Staff Weekly Recommendations!

Now for the weekly recommendations from those who work at Polly!

Cocktail 
The De-Cider  
New to Polly -

The Menu Says - “The last word in refreshment. Coldstream Victorian Cider over

The De-Cider

 ice,tempered with Campari and crowned with homemade Blood Orange Sorbet.”Why we love it - Not only is it really refreshing, it also combines some damn fine products!
The Cointreau and Campari work together to form a yummy light orange flavour, which isn’t too sweet, and add to that the sparkling Coldstream straight from the tap. 
A scoop of Polly made Blood Orange Sorbet tops it off and you are left with a so scrummy you can’t believe drink that refreshers as well as plays with your tastebuds!

Absinthe
Jade PF 1901
Silver Medal Winner – 2007 London IWSC Jade PF 1901

Jade PF 1901

Jade PF 1901 is in the same category as the Jade VS 1898 – both are premier Absinthe’s based on old pre-ban recipes. This recipe came from a sealed bottle of Pernod Fils (hence the ‘PF’) it’s the closest you’re going to get to the real French Absinthe of the pre-ban era. It is also made by the same distillery as the Jade VS 1898, in Saumur, France.
Taste wise, this Absinthe has a well balanced palate of wormwood, anise and fennel with a lovely flowery freshness. We love to grab one of these after a long shift, sit back on one of Polly’s regal chairs, and pretend we’re back in 1900′s.

 

Wither Hills Pinot Gris.
“This pinot gris shows some handy complexity and richness on the nose, with ripe pears and stone fruits, and fragrant lift and floral notes too. The palate’s nicely worked into smooth shape, with long pear and peach flavour and decent acid balance. Tidy indeed. ” – The Age 2011 Wine Guide by Nick Stock.

Dry in style, this beautiful fruity Pinot Gris is from the famed Marlborough wine region in New Zealand. The aromas of elderflower, peach and honeysuckle hit you straight away, whilst the taste is full bodied, with essenses of ripened pear, lychee and tropical flavours with a lovely spiced aftertaste. This is perfect for when we can only stay for a quick drink after work, as it doesn’t take too long to finish this lovely drop!

 

Hawthorn Amber Ale
Bronze International Beer Challenge 2010

Talking about drinks that are easy to finish after work – this is surely one of them! Also, this great beer comes from near-by Hawthorn, which at Polly we see as a big plus, as we love supporting local and Australian made!
This beer starts off, when poured (which generally, you should always do – it lets the beer breathe and releases flavours that if you don’t pour out, will stay trapped in the bottle!) with a beautiful head that is quite long lasting. The colour is also something to comment on, as it’s a nice rich dark brown. It has a lovely aroma, bitey, rich and fruity. The taste if quite malty, with a warm caramel flavour. Hawthorn also prides itself on using no perservatives or additives when making it’s beer – hey, with this plus to your health, there’s no reason not to drink it!

 

 

  

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin NV

Though we have three sparklings on our house pour list, Veuve is the only one in which we can call Champagne. A lot of customers, when they come up to the bar, ask me for Champagne, and then I ask them if they want a sparkling or a Champagne. The price is extremly different as to make a Champagne is so much more labour intensive than it is to make a sparkling. If

One of the Veuve Clicquot Vineyards

you don’t know, and it’s ok if you don’t because we’re here to inform, Champagne can only be called Champagne it if is made in the Champgne region of France. Same can be said for Tequila and Brandy as well.  Veuve Clicquot is an extremly popular and well known Champagne with fans such as Jack Nicholson, Pamela Anderson and with events such as the ‘Veuve Clicquor Polo Classic’ which brings in attendances by people like Chole Sevigny and Prince Harry. It’s easy to see that Veuve is a classy, extremly well established drop that’s very familiar with celebrity and the upper class. - But how did it become so, and what is all the fuss about? Keep on reading to find out the answers!

History 

The history of Veuve Clicquot begins in 1772 with the textile and finance company of Philippe Clicquot. Philippe was also in charge of two small vineyards in nearby regions. When his son

Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin

died at the age of 30, Philippe believed he would have to sell off the family business, as he felt he was now too old to be in charge of the company. This is when his daughter in law, Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin stepped in and announced that she would like to take over the business. The word for widow in French is ‘Veuve’ so this is where the company recieved it’s name – Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, though most people know it by the first two names only. The take over, though unheard of in it’s day of male dominated businesses, was the best thing for the company, as Ponsardin had an amazing business sense. Her first call of order was to bring in a new winemaker,  Antoine Müller, in 1810. She then decided to break into the Russian market, which had been shattered since Napoleons war. The wine was an instant success, and this gave the company a financial leg to stand on. Ponsardin also brought in a new method when making Champagne, which improved the taste and look and solved the problem of sediment brought about by yeast, which would float around the wine. This practise is now used universally in the production of bottle-fermented sparklings.
In 1828 a rich employee of the company, Eduoard Werlé, paid off the debts in which Ponsardin’s son in law had tallied up, and was made a partner, and in 1841, when Ponsardin retired, Werlé took control over the business. The business would be passed on through son-in-law to son-in-law, untill 1984 when Joseph Henriot, head of Champagne Henriot acquired the role of chairman of the company.
Today, Clicquot owns 382 hectacres of vineyard, which is mainly in the Grande Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs regions. Though it may seem like a lot of land, with such a demand for Clicquot’s products, the company still needs to purchase grapes from 
growers who are under long-term contract. In saying this, most of the fruit that will be harvested will be used for the sparkling in which we stock at Polly. It is better known by the name, ’Yellow Label’, due to it’s iconic yellow labels.  But at Polly, we like to call it simply Veuve Clicquot.

Taste
Veuve Clicquot is made from a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 12% Pinot Meunier

Veuve in all it's finest!

including 39% reserve wines. It’s aroma is an intense blend of apple, citrus fruit and caramel, and it’s stunning colour is that of pale straw. It has a full bodied flavour, with a lovely balance of crispness, and a lasting spicy aftertaste.
This quote from the New York Times really sums up the way in which Veuve has made it’s way into society,

“Veuve Clicquot is the kind of Champagne you can take to any party and know that your host will instantly recognize and appreciate it.” -Amanda Hesser, July 22, 1998.

 

So, next time you are at Polly and thinking of indulging in a fine drop of wine, why not treat yourself to a glass of one of the worlds my recognised and celebrated champagnes!

Pelorus NV

Pelorus is one of the three sparkling pours we have by the glass at Polly. It is qutie popular with customers, due to the fact that it’s is from the popular wine region of Marlborough in New Zealand. Pelorus is made by the established wine makers, Cloudy Bay, and though they were established in Australia, their vineyards are situated in Malborough.

Company History

Cloudy Bay Wineyard

Cloudy Bay was established in 1985 by Cape Mentelle Wineries in Western Australia. Their philosophy was to make wines of ‘regions’, and therefore their focus is to enhance the flavours that come out of the soil and climate of their vineyards in Marlborough. The winery recieved it’s name through Captain Cook. ‘Cloudy Bay’ was the name in which Cook gave to the bay at the far eastern side of the Wirau Valley on his journey to New Zealand in 1770.

Pelorus NV

A number of different chardonnay and pinot noirs are used in making the Pelorus NV. All the grapes are pressed without crushing the grapes, and the base wines are then left to ferment and age in large oak vats and small French oak barrels.
The taste is quite Chardonnay dominant, clean, crisp, lively and yeasty. With aromas of apples and lemons, and with a toasty, creaminess to it’s over all complexity, and a beautiful nutty finish.  
The New Zealand Herald has sung the praises of Pelorus NV, and this quote sums up nicely the complexities of this lovely Marlborough Chardonnay based sparkling,

“It’s no mean feat that the winemakers and grapegrowers at Cloudy Bay winery in Marlborough can turn out this incredibly elegant, dry, chardonnay-driven bubbly year after year. It’s very crisp, very dry and will woo devoted Tattinger fans instantly.”

 

Clover Hill

At Polly, we have two sparkling pours – one from NZ, and the other from Tasmania, which is Clover Hill.
This drop was made even more famous when Princess Mary drank the sparkling at her Danish Wedding reception, though it really doesn’t need any more press, as the product speaks for itself.

Winery History

Clover Hill Winery

 Clover Hill began in 1986, in the Pipers River region of Tasmania, which is made up of 66 hectares and has been said to have the same climate as the Champagne region of France. 
Clover Hills mission was to be dedicated to sparkling wine and to only deal with sparkling wine varietals which include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Clover Hill was established in 1986 in the Pipers River region of Tasmania as a dedicated sparkling wine estate. The 66 hectare property overlooking Bass Strait has a similar climate to the Champagne region of France and plants only traditional sparkling wine varietals – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Clover Hill Sparkling 2006

Clover Hill Sparkling 2006, which is our Australian sparkling house pour, has a grape variety of 57% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Meunier, combine with this a selection of reserve wines that have been aged in French oak foudres and barrels, and you encounter a tipple that is very uniquely Clover Hill.  

With a golden colour, Clover Hill’s aroma hits you peaches, pears and toasted almond. The taste is an elegant mixture of tropical fruits, freshly baked characters, creamy undertones and a lengthy finish. The mixture of the red and white grapes can be noticed, and this is an attribute to the richness of the flavours.
I think a quote from Gourmet Traveller also sums up how lovely this sparkling is, “What a wine, one of power and finesse, complexity and purity. The impact of the red fruit is immediately apparent with a bouquet of strawberry tart and bush honey and a rich, round texture. Brilliant stuff!”