Mitchell Harris Muscat...and B Harris' Plum Pudding!

Mitchell Harris Muscat and B Harris' Christmas Pudding...

A Perfect Match

The aroma of rich fruit soaked for ages in rum or brandy with steaming custard poured over the top - nothing says Christmas more!

Ingredients (makes 6 individual serves or 1 large pudding)

• 1 cup SR flour
• 1 large cup mixed dried fruits *
• 250ml (1 cup) milk
• 1 tblsp butter
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• 2 tblsp firmly-packed brown sugar
• 1 tblsp treacle 
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp lemon zest or juice
• Brandy
• Warmed custard, to serve

* B uses dates, raisins, sultanas, apricots, currants and red cherries. Larger fruit should be chopped to approximately sultana size. A 'slurp' of brandy can be mixed with the fruit prior to starting the puddings.

Method

1. Place milk, fruit, butter, sugar and treacle in large saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Remove from heat and stir in bicarb soda. Stir well together - cool - then add flour, lemon and spices. 
3. Mix well
4. Makes 6 individual serves in dariole moulds. 
5. Cook for 40 minutes in a water bath at 160 to 170 degrees. (or steam in large pot for 2 hours for large pudding)
6. Pour over custard to serve

Enjoy!!

Mitchell Harris Rosé 2010

With the weather finally picking up, it's the perfect time to get our newest addition to the Mitchell Harris family out on the bars and tables. And now the 2010 Mitchell Harris Rosé is here!

Created as part of our sparkling winemaking, we put aside one barrel of Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 

pressings for barrel fermentation and further maturation. The Pinot Noir was picked early for use in sparkling, so retains the zingy freshness of the cool climate Macedon vineyard.

Inspired by the dry, savoury, crisp & delightfully moreish rosé wines of southern France, Spain and modern versions of the new world, we took off one barrel of ‘saignée’ (or bleed) from our Sangiovese after crushing, as the second, savoury component of the first Mitchell Harris’ Rosé. Sourced from the Landsborough Valley in the Pyrenees, the Sangiovese lends some structure and dryness to our Rosé blend.

The two barrels mesh seamlessly to deliver a vibrant and enticing wine with great zip and verve, and it'll quickly disappear from tables and bars this summer!


Don't forget to look out for the Rosé Revolution, promoting great Aussie Rosé, leading up to 30th November...

A Cold and Soggy Mitchell Harris Tipping for Rd 21!

All right tipsters..as we write this on a sub arctic Ballarat evening with plenty of Brass Monkeys losing their balls all over the place, the action at the top of the Mitchell Harris leaderboard is hotting up. Mat Kelly picked 8 winners last week to snap up a bottle of MH, a superb effort in a round that was all over the place. But it's the Wobbly Boot Whopper who has streaked ahead to claim top spot, one point clear of Rampaging Ranks and 'Teddy' EJ with only two tipping weeks left!

Let's take a look at the games..
Friday night sees a couple of teams coming off some big wins with the Cats coming up the Princes Hwy to meet up with the Blues at the Dome. Carlton knocked the pussy cats off earlier in the year but they could well struggle at this end of the season. Freo have hung up the boots for the week with their top players staying at home on the couch with their ugg boots and beanies firmly in place. They take on the Hawks at what could possibly be the coldest spot in the country on Saturday arvo. The Saints are trucking along very nicely and meet up with Richmond this week who are just limping over the finish line.
The Crows lost out in the bidding war with Gold Coast this week losing Nathan Bock who in turn has lost his spot on the ground for the rest of the season. They clash with the formidable Pies who are absolutely flying into the finals. Sydney need the four points this week and with Brett Kirk saying farewell the sentimental factor may just get them across the line against a Bulldogs team that still has some snotty nose and sore throat issues.
The mighty Dees are heading over to Adelaide this week and with their super skipper Jimmy McDonald also putting the cue in the rack and retiring they will give Port Adelaide an absolute run for their money.
Matty Knights is on notice with his bags packed and only a couple of top wins from the Dons will save him. They meet the Lions this week with Brownie leading them out for his 200th. North are on a knife edge this week and need to win to stay in finals contention. Brent "Boomer" Harvey runs out for his 300th this week and this should be enough for the Roos to run over the top of a struggling West Coast.

So tipsters, it's down to the wire for 2010!

Shan, Johnno, Lis and Mitch

Round 20 - the pointy end!!

Well, what a week it was last week! The fangsnatcher dropped to fifth after picking a measley 3 and all of a sudden we have 4 new leaders! EJ leapt to the front picking 7 and taking home a bottle of tasty MH for his trouble. Ranks and Whopper are holding strong but the real concern is our very own Mitch. Come on tipsters..there'll be uproar if one of our own is on top at the end of the season.

A soggy Round 20 kicks off on Friday night with the 'Hot Pies' taking on the Dons at the MCG in an ANZAC day replay. Collingwood are in blitzing form whilst the Dons are still flailing around all over the place.    
Speaking of all over the place, Carlton takes on Richmond on Saturday arvo. Both teams have been so inconsistent but the Tiges will be showing off a bit of white line fever with the release of a certain documentary this week.

A cracking game from the Swannies last week holds them in good stead for a top match up over in the West against the Dockers. Fremantle are sans Sandilands so the Bloods are in with a chance. The Cats have got another top 4 challenge this week when they vie with the Bulldogs at the Dome on Saturday night. This should be a ripper of a game, with the Doggies looking to take out a top team.
At the other end of the table West Coast are doing absolutely everything in their power to secure the priority draft pick and taking on Port over in Adelaide they should go that little bit closer on Saturday night.

Brisbane are playing at the Gabba and could quite possibly run over Adelaide who's finals chances have gone down the proverbial plug hole. Jonathan Brown is looking to run out for his 200th game this week but a knee injury could stop any running at all. The Hawks have always played superbly against Melbourne beating them by an average of 45 points in their last 5 games, and after their big headed president gave them a mouthful in the media this week they will most likely come out firing.

And finally it's the mighty Saints against the Roos, who are just holding onto finals contention. The Saints should be too strong in this Sunday evening showdown, but what better time than a wintry Sunday evening to crack a bottle of Mitchell Harris red and settle in. Go on...

Good luck tipsters,

Lis, Mitch, Johnno and Shan  

Round 19 - 4 weeks to go!!

Well, tipsters, there's only 4 rounds to go and the fangsnatcher has stretched his lead to 2! There's a bundle of tipsters close on his tail so the Mitchell Harris Tipping comp is looking like coming down to the wire yet again this year.
“Do or do not... there is no try.” Yes, the little green man won the bottle last week..nice one Yoda..

Onto the footy..
Friday night kicks off with the Blues clashing with the Bombers. Carlton will come out firing this week after their coach Brett Ratten nailed his own team as "soft" and "lacking commitment". They have lost their last 6 games against the Bombers so history may be repeated yet again. It's do or die for the Swannies this week who are struggling to hold onto the top 8. They meet the Hawks who had a bit of a hiccup last week against Adelaide but should hold strong despite playing up in Sydney.

Yet another team is striving for that highly valued 8th spot and the Roos will have to knock off a strong Freo outfit this week to grab it. The Dockers are looking to muscle the Doggies out of 4th spot so they too have a bit to play for, despite missing a couple of key players. And then on Saturday night it's the match of the round, the blockbuster, the one not to be missed.. Pies V Cats! What a game it will be, both teams are in cracking form and the G should be heaving.

What a contrast over in the West - Top two teams to bottom two teams. The battle of the wooden spoon, both teams are in miserable form. The battle of the shockers.

The Saints seem to still be struggling to adjust to their big skipper being back in the forward line and after being knocked out by the Bombers last week, they need to nail a win. Port ran over the top of the Saints earlier in the year and have won their last two under Matty Primus. Jimmy Stynes' Dees are continuing their top form but will meet a tough opponent in the Tigers who played a ripper game last week and in the final game of the round the Doggies meet up with the Crows over in the city of churches. Big Bad Bazza is leading the league goal kicking and should clock up another bagload this week.

Good luck tipsters, there's not long now..

Shan, Lis, Mitch and Johnno

MItchell Harris Tipsters...the 5 star edition!

Five stars indeed!
In only our second year up and running Mitchell Harris was this week named a 5 star winery in James Halliday's 2011 edition of The Wine Companion! All three wines were positively reviewed with the 08 Shiraz snapping up a brilliant 95 points, the Cabernet 94 points and our Sauv Blanc a handy little 93 points!
Check out the full reviews here.

Anyway, enough of the gratuitous bragging, onto the tipping...

Whopper had a whopper of a week snapping up his second bottle of MH for the season and moving his way up into 5th spot. But still the Fangsnatcher hangs on! And where did Ranks come from? He's just pipping out Mitchell Harris' own Dr Mitch. It's as tight as a camel's butt in a sandstorm at the top of our leaderboard so pick carefully tipsters..

Nick Reiwoldt will lead his boys out onto the Docklands turf (very carefully) on Friday night to face up to the Bombers. The Saints haven't snapped up a win for the last couple of weeks and will be hungry to get 4 points on the board. Check out some vintage Collingwood V Carlton rivalry footage here before making your pick for Saturday afternoon at the G. Big fists and even bigger hair!

Port Power farewell Warren Tredrea this Saturday afternoon when they take on the soaring Hawks. Port had a top win last week in the SA showdown but will be up against a Hawthorn team trying to cement their spot in the finals.

Saturday night sees the Dees take on Brisbane. Wow, what a performance from the red and blue last week! They absolutely whipped the Swannies last week and Brisbane could be in for a similar thrashing this week unless the mouth on legs can fire up and kick a few goals. The Swans could be looking at another drubbing when they meet the Cats on Saturday night unless they can pick up the pace a bit to escape the endless pussy cat tackling.

It's getting awfully close to wooden spoon time and the Tigers are doing everything they can to stay off the bottom. They've shown some glimpses of exciting footy throughout the year but the Crows will be out to avenge their poor showing last week. The Roos should never have lost to the Bombers last week and after the form the Aker-less Doggies displayed it could be a tad one sided at "Ankle breaker" Stadium on  Sunday afternoon. The round winds up with a the Western Derby. Freo are only limping over the line and have lost their grip on a top 4 spot. Could this be the time for an Eagles upset?

Good Luck Tipsters!

Shan, Mitch, Lis and Johnno

--

5 stars in our second year!

A great nod of the head for us at Mitchell Harris Wines with James Halliday awarding us the status of 5-star winery in only our second year in his 2011 Wine Companion. A great feeling to be the newest Pyrenees ( or Ballarat ) 5-star winery in the Companion.

Needless to say, some awesome and meticulous work from our now superstar winemaker John Harris has resulted in some terrific wines that have now scores some great Halliday reviews.

In brief:

Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Shiraz 2008 : 95 points
Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Cabernet Sauvignon : 94 points
Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Sauvignon Blanc Fumé : 93 points

Check out the full reviews over at the Wine Companion

Round 17 is upon us tipsters and amidst the Aker Show there is still footy to be played. Tre "T-bone" Watts took home the chocolates last week just pipping out Yoda who simply replied with "Ohhh. Great warrior.Wars not make one great”...

Disco Dowsley has snuck up the ladder and knocked Pop out of 2nd spot last week but it's the Fangsnatcher still leading the way. Can he hang on for six more rounds??

Onto the tipping...
A cracking game kicks off the round with the Hawks and Saints locking horns at the Phone Dome on Friday night. Hawthorn are flying along and the Saints are still trying to adjust to having their skipper back on board..it'll be a close one!

The Pies have topped the ladder this week but can they hang on to the No. 1 spot until September?? The Tiges will struggle here and should be well and truly outclassed by the black and white. The betting agencies are paying out for a Brisbane win against the Catters on Saturday arvo but I'm tipping the big cats wont be troubling the little cats at home too much..

The Roos are only just sitting out of the 8 like a dog at the back door. Given Essendon's lacklustre performance of late they might just push their way into 8th spot. That 8th spot they're fighting for currently belongs to the Blue Baggers and they need to knock off West Coast over in the West on Saturday night. The Weagles had a ripper win last week and will come out fighting..

The Bulldogs take on Freo this week and also took on Freo's club song giving their own "Heave Ho" to the shy and quietly spoken Akermanis. The mighty Dees have slowly crept their way up the ladder but the Bloods played a stirling game last week and with Jude Bolton clocking up 250 games they should be too good.

The SA showdown winds up the round on Sunday evening. Port Adelaide, led by their new coach Matty Primus, could repeat their Rd 6 performance and take out their home town rival, Adelaide.

Now, before you scoot off and enter your winning tips take a quick minute to have a squiz at this recent press review on the MH range...it'll make you thirsty..

www.ozwinereview.com/2010/07/mitchell-harris-range.html    


So Giddy up tipsters, tip well and have a great weekend.

Cheers, Lis, Johnno, Mitch and Shan

Round 16 tipping - Beware the Fangsnatcher

Welcome tipsters...
 A final word on the round ball game - we have two winners in our World Cup tipping comp. Reidy and BD take themselves home a bottle of the 07 Shiraz for their troubles..nice work lads! Viva La Espana!! It's just lucky Paul the octopus isn't on our mailing list..
Two of our other tipsters hit the jackpot last week, Troy "Champs" Chandler just pipped The Wiz for the tasty little bottle of MH. The Wiz has been uncharacteristically quiet this year but could be coming home with a flying finish. Hard to see him knocking of the Fabulous Fangsnatcher though, who is holding onto the No 1 spot like a couple of stubborn molars.
Our illustrious winemaker Johnno has done a 'Cadel' going from 8 picks in round 14 to a measly 4 last week, dropping rapidly off the back of the pack..

Onto the ball game...

Adelaide have been on quite the winning streak of late but their last three wins have been against the Dees, the Bombers and West Coast - not really the top flyers of the AFL by any stretch.. Geelong will be a different story all together and the pussy cats should send those crows flapping right out of reach of the top 8.

A Saturday afternoon shindig at the G will see Collingwood come up against the Saints. Last time these teams played the Saints skipper shredded his hammy, but he's back in the game whilst the Pies are one down with Travis Cloke sidelined for a bit of argy bargy last week. The Malthouse V Milne mouth off should ensure a firey match up.

The Hawks are looking like playing sans Buddy on Saturday arvo down in the Isle of Apples. They match up against a Brisbane outfit who have been locked away in court all week battling it out with Fitzroy over which way the Lion should roar!

With two coaches under fire, look out the loser of this game between the Bombers and West Coast. Woosh or Matty Knights could be lining up at Centrelink behind Choco next week..
Under new coach Matty Primus, Port meet the Bulldogs on Saturday night at Tio Stadium..Huh? Where? Tio who? Ok ok, so I googled it and they're headed to Darwin. Playing in about 35 degrees should thaw out the boys this week and the Doggies will still be without Aker who still can't seem to "fermez sa bouche!".

Two teams...both desperately trying to cement their spot in the top 8.  Blues V Bloods. A loss for either of these teams could see them slip out of the 8 quicker than green grass through a goose. A little bit of Facebook sledging from Richmond's Daniel Jackson sets the scene for their clash against North Melbourne on Sunday. The Tigers have won four in a row and might just make it five this week. Finally the Dees head west to face Freo who are coming off a disappointing loss last week and should come out flying, especially given Melbourne's record of winning 1 of their last 19 interstate games!

Good luck!

Shan, Johnno, Mitch and Lis

Mitchell Harris Tipsters..it's Round 14!

It's an early start to the round this week tipsters so remember to get your tips in before the Thursday night bounce as we move rapidly to the pointy end of the season.
Ratman took out the MH bottle last week as well as taking out the title of Freakiest Profile Pic of the Year..check it out if you dare! Our resident dentist, the Fearless Fangsnatcher, has moved two points clear on the Mitchell Harris Mates leaderboard and is settling into his top position there.

It's been hailed as the game of the round as Fev matches up against his old side...but it would appear there's just one element lacking - Fev. Amidst rumours of Wayne Carey like behaviour at a club party he'll be absent this week. No Fev, no Browny, no goals?  Hawks have clocked up 6 in a row and are absolutely flying. The Doggies have got some top players back on the list so it should be a cracking game on Friday night.

Port do an 80's pop duo and Go West on Saturday to take on a Fremantle side that are holding on to their top 4 spot whilst the Eagles head eastward for a tough gig against a classy Pies outfit. The other Saturday night match will be a tricky one to call when the Bombers take on the Crows at home.
Geelong will be out to avenge last week's loss, and with big Pods up on the forward line and Gazza charging through the centre of the Cattery the odds are a bit long for the Roos.

Sunday afternoon sees the Swannies head south to take on the current wooden spooners Richmond who have lost a bit of their roar of late. If Jack Riewoldt could kick another bag of ten they might just give Sydney a run.
Saints played a magnificent game last week and should get across the line easily in the final game of the round. The Baker's dozen was dropped to nine but the Dees have got their work cut out for them this week.

So, stay warm tipsters and let's reel in that Fangsnatcher!

Cheers, Shan, JH, Mitch and Lis

Mitchell Harris & Fratelli Wines dinner at Royal Mail on Spencer this Sat night!

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!

If you've got the night free this coming Saturday, join John Harris and some of his old winemaking mates at the Royal Mail Hotel on Spencer street for what will be a brilliant night out. Tickets are selling fast at only a very cheap $85 for seven sensational courses with wines. Come & try the latest offerings from Johnno under the Mitchell Harris label as well as elegant Victorian styles from Andy Santarossa's Fratelli Wines.

Not to be missed!

Royal Mail Hotel on Spencer

Victorian Wine Dinner with Mitchell Harris & Fratelli Wines

On arrival:

Fratelli Sauvignon Blanc Yarra Valley

Buxton Smoked Trout with celeriac & mustard remoulade with grapefruit & tarragon

Fratelli Pinot Gris King Valley

Wild Redesdale Rabbit Rillettes with roasted shallots & chorizo jus

Mitchell Harris Sauvignon Blanc Fume Pyrenees

Quail wrapped in proscuitto with walnut, apricot & sage stuffing with porcini juniper jus

Fratelli Primitivo Heathcote

Roasted Goat with warm cous cous salad of dates & Barfold olives

Mitchell Harris Cabernet Sauvignon Pyrenees

Venison Osso Bucco with suet dumplings, broad beans & jus

Mitchell Harris Shiraz Pyrenees

Yarra Valley Pear Frangipane with double cream

Fratelli Moscato Yarra Valley

For more info & to secure a ticket for this sensational Melbourne Food & Wine & Put Victoria on Your Table event, click here. 

Mitchell Harris and Her Majesty's Footy Tipping

Before we start the weekly drivel..are there any tipsters out there who have not tried our 2007 Pyrenees Shiraz??

Well, the time has come to get your hands on some before the last of it walks out the door. The latest edition of the Big Red Wine Book has just rated this wine 91 points. Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattinson have put out a top little bible of red wines of all varieties and they've described the Shiraz as "a beautifully elegant, complex, plum-shot drink of excellent proportion".

So, get your hands on some of this elegant little drop by just replying to this e-mail with any order. (only 25 6 packs left!)

Onto the red ball...

3 of our tippers took home a whopper for picking 8 last week, including our illustrious winemaker, Johnno. Look out for the Fearsome Fangsnatcher working his way up the ladder...


The ball will be bounced at Docklands on Friday to kick off the round as North take on a Blues team sitting pretty in 5th spot. Tough one for the Roos...
The Hawks are looking for 5 in a row when they play Adelaide on Saturday with Big Buddy back up on the forward line. Those Hawks do love a run down south of Bass Straight.
Top of the table Cats shouldn't be too troubled by the Dons whilst the Bloods are up against Port Adelaide who put in a ordinary performance of mediocrity last week.
Freo take on the Saints over at Subiaco on Sunday whilst the Doggies and Lions match up, both teams displaying both brilliant and boring football at various times last week.

The G plays home to the Tigers and Weagles on Sunday with 200 game coach John "Woosha" Worsfold hoping the rain will hold off as they come up against the league's wet weather specialists. And the round winds up on the Big Lady's Birthday on Monday with Melbourne likely to do it tough against a fine playing Collingwood outfit.

Righto tipsters..one last thing...
Send us a quick e-mail with your hot prediction for the 2010 Soccer World Cup for the chance to snap up a bottle of the popular 07 Shiraz! Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina???

Get your tips in now!

Shan, John, Lis and Mitch

MItchell Harris Tipsters...the halfway mark!

Well, it took ten rounds for those hapless Tigers (yes Stanlazaridis, one win against Port does not champion maketh!) to notch up 4 points but it would be a gutsy move to pick them in the round opener against the Saints who are still clinging onto a top 4 spot. In what should be a cracking game, the Demons will give Carlton a run for their money on Saturday afternoon. The exciting young Demons pair of Scully and Trengove (sounding more like a posh homewares store than football players..) are back in but the Blues also have a couple of key players back on the list. 

Can Freo really keep winning?? Freo doesn't win, we all know that..especially the away games, what's going on? They take on a mediocre Adelaide over at AAMI stadium as they farewell their premiership player Tyson Edwards.
The Kangaroos are at home to a Brisbane team that had a top win over the Pies last week and will need to show some better form than they did against Fremantle. The Brown - Fevola show should prove hard to stop.

The Cats are heading over to the West for a Saturday night training run against the Eagles whilst the Hawk's big front man Buddy has been sidelined for a week after a little bit of argy bargy when they take on Port this Sunday arvo at the G. The Hawks are starting to look like the comeback team of the season and could creep back into the eight with a couple of good wins.
Sydney have spent far too long in the injury room this week and may struggle against the Bombers despite being at home and what a way to round up the weekend....A glass of 07 Mitchell Harris Shiraz whilst settling into the couch to watch a ripper of a game between the Pies and Doggies on Sunday evening.

Good Luck to you all!

Shan, Lis, Mitch and Johnno

Mitchell Harris Tipsters..it's Round 10!

Well tipsters, Round 10 is here and it's starting to get a little crowded at the pointy end of the Mitchell Harris leaderboard. Three of our tipsters have hit 50 and are setting the pace.

And onto the tipping...The Bombers will be playing Friday night footy against  the fast running Bulldogs who are in fine premiership form, especially if they can get their bleach haired Mouth of the South to focus on the footy.

The Demons have got a tough gig against the Cats who are absolutely flying along. The young Melbourne boys should learn a thing or two down at the Cattery, despite Geelong's golden boy still looking to head to the land of theme parks, white shoes and bleached hair. The hapless Tigers are still looking for their first four points and take on Port Adelaide over in the city of churches on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, it's do or die for Brisbane who have been toppled in their last 5 games and take on a fancied Pies outfit that don't mind a trip interstate.

Well, it's been back to school for the Saints boys this week and they match up against Adelaide on Saturday night in what could be the lowest scoring (ie. boring) game of the year with both teams playing a fairly negative style of the game.

The Hawks of old came out to play last week with Big Buddy bagging 5 and they're a good chance against an injury ridden Swans team on Sunday arvo. Carlton should come out firing on all cylinders after their walloping last week and West Coast might not have enough firepower to stop the Judd train through the centre.

The round wraps up on Sunday evening with Freo at home to a Roos team that have copped an absolute pounding over the last few weeks and could certainly struggle again over in the West.

Good Luck tipsters!

Mitch, Lis, Johnno and Shan

Welcome to Rd 9, Mitchell Harris tipsters!

 

Well tipsters, Round 9 is here and what an interesting round last week was. Rampaging royalpark has been reeled back in with Kyles McFarlane winning herself a bottle of MH Savvy for her sterling pick of 7. Several other tipsters, including the fearsome fangsnatcher, also picked 7 in a tough round. A couple of Mitchell Harris grandad's are also sitting pretty in 2nd and 3rd place.
Match of the year on Friday night? What a boomer it will be. Top 2 locking horns at the G, with the Pies looking like the only team to match the Cats in the midfield. MH's resident winemaker will be at the G, watching all the action live...well live on the tv in the MCG bar anyway..
It's a big ask for the luckless Roos on Saturday to take out the Doggies who are returning to some fine form. Boomer Harvey will be leading out his troops but Big Bazza has hit his straps, as opposed to hitting his opponents. Acker and his big mouth have been in form again this week and once again he finds himself in more sh*t than a Werribee duck.
The Dockers' Michael Johnson caught the white line fever from Stokes last week and will have a couple of weeks in the sinbin whilst his team takes on Sydney at Sydney.
The Dees displayed some of their form of old last week and may struggle yet again when they meet Port on Saturday night in the heat of the NT. The Tigers showed a glimpse of form last week but are still lacking up the forward line and are dreamin' if they think they'll beat the Bombers at the Dreamtime clash on Saturday night.
It's an interstate showdown when the Crows take on the Lions in Adelaide on Sunday. The dazzling duo of Brown and Fevola is looking more like the crippled couple and Brisbane is losing players by the dozen. It should be a close one if the Crows can keep their running legs.
The Hawks aren't likely to trouble an in form Carlton team on Sunday arvo, despite clocking up a win last week and the round winds up on Sunday night over in the West with the Eagles up against the Saints. St Kilda have been up and down like a whore's drawers and a seriously lacking in confidence so it will be a tough gig to beat the Weagles at home.

Good Luck Tipsters!

Mitch, Lis, Shan and Johnno,

Keeping it Small - Keeping it Real - via Sagmeister

Some great thoughts from 2 terrific creative minds came in on their respective blogs over the weekend.


They centred on thoughts of Austrian designer Stefan Sagmeister, whose commitment to keeping things 'small' has kept him at the forefront of design, and kept a big 'hit-rate' of his projects actually achieving success.


Like waistlines in ancient societies, sometimes it's all too easy too equate size and growth with success. For a small, no, tiny wine producer like Mitchell Harris it helps to remember that we can use our nimble, small size to remain creative and independent.


"We never grew, always stayed tiny, and it serves us very well over the years, allowing us to pick and choose projects, and keeping our financial independence from our clients." -Stefan Sagmeister


As top photographer Chase Jarvis says in his blog:


"Your client list can get big. Your staff can get big. Your hopes can get big. Productions can get big. Even invoices can get big. But none of that means a thing unless you’re doing work that you believe in and doing it well. And only you can measure that for yourself. Where do you want to go and what do you want to do?"


For a new, tiny winemaker, trying to show a bit of creativity to the world, some inspiring stuff from a couple of guys who are out there, creating every day. For us, it means finding our region's top fruit, and making the best wine we can. Something that will actually make it out there so at least some of you can enjoy it...


Cheers




Thanks to The 99% Blog.

Round 8 Mitchell Harris Tipsters!

Well, look out tipsters, Rampaging Royal Park has struck again, taking home the chocolates with a 7 pick last week. He has taken off, leading the pack by a healthy 3 points now.

Round 8 is upon us and it's the top two who kick it off on Friday night. Freo and Collingwood have both only lost to St Kilda this year and should have one tight tussle tomorrow night. Subiaco could be the deciding factor as the Dockers have won their last 7 matches at home.

The Demons were only pipped out by 4 points last week and face up to the Eagles at the G. They should get over the line with their young lads in fine form, including No 1 Draft pick, Jack Watts back in this week. The Bulldogs are starting to hit their straps and should give Sydney a run for their money on Saturday afternoon. Big Bad Bazza is working well with the rest of the team and could kick a bagful.

Matty Stokes has got the white line fever and is back on the field this week for the Cats. They clash with Brisbane up north on Saturday night, whilst the Roos take on the Crows who opened their account last week. The Kangaroos were given a bit of lesson in the basics by the Pies last week and could come out firing.

The Blue Baggers had a cracking win on Monday night and it should be closely fought affair against Port Adelaide who are loving the home ground advantage at the moment. Sunday afternoon also sees possibly the worst AFL team in a long time try to kick a goal or two against the Hawks. RIchmond is displaying some very ordinary form and even the hapless Hawks should find it easy to knock them off. The weekend wraps up with a Saints v Bombers show down at the Phone Dome. The Saints are missing their big man up on the forward line but could get across the line.

Remember tipsters, for all your Mitchell Harris news remember to jump on facebook and become a fan!

Cheers, Shan, Lis, Johnno and Mitch

Mother's Day Tipping with Mitchell Harris

Well, the cocky Johnno has had to cough up 3 bottles from his allocation for our round 6 winner, Leaping Lyle Weir. A special congratulations must also go to the new dad amongst the tippers, Mick Madman Moloney! We're hoping that now this baby thing is out of the way he can actually tip enough to get off the bottom of the leaderboard which he is sharing very nicely with brother John.

Dogs and Dees start off the round at the G tomorrow night with a bit of a must win game for the Bulldogs to hang onto their 8th spot. A tough one to pick will be the match between Essendon and Port. The Dons showed some fine form last week and might even come in favourites for this one. With both teams looking for only their second win of the season, Eagles and Hawks will battle it out over in the West. Jeff Kennett has called his boys performance last week "dismal" and will be crying out for a win click here

The Pies and Kangaroos clash at the G on Saturday night in what should be a cracking game. The Pies have been playing some very handy football and are sitting pretty in second place but the Roos could easily give them a bit of a shake up. Unbelievably, Freo haven’t won in Brisbane since entering the competition in 1995 so 2010 could be the year to break this voodoo with the team finally showing some form.

Top of the table Bloods are off to the Cattery on Sunday for a tough battle against Geelong. It's always a tough ask to knock off the Cats at home but league leaders Sydney might just be able to do it.  Two ordinary performing teams so far this year, Richmond and Adelaide will both be fighting for their first win of the season. Richmond might simply be hoping to be beat by less than 100..

Final game of the round sees the Saints take on the Blues on Sunday evening. The Saints have won their last 12 out of 13 games against Carlton and should do  so again if they can kick more than one goal a quarter this week. Defensive footy last week simply turned into boring footy..

And don't forget those special mothers in your life this weekend. Nothing says I love you more than a fine bottle of wine, I don't know...maybe a MItchell Harris Sauvignon Blanc..??

Righto tipsters, get tipping!

Mitch, Lis, Johnno and Shan

The Grampians Grape Escape

This weekend we go west, up to the beautiful Halls Gap in the Grampians for the annual Grampians Grape Escape.

Set in beautiful Halls Gap, there'll be heaps of the locals there with some exciting wine and food choices.

As for Mitchell Harris, we'll have all our new season's wines out for some of their first public sips:

The 2009 Mitchell Harris Sauvignon Blanc Fumé

The 2008 Mitchell Harris Shiraz

The 2007 Mitchell Harris Cabernet Sauvignon

Hope to see you there, we'll be back with news and shots of the weekend next week!

Rivalry Round with MH! 3 bottles to win!

Well, after bagging out our resident winemaker's picking ability last week he came out and topped the round! Johnno, being the generous soul he is, has donated the winning bottle back into the pool for the winner of Round 6. And Johnno, being the cocky soul he is, has also offered another bottle to the winner just if they beat him! So, that's 3 bottles of Mitchell Harris gold up for grabs this week for our winner!!

A cracking game to kick off the rivalry round this week with the Bulldogs looking to hang onto a top 8 spot when they come up against the Saints who have won 21 of their last 23 matches at the Phone Dome. Adelaide, yet to post a win for 2010, has it's back to the wall this week.  They're up against rivals Port Adelaide who won a hard fought game against the Saints last week and are looking to move on up into the 8.

Finals chances are on the line for both the Hawks and Bombers on Saturday night. Round 22 last year (remember this?) will be in the front of Hawks fans' minds as these bitter rivals face up at the G.

4 wins in a row for the Dees? It hasn't been seen for a while but they've lost 10 of their last 11 games at Etihad Stadium so the Roos could be in with a chance on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile Sydney at home will be a task for Voss' boys on Saturday night, especially with some injury doubt over the Brown/Fev duo.

Richmond's team list has more changes than an Elton John concert this week when they come up against the Cats at the Cattery.  Centrebet is offering a tempting little $14 for the Tigers to win but you might be better to save your pretty pennies on this one. A Huge game follows at the G on Sunday afternoon with the Pies clashing with a Blues outfit that knocked off Geelong last week thanks to a dominant performance from skipper Juddy. And to finish up the round it's a Derby over in the West with Freo looking to give West Coast's finals chances the heave-ho after a blistering start to their season.

So take your time this week tipsters, there's three bottles of the MH goodness to be won!

Cheers,
Shan, Lis, Johnno and Mitch

Salary Cap Scandal for MH

Breaking news... Mitchell Harris is reporting its own serious salary cap breach...Johnno has been found to be having above and beyond his quota of Mitchell Harris Cabernet and has been stripped of all wine allocation for the 2010 season. The 07 drop of Cabernet has certainly been found to be performing enhancing but in the volumes JH has been taking home it's downright dangerous. If he could actually tip above two each week we'd strip him of his tipping score as well, but that would be like stripping Richmond of their premiership points for 2010.

One of the top tippers from 2009, Hels Bainbridge, took home the bottle for Round 4 with an unbeatable little selection of 8 for the week. Nepetism is alive and well in the Mitchell Harris family with two Harris' and two Mitchells in the top 8 so far.

So, onto the tipping..

The Crows are having a shocker of a season so far and should struggle to bother the Doggies at the phone dome on Friday night. Big Bazza will shine..
Saturday afternoon sees the Eagles soar over to the east coast to play off against Sydney and their young team could battle to knock off Roos' boys.
Another impressive performance from the fighting Dees last week but they face a much tougher opponent in the unbeaten Brisbane on Saturday night needing some tight defence to stop the Lions power forwards.
Sitting 11th on the ladder with a yo-yo start to 2010, Port Adelaide copped a shalacking from Geelong last week and the Saints could easily do the same to them this week. The home ground advantage could be their only saviour.
A solid win for the Pies last week holds them in good stead for the Anzac Day showdown against the Bombers on Sunday. Essendon usually do pretty well with the Digger spirit behind them on Anzac day but they've been another team high on inconsistency this year.
One win each for the season, the Hawks take on the Kangaroos down in Tassie on Sunday night. As a second home ground for the Hawks, Aurora Stadium should play host to a close encounter between the two.
Freo are travelling along quite nicely and should have a bit of a training run against Richmond whilst the Cats' forward line will give the Blues a run for their money on Monday afternoon.

We're all getting our backside trackside at the Avoca Races on Anzac Day so if you're up for a day trip come and join us!

Johnno, Shan, Lis and Mitch

Art on the Tasting Bench

Some blending art, a la Jackson Pollock?

Nice one Johnno...

Round 4 Mitchell Harris Tipsters!

Round 4 is here after some tough tipping last week. Jen Absalom has struck form again this year, just knocking out The Wiz by a solitary point. What a round...a special mention to The Bald Hawk bringing up the rear with a less than impressive score of 2.

We head over the Nullarbor tomorrow night to kick off the round with two teams yet to hit their straps for the season. The Dons knocked off a mediocre Carlton last week but the Eagles are yet to clock up the 4 points. The home ground should give them a boost. Swans are showing some decent form and take on a Roos outfit that's been up and down more than a toilet seat so far. Look out for Bomber Harvey to show some leadership again this week.

Adelaide has spent more time in the physio rooms than on the training track this week and may struggle to find a fit 18 players to take the field on Saturday afternoon. They might need a bit of pressure point therapy from Juddy as he makes his return for the Blues desperate for some form of leadership. It should be a top little match up north between Brisbane and the Doggies. Can Big Bazza shine up on the forward line to counteract the Brown/Fevola show at the other end?

Lets hope the Hawthorn lads have got a clean rap sheet this week as they come up against Malthouse's boys and his potty mouth at the G on Saturday night. Richmond put in a superb effort at Sydney's Intercontinental Hotel last Saturday with Daniel Conner taking out the best on ground performance and the Cuz out for a week for "unduly rough play". They play Melbourne who racked up their first win in a while last week and are actually heading into a game as the favourite. Bring it on Dees! The pussy cats are at home for the first time this season and should come in easily against Port. The round wraps up with a home game for Freo against another unbeaten team in the Saints. 1st V 2nd, but no Riewoldt??

Start tipping tipsters and while you're on the computer jump onto our facebook site here and become a fan to keep up with all the latest MH news.

Cheers and Good Luck!

Lis, Mitch, Shan and Johnno

Follow that Cab....

Ok, so after a few weeks fermenting in our big new shiny open-top fermenters, the 2010 Mitchell Harris Cabernet has been drained out, and hits the presses today. Nice work Johnno, you deserve a beer.

Beautiful fruit from our Moonambel vineyard looks like it'll make one of our best vintages yet, and now set for a stint in our snappy new French Oak barrels.

Stay tuned for more progress...

Round 3 Mitchell Harris Mates Footy Tipping

Welcome to Round 3 tipsters!

Well, the competition has well and truly kicked off, with Whooper the Whopper just leading the way from Mitchell Harris' very own Miss Lis.
Jan Godfrey took out the Easter chocolates last week, picking 7 in a tough round.

Round 3 kicks off with a cracker of a game on Friday night. A highly fancied Saints outfit takes on the Magpies who don't know if they're Arthur or Martha on the footy field. 
North Melbourne scored themselves an embarrassing lesson on the game last week but should bounce back to give the Weagles a run on Saturday afternoon.

Port Adelaide are at home to Brisbane who have won their first two games thanks to stirling performances from one J.Brown whilst the Blues are looking for their first win for 2010 against the Bombers at the G. Saturday night sees the Swans take on a struggling Richmond, looking at a drubbing of 91 points or more . Did we say 91 points?? Wow that's what the 2007 Mitchell Harris Shiraz scored in a review by the highly respected author Gary Walsh of The Wine Front. What a coincidence...

The Demons missed out on knocking off the Pies by a solitary point last week and could give the struggling Crows a run for their money as well at the G on Sunday. Doggies against the Hawks should be another ripper of a game with both teams looking in fine form. Bulldogs should still be pretty fresh after barely raising a sweat against Richmond in Rd 2.  Freo have never won the first three games of a season and this may still be out of reach in 2010 when they face up to the Cats on Sunday evening.

Speaking of our 2007 Shiraz, we're running out the last few cases at a special price of $30 per bottle (usually $34.95), or a tasty little 6 pack for $150.
Just reply to this e-mail with any orders.
Get on board!!

Have a great weekend!

Shan, Johnno, Mitch and Lis

Easter Footy Tipping with Mitchell Harris

The season got off to a flyer in Round 1 with two of our tipsters locking in 8 picks, Rampaging Royalpark  just pipping out Whopper for the whopper!

Round 2 has come upon us quickly with an Easter Thursday match up north at The Gabba. Fev faces up to his old team mates after slagging them off in the pre-season so look out for a bit of argy bargy in the Brisbane forward line. The Lions should be too good at home.

The team with the longest 21 weeks ahead of them, Melbourne, face up to a fancied Pies outfit at the G on Saturday whilst the Saints should have a decent match up against the Roos later on that night. The Eagles play host to the Power on Saturday night with their running game most likely too strong but Port should be good for a roughie pick.

After the Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning, settle in for another interstate matchup with the Crows at home to a Sydney team that only just missed out on the 4 points last week. Freo played a high pressure match last week and take on Essendon at Etihad Sunday arvo whilst the Doggies should step up a gear and easily account for a "rebuilding' Richmond at the G after that.

The round wraps up on Monday just as all the caravans and cars filled with cranky families are winding their way home on jam packed highways. It's an '08 Grand Final repeat with the Hawks regaining Big Buddy Franklin for the occasion.

Happy Easter to everyone and have we mentioned how well our 07 Mitchell Harris Shiraz matches with chocolate?? Ooh yeah...

For all you Ballarat folk out there, e-mail us with an order today and we'll get you some wine in time for Easter!

Cheers,
Mitch, Lis, Johnno and Shan

Mitchell Harris Cabernet 2010 - a work in progress...

A few snaps from this week, showing that winemaking isn't all sitting on a verandah watching the sun set over the vineyard.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon in our open-top fermenters.

If you look closely you can probably even see Johnno breaking a sweat in some of these shots!

Things look promising for a top vintage 2010...

Round 1 Mitchell Harris Mates Footy Tipping...And so it begins!

Welcome tipsters to season 2010!!

Thanks to everyone for signing up for the Mitchell Harris Mate v Mate Footy Tipping for the 2010 AFL season, it's bound to be a cracker of year, with plenty of booze up for grabs every week.

Round 1 kicks off on Thursday night with a clash between the Tigers and Blues, a clash of the absent forwards. No Richo and no Fev. New look teams for both sides and Cuz looking to take the field after a brief respite this week, but no Juddy for the Blues.
The G is the venue for the reigning premiers on Friday night. They're up against the Bombers as Gary Ablett continues to field speculation on his move north to snap up the pot of gold.
The Saints looked fairly tidy in their Grand Final showing in the NAB Cup and they take on the Bloods at home on Saturday night, who have regained some of the Irish luck with Kennelly back on board.
After a spectacularly ordinary 2009, the Demons are back with a pack of highly rated junior burgers, but will need to lift their game a bit as they take on the Hawks, albeit sans Buddy. 
We head north on Saturday night with Brisbane up against the Weagles. Brisbane's team list has had more ins and outs than Tiger Woods, but all eyes will be on their own high profile philanderer up forward, Brendan "Happy snaps" Fevola.
Port Adelaide clashes with the Kangaroos on Sunday arvo over in the city of churches, with both teams showing a bit of form early in the pre-season.
Big Bazza Hall is the talk of the doggies team for 2010. The 33 year old is firing on all cylinders with 17 goals in 3 games but here on the Mitchell Harris bench we think he's got about a fortnight before being rubbed out. Surely the match of the round as they face up to a highly fancied Pies outfit.
Fremantle are up against the Crows on Sunday evening..oh.. so much ho-hum so early in the season...

Anyway, there it is tipsters, welcome aboard and tip well!

Don't forget to check out www.mitchellharris.com.au for all the latest happenings or for any orders!

Cheers,
Johnno, Shan, Mitch and Lis

MITCHELL HARRIS FOOTY TIPPING 2010

The inaugural competition last year went off with a bang, a closely fought encounter that went down to the wire, the winner taking home a selection of Mitchell Harris' finest.
So get on board, and join the Mitchell Harris Footy Tipping Competition.

There is a bottle of MH wine to be won EVERY week!
Plus bonus prizes throughout the season!

It's easy, simply click here and click on 'Join Now'. 

Enter all your details.

(We are using a different tipping competition website this year so your details from last year will not be valid. It would appear Telstra has taken over the afl tipping and complicated everything far too much!)

So what are you waiting for?
Join the comp where you could win a prize every week.
 Fill your cellar!


Just e-mail on info@mitchelharris.com.au with any questions or problems logging in.

The Birth of Bubbles...

Today marks the birth of our second vintage of Mitchell Harris 'SABRE' sparkling wine. The pickers have arrived to bring in our pinot noir today. We have found some beautiful fruit at a small vineyard near Kyneton in the Macedon region. Things for Vintage 2010 look fantastic at this stage: beautiful fruit, ripened gently by the generally mild conditions.

As our fruit comes in, it will be taken a short distance over to our contract winery near Romsey, where it will be pressed and processed. From there the pressings and cuvée make the trip back up to the Pyrenees, where we can then continue the fermentation, then the fun of blending with our chardonnay base.

We'll then tirage the wine into bottles, where it will spend approximately 3 years "on lees", gathering the rich taste and texture that we love to drink.

But today, it's just the first step on the voyage...

Winemakers: 24 hour party people... Songs for Vintage 2010.

Ah vintage... those heady few weeks present many opportunities to unleash the inner DJ, with some hard core down and dirty tunes to get you through a long night of well.. hard core down and dirty vintage work.

Your particular brand of aural stimulation may of course depend on your job in the vintage team, and the time of day.


I like to ease my way into the day (usually starting at about 4 am) with some mellow tunes. 


When the fruit comes rolling in and the jobs start piling up we can then crank it up a notch with some good rocking tracks. 


Don't forget those out in the vineyard in a tractor, or whizzing the forklift round the winery ... they need a good selection of driving tunes to keep the revs up.


After refueling at lunch, it’s time for a sing along tune to keep the spirits up. Some classic old school rock, think Stones or The Who, or some kicking Oz rock a-la You Am I to rock away the afternoon. 


By the late afternoon as you are clocking up 12 hours and the feet are heavy and the mind is losing focus... it’s time to start thinking about beer o’clock. Mix it up for the cocktail hour with some latin beats? 

For those on the night shift you need to keep the spirits up all night long. You need to warm up with some easy modern rock with a little twang such as Wilco, Weezer, or some old school Weddings. 


Then as the darkness sets in and the evening’s presses are emptied its time to rock it out until ‘dinner’ some time around midnight – 2am. 


After dinner its time for your power tunes and sing along tracks, to get you thru the wee hours before fading into some smooth grooves or even some classical gas as the sun rises to welcome in another day of grapes, ferments, near misses and the birth of potential wine greatness. 


Coopers pale ale for brekkie anyone?


Johnno's Job-Specific Top 5 (albums and tracks.)


Lab work : Needs some laid back alt-country...Wilco - Hotel Yankee Foxtrot
Marc Shovelling and Red Ferment punch downs : Wicked thumping beats...The Prodigy - Firestarter
Press Driving : Keeping the mood up for the team...Eels - Mr E’s Beautiful Blues 
Hose Dragging : Needs some good beats: Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Blending : Needs some vintage wine rock ... Blur – Charmless Man - ‘…he knows his claret from his Beaujolais’


And Mitch's Top 5 picks for some new beats for the 2010 Vintage:


Weezer - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
Eels - Gone Man
Gin Club - Rain
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - Home
Ball Park Music -Sea Strangers (I Don't Really Know You)


What's your Top 5 for Vintage 2010?

Not long now.

A bit of recent heat has brought out some colour amongst the reds throughout the Pyrenees. Looks like about 3-4 weeks until we'll start picking, and the Vintage bandwagon will roll out.

A last bit of respite before the madness begins...

Wine for Haiti!

Boozemonkey.com.au is coordinating a wine haul to auction and raise money for the Haitians.

Donate now! The goal is 100k!

Our Mitchell Harris Future Leader!

Some of you may know already, but the latest news in the MH camp is all about our winemaker John Harris. Not only can he make a cracking drop of wine, he has been selected in an elite group that will participate in the Winemakers Federation of Australia's Future Leaders' program.

Only 15 are chosen Australia wide to attend 14 days of "wisdom sharing" throughout the country. The program involves successful industry leaders passing on little gems of knowledge to the "bright stars of the future" with the aim of creating tomorrow's leaders of the wine industry.

Great work JH!