Not part of the in-crowd since 2005!

Everyday Gourmet (plus a review of the ’06 d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier)

Growing up, the mentality was that having a nice meal was always reserved for “special occasions”, things like birthdays, graduation, Chinese New Year and the like.

But now – and with the realisation that none of us are getting younger and tomorrow is never always a suer thing – we’ve all adapted the mentality of any time being perfect for celebrating life and enjoying good food and wine.

While the price of food across the board will never be as cheap as we remembered, I think it’s still affordable enough to be able to get decent produce and whip up something nice at home.

And being the non-cash-ladden and (I like to think) unpretentious souls we are, Marie and I are more than happy to pop open a bottle of Trilogy at the start of a meal – creamy, biscuitty and long, you can’t ask much else for a sub-$10 sparkling.

Admittedly, it’s often just as cheap to go out and eat when just cooking for two (or less, God knows Marie and I eat out too often when we can’t be bothered), but there’s something very therapeutic about DIY’ing a meal. Plus eating in means not having to worry about a skipper either… ding!

And with such a tasty wine open, it’s great to be able to go back for a second glass without having to worry about them old Booze Buses – especially when just-on medium-rare steak goes so beautifully well with it…

d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2006 ($29.95): Considering Collingwood getting up over West Coast last Friday in what has to be one of the most captivating games of footy I’ve ever seen, I suppose it’s only fitting to review the latest vintage of d’Arenberg’s black and white champion – but unlike the result of that extra time thriller between the Pies and Eagles, I really like this child of the ’06 vintage. It smells good with aromas of plum, liquered cherry, dark chocolate and slices of meat: typical McLaren Vale complexity. Nice, thick plumminess assisted by mocha oak nuances and touches of funk that finish long and juicy aided by some good acidity. Much softer and subtler than previous Laughing Magpies on release – the signs are good that vintage ’06 will be remembered as a good ‘un from the consistently consistent lads at d’Arenberg. 17. www.darenberg.com