Westpac Wine Night 2024
Maybe its easiest to start with who and what we are not! We are not a supermarket, discount chain, lowest-common-denominator liquor outlet. In some ways we are not even a retailer who could be selling anything; tyres, widgets or beanie boos! We can only sell one thing…WINE!
What we are is an independently owned wine merchant, driven by our collective passion to source and share some of the greatest wines in the world with a similarly passionate group of punters…many of which are now friends and part of the PWS family.
There are two owners: Michael McNamara and Alex Wilcox (and their long-suffering wives) and together with 42 other committed (or perhaps should be committed) staff they run three wine retail outlets in South Melbourne and Sydney as well as a wine bar/restaurant Bellota and a wine cellarage business called Liquid Assets. In addition to this educate and have, for some years, now run the benchmark WSET qualification in Victoria and NSW and a suite of more informal courses written by the ourselves and our staff.
We import from a strong portfolio of producers from France, Italy, New Zealand and California that reflect our love of wines that are made by people who share our passion for great wine and wines that reflect their place.
So without getting too carried away and to put it succinctly, we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine.
Who else would you wanna buy wine from!
Founded by Alex Wilcox and Michael McNamara.
Veneto
Veneto
Up northeast, Veneto's a province that has it all. From mountains to fertile plains and a lagoon on the Adriatic seaside. Red or white? Reds from Valpolicella range from juicy, medium bodied reds to richer full bodied, powerful dried grape styles of Amarone and its little cousin Ripasso. Prosecco is the fun time fizz for when friends pop in, with its peach, green apple and pastry notes. But again, head for the hills where the quality producers farm their vineyards. The best examples come from the Conegliano zone, specifically the Cartizze hill. The simpler wines are best put to use when aperitivo hour strikes, in either a Bellini or a Spritz. Grapes Favourite Producers
Holidaymakers will know it for romantic spots like Verona and the faded majesty of Venice's canals and treasures like the Rialto, the Guggenheim and the Aperol Spritz.
Equally adept with white as with red, but in Veneto, finding quality is key. There's the handsomely named smoky, crisp dry whites of Soave and the more familiar Pinot Grigio. The best both come from hillier vineyards.
Garganega (in Soave), Pinot Grigio
Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella (in Valpolicella)
Glera (in Prosecco)
Soave - Pieropan, Prà, Anselmi, Inama, Tamellini
Valpolicella - La Dama, Masi, Quintarelli, Allegrini, Tedeschi, Dal Forno, Zenato, L'Arco
Prosecco - Nino Franco, Bellussi, Bellenda, Adami, Ruggeri
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Pieropan Soave Classico 2022The 2022 Soave Classico is a total pleasure on the nose. Sweet smoke and mint nuances complement tropical green melon notes. This soothes with its soft textures while stimulating the senses with a zesty mix of brisk acidity and candied citrus. It tapers off crisp and clean with an inner floral resonance as lemon oil traces slowly fade. I would drink this any night of the week. What a treat. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com2022GarganegaItaly499$36.00 As low as $32.40