Category: Uncategorized

last updated 22 March 2024
3 minute read

While we would never suggest that you indulge to excess, the unfortunate fact remains that every now and then, a few too many drinks are drunk and the next morning … suffering ensues.

Unfortunately (and you’ll read this everywhere) – the best way to ‘cure’ a hangover is to not have one in the first place. Now while ‘only having two drinks’ is a great way to do this, if you’re out at a restaurant or a pub over a few hours this is going to be tricky. So instead, interleave your alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic. While you can absolutely stick with water, take the opportunity to try out a non-alcoholic beer (some of these are actually very good indeed), a non-alcoholic wine (often quite sweet) or a mocktail. This has the added bonus of helping to keep you hydrated.

Also in the preventative category, one of my friends swears by a Berocca and two paracetamol before a night out. This is definitely a proceed with caution/infrequently option – both alcohol and paracetamol put stress on the liver and, in general, mixing the two is not advised. A one off? Fine. Long term use … not so good.

But let’s assume the horse has bolted and you’ve woken up feeling less than stellar.

• Drink water. And that doesn’t mean drink a litre in one fell swoop – drink little and often (the same way you would if you were dehydrated … because that’s what you are!). The little sips are also more likely to stay down if you’re feeling nauseous.
• Eat. A lot of people forget to eat while they’re drinking so the next morning your body is running on very low blood sugars. Simple carbohydrates are a great way to nudge those blood sugar levels high relatively quickly – toast is a great start (and perhaps have a sip or two of juice – more sugar and more fluid).
• Pain relief. Once you’ve had something to eat. Avoid the paracetamol (see above) and, if your stomach is feeling dodgy, avoid ibuprofen as this can irritate your stomach further. That does still leave you with aspirin.
• Caffeine. OK – this one isn’t going to fix the hangover but it is going to make you feel a bit more alert!

You’ll notice that this is short and simple. Science might be awesome but it hasn’t yet provided the silver bullet hangover cure. And maybe that’s a good thing because it does teach us prevention is better than cure!

last updated: 12 March 2024
3 minute read time

With an early Easter just around the corner this year, it’s definitely time to start thinking about what you’ll be serving your Easter feast. It’s important to keep in mind that it could be quite warm so keep your ideas flexible and remember, the best food and wine pairing is the one you enjoy the most – regardless of any ‘rules’!

Canapés and Seafood

I’ve bundled these together because quite often they work in similar ways when it comes to wine pairing. Canapés are traditionally served with a sparkling wine – the wine’s high acidity in particular will cut through the richness of your bite-size morsels, from oysters to smoked salmon to charcuterie. Choose a dry sparkling wine, ensure it’s well-chilled and you’re good to go.

The sparkling wine will also work well if you’re serving seafood at any point during the meal. The flavour profile of non-vintage sparklings is typically light enough to not overwhelm a delicate piece of fish and again, the acidity works incredibly well against the richness of a prawn cocktail sauce.

More robust fish, perhaps cured salmon or tuna, will work well with a high acid white wine such as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc and, if you have die-hard red wine drinkers to please, opt for a lighter red, such as Beaujolais or a fresh, young Pinot Noir. If it’s a warm day, don’t be afraid to pop these wines in the fridge for half an hour before serving.

Meats

Many people serve lamb at Easter in which case a very safe pairing is a Cabernet Sauvignon – it has great acidity to cut through the lamb fat, it has plenty of bold flavours to stand up to however you’ve cooked the lamb (the char from the BBQ, the rosemary, the garlic and so on) and the fruitiness of the wine will be a great contrast to the savoury flavours on your plate.

If you’re going with a ham for your centrepiece, consider Shiraz as a great option. One from a cooler climate will have more peppery notes to it which will work well with the smokiness of the meat. For white wine lovers, a Riesling is a great choice here.

Dessert

Typically the trickiest part of the meal to pair with wine, because the sweetness of the food will swamp all but the sweetest of wines. If you’re serving a lighter, less sweet, dessert, such as fruit salad or a colomba, then a sweet sparkling wine, such as a Moscato, is a brilliant choice. As the flavours and sweetness ramp up (pavlova, anyone?), you need to up your sweet wine – start looking to botrytised wines, such as Sauternes, or even fortified wines, such as Port (which is a great choice if your dessert features chocolate).

These are just guidelines … if you want to drink sparkling wine the entire way through your meal, I most certainly will not argue with you!

last updated: 22 Feb 2024
4 minute read

Now, I am a big fan of a glass of sparkling wine on its own. On a hot afternoon, sitting down with a chilled glass of bubbles and having a chat with friends or family is a really lovely way to decompress – no food required!

However, if you’re entertaining, you’re likely to want to have at least one plate of something to pass around.

The thing to keep in mind with sparkling wine is its high acidity – that’s why so many of the classic choices are fatty, oily or rich (or all three – smoked salmon, I’m looking at you!). Not all sparkling wines are bone dry

This list could easily be five absolute classics that you’ve already heard of … and there’s no fun in that so I’m bundling ‘the classics’ together as food pairing no 1 … let’s go!

1. The Classics

Smoked salmon on blinis (with or without horseradish crême fraîche), oysters and caviar. I’m going to add in creamy cheeses here too … think brie (even truffled brie) or goat’s cheese on a cracker. And if you’re really pushing the boat out, then pick up some foie gras.

2. The Italians

Sparkling wine isn’t just a French thing. The Italians give us a range of sparklings, including Prosecco and Franciacorta. These are two quite different styles so you do need to match the food to the wine (or vice versa). Prosecco typically has a little sweetness to it and its flavour profile is very fruit driven. Keeping this in mind, you’ll want to think about pairing with sweeter things – perhaps a chilled fruit salad or a slice of panettone. Franciacorta is much more in line with Champagne (they’re produced using the same method) – so go with some Italian classics like linguine alle vongole (with clams), a risotto milanese or ravioli with pumpkin served in a burnt butter sauce.

3. The Spanish

We can’t forget Cava! A lot of Spanish food is just made for snacking so take your inspiration from tapas. Boquerones, the big fat white pickled anchovies, or whitebait (tiny fried fish) are perfect with a dry sparkling wine. Similarly, some salted toasted almonds, chicken croquetas or stuffed olives are all easy to eat and a great match. Very finely sliced jamón, perhaps served on pumpernickel with a remoulade, will also be ideal.

4. Head to Asia

Sushi and sashimi are often seafood dominant, and the richness of other flavours – including kewpie mayo and avocado – work brilliantly with sparkling wine. Don’t go too heavy on the wasabi or soy sauce though! Sparkling wines that have a little bit of sweetness to them will work surprisingly well with spicier dishes from through south-east Asia. Although a super spicy larb is well beyond sparkling wine’s remit, the more gentle heat of a pad thai, or a Goan fish curry will both sing with sparkling. And don’t forget finger food, such as spring rolls, samosas or pakoras. The acidity in the sparkling wine will cut through the fat in a jiffy!

5. Hit the Beach

Closer to home, we’re blessed with a lot of food that works with sparkling. Fish and chips (by the beach or not) – check. Salt and pepper squid – check. But if you’re cooking roast pork in the oven (so you’re not overloaded with smoky, charcoal flavours), crack out a bottle of sparkling wine and it will cut through the fat amazingly. And if that’s after a prawn cocktail – then so much the better. If you’ve come across a bottle of sweet sparkling, then you could do worse than pair it with pavlova.

Let us know your favourite (or most quirky) sparkling pairing below!

For students studying one of our online WSET courses, remote invigilation is a popular way to sit the exam. It allows you to sit the exam at a date and time that suits you and, for interstate and regional students, it means you don’t have to make the trek to Adelaide.

When Can I Sit My Exam?

Remote invigilation is extremely flexible. There are a handful of days each year that aren’t available (they’re usually things like Easter and Christmas) and there is a black out window each day between 2230 (10:30pm) and 0000 (midnight) UK time (so either GMT or BST). We will tell you what times you need to avoid when we first send through our standard remote invigilation but you can also check yourself here. We will also double check the time when you book in and will let you know if there’s an issue.

Why Does It Cost Extra?

Yes, there is an additional charge for remote invigilation. The cost of your exam is covered by your course fee BUT remote invigilation is an add on (and yes, we are charged extra too!). We don’t invoice students for this in advance – once you’ve decided on remote invigilation and picked out the date and time for your exam we’ll send through an invoice.

The Invoice

Your invoice is SUPER important! This is what we book the exam from so please, PLEASE double check that it’s as you expect – BEFORE YOU PAY THE INVOICE!

It’s important you check (and check) again:

• your name – this needs to match your name on your photo ID. You don’t need to worry about your middle name (unless you’d like it to appear on your certificate) but your first name and last name need to match your photo ID. So, if your name is John Smith but you call yourself Jack it really does need to be John! Similarly, if you’re a Susan but called Sue – we need to register you as Susan. The certificate will be printed with the names on the invoice, in left to right order.
• the date, time and time zone of the exam – yes, all three! We give you the day and the date and we give the times in both 24 hour clock and am/pm. We also give you the time zone. By default, this is the time zone of the state that you gave as your address when you signed up for the course. This means that if you live in Broken Hill or Lord Howe Island (or anywhere else that happens to have a time zone that doesn’t match its state!) you need to tell us. Similarly, if you’ve moved states, you need to check that the time zone is still correct. Remember, in summer, Queensland and the Northern Territory have different time zones to their southern counterparts! We use the standard time zone abbreviations and if you have any queries at all, please get in touch!
• finally … read the WSET’s Remote Invigilation Essential Guidance and work through the pre-check. Payment of the invoice is telling us that you’re happy with the exam’s technical requirements.

What Next?

Once your invoice is paid, we’ll register you for the exam. The next thing that will happen is that you’ll receive the system check email. This should arrive between 14 and 10 days before your exam (if 14 days is a Saturday or Sunday it will be sent on the Monday UK time – so might hit your inbox Tuesday morning). Please complete the system check as soon as possible – REMEMBER, we can only cancel your exam with a minimum of 7 working days’ notice but also, if there are issues, the more time you have to resolve them, the better! Also – you can only complete the system check once – do it using the devices and internet connection you plan to use for the exam.

You will receive a reminder email from us (which will include the date/time/time zone of your exam).

Approximately three days before the exam you’ll receive your exam email. You do need to sit your exam at the date/time you nominated: DO NOT BE LATE. You first need to perform the room scan and set up – generally this only takes 5-10 minutes but if it takes longer DO NOT PANIC. It’s important to get it right and it is not eating into your exam time.

If you have issues make use of the online technical support. We cannot guarantee that we’ll be able to answer the phone or respond to emails the instant they come through – especially if you exam is out of business hours, but also we may be teaching or attending to an event etc. Your interactions with the online tech support are logged so that, in the case of issues, they can be reviewed subsequently.

If your exam issues can’t be resolved and you can’t sit your exam, there is the Digital Issues Form that you should complete.

If you are unable to sit your exam for other non-technical reasons (medical, for example) please contact us and we’ll get the relevant paperwork underway.

How Long Do Results Take?

Yes, it’s an online multiple choice exam but no – your results are not instantaneous! The video footage for all exams is reviewed at least once and this takes time. Sometimes we receive results in a week but we advise students to wait a month before contacting us. Certificates then follow – we’ll be in touch to confirm the best delivery address.

What If I Fail?

While it is certainly possible to fail, we find that only a handful of students do (it’s far more common for students to think they’ve failed and then do quite well!). Re-sits are an option – please note that these are charged in full (not just the remote invigilation fee). They are currently $200 for Level 1 and $250 for Level 2 (prices are subject to change) and do require the usual 20 working day lead time to lock in.

I Need To Change My Exam Date!

Unfortunately, this isn’t something that can be accommodated at the last minute. At least seven working days out from your exam, we can cancel it without any charge. However, we can’t simply reschedule to (say) two days later – we need to re-book completely, so the 20 working days lead time kicks in. Fewer than seven working days, it’s not possible to cancel without charge. This means that your next exam is considered a re-sit and will be charged at the full rate ($200 or $250, depending on course level).

For further information, head over to our YouTube channel to watch this video. And if we’ve missed something, or you’ve got a burning question – please leave a comment below!

3 minute read
updated 19 December 2023

For many people, that moment in a restaurant when you’re handed the wine list is one fraught with danger. There are so many unknowns, unpronounceable words and rules (“never order the cheapest wine”, “never order the second cheapest wine”, not to mention the challenge of food and wine pairing.

Never fear … Team Wine Academy can definitely help out here!

Firstly – don’t fret about the food and wine pairing unless you’re seriously geeking out on food, wine or both. If you love drinking Shiraz with everything then that’s what you should do! This is especially the case when you’re in a restaurant and paying a hefty mark up* on the wine.

These days wine lists are becoming much more diverse (and expensive) but – in good news – they are very often online, so you can do a bit of research before you head to the venue.

Let’s assume you haven’t had the luxury of doing that although what follows you can do from the comfort of your sofa before venturing out too.

1. Breathe

Take your time. You don’t have to have digested the wine list and made a decision in 10 seconds flat. Very often, wines by the glass will be listed first – although many shorter wine lists will have the ‘by the glass’ price listed alongside the bottle price. If you know you’re only having a glass then you’ve got much less to take in.

2. Budget

Figure out your budget and remember that there is no shame in having a budget. This is going to help narrow down your choices but will also be invaluable if you end up asking questions of a sommelier or waiter.

3. Enjoy

What do you dining companions enjoy drinking? I have a friend who doesn’t like Riesling so, no matter what, I wouldn’t order that in a group. If tastes are very diverse, then wines by the glass are definitely your friend.

4. Familiar

Look for the things with which you’re familiar. That might be a producer, but also a region or a grape variety. If you’re not an adventurous drinker, then save the experimentation for the bottle shop.

5. Ask

ASK QUESTIONS! This tip should really be in first spot, but the reason that I’ve left it til last is that often, even the most experienced, wine-list savvy eye, will end up tossing up between two or three wines. This is where the restaurant staff come in – especially if the restaurant has a dedicated sommelier or other wine expert. Ask what wine (or wines) they’d recommend to go with the dishes you’re choosing. If you don’t see anything familiar (see #4) ask for a suggestion along the lines of “I normally love Clare Valley Riesling – what can you suggest as an alternative?”. And, if you are preparing to experiment then open with “I’m thinking of the Adelaide Hills Chardonnay but I always drink that – what can you suggest that I might enjoy that’s a bit different?”. And, if you’re very lucky and the wine is being poured by the glass, sometimes you’ll be offered a little taste before committing!

* That’s not a criticism of restaurant pricing … they have staff to pay, rent to pay, dishwashers to run and the list goes on.

3 minute read
last updated 6 September 2023

Don’t fancy reading? Check out the video on our youtube channel!

This post was supposed to be about a grape variety beginning with ‘D’ (you know – so it flowed nicely from Cab Franc …) but it turned out we had some Carmenère coming into the shop and … well, it’s still all in alphabetical order.

Carmenère, a cross between Cabernet Franc and Gros Cabernet, is a grape variety that hails from Bordeaux (so historically part of a Bordeaux blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) although there it has steadily been falling out of fashion. Globally, small pockets of it are grown in many wine producing countries but the place where it really thrives is Chile.

Vines were brought to Chile in the nineteenth century (along with Merlot) and really blossomed in the warm and dry climate. In fact, for a long time, everyone (including the Chileans) thought they were growing Merlot exclusively. In the mid-90s an ampelographer spotted the difference between the two ‘Merlots’ and, following DNA analysis, Carmenère was recognised as an official variety for Chile in 1998.

When this happened – plantings shot up and today, Carmenère is more synonymous with Chile than any other country.

Its flavour profile can be rather green if picked a little unripe – think lots of green capsicum and herbaceous notes. But, as it ripens, red berry flavours develop before morphing into blackberry, blueberry and even chocolate and coffee.

Australia

There’s not a lot here … but there’s a little grown in places as diverse as the Adelaide Hills through to the Barossa, Granite Belt and Heathcote. It’s one of those wines that to find a local example, you really will have to keep your eyes peeled.

The World

Well, there’s obviously Chile!

There’s also tiny amounts grown in Italy (where it has been confused with Cabernet Franc), the US and even Canada. But perhaps the most left-field region in which it’s found is China‘s Jiaodong region. In fact, China’s plantings outstrip everyone else’s except Chile! In China, it is often known by one of its synonyms: Cabernet Gernischt.

The Key Facts

• Carmenère ripens quite late and is, unfortunately, quite susceptible to disease which has contributed to dwindling plantings in Europe
• key descriptors are blackberry and blueberry
• like Cabernet Franc – if not fully ripe you will get those notes of green capsicum – some people love that, some not so much
• key region is Chile

Food Pairing

Because Carmenère is big in flavour but not usually super tannic it works well with any boldly flavoured dish, and you can throw curries and other spiced (and spicy!) dishes into the mix. To riff on things Latin American, why not pair with a chilli con carne or a steak with lashings of chimichurri sauce?

Anything Else I Should Know?

Its name, Carmenère, derives from the French for crimson, carmin. But this doesn’t refer to the colour of the grapes or the wine … instead, it’s the colour the leaves turn in Autumn!

Thirsty?

We’ll be keeping our beady eyes out for local examples (or, wines that at least feature Carmenère), but in the meantime, enjoy this Chilean example!

last updated: 23 June 2023
4 minute read

This blog post is going to focus mainly on study for your WSET Level 2 Award in Wines exam. As Level 1 is usually one day there’s not a lot of take home advice I can give you. And much of what applies to Level 2 will also apply to Level 3. Please do bear in mind that Level 3 is considerably more work than Level 2 … and budget your time accordingly.

My first piece of advice, is to listen ACTIVELY during class. Make notes, ask questions. If you’re tired or distracted by your phone (or work) you’re not getting as much out of the class as you could!

The other BIG piece of advice I give my students is to know what is RED and what is WHITE. This might sound ridiculous (it won’t, by the time you hit the Italian varieties), knowing instantly that a Pommard is red or a Gavi is white is probably going to help you eliminate incorrect answers in the exam. Even if you know nothing else about Gavi (for example) there’s a good chance you’ll be increasing the odds of picking the correct answer from one in four to just one in two!

The WSET issues a formal course specification for each level of study – make use of it! It’s linked to on the course page and you’ll have been sent a link to it at least twice. There’s a reason for that! The course spec is almost like the course but in dot point form. It will help you make sure you’ve covered everything and it’s great for getting non-wine-loving friends and partners to quiz you on your knowledge.

At Level 2 the course spec is the course’s bare bones, the work we do in the classroom (so while you’re using the workbook) puts flesh on that and the text book is the fancy outfit (if you will). I appreciate there’s quite a lot of rote learning at Level 2 – and there’s no way to escape that – but take comfort in the fact that you don’t need to know how to spell or pronounce any of the European place names, labelling terms etc. You really just need to be able to recognise them on the paper.

DO NOT underestimate the power of pen and paper. Research is increasingly revealing that writing stuff down old-school lodges that information in our heads far better than tapping away on a tablet or computer. So I really encourage you to crack out the index cards, write notes, draw mind-maps … One suggestion I give in class is to create matrix (fancy word for large piece of paper with a grid on it) and fill it out with grape varieties. You can then add in things like the colour, the regions in which a grape variety is grown and key structural characteristics. On review, you’ll note that a grape variety might not have anything written for tannin (say) – in which case, that’s an indication that you should go back and check the spec, textbook and workbook. It’s possible that tannin isn’t a key characteristic for this grape – so once you’ve double checked, you can put a cross through the box. Depending on the time available to you, it’s worth taking this matrix approach from a couple of different directions.

In the run up to the exam, focus your energies on these activities. You can spend hours trawling the web for quizzes or watching videos but neither of those will help you retain information. Remember that the WSET courses do change over time and you’ll never know how accurate the random quiz you’ve found is, and whether or not it’s suitable for the current version of the course.

And last of all, on exam day, take a deep breath and remember to READ THE QUESTION! But not just the question … the question and all the answers. Eliminate the ones you know are definitely wrong and if you still don’t have the answer, continue reading through the exam. Sometimes, allow the question to percolate a little will mean that when you come back to it the answer is obvious!

If you have an amazing study tip you’d like to share, please comment below – and I’ll update this post as appropriate!

3 minute read
updated 18 May 2023

When it comes to the world of wine, there’s one wine fault that wine lovers dread: cork taint. Scientifically known as trichloroanisole (TCA), cork taint has the power to alter the flavours and aromas of wines. It creates a musty or mouldy odour – think of a dishcloth that someone hasn’t wrung out & has left scrunched up on the side … or wet cardboard.

Let’s take a look at the science behind cork taint. We’ll explore its causes, and discover how the industry is working to combat this phenomenon.

Understanding Cork Taint

Cork taint is caused primarily by the presence of TCA, a chemical compound that can contaminate cork. Unfortunately it then affects the wine. TCA is formed when certain fungi interact with naturally occurring compounds, such as airborne mould spores or chlorinated phenolic compounds that are used in the production of cork.

However, it’s not JUST about the cork – TCA can be found throughout a winery (for example, contaminated barrels, cardboard boxes). The North West Wine Report (US based) attempted to crunch the numbers around how much cork taint comes from sources other than the cork. Their estimate? Roughly 6%. Although it wasn’t a massive sample size, it suggests that using something other than cork to seal a wine goes a long way to reduce the risk of cork taint.

The Impact on Wine

When TCA contaminates a wine, it can lead to a range of negative effects on its sensory profile. The most common is a musty or mouldy aroma. Think damp cardboard or wet newspaper. At low concentrations, TCA strips a wine of its (delicious) fruity aromas and flavours. This often causes more problems for producers than a really obviously faulty wine – because the wine just tastes ‘meh’, consumers can take this on board as “well, wines from XYZ brand are all just a bit boring”.

Industry Response

The wine industry has not turned a blind eye to the issue of cork taint – it’s a BIG problem after all.

In Australia, we’re very lucky to have had parts of the industry pioneer the use of alternative closures. In the early 2000s, Clare Valley producers banded together to produce whole vintages of wines under screwcap and today, well over 90% of Australian wines are sealed with a screwcap. This goes a very very long way to eliminating cork taint.

But there are plenty of consumers who love the pop of the cork and associate it with fine wine. And there are plenty of producers around the world still using it … so what can they do?

• Quality Control: Stringent quality control measures are implemented during cork production to identify and eliminate tainted corks before they reach the wineries.
• Improved Cork Production: Cork manufacturers are continuously investing in research and technological advancements to reduce the risk of TCA contamination in their products. Innovations such as steam cleaning, supercritical carbon dioxide treatment, and individual cork testing are being implemented to improve the quality of natural corks.
• And, of course, hyper-vigilance in the winery to eliminate the small percentage of cork taint issues that aren’t cork based.

And what to do if you find a wine affected by cork taint? Well, if you’re in a restaurant you should be offered a new bottle. If it’s a wine you’ve purchased retail, take it back to the bottle shop and they should replace it for you. Of course, this only really works if it’s a recent purchase (and you still have the receipt!). If it’s a wine you’ve cellared for years or bought at auction, then unfortunately you just have to to chalk it up as a (disappointing) experience.

Want a wine NOT sealed with cork? Even super premium producers avoid cork in Australia … for example, Henschke wines, such as the Mount Edelstone, often come under both screw cap and Vinolok.