisive…”do you want a heart attack with breakfast Max?” is a common refrain.

Some people put honey or jam or, heaven forbid, Vegemite on them. They are wrong.

The second; cooking crumpets is a very individual thing but if you don’t share the same toasting standards with someone, don’t even think about sharing a house together let alone a life or worse, children, because crumpet preference is right’ or perhaps just right. How apt for such a polished pinot. 9.6/10.

Mr Riggs Coonawarra Clare Valley Watervale Riesling, 2022, $25. Bright fresh and colourful riesling, redolent of our newish teal parliamentary clearly genetic. My dad loves his crumpet like his toast, burned a fair bit. Nothing stupid mind you, more a controlled burn like indigenous Australians used so successfully to manage our landscape for 60,000 years before white man arrived and told them how to do it properly, which we’ve been doing ever since, and continue with despite experiencing raging bushfres every now and then and the greatest level of mammalian extinction in the world.

But what would they know? Of course white man members and just as refreshing. 9.3/10.

Mr Riggs McLaren

Vale ‘The Gaffer’ Shiraz 2020, $30. Very McLaren Vale, very shiraz, and a perfect wine for bingeing movies. But remember to watch the credits and fnd out who knows better, according to Peter Dutton, who apparently is being advised by PWC on the matter. But I digress. the gaffer is. Pretty good value. 9.4/10.

I too like my crumpets burned, but this really sets Ms L. off, much as it does our smoke alarm. See, genetic and divisive.

And this is where things have changed. It used to take two goes of the toaster on ‘max’ to get the right colour and texture in a crumpet, now it’s brown after one! Something is different that cannot be explained by climate change.

Oxford Landing SA Shiraz 2021, $13.

Sustainably grown and vegan seems to be a catchcry of labels lately, so anyone can lay claim to doing their bit for the planet just by drinking

Max Crus

Whatever is going on noone seems to know. Could it be a subtle marketing change like diminishing the size of Wagon Wheels and fddling the recipe of Ginger Nut biscuits?

More investigation is required but we need to be vigilant, or the bloody smoke alarm will go off again.

Meanwhile, what have crumpets got to do with wine? Nothing. There is no known wine accompaniment. Lucky it was International Chardonnay Day this week.

wine. 8.9/10.

Zema Coonawarra Cluny Cabernet Merlot 2018, $25. Ha, try saying that ten times quickly… Coonawarra Cluny Cabernet after a few glasses. Comfortable classic cabernet for connoisseurs. 9.3/10.

In remote Pilbara country in Western Australia, troubled 16-year-old Indigenous girl, Murra, fnds herself abandoned after an explosive incident with her addict mother. On the cusp of being lost in the child protection system, an unusual lifeline is thrown her way by her uncle Ian, the local cop, in the form of a unique photo safari. Before Murra knows it, she is careening down a dusty highway with a minibus full of at-risk teens and two charismatic team leaders. Will this be the lifeline Murra needs or the catalyst for her demise?

An uplifting comingof-age road movie about unconventional friendships, frst crushes and fnding who you are on the road less travelled.

Main Cast:

Mark Coles Smith, Tasma Walton, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Carlos Sanson Jr., Ngaire

Pigram, Pedrea

Jackson, Mikayla Levy, Andrew Wallace

How heartbreak healed through music: Jackson’s music debut

Music wasn’t even on Jackson’s radar growing up. Even a year ago, he’d call you crazy if you told him he was on the cusp of releasing a debut album. He went through a devastating heartbreak and sought music to fnd solace. Ideas began to fow and songs began to write. And now, within a year, Jackson’s releasing his debut album, ‘Days Drift Waves Hit’, on August xx.

It’s the result of countless hours behind the acoustic guitar. Searching and fnding an identity which resonates with what he set out to achieve.

The best way to describe the album would be as half rhythm acoustic and half rock. And when describing what makes the album tick, Jackson was candid. “This album is about looking at who I am as a person and what my values are,” he explained.

“As I continued to write more songs, it was the same themes that kept coming up in the lyrics. The album is an exploration of my relationships, particularly with my family.” This culminates in the hit song ‘Littl emme’ – a love letter and heartfelt promise written to his adopted niece. It’s a song that speaks about the enduring power of love and the strong connections that remain unshaken, even in the face of life’s obstacles. Through this song, Jackson expresses his intention to come back to her and reinforces their unbreakable bond.

‘Days Drift Waves Hit’ is an 8-song journey. The album was produced by his good friend Yarn, a producer based out of Mullumbimby.

Yarn’s resume speaks for itself, with a long list of accolades including working with a range of talented, homegrown musicians.

For more information and news about Jackson, you can visit the website for regular updates and jump on his Instagram at Jackson_untapped. The album, ‘Days Drift Waves Hit’, is available for purchase on both CD and vinyl from August xx at jacksonuntapped.