Literary Elixirs - Meg Brodtmann - Rob Dolan Wines

This episode I am joined by Master of Wine, Meg Brodtmann. Meg recently joined the team at Rob Dolan Wines, a lovely Winery and Cellar Door in South Warrandyte part of Victoria’s Yarra Valley wine region. Founded by local legend Rob Dolan after 25 years of making wine for some of Australia’s most iconic wineries, this is the only winery which I have joined the wine club of, ever!

Meg actually started her winemaking journey in Australia with Rob before heading overseas and eventually ending up in beautiful Chile. She became the first Australian woman to pass the Master of Wine exam in 2002 and came back to Oz in 2008 working for wineries and sharing her knowledge and love of wine through education and is now the Education and Global Outreach human for Rob Dolan Wines!

The pairings:  

2020 Rose - Fresh and youthful this is a pale strawberry coloured wine with a cherry, red currant and rose petals aroma and a palate of red currant that is crisp and textural with a dry and savoury finish.

The other side of the sky by Australian writer Amie Kaufman and American writer Meagan Spooner

There is a sinking city in the sky and a dying surface on the planet. A prince and the living god of her people whose magic has yet to reveal itself.

A beautiful blend of technology and magic this book is super fresh and youthful having only just been published in September and is a Young Adult book. The world-building is so vivid and the characters are lively and fun. There’s loads going on and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. It is a really fun read, with great characters and an interesting story which you’ll get through far too quickly and you’ll want more where it came from … just like this Rose!

2017 Arneis - pale straw, floral, crisp and textural this is a lean wine, smooth and creamy, nicknamed the 'little rascal'.

Silk by Alessandro Baricco

A pandemic is wiping out silkworms in France so a pilgrimage to Japan is undertaken and a forbidden love is uncovered.

The book I am going to pair with the Arneis is a lot older than the last one I mentioned … it was published in Italy in 1996 and translated into English in 1997 and again in 2006. This is a slim book, more of a novella even, written by an Italian and set in France and Japan … but don’t be fooled into thinking this small, romantic sounding tale is anything less than stunning! It has those crisp, textural and ripe elements of the Arneis and for such a small book there is so much to it, layers of beauty which will linger long after you finish reading it. It might be tough to find these days but it’s well worth the effort!

2017 Cab Sav  - A deep crimson purple wine full of blackcurrant, forest fruits, bay leaf and cedar with juicy dark fruits, mocha this is a balanced and complex wine with fine tannins.

The forgotten garden by Kate Morton

Dark fairytales, a foundling, a secret garden and a love denied. This is the first Kate Morton book I read, and although I like all of her books, this is still my favourite. It is beautifully written, with three generations of women telling their story. Layered, delightful and seductive, this is an atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory, a book to savour, with a hint of darkness and perfect to read whilst sipping at this delicious Cab Sav!