The Northern Rivers Times
November 2, 2023
42 WINE
Grape Expectations by Max Crus
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
Foreign Correspondence.
Max Crus
change in buying habits has developed over the years and annoyingly, has become as much a part of our mercantile landscape as branded packaging and credit card debt. We have been inveigled into thinking this development is actually good for us, when the reality is it’s only good for the merchant, which is as plain as the shop attendant in front of your face, yet we
A
acquiesce. Yes, the practice of giving a phone number or email address at point of purchase, sweetened by the lure of ‘club’ membership or rewards, is merely a clever way of taking more of your money more often while massaging your frail ego and life coping skills. “I just bought a pencil for $1.50 from OfficeWorks with a 10 per cent discount which enables even more off my next purchase,
but also ignites a barrage of marketing texts and emails…um, do I have to?” However this is where the fun starts. If this whole information thing benefits no-one except the people taking your money, why not use it for a little selfgratification? Or revenge? Why not use a bogus name and/or address? Joe Bloggs or Fred Nerk are good starters until you gain confidence, and no shop assistant is going to
question that, even if they want to! Even better, give the name of someone you don’t like. I might use the name of my local member for my ‘Adult Toy Shop’ purchases from now on. Or perhaps I could deflect a subscription renewal for ‘Babes and Boars’ or ‘The Shooters and Racists Journal’ to them? Actually, that would just be doubling up, the publishers would twig.
Sadly, if you accidentally give your real details, you’ll have to go through the whole frustratingly tedious ‘unsubscribe’ process, once you find it, which is where it gets really silly. Sure they have the usual boxes to tick to unsubscribe, sometimes ten or more like, ‘Didn’t sign up”, “Not relevant’, ‘Too much information’, etc, but really, do they think people care about that? Just unsubscribe me.
All of the options are true, but do they ever have ‘All the above’? Never. On the other hand there’s always an ‘Other’ box to tick. Hmmm, how about ‘Please direct all correspondence to “My Local Member”’. The only ones I don’t ‘Unsubscribe’ from are wine newsletters etc, there’s plenty of bargains around now and I don’t want to miss them.
Briar Ridge Hunter Valley Limited Release Albarino 2023, $35 (Bottle No.1202). Somewhere between pinot gris and viognier in the wine dictionary, this ticks all the boxes of interesting white wine and adds a few extras to make you think “what is this?”. Cerebral stuff. 9.4/10. Briar Ridge Hunter Valley
‘Black Cluster’ Semillon 2023, $50 (Bottle No.2647). TThe colour is so light it could be water, specially sitting beside its equally swish sibling, the Dairy Hill. Perfect then for boring meetings and judgey family do’s when you have to drive home, it’s only 10.4 per cent! Gets my nod over the Dairy
too. 9.6/10. Byrne Winemakers Ballarat Trawalla (Trawalla Jack Vineyard) Shiraz, 2017, $38. How old is that for a new release? Yet you’d hardly know perhaps, thanks to its bright and light 13 per cent, and you learn a lot too…Google Trawalla Jack and find out. 9.4/10.
Byrne Winemakers Ballarat (Myola Vineyard) Pinot Noir Rosé 2021, $38. Similarly, 2021 is almost ancient for new rosé, so it’s nice to have one with a bit of history so to speak. Soft and savoury yet still sharp enough to have with lunch, or by the river at sunset, which will be roughly the
same colour as the wine. 9.5/10. Oakridge Yarra Valley ‘Ovata’ Chardonnay Pinot Noir, NV, $23. Ms L. is a bugger for a bargain and this ticked not only that box but the decent barbecue or party bubbles box too. Ovata is the botanical name for the money plant, not sure if
they’re connected but. 9.3/10. Hard Hill Road Great Western Petite Sirah (Durif), 2020, $50. Durif is a favourite grape, so I’m puzzled why anyone would hide behind the Petite Sirah moniker, although I confess, it does sound very alluring despite the tough winery name and is.. 9.3/10.
