The Finer Things (Down The Gurgler)

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's October 22, 2026 newsletter

G’day,

Turns out my life isn’t all pasta fuelled fermentations on the Adriatic Coast, there’s a bit going on back here - and all of it tastes good, heaps good.

Down at my namesake we’ve had the ladies from Flock churning out rotisserie chicken over the past coupla Sundays. Truly Gods Work. This week is their sojourn unfortunately comes to a close, so if you haven’t samples the wares already, I’d be making firm plans to swing round on Sunday between 2:30-6ish. Personally I have consumed roughly 4.6kg of chicken and potato in the past fortnight, and feel immense for it. We’ll be doing our usual thing on the wine front, although rumour has it that several allocations will be making the short but mighty trip from Bethnal Green to Dalston for the occasion. First in best dressed and all that. Cya down there to see if I can make it an even 6.

In the blue-zone which is our warehouse there are new arrivals from the Southern Hemisphere. One I import, and another I wanted to import. Sliding doors and all that. In a world of hype-juice, these are the releases that we all actually need.

Sailor Seeks Horse should need little intro, so I’ll keep it brief. They’re friends, sure, but that doesn’t cloud my judgement when it comes to bottled grape juice. What Paul and Gilli are able to conjure up from their home vineyard down in southern Tasmania is nothing short of miraculous. This is a site which gives painfully low yields, yet extreme levels of expression and tension. In the landscape of Australian winemaking, and specifically Tasmanian, theirs are truly singular expressions. I worked there in 2019 and it was a backbreaking yet beautiful few weeks of punch-downs, excessive manual labour and phenomenal drinking. I have fond memories and perhaps that’s why I took the plunge myself, seeing what beauty can be created from beautiful yet harsh environs.

This year we’ve received a small amount of new bottlings, including their Huldufolk Chardonnay - this is the top barrel selection, changing each vintage clone wise and cooperage wise - and Dijon Clone Pinot Noir - both Paul and Gilli are clone nerds, something not spoken about much in Europe where things are ideally massale, but a big deal elsewhere.

By small I mean small, 2 doz Huldufolk made it to these shores, and half is accounted for, ditto with the Dijon Pinot, when they’re gone they’re gone. I went as hard as possible on the Estate wines, the things we do for ya’ll. You can get yours here. Don’t dally.

Still vaguely in that neck of the woods…

Adrian Rodda is a great bloke and stunning winemaker. I met him on a long boozy weekend down in Beechworth in a former life. We were hitting all the main spots, Giaconda etc, and amongst epic visit and meal after epic visit and meal these were the wines that stuck longest. When we started importing from home, A Rodda was on the list, but for one reason or another it didn’t work out. Fast-forward several years and his wines are finally in the UK via another mate, so things aren’t all bad.

You’ve likely never heard of the alpine commune of Beechworth, which is fair enough, but in the landscape of primo Australian wine, and in particular Chardonnay, it is god-tier vineyard territory. Many of my favourite producers are operating here, and most of them make such little wine it doesn’t leave those luck shores. Look on the map and you’ll see we are fully in no-mans-land. Gold rush territory. What were once quarries and the site of fortune or bust are now spectacular terraced vineyards as well as the site of fortune or bust. We’re in Chardy heaven, with a smattering of other plantings, namely Nebbiolo and Bordeaux blends, doing really well here.

The wines are muscular yet poised, almost like looking in the mirror, and year on year some of the worlds best value: quality. Quote me.

We took what we could, so you can take yours here.

As with Sailor Seeks Horse, the quantities are small. If you want to consume the best, then look no further.

So there you have it, endless Chicken and Chardy options and opportunities.

xoxo
Dan