I have had another busy year, finding interesting and obscure wines and bringing them to your attention. Emerging Varietal Wines of Australia was launched in February and I have sold a few copies throughout the year, both from the Amazon website, and from the Vinodiversity website.

I have been meeting winemakers and winelovers each month at the Federation Square. Each month a different Victorian wine region is featured; on 3 and 4 January 2007 we kick off with Sunbury/Macedon Ranges, followed by Geelong on 7 and 8 February. These are very interesting events; a couple of dozen cellar doors are at your disposal and you only need to walk about 50 metres to cover the lot. Come along and say G'day at my little stall.

I have also launched a new website called "Albarino to Zinfandel" see http://recipes.albzin.com It is a collection of recipes for some exciting food pairing ideas with alternative varietal wines. Some have been contributed by wineries as good examples of what to eat with their special wines. The site is a work in progress that will develop through 2007. I will use the recipes for a paperback book to be released later in 2007. By the way the title of the website was suggested by my good friend George Biron, the well known chef, teacher and writer.

I have become a WC!

Some men are born great, some men become great and some men become WCs. There are women WCs as well, including my friend Jennifer Rosen the Cork Jester. So the highlight of 2006 for me is that I have become a WC. That's right, I'm now a Wine Centurion. This means I have recorded that I have tasted over one hundred wine grape varieties and registered the fact with the Wine Century Club.

You can become a WC too, all you need to do is go to the WCC at https://www.vinodiversity.com/wgvt and follow the links to the Century Club. It's fun, educational and won't fade your curtains.

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A couple of commercial messages.

Our Sydney warehouse has some wonderful bargains going out in the Weekly specials. Just follow this link https://www.vinodiversity.com/weeklyspecials to find some quality wines at half price, including Verdelho, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz and Petit verdot.

There are still some excellent wines to be had at the Vinodiversity Wine Club. see https://www.vinodiversity.com/australian-wine-club.html

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The best news is last. I have made an arrangement with Steve De Long to be the Australian distributor of his famous Wine Grape Varietal Table. Aussie buyers will be able to get their copy for a much reduced freight rate. I will get my first shipment early in the new year. You can order your copy for delivery to an Australian address at this site http://varietytable.albzin.com Note if you live in the US you can get the table postage free, but only if you order before 18 Dec.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has supported me and Vinodiversity in many ways throughout the year. Your feedback and advice is most welcome.

Have a safe holiday season. Enjoy a sparkling red with the turkey, a Vermentino with the prawns and a Barbera with those BBQ sausages.