This month's contents

* Regional wine showcase
* Some SA wines to look out for
* The Wine Club expands
* Give the Grampians a leg up
* Reminders

What a month it's been in Melbourne. We have had superb weather and some great games and other entertainment.

Early in the month the Victorian Regional Wine Showcase featured Western Victorian wineries. Vinodiversity stand was a success with visitors very interested in the Wine Variety Table. Some visitors bought signed copies of Emerging Varietal Wines of Australia, and entered the draw for a bottle of Aldinga Bay wine.

The April Showcase will feature the Wineries of North Western Victoria, I am sure that we will see some interesting varieties there. I will be signing "Emerging Varietal Wines of Australia" books, so if you have an unautographed copy bring it along, or else you can buy one there. I will also have a draw for a bottle of wine. It's on the first Wednesday and Thursday night of each month from 4-30 to 8-30pm at Melbourne's Fed Square Atrium.

I had a brief trip to the Clare Valley in early March. Vintage was in full swing and things were looking good. I never cease to be amazed at the quality of the red wines in this region. They are grossly underrated, and underpriced. Of course everyone (including me) raves about the Riesling, but there is more to Clare than that. Some things to look forward to include Carmenere from Olssens vineyard (yes Carmenere), Jeanneret have a very nice Prosecco on the way. Several wineries in the Clare are using Sangiovese and/or Nebbiolo successfully.

I also visited Herb and Sandie van der Weil at Foggo Wines in McLaren Vale. Herb is an enthusiast for Cinsaut, from which he makes an impressive rose as well as a GSC variation on the GSM theme.

The Vinodiversity Wine Club is going well. It will grow considerably over the next few months. Winemakers are keen to show off their new babies so look out for some interesting offers.

Order Page Here

In the last newsletter I announced that you can get mixed dozen Aldinga Bay Wines made from alternative varieties. Well the offer has been extended so that you can now get an all whites dozen (Vermentino, Verdelho, Viognier) for $120; an all reds dozen (Barbera, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot) for $160 or the original mixed dozen for $140. Winemaker Nick Girolamo is keen to spread the word about new varieties so he is offering these wines at a competitive price. You can help by buying some, trying them and talking about them.

I have also added an offer for Ridgemill Estate Tempranillo for $190 per dozen. All of these prices are inclusive of GST and freight anywhere in Australia. Ridgemill Estate in Queensland's Granite belt is at the cutting edge of varietal innovation and you are sure to hear more about them in the future.

Check out the Wine club as more offers will be progressively added. See the order page here for details.

Give the Grampians a leg up The Grampians Wine region have an annual Grape Escape Weekend to showcase the region's Food and wine. This Year the event will be held on April 29-30 with loads of Food wine and music events. Stefano de Pieri I have put a link to it in the Vinodiversity Blog After the terrible fires last summer I'm sure that the regional wine and food industry will welcome all visitors. And you can check out how the eucalypt forests are regenerating.

Some Reminders

You can order your copy of Emerging Varietal Wines of Australia from the website.

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