The Espresso Martini is perfect for pre-drinks, the main event or a nightcap.

Tasting Notes:
The Espresso Martini has hints of chocolate, caramel and is topped with a frothed head and a velvety-smooth finish.

Make it a Mocktail:
Don't forget, all of my mixers already come booze-free and can be served as a mocktail! Simply add 45ml of water to your Mr. Consistent cocktail for the booze-free option!

VINEYARD AND FARMING
Planted in 2002, Doctors Flat is a single 3-hectare vineyard in Bannockburn. The schist subsoil was ground off the Cairnmuir Mountains by glacial ice and deposited here about 480,000 years ago. The glacial action and millennia of weathering have
generated an abundance of clay and fine silt in the vineyard gravel. We know soil texture drives wine texture and this vineyard produces Pinot Noir with density, fine tannin and great texture. We farm organically to help grow and sustain soil biology.
In turn the soil microlife harvest and transport nutrient and minerals to the vine. It’s this connection between vineyard and vine that gives Doctors Flat Pinot Noir its character and sense of place.

WINEMAKING
The winemaking is a simple programme of small open tanks, close attention, minimal inputs and a very light hand in the extraction process with only three punch downs. In 2021 20% of the fruit went directly to tank as whole bunches. Fermentation occurred spontaneously and after 21 to 24 days on skins the wine was drained to French oak barrels (22% new). Malolactic was delayed until spring and SO2 not added until late summer. After a full 12 months in barrel the wine was racked to tank for a second winter, then bottled 20 months after harvest.

Akitu A1 has all the bells and whistles of great Pinot Noir with seductive red floral and fruity aromas leading into a full bodied, silky and structured wine with 40% whole bunch fermentation and five different clones of Pinot Noir adding complexity. The dominant clone in the blend is Abel (a clone is a variation of a grape variety), which lends this Pinot its impressive structure and a silky mouthfeel. It goes without saying that it takes a warm year and ripe grapes to include a high proportion of whole bunches in the fermentation tank, stalks and all. This wine benefits from its high portion of whole bunches and is possibly the best A1 from Akitu yet. A modest 20% new French oak was used to mature the wine. This lends it weight, smoothness and a soft mouthfeel while allowing the fruit to remain in second place after the charry complexity.

The home of Akitu 

Andrew Donaldson planted his vineyard with 100% Pinot Noir in 2002 and has since developed three distinctive styles of wine from this great red grape variety. Two reds (Akitu A 1 and Akitu A2) lead the production while a Pinot Blanc is now part of the high quality stable of wines from this producer. 

Donaldson employs winemaker P J Charteris to make the wines. 

At Mt Barker, in New Zealand's South Island, in a high glacial valley of sunshine and rain shadow on the edge of the earth, each season leave its own vivid imprint on our vintage.  Extreme temperature variations, alpine air, altitude, adversity... all the wild elements of this exhilarating land combine in a Pinot Noir of great quality from the world's southernmost wine region.

It sounds Japanese but it's as American as having a BMI of 32. The Yakima Valley in Washington state, situated in the top left corner of the lower 48, is home to some of our favourite hop varieties, the tiny green flavour bombs that powered the whole craft beer renaissance from the get go. Liberty is what it smells like.

Pilsner, 5.0%

Crafted, as all good German-like pilsner should be, to be necked in responsibly large quantities while sitting in das Biergarten un bratwurst und sauerkraut. PROST Mein Bruder, trinken wir viel davon verantwortungsvoll! Ya ya ya!

The home of Akitu 

Andrew Donaldson planted his vineyard with 100% Pinot Noir in 2002 and has since developed three distinctive styles of wine from this great red grape variety. Two reds (Akitu A 1 and Akitu A2) lead the production while a Pinot Blanc is now part of the high quality stable of wines from this producer. 

Donaldson employs winemaker P J Charteris to make the wines. 

At Mt Barker, in New Zealand's South Island, in a high glacial valley of sunshine and rain shadow on the edge of the earth, each season leave its own vivid imprint on our vintage.  Extreme temperature variations, alpine air, altitude, adversity... all the wild elements of this exhilarating land combine in a Pinot Noir of great quality from the world's southernmost wine region.

Liberty's West Coast IPA Challenge entry for 2018. Juicy and fruity. Unfiltered. 

6.6% ABV.

Commercial description

Immediately appealing on the nose showing dark cherry, roasted nut, game, warm mushroom and rich floral aromas. The palate delivers terrific weight and richness, splendidly supported by velvety texture and layers of polished tannins. Graceful and harmonious with an impressive long silky finish.

From the Producer

"Gentle lemon appearance with a prominent enticing nose. Aromas of citrus, melon, tropical fruit and sweet nuts. A refined palate with a pleasant citrusy acidity, creamy mouth coating textures and a remarkably long finish. Shisty minerality, flavours and textures reflect the soils of our Bendigo vineyard. A delightful wine after a hot day in the sun or a cold day on the mountain. Drinking well now till 2033."

Food pairings:Mediterranean cheese and olive platter, hot smoked salmon with new potatoes, chilled cucumber soup. 

Expert Review - This Bendigo Chardonnay shows delicate floral with balanced fruit, layering over a lightly creamy mouthfeel and silky phenolics, enticing acidity ripples through the palate and lends a savoury, mineral finish. 94pts, Candice Chow  

This is the latest release of our estate pinot noir and was made from mainly 18 year old vines (Clones 5, 6, Abel, 667, 115, 777). Bright ruby appearance, and a bouquet filled with scents of place then ripe red berry fruits and dark cherry. Soft notes of toasted cedar display the 11 months of barrel ageing. On the palate, a core of deep dark fruits is balanced with hints of fresh late summer berries. The intimate touch of winemaking is evident in the light vanilla oak notes, subtle body and the unassuming but long finish. Drinking well now but will develop in the cellar for 10 plus years. 

“It's gorgeously ripe and enticing, the wine shows Black Doris plum, wild strawberry, rich floral, warm spice and toasted almond characters, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate displaying fleshy texture combined with beautifully melded tannins, finishing persistent and delectable. At its best: now to 2033.” 95 points 5 stars outstanding Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

For over a decade Antipodes water has been consistently rated as one of the finest waters in the world and the purest in New Zealand. This is their softly beaded sparkling water, presented in a stylish, contemporary and elegant glass bottle. 

This superb water comes from a 327m deep pressured aquifer, taking up to 300 years to naturally filter through a fine-grained volcanic rock. The precious source is located in the rural Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, which has a population density of less than one person per square kilometre. 

Antipodes fine artesian water offers the highest degree of purity, pristine mineral flavours and neutrality, which makes it an ideal companion for fine food and wine. The bottle design is clean and simple, reflecting the purity of the water. 

Antipodes became the world’s first and is still the only mineral water to be carboNZero certified. From the source, to any dining table in the world antipodes leaves behind absolutely no carbon footprint.

"The 2021 Paulmara Estates Marananga Shiraz is a powerful and opulent expression of Barossa Valley’s renowned Marananga subregion. Deep and concentrated, this Shiraz bursts with aromas of blackberry, dark plum, and blueberry, intertwined with notes of dark chocolate, spice, and well-integrated oak. The palate is rich and full-bodied, offering velvety tannins and layers of black fruit, licorice, and espresso, leading to a long, lingering finish.

Paulmara Estates, founded by Paul and Mara Georgiadis, is known for producing wines that reflect the strength and character of their vineyard sites. With a focus on small-batch winemaking and meticulous craftsmanship, they create wines that are both bold and elegant."

-Quoco Wines

Intense ruby colour with a pronounced, deep aroma. A nose of dark cherry, black plums, wild thyme and gentle oak spice. A bold, concentrated and balanced palate, with dark fruits, mushroom, dried spices and gentle wood flavours. Scrumptious textures with a gripping but lush mouthfeel, balanced acidity, gum coating tannin and a long refined finish. A truly special wine that reflects our viticultural, winemaking and lifestyle practices. Incredible drinking now but well worth cellaring for 10+ years.

Food pairings: 

Perfect winter wine for beside the fire, venison stew, slow cooked beef cheeks.

Expert Reviews

Impressively complex and enticing, the bouquet shows dark plum, wild strawberry, thyme, porcini, cured meat, and hazelnut aromas. The concentrated palate exhibits plush texture and expansive mouthfeel, superbly framed by beautifully melded tannins, simultaneously making it sumptuous and refined with a sustained, gratifying finish. At its best: now to 2035.

96 points, 5 stars Sam Kim, Wine Orbit.

Great colour and brightness with a bouquet to match, there's power and richness with scents of ripe red berry fruits and new barrel  spices, smoke and draw. Aromas of dried raspberry and plum, violet and rose, then a mineral clay and stoy soil quality. Delicious on the palate with noticeable textures from tannins and acidity framing the core fruit flavours very nicely. An impactful wine with complexity and tension, lengthy and purity. Best drinking from 2027 through 2034+.

95 Points - Outstanding, Cam Douglas MW

Combining lovely fruitiness with an attractive freshness and characteristic minerality, Chablis is a wine region with global renown. Domaine William Fèvre’s vineyards sit on Kimmeridgian subsoil and enjoy ideal exposures for the production of a very fine wine.

The nose reveals a fleshy and elegant bouquet with citrus, white fruit and floral aromas. The palate is fresh and supple, underscored by stony minerality.

Domaine William Fevre has led the Chablis revival over the past decade with its refined, full bodied, dry white wines, all 100% Chardonnay, of course, as this appellation is devoted entirely and solely to this great white grape variety.