Drinkin' with the Aussies

September 15 marks National Mollydooker Day, but most people don't even know what Mollydooker stands for. It's Australian for left handed, oh those Aussies. What better way to celebrate their national day than with the winemaker, Sparky, himself.

Held at the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle, we got to mix and mingle with fellow Mollydooker fans as well as Sparky and his mom, Janet. They've been on a US tour over the past few weeks releasing their latest vintage, 2010. Among these are some award winners..Consumer Report just named The Boxer the World's Best Shiraz!! Now that's an honor. Sparky and Sarah Marquis are also award winners and currently hold the record for being King and Queen of Maclaren Vale, the region in South Australia where they grow their grapes.

Needless to say, this dinner/reception was one not to be missed!

My spot at the table

We started with a taste of the 2010 Verdelho which is named The Violinist, the only white of the night. After moving inside the conference room, we were seated at large tables and Janet introduced Sparky. Both lively people, they kept the party going! First off, we tried their main labels: The Scooter (Merlot), The Maitre'D (Cab Sauv), Two Left Feet (blend) and The Boxer (award winning Shiraz). He also explained to us the "Mollydooker Shake". This was new to me! They put nitrogen in their bottles to cut down on sulfites. You perform the Mollydooker Shake in order to release the nitrogen to the top. To do this unscrew the cap, pour out a half glass, put the cap back on, turn upside down and shake. Take the cap back off to release the oxygen and repeat. Afterwards, you'll see a frothy foam at the top of the wine, let it sit for a minute to dissolve and then pour a glass. We tasted the same exact wine before a Mollydooker Shake and after. There is a definite difference! Keep this in mind for all their bottles.

Next came the fun part. Two Left Feet is a blend of The Scooter (18%), The Maitre'D (14%), and the Boxer (68%). Since we had all 3 of those in front of us, we were challenged to make up our own blend and vote at each table for the best one. My blend was 52% Boxer, 36% Maitre'D and 12% Scooter. I came in 2nd at my table and everyone did a great job! As Sparky said, "now you don't need to buy Two Left Feet...you can make your own!" This was a fun, interactive exercise.

Next came the higher end Mollydookers and dinner. On the list were Gigglepot (Cab Sauv), Blue Eyed Boy (Shiraz), Enchanted Path (Shiraz/Cab), Carnival of Love (Shiraz), and lastly Velvet Glove (Shiraz). All of these were outstanding but towards the end my palate was getting tired, needless to say. These great big wines paired perfectly with the steak and potatoes that were served for dinner. Now that's my kinda meal!

Yesterday also marked the day that they would release the name of their new label and someone was going to win a trip to Australia to visit them! I was so excited to be a part of such a release. The new bottle is a sparkling Shiraz which is something they haven't done before and the challenge was to find a name that fit well with their other labels, especially The Boxer and of course the Mollydooker name. Over 5,900 entries were submitted and luckily, the winner was in the room that night. The winner was Jeff from NC with the name....

MISS MOLLY! It was exciting to see him win and they were so grateful to have the opportunity.

The end :(

This was an outstanding event with fun people, great wine and a good experience. Another awesome thing to note, they have added tear off tags to their bottles so you can always remember what wine you had last night. They are also equipped with QR codes that have a locator so you can find the store nearest you that carries Mollydooker. They sure are leading the way in the modern world! I look forward to continuing to drink Mollydooker and now that I've learned quite a bit more about the label and the people, I can't wait to spread the word!