Fireworks to cheer you up

How do you think French wines compare with Australian then?

(Lights touch paper - runs away.....)

To be honest, the Australian wines average slightly better, but on Bastille Day French wines are simply the best. There are some French wines which outshine Australian wines on any day and it also goes the other way. An Australian wine won Shiraz of the Year this year, just one of many small vineyards previously known only to their small customer base until they actually entered a competition.

Tony Ramunno's Witchmount Estate, located in one of Melbourne's less attractive outer suburbs is now recognised internationally for its shiraz, their 2004 vintage being named the top shiraz in the world in the Syrah du Monde wine competition held in France. It was previously Melbourne's best kept secret.

There are many such small vineyards both in Australia and France. The Aussie shiraz sold out (for a tenner a bottle) within 24 hours of the prize so there's little chance to get some to test the judges' opinions. Like good restaurants, patrons may tend to not 'advertise' their finds, prefering to be able to keep buying the wine without the popularity seeing it become scarce. Unlike pies, you cant just cook up some more in the oven. Once the vintage is gone, it's gone until next the years vintage, but really it gone forever.

I remember several gems that friends in France shared with me which never really see the light of day. I can remember buying case after case when they were released and denying to friends that any was even available, while generously allowing them to drink mine of course.

In Australia the biggest issue now is the tyranny of distance, there are great vineyards from one coast to the other and we now have to do a 10,000 km tour of the vineyards to stock up on the new vintages.

My personal favourite wine area is Margaret River in Western Australia, you can hardly go wrong, after all, if a bunch of hippy surfers can evolve into prize-winning winemakers then there must be something working with the environment.

Doc John, our resident apprentice winemaker and general all round rocket scientist has casked some rather fantastic Shiraz grapes from last year which shows excellent promise for early release. He's flown by the seat of his pants with this effort and astounded us all. I'll send you some when we bottle it and let you judge for yourself.

My only fear is that there is just never enough and this vintage has the potential to be a real stunner in every way. I think it will be one of those which every time you open one and enjoy it immensely, you'll regret not having left it a little longer, just to see if its really possible for it to get any better. Like the magnum of Grant Burge Mesach we finished on Sunday night with some venison taken in the hills on the farm, even though it was a teenager it could probably have waited until 2016, but what do you do, the venison couldn't wait, and we just didn't have anything 'big' enough with a French label to go with it.

When it's really good, you really know it and the words of the poets come to mind and you wonder why couldn't you just sit there with friends and food deliveries and enjoy it to the last drop.