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n the subject of able pianists, and the possibility of pinot [noir] envy, you may be intrigued to learn that my researches have disclosed that red wines of that variety are at their most agreeable when presented at bedroom temperature." Max Lake

Flying back from Maroochydore airport last month I encountered the latest in upgraded airport security - they confiscated my favourite waiters friend, the one with the Teflon-coated corkscrew. I'd never thought of it as a weapon before, more as a boon to humankind - but you never know... "It'll be destroyed this afternoon." said the security dude. "Yeah, sure." I replied. He also snapped the one inch nailfile off my handy Trim nail clippers. You can see the well-manicured hijacker can't you? "Turn this plane around or I'll file your nails right down to the quick." The safety precautions continued on board the Qantas flight, table settings of plastic cups and stirrers and so forth. But when I ordered some wine* it came in a glass bottle. Anyone who's seen a barroom brawl will know how devastating the end of a broken bottle can be when used as a weapon. (*187ml of Hardys Nottage Hill Chardonnay 2001 at an exorbitant $6 - Dan Murphys has the 750 ml bottle at $6.95.) I don't know what the CEO of Qantas had for lunch on that day but we had the vegetarian special. It came in a container ominously labelled "Snack", with the blurb: "Enjoy a new level of inflight food service inspired by the flavours of Australia, created for you by our consulting chef Neil Perry." The box contained a 35 gram cellophane pack of dried "Fruit and nut snack" and a small fresh fruit salad. Mmmm. Thanks Neil, I was inspired. A friend had a similar fruit salad on a more recent flight. She said it was fermenting by the time it got to her but at least that saved her buying any alcohol.

Tasted Absinthe

Does absinthe really make the brain grow fondue? Absinthe, having been banned in most western countries since the early 1900s, seems to be making a comeback. Palirna U Zeleneho Stromu Absinth (sic) an absinthe made in the Czech Republic, is now on sale in Australia. Once the favoured drink of luminaries such as Oscar Wilde, Baudelaire, Rimbaud and diverse bohemians, the liqueur is allegedly hallucinogenic, due to a constituent, thujone. Thujone - a toxic substance - comes from the herb wormwood (artemisia absinthium). However, depending on which internet site on absinthe you read, thujone may or may not be present in some of the latter day Czech absinthe brands. (I e-mailed Palirna to ask how many parts per million their product contains but have not yet received a reply.) Aside from any hallucinogenic potential the liqueur is quite alcoholic. The bottle I bought (500ml, $61 at King and Godfree) indicates on the label that the alcohol content is 60%, equivalent to 16 standard drinks, while Palirna's website states their product has an alcohol content of 70%. I enquired about this discrepancy and found that the 60% brew has been made especially for the apparently wimpish Australian market. (Whatever, somebody has done their sums wrong. The number of standard drinks in a 500ml bottle of 60% alcohol is around 23.7, not 16. Formula: size of container (500ml i.e. .5L) x stated alcohol content (60%) x specific gravity of alcohol (.789). Thus, .5 x 60 x .789 = 23.67 - rounded to 23.7.) Traditionally absinthe drinkers pour chilled water though a sugar cube into the absinthe - about one part absinthe to five parts water. As the sugar dissolves, the mixture is said to turn milky. I tried a shot the other night. Next day my 16-year-old daughter asked me if I'd hallucinated. "No more than usual." I replied. Palirna's pale green liqueur has a delicate herbal and anise fragrance. Its palate is quite dry and reminded me of both Ouzo and Pernod. Try as I might I couldn't make it go milky as I poured water into it.

Cider Red wine can be a bit over the top when the summer temperature is in the thirties; beer and white wine are OK, but looking for a refreshing change I bought a couple of bottles of cider to try. First off was Mercury Dry Cider, (5.5% alcohol) made from, says the label, "Tasmanian apples". It is almost water pale with an effervescence that sent micro-droplets up the nose with the initial sip. Light appley fragrance, clean, prickly and medium dry on the palate. Deliciously swallowable and dangerously moreish on a hot summer's evening. Around $1.50 the 375ml bottle. Next was Lilydale Dry Cider - (4.7% alcohol) I was taken with a pretty picture of three rosy apples captioned "Australian Apples" on the front of the label. "Yes." I thought. "This'll be made from prime new season cider apples from the Yarra Valley, etc. etc." - until I got home and read the small print: "Contains approx. 10% pear juice. Made from local and imported apple concentrate." Hmmm. Medium yellow in colour and medium sweet - of ripe apples - to my palate (sugar from the pear juice?). Soft in the mouth - the glass I tried lost its bead before I finished it. I much preferred the Mercury. Lilydale is made by Bulmer Australia and sells for around $2.60 the 750ml bottle. $ign of the times

Are expensive wines starting to gather dust on retailers' shelves? Last week at the local Dan Murphys I saw Wynns super-premium wines, the Michael 1998 and the John Riddoch 1998, discounted to $49.95 each. I recall that when these wines were released last year they retailed around town for between $80 and $90. Second pressings Anti-discrimination laws apply when hiring casuals too - grapeandwine.com.au Wine glut fear after record harvest - dailytelegraph.news.com.au Barrels and more barrels - at Wine Business Monthly Tables turned on wines - latest on Oz wine stats - theage.com.au Info tech in the winery - Grape expectations - it.mycareer.com.au Watchdog muzzles pair over forecasts - thewest.com.au Pubs use blacks' cash cards - news.com.au Big dry leaves Queensland awash with wine - news.com.au 2,500-year-old wine discovered in wreck near France - ananova.com GM vines given EU seal of approval - decanter.com Oz red wine production has surpassed white wine for the first time - industrysearch.com.au Hill Wine Group goes into administration - just-drinks.com Palaeontologists peruse prehistoric pavement pizza - newscientist.com Links - check it out! Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Hypermaps - Victoria's wineries Wines and wineries of Victoria Corkwatch Corkfacts - Amorim Private Eye The Chaser - tasteless fun for all Wines of New Zealand Australian Sommeliers Association Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation Wines Beers and Spirits of the Net - Dean Tudor's comprehensive list of world booze links Bookfinder - Book meta-searcher - especially good for rare and out of print wine and food books Wine-searcher Winerobot The Planet - World music for netsurfing and wine drinking - 10 programs on-line anytime from ABC Radio National Bootleg Books and Project Gutenberg - Literature online

© Martin Field