Gauchito Gil Malbec World Day

Argentina is famous for some fabulous Malbec wines. But did you know the origin of Malbec wines is the Cahors region in southwest France?
We are gate crashing the Argie's party and showing some French Malbecs on Malbec World Day. 
If you are in Melbourne come and say hello, try some great malbecs from around the world, and eat some empanadas with fellow wine lovers. 

Tickets are only $40 and available at www.gauchitogil.com.au

Red Wine Gift Packs for Fathers Day

Who can honestly say a Dad wouldn't like a nice bottle of wine or two for Fathers Day?

Make it easy, buy online and we can ship Australia-wide.

We have some gift packs ready to go and you can check out the details on this page. We have selected 2 excellent award-winning reds that are ready to be shipped.

Alternatively you can give us a call on 02 6020 6016, or jump online and choose whatever you think Dad might like, and whatever you would like to spend. 




Once you get to the checkout, you can choose the gift wrapping options (single bottle box, double bottle box and 3 bottle box which cost $3.50, $5.90 and $6.90 respectively.)

Delivery is a flat rate of $10 Australia wide. (For our customers in Albury-Wodonga we can deliver for free!).

Happy Browsing and best wishes to all the Dads!

By purchasing this wine you confirm that you are over 18 and accept the terms and conditions of sale. 

New wine: Chateau Rollan de By 2008

Our new wine from Bordeaux Chateau Rollan de By 2008 has attracted some attention this week being named wine of the week by wine writer Winsor Dobbin.  He wrote....

"The price of some the more prestigious Bordeauxs has put them beyond the reach of mortals with budgets; but there is still some great "claret" available to those without a black American Express card. This is a case in point, a very impressive Cru Bourgeois from the ever-growing stable of Jean Guyon, who also owns the renowned Chateau Greysac. This Medoc blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot is soft and understated without any hints of greenness. There are moccha and ripe fruit aromas while the medium-bodied palate is blessed with an appealing structure with dark blackcurrant and restrained oak to the fore. Perfumed and elegant, it was an excellent match for a beef casserole. I liked this a lot. $59. Imported by DiscoverVin " ...

This wine has won many other awards including 2 stars in the French wine review bible The Guide Hachette and a Gold Medal at the Paris wine show.

All published scores for this wine are here on wine-searcher 

Wine Enthusiast	90/100
Wine Spectator	90/100
CellarTracker	87/100
Jean-Marc Quarin	85/100
Decanter	16.7/20
Gault & Millau	15/20
Jancis Robinson	15/20
Vinum Wine Magazine	14.5/20

Jean Guyon is the owner of Château Rollan de By. Twenty years ago, when he purchased this domain, he began to improve quality and extended the vineyard.  Traditional vine growing systems were adopted.  Vines were replanted and natural fertilizers used to support the recovery of the natural ecosystem.  On an impressive deep soil of gravel, Jean Guyon produces wines that were every bit as good as the classified-growths.  The vines on the 45 hectare vineyard have an average age of 35 years.

Berry Brothers in London describe this Chateau as "a very reliable source of good value Medoc"

Region/Terroir:  Médoc –Cru bourgeois

Grapes:  Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (70%), Petit Verdot (10%).

Soil:  Clayey-chalky gravel hills.

Alcohol:  13% VOL

Wine making: Grapes picked by hand.  Fermentation occurs at low temperatures in stainless steel, temperature controlled vats.  Malolactic fermentation occurs partially in new oak barrels.  The wine is aged in oak for 16 months.

Cellaring potential:  A wine that will achieve full maturity a decade from the vintage, but which enjoys such balance that it can be enjoyed in its youth.  Parker suggest drinking over the next decade (see below)

Our Tasting notes:  This wine had a WOW factor in a large line up of wines from the Médoc.  Lifted nose with some floral (violet) notes and blackcurrant/cassis.  Gorgeous mouth feel,soft, round and long with great balance.  Complex palate , blackcurrants, liquorice notes and tobacco.  As good as many classified growths.

It is a pleasure for DiscoverVin to bring this wine to Australia. It can be found on our website by clicking here. Trade prices on application 0260206016 or info@discovervin.com.au

Chateau Laroche Joubert 2010

Introducing our new delicious red wine from Chateau Laroche Joubert from the Cotes du Bourg appellation in Bordeaux. This wine had a wow factor in a series of tastings on a recent buying trip to France. 

This wine won a Silver medal in the Paris and Aquitaine wine shows (the proportion of wines receiving medals in French wine shows is lower than Australia so this signifies a very good wine). 

It is an easy drinking merlot blend from the Bordeaux Cotes de Bourg appellation. The vineyards of Bourg face Margaux across the Gironde estuary and offer exceptional quality and excellent value for money.

Château Laroche Joubert, Cotes du Bourg

Year: 2010

Size: 750ml

Located on the heights of the hills of the Cotes du Bourg appellation, the 15 hectares of Laroche Joubert are planted with a majority of merlot vines. The same family has owned the estate since 1795. In 1998 a new manager set about modernising production. Since then it has consistently received awards at various shows and mentions in the Guide Hachette (the French wine review bible).

Terroir:  The vineyards of Laroche Joubert face the Margaux vineyards across the Gironde estuary and produce very good merlot based wines at an excellent price.

Grapes: 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec

Wine making: Long maceration for 3-4 weeks in small temperature controlled vats. Aged for 12 months in oak

Our tasting notes: The expressive nose presents notes of red fruits and plums.

This is a delicious wine, with lovely, plummy fruit and minerality, a good balance and nice tannins. 

Alcohol: 13%

Ready to drink now but will improve with one-three years cellaring.

This is a good value for money Bordeaux wine. It is a good example of what the small producers in Bordeaux can do, especially in good years (such as the 2010 vintage).

More information here online. Trade prices on application. 

Roche-Audran best value Rhone wine in the french press

Prestigious French wine magazine Revue du Vin de France ("French Wine Review") recently reviewed wines from the Côtes du Rhone. 

It named DiscoverVin's new red wine from Roche Audran as one of the best value current release rhone wines in the February 2014 edition. 

The blind tasting was conducted in Avignon in September 2013 and wines from more than 210 wineries were tried and 80 reviews published.

The article pointed to the progress made in the quality of wines produced in the region during the last 20 years. Today it offers "a large palette of wines at sound prices." In fact according to the article's author-Roberto Petronio-the wines of Cotes du Rhone offer "the most beautiful" wines in France at good prices.

Here is the review for the Roche Audran Cotes du Rhone , newly arrived at DiscoverVin . This review was written in French and we have done our best to translate!

"Domaine Roche Audran 

13.5/20

A nice generous vegetable nose which is a beautiful invitation to taste. In the mouth it is the smoothness of the texture which seduces with plenty of savoury material- the fruit is omnipresent. Imagine yourself biting on the skin of a ripe grape (but without excess) and taking in the pulp. Here is a generous and complex wine. A wine from the village of Visan to drink everyday without restraint! "

This particular wine is made with a blend of Grenache (70%), Carignan (15%) and Syrah (Shiraz) 15%. Alcohol 15% Vol. 

This is an up and coming producer producing wine by biodynamic practices. To learn more look here .

This wine is available on-line and is also in a number of stockists. Contact us at info@discovervin.com.au for up-to date information on the restaurant or wine shop near you. Trade prices available info@discovervin.com.au

As always drink in moderation!

Indigenous Variety Négrette from south-west France now available in Australia

DiscoverVin is pleased to be importing Négrette wine from Château Bouissel an organic independent producer in the appellation of AOC Fronton, near Toulouse, in the south-west of France.


The main variety in Le Bouissel is Négrette, meaning “black” in the local dialect. According to Jancis Robinson’s tome Wine Grapes, these deeply coloured grapes are a “supple, fruity and distinctive variety that has thrived for centuries just north of Toulouse”. The origins of Négrette has not been confirmed by DNA studies to date. Some claim it has been grown in the region since the time of the ancient Gauls. Others say it was introduced to France from the Crusades by the Knights Templar and planted in their vineyards near Toulouse in the 14th century. It is possibly descended from a grape variety, Mayro, indigenous to Cyprus, and perhaps crossed with wild vines growing locally. It has soft, spicy characteristics with modest acid levels making wines best for early drinking. Négrette is now grown exclusively in Fronton.

Anne-Marie and Pierre Selle, with their son Nicolas, the third generation at Chateau Bouissel, are renowned for the quality and consistency of their wines, which emphasise the terroir of Fronton. They are ideally situated on the third terrace above the Tarn river. They are at the vanguard of the appellation, leading its revival, removing international varieties such as cabernet and merlot and replanting with Négrette best suited to the local conditions. They use modern techniques to make clean, modern and authentic wines tat appeal to the domestic and international market. They are converting to organic production and will be fully accredited with releases of 2012 vintage wines.

Pierre says “we aim to create a bond between vine and man, and we are attentive to the needs of one and the expectations of the other. That’s how we like our wines, when the fruit of our vines satisfies your palate. We like to try to help our vines gently along, to encourage them to yield the best fruit they can; that’s why we choose to use as little chemical products as possible.”

Château Bouissel, Le Bouissel, 2010
Grapes: 50% Négrette, 25% Shiraz, 25% Malbec

Wine making: Long maceration (18 days). Fermentation and maceration with micro-oxygenation. Twelve month ageing period in stainless steel tanks and 10% in oak barrels.
2010 was an irregular year with perfect spring conditions, followed by rain and warm weather in summer with cool nights preserving the freshness of the grapes.

Our tasting notes: Nice and intense ruby colour with purple tints. Intense aromas of small red and black fruit, of spices (liquorice and pepper) and of flowers (violet and peony). This wine is both powerful and harmonious. The first taste is velvety, the mouth feel is ample and rich and the finish is long with great balance.


Accolades: This wine was awarded a gold medal by Concours des Vignerons Independent in 2013.

The American magazine “Wine Enthusiast” has awarded it 91 points.
A classic from the southwest of France. Powerful fruit wrapped in soft tannins.

Reds for the cellar

We are sometimes asked for suggestions for wines to put in the cellar. 

Below are some of our current suggestions at different price points (posted May 2013). These offer good drinking now but will repay some time in the cellar. 



To make it easier we have also picked 3 wines to go into a Bordeaux starter pack, 

Chateau Senilhac le Prade 2009  (Haut- Médoc)  $23 A stand-out quality and value for money wine in a long line-up of Médoc wines from 2009. (Keep until 2016-2019)

Legende de la Tour Carnet 2004 (Médoc) $48
The second wine (made from younger vines) from a great Bordeaux producer from a great year (keep until 2020)

Chateau Lagarde 2009 (Saint Émilion) $29.90
If you are a fan of Saint Émilion or merlot, or just looking for a good wine at a great price, its pretty hard to go past this wine! (2013-2018)

Chateau Fleur Poitou 2010 (Lussac de Semilion) $25 A lovely merlot blend from the St Émilion satellite of Lussac St- Émilion. From the outstanding vintage of 2010. (Keep until 2015-2020)

Chateau Haut-Vigneau 2009 (Pessac-Leognan) $38 Typifies the silky tannins, minerals and structure of the wines of Pessac-Leognan on the outskirts of Bordeaux ( drinking now but keep until 2020+)

Chateau Haut Peyrous 2008 (Graves) $38.50 Organic producer who has modernised this classic vineyard. (Delicious now but will keep until 2023)

Amiral de Beycheville 2009 (Saint Julien) $78 The second wine (younger vines) of one of the great Bordeaux producers from a great year. (best 2015-2020+)

Chateau de Aiguilhe 2008 (Bordeaux Cotes de Castillon) $72 Legendary right bank merlot blend. Considered an up and coming chateau according to Oz Clarke. Cover of Decanter magazine November 2012!  (best 2015-2025)

Close des Quatres Vents 2007 (Margaux) $110  A classy micro producer in Margaux. An exceptional plot, adjacent to some of the best and most expensive producers in Margaux, producing great wine from a master winemaker (approachable now but keep until 2017-2027)

For more details go to www.discoverin.com.au or call us on 0260206016

Saint Émilion Classification System 2012

The vineyards of Saint Émilion on the Bordeaux right bank were first classified in 1955. However one of the key differences to the vineyards in the Médoc on the left bank (which were classified in 1855), is that the St Émilion classification is revised on a regular basis - about every 10 years.

In 2006 a new classification was announced but then suspended after a series of court appeals by four chateaux that had been demoted.

On September 7th 2012 a new classification system was announced. After all of the legal fuss, all but one of the chateaux demoted in 2006 were reinstated. (Chateau de la Tour du Pin Figeac was the exception). The Saint Emilion wine council claimed that it was the result of an improvement in quality in subsequent vintages and has stood by the independence and transparency of the classification system.

Several properties have "disappeared" because their wine production has been absorbed into neighbouring/sister chateaux.

In all there are 82 properties (an increase from the 74 of the last system) - 18 Premiers Grands Crus Classés and 64 Grands Crus Classés. Again the Saint Émilion wine council says this is a result of improved consistency and quality across the appellation.

Over two hundred other Saint-Émilion wines carry the description "Grand Cru", however this designation is awarded under the basic appellation rules and is below the quality level of the 2012 classification. Nevertheless, the basic Grand Cru wines and indeed basic St Émillion, can still offer very good quality and value for money, especially in good years where excellent quality is found across the region. The classification system aims to categorise the very best wines produced in Saint Émilion.

The French government organisation INAO (Institut National des Appelations d'Origines )supervises this and other classification systems for wine and other agricultural products The INAO set up an independent process to try and ensure transparency and avoid accusations of favouritism or conflicts of interest. A jury of experts was set up to judge the wines via a series of tastings - they comprised of seven wine professionals, all members or former members of the INAO and all from outside the Bordeaux region. Chateaux were judged on their terroir, renown, methods of vineyard and cellar work and through a blind tasting of ten vintages (15 for Premier Grand Crus). To become Grand Cru Classé, chateaux had to score at least 14 out of 20, to become Premier Grand Cru Classé, at least 16 out of 20. Within Premier Grand Cru Classé is the sub-designation Premier Grand Cru Classé A and Premier Grand Cru Classé B.

INAO also brought in two independent bodies to ensure the application process and tastings were as rigorous as possible.  The Ministry of Agriculture now has to formal recognise the classification.

There are two new Premiers Grands Crus Classés A estates – with Chateau Pavie and Angelus joining Ausone and Cheval Blanc. One property, Chateau La Valandraut, has been promoted straight to Premier Grand Cru Classé B without passing first to Grand Cru Classé. Chateau Mondotte has also vaulted straight to Premier Grand Cru Classé from its previous classification AOC Saint Emilion. Larcis Ducasse and Canon La Gaffeliere also moved to Premier Cru Classé. The market would probably agree to these moves as the prices of the wines generally are already reflected in the new classification. 17 of the Grand Cru Classé wines were added to that classification. Only 3 were demoted from Grand Cru Classé.

Premiers Grands Crus Classés (A)

Château Angélus 

Château Ausone 

Château Cheval Blanc 

Château Pavie 

Premiers Grands Crus Classés (B)

Château Beauséjour 

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot

Château Bélair-Monange

Château Canon

Château Canon la Gaffelière

Château Figeac

Clos Fourtet

Château la Gaffelière

Château Larcis Ducasse

La Mondotte

Château Pavie Macquin

Château Troplong Mondot

Château Trottevieille

Château Valandraud

Grands Crus Classés 

Château l’Arrosée

Château Balestard la Tonnelle

Château Barde-Haut

Château Bellefont-Belcier

Château Bellevue

Château Berliquet

Château Cadet-Bon

Château Capdemourlin

Château le Chatelet

Château Chauvin

Château Clos de Sarpe

Château la Clotte

Château la Commanderie

Château Corbin

Château Côte de Baleau

Château la Couspaude

Château Dassault

Château Destieux 

Château la Dominique

Château Faugères

Château Faurie de Souchard

Château de Ferrand

Château Fleur Cardinale

Château La Fleur Morange

Château Fombrauge

Château Fonplégade

Château Fonroque

Château Franc Mayne

Château Grand Corbin

Château Grand Corbin-Despagne

Château Grand Mayne

Château les Grandes Murailles

Château Grand-Pontet

Château Guadet

Château Haut-Sarpe

Clos des Jacobins

Couvent des Jacobins 

Château Jean Faure

Château Laniot

Château Larmande

Château Laroque

Château Laroze

Clos la Madeleine 

Château la Marzelle

Château Monbousquet

Château Moulin du Cadet

Clos de l’Oratoire

Château Pavie Decesse

Château Peby Faugères

Château Petit Faurie de Soutard

Château de Pressac

Château le Prieuré

Château Quinault l’Enclos

Château Ripeau

Château Rochebelle

Château Saint-Georges-Cote-Pavie

Clos Saint-Martin

Château Sansonnet

Château la Serre

Château Soutard

Château Tertre Daugay (Quintus)

Château la Tour Figeac

Château Villemaurine

Château Yon-Figeac

DiscoverVin currently stocks 3 wines from St Émilion from different classification levels...

Chateau Dassault 2006 Grand Cru Classé classification retained in 2012. A wine of great power but finesse. 

Chateau Petit Figeac 2007 Grand Cru- an interesting property formerly part of Figeac and adjacent to Cheval Blanc producing great value wines

Chateau Lagarde 2009 St Émilion- a property renewed after a change of ownership and providing a great entry level St Émilion from a great year

New Bordeaux, Decanter, Oz Clarke and DiscoverVin

DiscoverVin has a unique range of wines from the Bordeaux region and South West of France. We are Australia's premier source of well made and value for money wines from this region. When we returned to Australia from living in Bordeaux in 2009, we realised that there were many good value wines not available-so we decided to import them!

One of the things that really impressed us was that some great wines are being produced outside of the expensive Grand Cru Chateaux of the classification system established in 1855. There were many producers making "New Bordeaux"-old vineyards that were producing wines using new methods in the vineyard and in the winery. Many producers have gone or are converting to organic practises. It is almost like a massive renewal going on and there is a determination to respond to the challenge of wines from the new world.

The August 2012 edition of Decanter Magazine features an article by Bordeaux expert Oz Clarke.....

"The veteran wine writer and broadcaster has spent months tasting ‘literally hundreds of wines from the places no smart folk go, from chateaux whose names wouldn’t raise a flicker of recognition...’ for his new book.

And he is ‘amazed and excited by their personality and flavour differences,’ he writes in this month’s Decanter magazine.

Clarke makes the point that the Romans recognised many of these regions – like ‘the tumbling slopes of limestone clay’ of Blaye on the right bank of the Gironde opposite Haut-Medoc – as perfect for vines.

‘The conditions of this grand limestone plateau haven’t got worse, they just need people to make the best of them.’

All over Bordeaux there are wines – ‘the Blayes and Bourgs, Fronsacs, Lalandes-de-Pomerol, Castillons and Francs…’ – that have immeasurably improved as knowledge of viticulture and viniculture has increased, and younger, university-educated generations have taken over.

Clarke visits satellites of St Emilion, like Lalande-de-Pomerol whose wines, he says ‘bear a strong similarity to good Pomerol’, and ‘rising star’ Castillon, whose limestone plateau is the ‘seamless’ extension of the same limestone that nourishes St Emilion’s vines.

‘The attractiveness… the allure of the wines today is completely unrecognisable from the thin, tart, mean-spirited flavours I was auto-ejecting a generation ago,’ he writes.

His conclusion is that ‘there is a vibrancy, a vivacity in the new Bordeaux that guarantee not only its survival but its position of dominance.’ "

Many of the wines that he mentions in this article such as Blaye, Fronsac, St Emilion satellites and Castillons are available from DiscoverVin

Here are a few examples 
Chateau Fontblanche (Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux) 
Chateau Haut-Larriveau (Fronsac)
Chateau Moulin Pey-Labrie (Canon-Fronsac)
Chateau D'Aiguilhe (Castillons-Cotes de Bordeaux)
Chateau La Fleur Poitou (Lussac St Emilion) 
Chateau La Croix Bonneau (Montagne Saint Emilion)

Its an exciting time for these less well known appellations in Bordeaux that are the rising stars!