PENFOLDS GRANGE SPECIALIST
Only bottles in excellent condition of Australia's greatest wine are available for our customers. We will not sell bottles with label or capsule damage or if the level of the wine is below very high shoulder (VHS). Damaged bottles, or bottles with levels that drop below VHS that we purchase from private collections etc, are not put up for sale. They are sent to the Penfolds Wine Clinic for assessment. We attempt to have every vintage in stock from 1951 to current and can offer advice such as what vintages are the best drinking and how long to cellar your Grange for.
WINE SOURCING SERVICE
Looking for that special bottle of wine but cant find it? We can search Australia and the world through our network of collectors, customers and traders to find what you are looking for. Some extremely old and rare wines can take weeks or months to find so patience is required!
CLIMATE CONTROLLED CELLARING
Our bottles are stored in temperature and humidity controlled cellars - 14 degrees Celsius, 70% humidity. Wine stored incorrectly will prematurely age and damage to the wine will occur. Our storage facilities offer the best possible cellaring conditions, allowing the wine to mature in the bottle properly. You should avoid purchasing from liquor stores that do not offer this type of cellaring. They allow their wines to heat up during the day, then cool off at night as well as being displayed under fluorescent lighting or even sunlight - this will cause permanent damage to the wine.
SELL YOUR WINE
Hey, PSSSTTT!
Want to sell your wine?
Well you could use us, or a wine auction house, you know, places that have liquor licences and can legally sell it on your behalf.
Places that pay lots of money to the Liquor Licencing Commission and have Police background checks and all sorts of stuff done to receive a Liquor Licence.
Because as you know, its illegal for someone to sell alcohol without a liquor licence.
Just like its illegal to drive a car, bike, truck, or boat without a licence, or own a gun without a licence, or go fishing without a licence, or keep an exotic pet without a licence...
Or do just about anything except fart in this country without a licence.
OR...
YOU COULD SELL YOUR ALCOHOL ON EBAY !!!
YAY !!!
But dont I need a liquor licence to sell alcohol?
FUCK NO !
You see, eBay Australia allows anyone to list alcohol on their site; all you have to do is include a 'licence number' in the description.
Do they check to see if these licence numbers are real?
LOL FUCK NO !
Does the Liquor Licencing Commission check?
ROFL FUCK NO !
Does Victoria Police Check?
A BIG FUCK NO !
WHAT?
10-4, THATS A BIG DOUBLE FUCK NO!
So how long have eBay been allowing illegal activities to take place on their web site, not giving a fuck about anything except collecting their money?
Oh, only FOREVER!
EBay Australia could have the same system that eBay USA has, where you have to be pre-approved by eBay and supply your liquor licence to them before you can list alcohol on their site.
But thats too much work isnt it?
YOU LAZY TWATS
So lets just do it the Aussie way!
No worries mate! She will be right mate! Throw another shrimp on the BBQ mate!
In other words...
SIT ON OUR FAT FUCKING ARSES AND HOPE THAT NO ONE NOTICES
Communication was attempted, with limited success....
US: "Hello Liquor Licencing Commission, people are selling alcohol on eBay with fake, expired and incorrect licence numbers, some are even using our licence number or no licence number at all"
LLC: "Thats a matter for Victoria Police"
US: "Hello Victoria Police, people are selling alcohol on eBay with fake licence numbers..."
VP: "Thats a matter for the Liquor Licencing Commission'
US: "Hello eBay, people are selling alcohol on your site with fake licence numbers..."
US: "Hello eBay..... Hello???"
You see, you cant speak to anyone at eBay on the phone.
Try to speak to eBay on the phone and they get up and vanish like a FART IN THE WIND.
They dont give TWO FAT FUCKS.
So, just like the Gillard Government, everyone blames everyone else and nothing gets done.
The whole thing is a BIG STINKING FUCKING PILE OF COW SHIT
So guys grab ya alcohol, then grab a tape measure....
Then measure the length of ya cock in inches....
Then add an extra inch to the measurement because thats what guys do....
Then take the square root of ya cock size.... and....
BAM !!! THERES YA FUCKING LIQUOR LICENCE NUMBER !!!
And girls, measure ya bust, waist and hips....
Multiply it by the amount of blow jobs ya given....
Round it down to the nearest decimal point....
And before you can swallow....
YEE HAR !!! A LIQUOR LICENCE NUMBER THAT MEANS SWEET FUCK ALL !!!
SLAP IT ALL ON EBAY AND BOBS YA FUCKING UNCLE. (or Aunty)
Struggling to come up with a nice fake liquor licence number?
Try these fantastic ideas:
PHONE NUMBERS - use the liquor licencing commissions phone number, they wont know!
EBAY ITEM NUMBER - its a bunch of small numbers joined together, close enough!
TATTSLOTTO NUMBERS - just grab an old quick pick, winner!
TAX FILE NUMBER - another government department that wont give a fuck!
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BUDGET DEFICIT - a fucking huge number that you can finally do something with!
YEARS UNTIL WE HAVE A BUDGET SURPLUS - stop laughing; just use any number that comes into your head!
BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVALS - this might be too big, but fuck it, use it anyway!
BOAT PEOPLE DEPARTURES - liquor licences do not discriminate against single digit numbers, go for it!
CEO PAY PACKETS - good luck fitting this fucking monster into the eBay description field, but give it a go!
POLITICIANS PAY RISE - this is off the fucking charts, but eBay accepts all big numbers, start typing!
KNIVES JULIA GILLARD HAS USED - go on, it should fit, stab it in there!
CHANCE THAT EBAY WILL FIX THIS ANYTIME SOON - yes zero is a number, what the fuck are you waiting for!
Please let us know if you have any other ideas for licence numbers so we can spread the good news!
Wine auction houses charge high commission fees (up to 20%) to sell your wine plus you have to allow up to 3 months to be paid. We purchase wine from customers and collectors and do not charge commission. Only bottles of Penfolds Grange and other premium Australian wine in excellent condition will be considered for purchasing. We can pay better than auction prices with little or no waiting. Please send details of your bottles or collection via email.
PENFOLDS RED WINE CLINIC
Penfolds call their clinics 'The ultimate in after sales service'. The clinics provide owners of Penfolds wines 15 years or older, the opportunity to have their wines assessed by a Penfolds winemaker. The service is free. Bottles with low levels (where the wine has dropped into the 'shoulder' of the bottle) may be opened and tasted. Owners get the chance to taste their wine and if its judged to be in good condition it is topped up with a more recent vintage of the same wine, recorked, recapsuled and a clinic back label is affixed, signed by the winemaker, certifying the wine for quality. No other wine company in the world is prepared to offer this service to its consumers. Since 1991, Penfolds have inspected and tasted over 70,000 bottles. Penfolds red wine clinics are held every 12 months in Australian capital cities. Recently, international clinics have also been held in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Auckland, Europe and the UK.
CORK TAINT
Cork taint, also known as TCA (2,4,6 trichloroanisole) develops during the processing of tree bark cork. It is detectible at very low levels (5 parts per trillion). At low levels, cork taint mutes the aroma and flavour of the wine. At higher concentrations, wine takes on an unpleasant smell and taste often described as mouldy newspapers or wet cardboard. Cork taint effects about 5% of wine worldwide. Even at relatively low levels, cork taint renders a wine undrinkable. PLEASE NOTE: As cork taint cannot be detected until the cork is pulled, no refunds can be offered to a customer if their wine has been spoiled by cork taint.
CURRENCY CONVERTER
Prices are in Australian Dollars. To convert pricing to your local currency,
click here.
PLEASE NOTE
We are not a retail shop open to the public, our bottles are stored in temperature and humidity controlled storage facilities in Melbourne - customer browsing is not allowed. Due to liquor licensing laws, pick up is not available. Orders are placed via our web site, email or phone and are sent via Australia Post (Registered Post & Express Post) or Courier and require a signature upon delivery. International orders are sent via Schenker Wine Logistics or Express Courier International (a division of Australia Post). Please note that once an order has been paid for, there can be no refunds or exchanges.
Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 it is an offence -
- To supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years (Penalty exceeds $6,000)
- For a person under the age of 18 years to purchase or receive liquor (Penalty exceeds $500)
WINE CELLARING
When cellared correctly, red wine will develop and improve in the bottle for the short, medium, or long term, depending on the style of the wine and the quality of the particular vintage. The single most important factor is temperature stability. Heat is the enemy - and avoid all light, especially sunlight.
If you don't have a wine cellar, its recommended that you rent a suitable storage locker from a commercial wine storage company. If you don't have access to this type of storage then consider purchasing a temperature controlled wine fridge / cabinet. There are many different sizes available that can hold from twenty bottles up to several hundred bottles. Otherwise, anywhere in your house where it is cool, dark, airy, and free from vibration and dampness will have to do.
Anyone cellaring wine in a warm or hot climate should use a thermometer to monitor temperatures very carefully. It may be cause for concern if the cellar temperature goes much over 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit). Wide temperature variation will cause your wine to develop more quickly than it should. It can also ruin your wine. A slow change of temperature of five or so degrees Celsius between winter and summer is not a big problem, but this kind of fluctuation on a daily or weekly basis will cause damage to your wines and age them prematurely. If wines are stored in conditions where the temperature varies then the cork can swell or shrink in size thereby increasing the possibility of leakage and oxidation. Wines kept at too high a temperature will age faster than wines kept at a cold temperature. Theoretically, wines kept at 20 degrees (68 degrees fahrenheit) will age twice as fast as those kept at 10 degrees (50 degrees fahrenheit). This is not to say the colder the better. Wine that is stored too cold can develop deposits in the wine.
Moderate humidity is important to keep the corks in good condition and thereby preventing them from shrinking. A relative humidity of 50-80% is the acceptable range, but about 70% is recommended. Excessive humidity will not harm the wine but may cause the labels and any other paper products you have in the cellar to rot - like cardboard boxes. Insufficient humidity can cause the corks to dry out, lose their elasticity and thereby allow air to get into the bottle.
Also note that half-bottles mature more quickly, and magnums (1.5 litre) more slowly than standard 750ml bottles.
Bottles should be stored on their sides, with the necks sloping slightly upwards so that the cork will remain wet and the bubble of air is in the shoulder. Any sediment will collect at the bottom of the bottle. This will make the wine easier to decant. And do not believe anyone who tells you that bottles should be turned periodically. This is completely wrong and does nothing to help the wine.
WINE DECANTING
There are two good reasons to decant a wine. One is to stimulate or enliven the wine by exposing it to air and giving it a chance to 'breathe'. The other is to separate the clear wine from any sediment or 'crust' that has formed in the bottle as the wine matures over the years. Prior to consumption, it will be necessary to separate the clear wine from the sediment if the full benefit of the aging process is to be enjoyed.
Place the bottle in an upright position for a few hours (or a couple of days if possible) before consumption to allow the sediment to slide to the bottom of the bottle.
Cut the capsule on the ridge just below the top of the bottle.
Use a good corkscrew - the best corkscrews pull the cork straight up out of the bottle without dragging it sideways. Screw down well into the cork, but not right through it as you could push a broken piece of cork into the wine or disturb sediment that might be adhering to the bottom of the cork. Remove the cork slowly. Wipe off any remaining residue inside the rim with a clean cloth.
Pour the wine in a steady continuous stream without stopping, and with a minimum of glugging (which can stir up the sediment) into the decanter or jug. Stop pouring when there is approximately 30ml remaining - this will contain almost all of the sediment. You can use a candle or light underneath the bottle to see when the sediment enters the shoulder, or if you have a marked jug, simply to stop pouring when the wine reaches the 720ml mark.
Discard the last 30ml and rinse any remaining sediment out of the empty bottle with warm water. Then pour the decanted wine back into the bottle.
This is called 'double decanting' and gives the wine a double dose of oxygen, and you can loosely recork the bottle if it is some time before it is served or you are taking the wine to a restaurant. Otherwise serve straight from the decanter.
During the decanting process as described, the wine absorbs oxygen which acts as a stimulant and assists in bringing out the aroma, flavour and character of the wine developed during the bottle aging.
WINE GLASSES
You can consume wine out of any glass, cup, tumbler or a mug, but there are reasons why wine glasses are preferred. The design of the glass helps you see, smell, and taste the wine best. Wine glasses vary in size, shape and design, but good ones will be clear (so you can view the colour and clarity of the wine), not too thick (so the glass doesn't obstruct your contact with the wine), and with a stem long enough so you can hold the glass without handling the bowl (which raises the temperature of the liquid). Riedel are the market leaders and have an excellent range of glasses to choose from.
Make sure your glasses are clean, which means careful rinsing in warm or hot water and avoid the use of detergent in washing. Glasses should be stored upright and aired before use. Do not use glasses straight out of an old cupboard, or from a cardboard box. Sniff a glass straight out of a box or cupboard and you can easily detect the musty or cardboard smell.
There are no official sizes, capacities, shapes or colours of wine glasses. Common sense and individual taste should be your guide. Be sure not to fill a wine glass too full, one third to one half full at the most. You want to leave room to capture the bouquet in the upper bowl as it rises from the swirled wine, and to allow the glass to be tilted - at approximately a forty-five degree angle - to evaluate and enjoy the colour of the wine.
SERVING TEMPERATURE - The European idea of serving red wine at room temperature works very well in cooler climates. But in Australia or California it could mean serving Shiraz or Cabernet at over 30 degrees celcius in summer (86 degrees fahrenheit). This is too warm and ruins the experience of drinking a fine red wine. The bottle should be cool to the touch, but not cold: a 'cellar temperature' of 15 to 18 degrees (59 to 64 degrees fahrenheit) celcius is ideal. Because white wines tend to be lighter than red whites, chilling them is preferable, however don't let the bottle get too cold as white wines can be spoilt by over chilling.
