Social Groups - Wine Appreciation
March 13th 2025
The wine group were out again! This time it was a visit to West Cape Howe for a tour, a sip or two and a spot of lunch.
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November 28th 2024
Held in the entrance bar, members enjoyed a selection of finger food while the wine flowed freely. The festive atmosphere had everyone mingling happily.
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October 2024
Our Italian themed night was a great success with delicious food
(see menu) and Italian music. Prize winners for the Italian trivia
quiz were Robin and Helena, who took home a bottle of
champagne for their winning answers. A special mention goes to
Sue Allan, who had the most entertaining response to the
question: Which Roman gladiator led a slave uprising? Her
answer: Russell Crowe!
Guests brought along a varied selection of Italian wines. We reminisced about how in the 70s, we would put drippy candles into the empty raffia-wrapped Chianti bottles for that perfect romantic touch.
We finished the evening with Peter’s homemade limoncello and
a singalong of That’s Amore with Dean Martin.
September 2024
This month we enjoyed a Blind Tasting event where we had to identify six red wines, with prices ranging from $12 to $47. Each of us teamed up with a partner to match the tasting notes to the correct wine. Ruth and Brian were the only pair to score 100%.
The favourite on the night was the mid range Ironwood, priced at $26.
Colour: Deep purple
Aroma: Berry notes
Palate: Mulberry, raspberry, strawberry and spice flavours, with a hint of oak and smooth tannins.
Peter and Vicki put together a great selection for the evening, including bottles from local wineries, an Italian wine, and even one they brought back from Bali. Peter’s research and engaging presentation always make for an entertaining evening that we all appreciate.
2024 Mid-year Dinner
Our Indian themed meeting was a great success, with delicious food and wine pairings. Carmel impressed us all by making 54 beef samosas and nearly the same amount of potato samosas, along with our delightful kulfi dessert. The rest of us contributed butter chicken curry, vegetarian curry, plenty of rice, piles of naan bread and poppadoms, all of which paired wonderfully with our chosen wine. Some members shared interesting facts about India, and we played spin the chocolate wheel a couple of times to win a bottle of bubbly.| Slide 1 of 15 | ||
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2023 End of Year Dinner
Members of the Wine Appreciation Group donned their finery and adjourned to Ajar on Shadforth for their final 2023 gathering.A very festive evening of wining and dining was enjoyed by all.
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27th July 2023
A very pleasant evening spent with extensive wine tasting at West Cape Howe winery followed by dinner at Wing Hing Chinese Restaurant, Mt Barker.Good thing none of us had to drive!
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June 2023
The group departed from its usual format and travelled to Dan Murphy’s for a bit of whiskey tasting. Some were already whiskey enthusiasts and of those that were not I am not sure that many of us would become converts!
2022 Windup
The Wine Appreciation Group wound up 2022 with a meal at Ajar| Slide 1 of 7 | ||
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June 23rd 2022
Our June meeting was relocated to Vicki and Peter's warm and toasty home. Some of us wore our Jim-jams!
The small number of attendees did not detract from the enjoyment the evening offered. See what you miss out on when you stay at home!
July 22nd 2021
What a fantastic night we had wine tasting at Dan Murphy’s on 22nd July. The evening exceeded all our preconceived expectations, we were warmly welcomed by Store Manager Damian.The team had set out a seating area with displays of the wines we would be tasting as well as forms and pens so that we could keep track of what we had and what we thought of it A selection of eight wines were provided ranging from Riesling to a very pleasant Sticky to finish. I think it would be fair to say that the wine of choice for the night was a 2014 Bordeaux. The tastings provided inspiration for our members to purchase something new to take along to enjoy with their meal at the Venice restaurant.
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November 26th 2020
As usual the Wine Appreciation group gathered for a christmas themed evening of chatting, nibbling imbibing and merriment. All too soon we had to vacate the room but reluctant for the evening to end many retired to Kaye and Harry’s to extend the enjoyment.| Slide 1 of 7 | ||
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August 2019
If Bruce couldn’t make it to wine appreciation the group made sure it made it to him.| Slide 1 of 5 | ||
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November 2018
The Wine Appreciation Group decided to get an early start on the Christmas festivities so headed off out for a celebration lunch at The Tavern on 29th November.| Slide 1 of 8 | ||
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June 2018 - Wine Appreciation Group Dinner
June 14th saw the Wine group head off for a sneaky extra imbibement at Kaye and Harry’s place. The evening was enhanced by a wonderful feast of soups, finger foods and desserts.What an excellent way to pass a winter evening.
November 2017
Our group has slowly grown and this year 22 members trekked out to Yilgarnia to celebrate the drawing to a close of another year of sipping and discovering.A welcome surprise was the complementary Marron dish brought out as a starter. Most of the group had opted for the seafood and the chicken dishes which were thoroughly enjoyed. The meal was completed with a delicious dessert, coffee and chocolates. A most enjoyable sojourn.
October 2017
The group enjoyed a wide variety of Pinot with samples ranging from Pinot Noir to the blended Pinotage from South Africa.September 2017
A diminished group (illness and travel) gathered to indulge in, and to enjoy a medley of Cabernet sipping.We were, of course, a month late in celebrating this wonderful collection of wines. This year Cabernet Day fell on the 31st August but who is to say that the discovery of this fine wine cannot be celebrated more than once in the year.
August 2017
Wine choice for August was Californian/American wines.July 2017
In July we broke from our usual format and we all gathered at Kaye and Harry’s for a modified pot luck dinner. Various members supplied an array of foods including pre-dinner nibbles of smoked salmon and cream cheese. These were followed by sumptuous soups (ham and pea - pumpkin), a selection for mains, curry and rice, vegetable bake, moroccan chicken, lasagna and salads. The evening was rounded off with berry panacotta and a lemon merengue cheesecake.
June 2017
June found us sampling Argentinian wines - and very nice they were too11th May 2017
It was Thursday 11th May, there were 19 of us on the cruise. Paul the skipper had kindly agreed us to depart at 4.30pm instead of the usual 5.30pm, so we could take in the view before it got dark. Even though it was a chilly night, we were all cosy inside the boat. It was also BYO, so we all bought along our favourite drop.We headed down river for a kilometre or two, then turned around and came back to the jetty near the park, where our pre-ordered fish and chips were delivered. They were delicious, compliments to the Denmark Hotel. We then set off again toward the inlet, where Paul stopped for a while so we could enjoy our dinner. After that we headed back to the caravan park where we all departed after thanking our host and saying our goodbyes.
Some people had never been on a boat in the river/inlet before so it was a first for many.
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7th April
A beautiful Spring day saw 15 members make their way out to Yilgarnia Wines for wine tasting and lunch. Shared Platters were produced for entrees, Mains and Desserts followed along with complimentary chocolates. Three members were recipients of bonus prizes - one receiving a bottle of win, the other two going home with a bunch of flowers.23rd March
The South Australian wines were well received in March.23rd February
The theme for February was local wines. Rob tried to “palm” us off with a Grange Wine (???) but we were all too wise for that. (Fake label), next time we will make him drink it all whist we carry on with the wonderful variety on offer.19th January 2017
Met on 19th January at the Morgan Richards Centre. The theme was your favourite tipple. Everyone was in good spirits following the Christmas break. A wide variety and styles of wine were there to be tasted. There was even a nice German Riesling. Wines from local vineyards and South Australia predominated. It was interesting to see what wines people seemed to appreciate most. The evening was full of the usual fun and frivolity, and we welcomed Robin to our midst and she enjoyed herself immensely. Well done to everyone.November 24th
As the group will not be meeting in December we decided to mark the end of the year with lunch at Windrush Winery preceded by wine tasting at West Cape Howe and a short visit to St Werburgh’s Chapel.Twenty happy, chatty members spent a very enjoyable day doing just that.
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22nd September
The theme of the evening was Chilean Wine, they ranged from Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon to an unknown Carmenere which is a red wine similar to the Cabernet Sauvignon but somewhat nicer. Most wines came from the Casillero Del Diablo winery, the second largest in the world.For a special tipple the group purchased a bottle of Wolfblass Brown Label Classic Shiraz 2013. This excellent wine show-cased one of the finest Shiraz blends of the vintage (2013) and it certainly went down a treat.
August 25th
Met on Thursday 25th August, 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Morgan Richards Community Centre. The evening was a showcase of New Zealand Wines. The wines showcased came from two similar climatic zones. Marlborough (near the top of the South Island, East Coast) and Hawksbay which is about half way up the North Island also on the East Coast.Sparkling Curvee, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir were among the wines sampled, with most coming from the Oyster Bay Vineyard which has vines in both regions. Whilst there was no standout all were of good quality. Another great evening had by all.
The next meeting will be the 22nd September, 5-7pm, Morgan Richards Community Centre with Chilean wines being tasted. $2.00 per person to cover cost of Hall – all welcome. Please bring small plate of cheese and nibbles to share.
July 28th
Wine Appreciation group was held on Thursday 28th July, 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Morgan Richards Community Centre. Fun, fellowship and friendship is certainly to the fore on the occasions when this group meets. Everyone certainly enjoys themselves, even those who don’t imbibe.The evening was devoted to French or Italian wines, but French won the day as everyone brought along French, so maybe we will have Italian another day. Another unusual feature was that only Red wine was presented, no one had chosen or maybe could not procure, a French white. The wines presented were all very drinkable though did not seem to be as full bodied as Australian wines. The wines came from all over France, ranging from Pinot Noir from the south to Cabernet and Shiraz from the Burgundy region. The pick of the night was a Chateau Paul Mas from Appellation Du Langue doe which Rosemary and Neville brought along. Another great evening had by all.
NOTE: apart from the new time frame of 5-7pm, the group meet on the fourth Thursday of every month. The next gathering will be the 25th August focusing on New Zealand wines.
June 23rd
Was on Thursday 23rd June, 4:00pm to 6:00pm at the Morgan Richards Community Centre Art Gallery. Everything is starting to fall into place for this new group. Please note: new time frame of 5:00pm – 7:00pm.A very pleasant evening is had by those who have attended and they certainly appreciate the tasting of the various and varied wines brought along – the nibbles help too.
Apart from the new time frame, the group will meet on the fourth Thursday of the month from now on. The next gathering will be the 28th July focusing on French/Italian wines.
$2.00 per person to cover cost of Hall – all welcome. Please bring small plate of cheese and nibbles.
May 19th
The Wine appreciators had a meeting on Thursday 19th May and a very merry bunch they were too.Noting the low cost of the wine, $10.00 or under per bottle, it was found the tasting and quality of the wine was not compromised (at least not to our unsophisticated palates). From Semillon to the lovely Burge Shiraz everyone seemed to find at least one wine that stood out, though maybe not the one they thought that would.
To those who find their palate more sophisticated my apologies, the evening was finished with a tasting of a warm and smooth Tawny Port. What a nice way to end an Autumn evening.
Bottoms up!
April 21st
Our very first meeting of the Denmark River Probus Wine Appreciation Group was held on Thursday 21st April at 4-6pm at the Morgan Richards Community Centre in one of the ‘Over 55’s rooms.We know we all like wine, but to try and understand a little of what wine a person likes and why, gave rise to an interesting and sometime hilarious outcome.
The selection of wines presented covered a wide range of both Red and White. The Gentleman’s Wine that Peter and Vicki brought was the best Red wine on the day with a hint of Port making it quite smooth.
It was a great start to the Wine Group, with the next meeting being pencilled in for the 26th May, full details to follow.
