Wine tasting conundrum solved!
Wednesday, 13 May 2009 | 
The Enomatic is an innovative tasting machine created in Italy that dispenses wine in tasting and " by-the-glass " format by use of a special credit card that counts (in dollar terms) what you have drunk and allows you to enjoy various bottles without supposed wastage by the venue. I trialed this concept at fifth element bar in Brisbane and considering I was drinking 1988 Grange, 1999 Moss Wood Cabernetand 2005 Alsatian Riesling, the machine seemed to hold all the organoleptical correctness of the wines and none of the wines were "too forward", or showing oxidative characters resembling tiredness.
Worth a look!
James | Tuesday, 18 May 2010 1:03:17 PM
Just brushing up on what is happening in the Melbourne scene of wine by reading through some of your very informative articles.
(I have been away.)
(No not in jail. In the wonderful wine region of the Barossa and High Eden, South Australia.)
I am interested in this concept as a "by-the-glass" tasting format and am wondering if I have to go as far as Brisbane to give it a whirl. Is the opportunity available in Melbourne?
I was in South Australia for quite a while and managed on occasion to get out and about to a few of the cellar doors for a tasting.
Two things struck me and the other cellar rats in attendance.
Primarily: Many of the cellar doors were serving wines that had quite obviously gone beyond their use by date. Not so good for sales i would imagine.
Secondly: Many and I mean MANY of those in charge of the cellar door pourings had very little idea (if any) that the wines were (mostly) oxidized or (those with corks) affected by TCA or other impurities.
A few wineries went to the lengths of writing the opening date on the back label or top of the closure cap. Only really of any use to the customer if the pourer took this opening date into consideration before pouring.
All in all the new system sounds pretty good to me.