The Purple Palate footprint is growing, with new stores opening this Wednesday at 286 Hawthorne Road (opposite the Hawthorne Cinema) and at the Duporth Tavern at Maroochydore.
We love that many of you have been part of our wine adventure for years, so we’ve put together some piping hot deals to celebrate. To order any of these deals, simply email sales@purplepalate.com and we’ll organise delivery.
If you print out this attached flyer and bring it in to any of our four stores, we’d be delighted to slice 15% of any wines purchased (excepting wines already on special!).

Purple Palate’s Brisbane Director, Darren Davis, will be matching wines to the complex flavours of southern Indian food at the Hilton Brisbane Weekend Masterclass beginning the 24th of July. Davis will team up with renowned chef Latchumanan Supramanian, who boasts over twenty years experience in the industry. Will Darren be able to squeeze any Penfolds Grange into his wine bracket? Why not get along and see? Read more

After a couple of difficult vintages, the mood in McLaren Vale is lifting; and for good reason. James Hook, of Lazy Ballerina wines, describes the 2010 vintage in the Vale as “the best in five years”. Hook is one of the region’s premier viticulturalists, lending his services to many vineyards as well as keeping a close eye on his own.

“The main difference this year is that we’ve had no heatwaves. A mild summer with warm days and cool nights has allowed the fruit to develop in a balanced matter, with softer flavours and riper tannins”. James says that the wines from this vintage will be long-lived and many will benefit greatly from time in the cellar.

Over at Battle of Bosworth Wines, Joch Bosworth describes the vintage succinctly; “It’s a belter”. As I spoke to Joch he was touching wood so as not to tempt fate. ”Shiraz is looking stylish and lush, Cabernet elegant with great flavours and tannins and the whites, whilst producing less than expected, are of a very high quality”.  For lovers of McLaren Vale wines, such as myself, you couldn’t get better news.- Jeremy Pringle

The “Old World” often claims to hold the history of wine in its hands, but when it comes to vine age this is simply not the case. Come the end of the 18th century, the phylloxera pest had ravaged European vines, leaving the oldest vineyards in a state of devastation.

The Barossa managed to escape the mite’s curse and thus the old vines in the valley are vinous historical treasures. One such example is Cirillo’s Grenache vineyard, which is over 150 years old. It produces small yields of exceptionally intense and complex grapes. Wine writer Angus Hughson took a look at Cirillo and other national vineyards of historical import in the Weekend Australian. View the full article.

With Jeremy Oliver rating Kalleske as one of the top ten wineries to watch in his 2010 “Australian Wine Annual” and international critic Robert Parker talking up the 2007 vintage in the current edition of Wine Spectator, Kalleske Wines are moving from strength to strength.

Wine writer Huon Hooke recently awarded the 2008 Kalleske Moppa Shiraz “wine of the week” in The Sydney Morning Herald and the same wine picked up a Gold medal at the 2010 International Organic Wine Awards in Germany. The 2009 Kalleske Rosina Rose also scored Gold at the show. To grab some Kalleske magic get into your nearest Purple Palate store or place an order

The results of the 2010 Tasmanian Wine Show have been released and it comes as no suprise that Sparkling wines, Pinots, Rieslings and Chardonnays have grabbed all the trophies. The very cool climate regions within Tasmania are ideally suited to these grapes, ensuring delicacy and great natural acidity. Purple Palate stores stock a wide range of the Apple Isle’s finest and are more than happy to order wines in, especially for you. To read more about the trophy winners check out the full article.

Adam Barton of Atlas Wines is making a name for himself with just his first release of wines; a Clare Valley Shiraz, a Barossa Shiraz and a Clare Valley Riesling. Gary Walsh of “The Wine Front” wrote, after awarding the 2008 Atlas Barossa 516 Degrees Shiraz 93 points, “Three wines reviewed from this producer and every egg a bird”. Purple Palate were the first in Brisbane to stock Adam’s wines. Pick up a bottle and see what all the hype is about. To read more or place an order click here

Rob “Gibbo” Gibson, of Gibson Wines, has declared the 2010 vintage in the Barossa Valley one of “massive potential for those who work fast”. When I spoke to Rob, he was right in the middle of harvest, picking Shiraz grapes. “The vintage has come on a bit early and strong, but we are seeing superb colour in early ferments and great development of aromas”. The quality of the colour is a good indicator of the capacity of the vintage to produce wines of real value. Gibson also noted that Semillon grapes looked outstanding this year.

In the cooler environment of the Eden Valley subregion, Andrew Holt of Poonawatta Estate was just waiting for the flavours and acidity to reach their optimum levels before picking. “It’s been a very well balanced vintage from start to finish,” Holt said. “With cool nights and no severe heat, we are experiencing even ripening and development”. The Shiraz grapes look like they’ll produce complex wines with ample tannin structure and Riesling is shaping up well too.

Veteran Barossan winemaker Tim Smith pointed out that while the vintage looked very good for most varieties in the Valley, it was showing us yet again that “every vineyard is an individual”. For avid wine lovers this is good news and suggests we have much to look forward to when it comes to vintage 2010 in the Barossa. – Jeremy Pringle