It’s been hard work for me recently, real hard work! I’m just back from a conference and it was tough. All serious business indeed! And staying in Broadbeach on The Gold Coast of Queensland really only gives you two limited choices of location, either right on the beach in a 22nd floor apartment, or at the Casino. Not much choice for a fun-loving bloke like me, but my family joined me for a few days after the conference so I went with the apartment.
It’s hard enough enduring all those speakers, for 10 hours straight, trying to kick your brain into gear when that tiny bit of relevant info gets dropped in from time to time. But what is even harder is having to entertain and be entertained, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning, just to do it all again the next day for 4 days straight! It’s rough, but it just has to be done!
Had a great feed one of the nights at Koi restaurant in the busy Broadbeach strip and indulged in the oven roasted lamb rump. An interesting thing about this restaurant was that we were eating off a glass table that contained a whole lot of quality wine under the glass, and they didn’t look opened at all. Fascinating for a wine buff like me, and I strained to try and read around the labels through the glass.
I had to pick a good red wine to go with the lamb rump so I ordered a 2009 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, a multi-region blend from some of the best vineyards in South Australia. Some of the grapes that go into the Bin 389 come from the same vineyards as the Penfolds Grange, the Bin 389’s famous Shiraz driven big-brother. Thankfully, the Bin 389 is a fraction of the price of the Grange but it can still be a relatively expensive wine costing about $90 at the restaurant. This wine is available all over the world.
The Bin 389 can age for decades. I had a spectacular bottle from 1971 with Stu back in 2004, and I’ve got a bottle of 1972 vintage in my cellar screaming out to me. So it was going to be interesting having a relatively young Bin 389 with 2009 being its 50th vintage.
On the nose it smelt extremely inviting with a mix of berries and some spice from the 49% Shiraz that made it into the blend in this vintage. And in the mouth it was extremely juicy and flavoursome and it lingered for some time afterwards. There was definitely a hint, no more like a light punch, of American oak but it was finely balanced with plum and blackberry fruits and the strong tannins actually sat really well with the background of vanilla. A great wine that would last a long long time. And with the oven roasted lamb rump… perfect!
There’s a lot of Kiwis in Broadbeach so to honor them I thought we should enjoy a NZ Sauvignon Blanc on the beach; we had perfectly warm and sunny days. I picked up a bottle of 2012 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough for $10 (half price because I spent over $30). To be honest, I wasn’t expecting too much at all, which was a good thing because this little Kiwi was a really pleasant surprise and matched its far more expensive neighbours. The intensity of the aromas on the nose was only matched by the flavours in the mouth… lots of gooseberry and melon with a great backdrop of capsicum. Very morish and a great distraction from a grueling conference.
To “celebrate” the arrival of my wife and kids, and a great excuse, I cracked open a bottle of Piper, one of my wife’s favourite non-vintage French Champagnes. Piper is always fairly consistent and rarely fails to please, as was the case with this bottle. There was lemon and apple with a buttery and nutty finish. I can see why the winemaker, Regis Camus, has been awarded best sparkling winemaker in the world for 7 years running. Piper-Heidsieck NV Brut Champagne always goes down well and is pretty good value for money when it comes to proper non-vintage Champagne. There is, of course, more complex vintage champagne out there but you’ll pay far more for it.
A couple of nights later we decided to get an Australian non-vintage sparkling white also known for its consistency, the Jansz NV Premium Cuvee from Tasmania, made from Chardonnay and Pinot. As soon as the kids went down we brought out a few cheeses and pâté to have with it, and the photo above captures the rushed chaos before finally getting to sit down and relax with this enjoyable bubbly (kids toothbrush, a folded pair of jeans and torn up TV guide we just pushed to the side in haste). This sparkling had obvious honeysuckle and citrus flavours with a little strawberry and buttery finish. It was actually delicious with the cheese and pâté, and to be honest, it was as good as the Piper that cost twice as much. The fact that the kids were sound asleep would have helped in our enjoyment!
After being away for over a week I’d had enough wine so kicked back on the last evening with a couple of beers from the Balmain Brewing Company in Sydney, that being their Original Pale Ale. The weather was great so it was the perfect beverage to enjoy on the sunny balcony, with its citrus and spice sitting atop a decent array of hops and malts.
It was a tough week but I just managed to struggle through…
Author: Conrad
Sounds like a great 4 days to me, but I do know how rough those conferences can be 🙂
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Yep, clearly hard stuff!
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that sounds rough for sure–am crying in my beer here for you 😉 haha, it is tough to push and be away from family as they will miss you. Glad they could visit! Thanks for sharing your good finds 🙂
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Cry me a river! 😉
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You make ‘gruelling’ look so easy… 🙂
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I’m experienced and hardened! 😉
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Conrad takes one for the team so we don’t have to! I was just thinking about my ‘juice’ choices for today and now I know what to look for. Great stuff!
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Just doing what I can to help! 😛
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btw. I don’t know if you know that the lead singer of tool Maynard has a vineyard. Here is an interview with him where he talks a little bit out it http://www.wtfpod.com/dispatches/entries/wtf_maynard_james_keenan_talks_wine, most of the interview is actually him talking about music and comedy but when he gets to the wine thing, you might be interested in what he’s talking about?
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Thanks for posting that. There seems to be a trend going on here. Dave Matthews has his own winery too … http://blenheimvineyards.com/
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Yeah, not that it isn’t needed right? Seems like the right direction to head towards. We’ve got some vineyards starting up here in Texas so, that’s pretty interesting. As soon as I can get my podcast off the ground, I’ll get some interviews with some of our vineyard dudes and send you the link. 🙂
Also, I can’t hate on Dave Matthews.
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I must say the bin 389 and lamb looks good… I assume you went for you early morning runs on the beach too… 🙂
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Ummmmm… yeahhhh…
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Ahh, bin 389. A favorite of mine, especially with about a decade on it. Good splurge.
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I’d love to come back to this wine after another 10 years in the bottle!
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Well I have a magnum of 2003 at home we will have to crack very soon.
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The girls have us locked in for a couple of weeks time and before you go on your big South America trip. Looking forward to it!
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Such a nice view of the sea and you had to spend so many hours in boring conferences.
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Yeah bummer hey! 🙂
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Your 4 days sounded a lot more luxurious….what with the beach and wine, and beer…..but I had a good wine sampling this weekend too. Although, I hadn’t showered for two days while camping, we tried out three different wineries and one brewery before going home 🙂 fun times!
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I love rough weekends away like that. Nice!!
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You clearly are of the Right Stuff. Excellent work. I like to see dedication to one’s calling.
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Thanks. Maybe a little too dedicated, I need a few days off!
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Well, don’t forget to take a good bottle of wine with you. Oh, silly me, of course you won’t forget that! Cheers! 🙂
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Great post! I absolutely adore the picture of the SavBlanc on the beach. Divine 🙂
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Clearly I’m not a photographer but I got lucky with that one! Thanks.
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Four days paid vacation in such a beautiful spot? I’m positively pea-green with envy!!
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In all seriousness though the conference was pretty full-on but where I stayed was only a 5 minute walk away and we got the odd hour or so break so I did get to duck back a few times and just chill on the balcony. The 4 days afterwards when the family came up was when I really got to enjoy it all. Cheers!
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The travel, sometimes flat speakers and freezing classrooms can make conferences a bit challenging. Glad you survived! And lucky you had such great refreshments and family to enjoy it with!
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Thanks Connie! I survived, just.
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What a delightful blog entry! The writing is very lively. And may I say that your gravatar is the most–well, most gravatarish gravatar that I’ve ever seen!
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He is part of our PR team. 😉 … Cheers!
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Sounds harsh, keep up the good work!
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Cheers!
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A tough job, but someone has to do it! Glad you are ‘up and running again now 🙂
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That’s what I get for “volunteering” myself. Thanks! 🙂
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Sorry you had to suffer so for your craft, my good man! But I’m glad you were up to the challenge, and once again you have made me frightfully thirsty. Cheers!
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I suffer so everyone else can enjoy the tale. 😉
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Nothing is worse than A boring speaker let alone MANY boring speakers! You look like you survived!
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Only just! Clearly I had help to get me through… 😉
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THANK GOD FOR WINE!
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Blimey!
Penfold’s!
Probably the only Ozzie wine I would bow to without any reservation as a Frenchman!
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LOL! I think that’s a real compliment for Penfolds then.
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Bonjour-Hi, fellow Conrad! 🙂 Merci – thanx for dropping by my posts… Australian wines are really appreciated, even here in France, wine country – by definition and by excellence… 🙂 We’ve been genuine brut champagne and red Bordeaux wine oriented for about 2 decades… 🙂
My very best, good luck and à ta santé=to your health=cheers! 🙂 Mélanie
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Thanks for stopping by Melanie!
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Wine and a killer view – Can’t beat that! Glad you survived the conference 🙂
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Just managed to get through! 😉
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Haha, I usually have trouble just staying awake when there’s speaker after speaker like that… but on to the more important things, the wine… oh dear, oh dear, oh dear… I’m returning to Aus this month after almost 2 yrs living in France… oh dear, oh dear… I’m scared 😦
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After a couple of late nights I was finding it extremely hard to stay awake towards the end. Good luck re-discovering Aussie wine!
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[…] Hope the meal was delicious Conrad. […]
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I think you guys need an unpaid intern. I’d definitely trade nannying for the chance to soak up some wine knowledge and good fun 🙂
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Definitely an idea worth pondering! 😉
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Of course you cannot read my new post where I exclaim my “little love” for children….but desperate times :-p
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I really enjoyed this. What a great write-up!
I agree it would be hard to keep entertaining into the wee hours. I really couldn’t do it. You’re clearly good at what you do! – & it’s awesome how busy you are.
(I especially like the glass and wine bottle in the sand – lovely creative touch :))
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Thanks! I just got lucky with that photo.
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I too just returned from a conference in Dublin – lots of Guinness, some French wine, and a little work too!
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I love Dublin. Temple Bar is good craic! Lucky you.
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I love your photo with the wine bottle and glasses in the sand and the city in the background. Brilliant!
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Yeah, it did turn out to be a cracker of a photo! Thanks.
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would love to try that NZ sauvignon blanc – I love the sound of a touch of gooseberry. I’m not a wine buff but I really enjoyed your post – love that its interspersed with photos too ….
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It really was a good wine! It helped that I wasn’t expecting anything. I’ve probably built it up too much now though. Still, enjoy!
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I love the wine on the beach, too. The idea and the photo. Can’t say I’ve done that before. Fun read!
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I just happened to snap away as all the people on the beach parted out of the shot, by chance, making the beach look deserted amongst the bustle of the skyline. Very lucky indeed.
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As I found your posts and liked the things you write, you returned the favor by following me. I’m going to start following you after I finish this little comment to show my gratitude.
I am so happy to see this email that you began following me at one in the morning (insomnia).
Thank you friend…
By the way I love your writing and the concept of journeying after a good glass of wine ( searching gold). Believe me I am the lover of a good glass or two of red wine…
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We’re always searching! Drinking wine for us is always about the occasion. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll drop in on you from time to time.
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Lol. I always like to hear about folks…struggling…through..
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Clearly it was a struggle!
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It’s a tough job but someone has to do it. Any opening’s for zealous employee’s or wine enthusiasts?! We’ll send our resume right over. LOL
Loved the post, more especially the brilliant & descriptive way you described the flavors of the wine. Could almost taste it. Sharing this now, on FB & Twitter~ BTW thx for stopping by our blog & following, Obi Wan Kenobi of Wine!
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LOL, thanks! And I’ll have to keep you in mind if we do have any openings. By the way, not sure if you’ve seen it yet but I linked back to you on the following post because I thought it was very fitting … http://aopinionatedman.com/2013/10/22/jealous-bloggers-on-wordpress/
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Nice work, if you can get it….
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I’m not sure if I made the most of it though. 😉
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Love the Bin 389 with and without the lamp rump!!!
Great post!
R.
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Cheers!
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thanks for liking my blog entry. i recently read both sideways and vertical, which reminded me i need to drink more wine (but not merlot–heaven forfend!). thank god christ is endowed with more blood than an extraterrestrial space-tick.
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LOL! Good movies!!
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I had to stop and go to the fridge for a glass of wine half way through that, my mouth was watering so much. It all sounded so very good.
Now, should ever need anybody to help out in your gruelling and awful quest for that perfect glass I just want you to know I will step up to the plate. That’s just the kind of generous and giving person I am. It’s ok, you don’t have to thank me.
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LOL!! That is very generous of you!
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So much wine, so few conferences…..😊
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I need another excuse! 😉
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“It’s rough, but it just has to be done!” the man says, but SOMEBODY’S got to do it. And it sounds like you did. It also sounds like the wines were a lot more entertaining to you than the magnificent conference you attended.
As an afterthought, I’m happy you stopped by my f-stop fantasy and Liked my Halloween post. That was a fun discovery as I was out looking for interesting things to photograph.
Peace and have a nice day.
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Yes, it all just had to be done! And thank you for stopping by!!
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I particularly like the lamb tie in the first picture…that’s hardcore!
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[…] already so I pulled out a Jansz NV Premium Cuvee from Tasmania. As usual, and as it was when I was on tour, it was a gorgeous non-vintage sparkling white. To be honest, it’s as good as any […]
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Keep up the fierce struggle, mate.
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It’s tough work bro!
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[…] the Penfolds Bin 389, a top quality Aussie red that is available all over the world, and that I have blogged about and Neal recently tweeted about, I thought it would be very fitting to send you all their way for a […]
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