Winestate Magazine September October 2014

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 WINESTATE VOL 37 ISSUE 5 THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO WINE SINCE 1978 Over 10,000 tasted annually AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND WINE BUYING GUIDEWorld's greatest shiraz CHALLENGE IX SEMILLON RIVER REGIONS YARRA YALLEY & SOUTHERN VICTORIA OTAGO, NZ September/October 2014 WO R L D’S GREATEST SYRAH & S H I R A Z Vol 37 Issue 5 $9.95 AUS (inc GST) NZ $10.95 SGD $14.95 US $14.99 GBP £8.95print post approved 100003663 EUR 9.95 China RMB100 HKD $120 INR 1000 RUB 700 CHF 15.00 ZAR 150 OVER 500 TASTED plus Brandy, Cognac & Armagnac Semillon & Blends Yarra Valley & Southern Victoria River Regions Otago (NZ)









Australia’s FinestWines Wows Adelaide atTasting Australia

History. Form. Pedigree. Bloodline. Paul Henry, co-creative director forThey all seem like words more suited to Tasting Australia 2014, explained thethe racing fraternity than to the world of idea behind the initiative: “It all startedwine, and yet there was much talk on all with a chance conversation over dinner,of these attributes at the recent Langton’s and when we realised that the nextClassification VI at the National Wine Langton’s release was imminent, weCentre in Adelaide. were all convinced that it would be a great opportunity for Adelaide and Taking advantage of an opportunity to Tasting Australia.increase the focus on fine wine duringthis year’s Tasting Australia presented “I can’t think of a time when the idea of aby Thomas Foods festival, Langton’s positive international fine wine image fordebuted its latest classification for the Australia is more important – with globalfirst time ever in Adelaide, and to the confidence faltering after a lack-lustredelight of a packed audience. 2013 en primeur offer, and another round of austerity measures from the Chinese Since 1990, the Langton’s Classification government hampering demand in thathas become regarded as the ‘form guide’ market, the ability to demonstrate depth,for the best of Australian fine wine, quality and collectability in Australianranking the wines by the prices that they regional wines is critical.fetch on the secondary market amongLangton’s auction customers. ‘The new classification is therefore a timely reminder to the global market Grouped under the headings that not only some of the best qualityExceptional, Outstanding and Excellent, fine wine – but also the best value – isthe key two criteria for classification to be found within our winemakinghopefuls is that they have been produced community. I honestly don't thinkfor a minimum of ten vintages, and Adelaide has seen the like of such athat they have an established record tasting before, and it proved to be aof demand and performance on the perfect showcase for those interestedauction scene. The classification has in the very best that Australia has tobeen reviewed every five years since its offer, ’ Henry concluded.inception, and while the original releasecontained a relatively modest 34 wines, For further information on the Langton’sthis year’s honour roll comprised 139 – a Classification VI please visit www.sure sign of both a developing Australian langtons.com.au, and for further news andfine wine narrative, as well as a steadily coverage of this year’s Tasting Australia,increasing and well-informed market. please visit www.tastingaustralia.com.auBy Paul Henry

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No.264 september/october 2014 THE WOLF BLASS FOUNDATIONEditor & Publisher Peter Simic E-mail: [email protected] Editor Lara Simic E-mail: [email protected] Established 1994NZ Editor Michael Cooper E-mail: [email protected] Michael Bates Proudly SupportingAdministration Vicki Bozsoki E-mail: [email protected] •Australian Wine Education,Graphic Designer Jasmine Holmes E-mail: [email protected] •Viticultural, OenologicalMarketing Manager Peter Jackson E-mail: [email protected] Research & Development,Tasting Coordinator Madeline Willoughby E-mail: [email protected] DAI Rubicon •Wine & Health,Winestate Web Site Justin Martin •Global WineWINESTATE New Zealand Administration Industry ProfileKay Morganty Phone: (09) 479 1253 E-mail: [email protected] phone +61 8 8232 5322Contributors [email protected] South Wales Winsor Dobbin, Elisabeth King, Clive HartleySouth Australia Skye Murtagh, Joy Walterfang, Valmai Hankel, Nigel HopkinsVictoria Jeni Port, Hilary McNevinWestern Australia Mike ZekulichQueensland Peter Scudamore-Smith MW, Andrew Corrigan MW, Lizzie LoelNew Zealand Michael Cooper, Jane Skilton MWNational Travel Winsor DobbinUSA Gerald D. BoydEurope André Pretorius, Giorgio Fragiacomo, Sally Easton MWASIA Denis GastinADVERTISING SALESInternational and AustraliaPeter Jackson, Winestate PublicationsPhone: (08) 8357 9277 E-mail: [email protected] O’Reilly, Public Relations - [email protected] South WalesPearman MediaPhone: (02) 9929 3966QueenslandJaye Bradley Phone: (07) 3391 6633 E-mail: [email protected] ZealandDebbie Bowman – McKay & BowmanPhone: +64 9 419 0561 Email: [email protected] & Eastern EuropeFabio Potestà - Mediapoint & Communications SrlPhone: +39 010 5704948 E-mail: [email protected] Nogier - Buenos Aires - FrancePhone: +33 4 8638 8019 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.buenos-aires.frDISTRIBUTORSAustraliaGordon and Gotch Australia P/LNew ZealandGordon and Gotch New ZealandInternationalDAI RubiconHong Kong & ChinaEverwise Wine LimitedUKComagBRAZILWalker DistributionUSASource Interlink InternationalWINESTATE is published seven times a year by WINESTATE PUBLISHING PTY LTD,81 King William Road, Unley SA 5061.Copyright 2014 by WINESTATE PUBLISHING PTY LTD. This publication may not, in wholeor in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronicmedium or machine-readable form without the express permission of the publisher.Every care is taken in compiling the contents of this publication, but the publisher assumesno responsibility for the effects arising therefrom.ABN 56 088 226 411Winestate Telephone (08) 8357 9277 Facsimile (08) 8357 9212E-mail [email protected] Web Site www.winestate.com.au

contentsSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014O T H E R F E A T UR E S WO R L D ’ S G R E AT E S T 48 OUR NUMBER 1 Two out of three ain’t bad! The 201032 FRUIT BOMBS OR NOT, THESE SYRAH & SHIRAZ Bird in Hand Nest Egg shiraz from the Adelaide Hills has reprised its triumphCENTRAL OTAGO WINES ARE in our 2012 Challenge by adding the 2014 title to its illustrious record.WINNING HEARTS OUR NUMBER 2Some critics might criticise them for 46 Five days, 500-plus bottles – it was a 50 Vive la France! From the tiny Frenchtheir boldness, but the pinot noirs tough but rewarding task for the judges appellation of Hermitage comes ourfrom New Zealand’s loftiest and in our ninth annual challenge to choose runner-up, the E. Guigal Ermitage Exloveliest – and third largest – wine the best shiraz and syrah wines across Voto 2010. It’s a wine that delivers onregion are winning far more fans than all price categories. Winestate Editor the promise of the Latin on its label.foes, as Michael Cooper discovers. and Publisher Peter Simic describes OUR NUMBER 334 AN AMERICAN-ITALIAN COUPLE this varietal as perhaps the most honest Bravo the Barossa! Its 2006 MAKE THEIR DISTINCTIVE MARK predecessor was runner-up in our 2011 IN PUGLIA of all the reds. As he observes, this On the southern heel of Italy’s ‘boot’, Andre Pretorius meets an Italian- tasting should help guide you to the 52 labels that best suit your palate and pocket. Read on, and take your pick!Californian couple exploring their 48 AND THEN THERE WERE THREE Challenge, and now the Wolf Blasspassion by crafting elegant wines When the field of 500 was finally Medlands Vineyard Platinum Labelby hand in the beautiful Puglian whittled down to the five-star wines, Shiraz 2010 has kept the flag flyinglandscape – and reveals how their these best of the best were re-tasted, high in 2014.partnership was born. then pruned further to our Top Ten r eg u la r s and, finally, to the supreme trio. This38 BELLBRAE RIDES THE CREST OF year’s first three placegetters are from 14 Briefs GEELONG’S EXCITING MODERN ERA three distinct regions – two of them 23 Cooper’s Creed with Michael Cooper After illustrious beginnings, when Australian. We look at these wines and 24 European Report with Sally Easton it was hailed as the “Bordeaux of the wineries to find out where they get 26 Wine Tutor with Clive Hartley the Antipodes”, the Geelong wine their winning edge. area sank into phylloxera-ravaged oblivion. Now a Surf Coast winery is 54 FOR RICHER, FOR POORER 28 Wine Travel with Elisabeth King a rising star of the region’s modern era, writes Michael Hince. Generally speaking, shiraz drinkers 30 Wine History with Valmai Hankel42 LILIAN CARTER’S EVER- get more bang for their buck as they 58 Grapevine EXPANDING WORLD OF ascend the price range, but there are 64 Wine Words WINEMAKING excellent wines out there regardless An Australian girl reared on her family’s vineyard property in of the thickness of your wallet or your 68 What’s it Worth? Rutherglen has transformed herself into a winemaker with an impressive credit card limit. Check out our tasting 70 Wine Investment & Collecting international portfolio. Denis Gastin notes to see which wines received 75 Subscription Form finds Lilian Carter at her latest the tick of approval, in price brackets venture in a remote region of China. ranging from $15 to $20 to the seriously 154 Aftertaste pricey $200-plus. wine tastings 78 THE JUDGES’ VERDICTS Judging blind, our daily panels of three 102 Semillon & Blends peer group winemakers worked their 108 Yarra Valley & Southern Victoria way through the line-up and made 114 River Regions their expert assessments before the 120 Hawke’s Bay, NZ “trophy panel” made the final cull. Read the judges’ views about the 124 Michael Cooper’s Recent Releases wines in general and the various price categories in particular. Winestate Magazine 128 Brandy, Cognac & Armagnac, Issue Number 264 New Releases and Top 40 Best Buys September/October 2014 under $20. Cover photograph For a complete list of what we tasted for this Orange Lane Studios. issue please refer to www.winestate.com.au Special thanks to Adelaide Marble Specialists.

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editorialIN THIS ISSUE we offer another great result for our annual signatureWorld’s Greatest Shiraz & Syrah Challenge, where we line up some of theworld’s finest examples of the variety in head-to-head competition. This yearonce again we sourced the big names from Guigal, including the salubriousEx Voto, Brune et Blonde and Chateau Ampuis, Paul Jaboulet’s La Chapelleand Chapoutiers L’Ermite to fight for the French corner. Then for Australia wehad the icons, Penfolds Grange, Wolf Blass Platinum, Grant Burge Meschach,Henschke Hill of Grace, Bird in Hand Nest Egg and Torbreck Laird, to mentionthe frontrunners. Along the way others from New Zealand, South Africa andSouth America also joined the contest. Historically we have always looked at a massive line-up of between 500 and700 wines of this variety, whether it be called syrah, shiraz or hermitage. Forthe tasting we like to look at these big numbers – certainly among the biggestof their kind in the world. But what makes our competition different, and webelieve more valuable, is including the top names listed above, as yardstickwines in a head-to-head battle, without fear or favour. This year we noticed an ongoing trend where wines in the cheaper pricecategories that were kept fresh and varietal and not fussed over too muchoffered great value as lunch or picnic wines. These were wines for drinking, not thinking. The Spanish have longrecognised this with their joven, or “young”, wines that tell it like it is and don’t promise more than they can deliver. We also saw this same result in our other red wine tastings throughout the year. However, the difference, and thisis where shiraz/syrah excels, was that at the mid-priced levels the other red wines failed to live up to expectations,perhaps winemakers trying to make a “silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. Of all the red wine varietals shiraz/syrah,with its rich, sweet fruit character, is the most forgiving and can be grown both in hot or cool climates, both givingsatisfactory results. This year the wines were judged over five days with 15 judges involved, including our “trophy” panel of Mastersof Wine Drew Noon and Phil Reedman, plus legendary chairman of judges at Australian wine shows, Ian McKenzie.Our thanks go to all of them for outstanding rigorous blind judging of the wines (and to the wineries that put theirwines up for evaluation). We judged 503 wines during the week, with 322 recommended and only 20 gaining thecoveted five-star award. While last year there apparently were more bargains around in the judges’ recommendations, this year it seemedthat you might have to put your hand in your pocket if you were chasing the big stars. As usual there are exceptionsand these are for you to find in the tasting results. I have said this many times before: concentrate on the price rangefrom which you normally buy your wines, check out what else is available and give them a try. If your local outletdoesn’t stock the wine go straight to the source by email or the web; I’m sure they will help to locate some stockfor you or even send it to your door. Also in this issue we are pleased to present tastings of Australia’s longest-living whites, semillon, along with tastingsfrom our best-value regions of SA and Victoria, Riverlands and NSW Riverina. New Zealand Editor Michael Cooperhosts our annual Otago tasting with lots to offer from the land of the long white cloud. Again, much to peruse and enjoy.Cheers!Peter SimicEditor/PublisherSeptember/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 13

briefsAnother McWilliam’s shuffle All Saints makes a statementTHE CHANGES at McWilliam’s Wines continue, with senior ALL SAINTS Estate celebrates its 150th anniversary this year withwinemaker Adrian Sparks switching from Hanwood, where Bryan two new wine releases saluting a great Rutherglen red grape hero.Currie recently arrived from Westend Estate, to Mount Pleasant And it’s not durif!Winery in the Hunter Valley. The 2013 GSM (grenache shiraz mourvedre) is a first for theAdrian has had responsibilities across the very successful company, a continuation of the Rhone Valley theme All SaintsTumbarumba chardonnay projects, including the 842, Barwang started decades ago with the planting of the Rhone white grape,and Armchair Critic wines. He has also been responsible for the marsanne. The 2010 Old Vine shiraz ventures into premium wineTightrope Walker wines from Victoria’s Yarra Valley and the Last territory with a $69 a bottle price tag.Horizon wines from Tasmania. The three Brown siblings who operate All Saints Estate – Eliza,“What excites me about Mount Pleasant is the history, and the Angela and Nick – have also taken` the controversial step ofthrill of working with some of Australia’s most highly regarded refusing to endorse the new Australia-wide name for what we havevineyards,” he says. “Getting to work with fruit from vines planted traditionally known as tokay. The term, a geographical place nameby arguably Australia’s greatest-ever winemaker is something to that refers to Hungary’streasure and something you can never become complacent with. most famous wine,I want to learn about the history of Mount Pleasant, the vineyards, Tokaji, must be replacedof the winery and the story of Maurice O’Shea – and what better in Australia with anplace to do it.” alternative by September 1, 2020. The Browns are scrapping topaque, a name created after many hours of industry consultation, in favour of the grape variety behind the fortified style: muscadelle. I hate the name topaque,” says CEO Eliza Brown. “This is my own opinion but to me topaque sounds to me like it’s not pure, as in opaque.”wine-ark FOR COLLECTORS OF FINE WINE Wine Ark Provenance Program Bottles of aged wine that are transacted in Australia rarely have an irrefutable climate controlled storage history. Buyers of vintage wine generally haven’t had a reliable means by which to verify the storage conditions of a wine..until now. Visit our site for more details on Wine Ark’s Provenance Program. 11 SITES NATIONALLY ○ CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE ○ BUY VINTAGE WINE www.wine-ark.com.au 1300 946 32714 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

briefsLabel returns to Claudio’s cloth noir to add an exotic element to a complex, food-friendly wine with real palate interest, while the red is a blend of pinot noir,WHEN textile merchant Claudio Alcorso purchased a block of land shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, with just a touchat Berriedale, north of Hobart, in 1957 he was told it was more of riesling, in a style that calls to mind some of the fine, elegantsuitable for fruit trees than for growing grapes – but he planted reds produced in the Loire Valley in France. some riesling vines anyway and produced his first wine in 1962, Conor, who is remarkable among winemakers in that he grew upmaking him one of the pioneers of the Tasmanian wine industry. in northern Canada and did not see his first grapevine until heClaudio later purchased the St Matthias vineyard in the Tamar was 18, says he believes he has accomplished the mission DavidValley, which provided some of the premium fruit used in the wines Walsh gave him. “It has been seven years from concept to releasehe made under the Moorilla label. of creating a flagship range and I think the wines we have releasedBoth the Berriedale site and the St Matthias vineyard were sold pay tribute to a pioneering cool-climate winery that helped putto David Walsh in 1995 after Moorilla went into receivership and, Tasmania on the wine map,” he says. “We wanted to link the pastwhile the Moorilla home vineyard remains, the site is now known with the future, and I think we have done that. I hope we can showworldwide as MONA, David’s hugely successful Museum of Old Australia something special and unique from Tasmania.”and New Art (MONA) complex.David gave globe-trotting Canadian winemaker Conor van derReest the go-ahead to build a new high-tech small-batch winery atBerriedale, and he and Conor also decided to relaunch Moorilla’slegendary cloth label with a series of wines that Conor determinedwould represent the pinnacle of what the cool-climate fruit and hiswinemaking team could do.All three wines in the cloth label series are made from fruit grownon the St Matthias vineyard at Rosevears, which was planted in1983 and looks across the Tamar River. Traditionally this vineyardproduces wines that are racy and minerally – and those elementsshine in the three new releases launched recently at MONA: a2004 Moorilla Cloth Label Late Disgorged Sparkling, and a pairof wines from the 50th anniversary 2012 vintage – a red blendand a white blend.All the cloth labels are attached by hand, as was the tradition infounder Claudio’s day. The bubbly costs $145 and the red andwhite $110. The white is a blend of six varieties, a fleshy numberthat comprises pinot gris, riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay,gewurztraminer and a small percentage of lightly pressed pinot September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 15

briefsA rare Asian oasis of wine Relaunched Bentley hums alongFOR TWO decades The Datai has been the benchmark resort FOR OVER seven years the Bentley Bar was a Sydney icon; a Surryon the Malaysian island of Langkawi – and that is no surprise Hills magnet for wine lovers and gourmets alike, so it came asgiven the attention to detail. something of a surprise when partners Brent Savage, the chef, andIt can be hard to source good wine at many Asian beach sommelier Nick Hildebrandt decided to move lock stock and barrelresorts, but The Datai is a welcome exception to that rule. There to the Radisson Blu Hotel in the CBD.is a well-chosen global wine list here, with a good selection Now, after well over six months in its new digs, the renamed Bentleyfrom France, Italy and Chile, as well as names familiar to Restaurant and Bar has moved smoothly into top gear. “This is inAustralians in Grosset, Cape Mentelle, Leeuwin Estate, Rolf every way a dream restaurant for us,” said Brent when the new venueBinder and Kiwis Cloudy Bay, Neudorf and Saint Clair. launched. “The fundamentals of Bentley as it was in Surry Hills willRestaurant choices include The Dining Room, which offers remain – serious food and wine served in a relaxed, modern andWestern-style dishes like honey-soy duck breast, or roast rack informal environment, but the beautiful new space will enable us toof lamb in a black olive crust, while the Pavilion and Gulai take Bentley to the next level.”House are for the more adventurous. Brent’s food, offered a la carte, as a tasting menu or part of a separateThe Pavilion is run by a Thai kitchen team with choices bar menu, remains cutting-edge; innovative and impeccably judged,including spicy green papaya with dried shrimp salad, crispy while the service, guided by sommelier and general manager Glensoft-shell crab with Thai chilli oil, massaman beef and roasted Goodwin, is both informed and efficient. The bar area can cater for upduck curry with pineapple. Service, here, like throughout the to 30 drinkers and diners, with casual choices ranging from charredresort, is solicitous and efficient. beef tartare to a Bentley sandwich, while the 80-seat dining roomGulai House, deep in the rainforest in a traditional kampung- has a bustling feel.style setting, highlights Malaysian and Indian specialities and Nick Hildebrandt, a multi-award-winning sommelier, has created ahas its own tandoori oven. Think dishes like grilled fish and wine list of over 1000 labels, with an intriguing selection by the glass.prawns in a banana leaf, nonya chicken coconut curry or grilled The design is by Pascale Gomes-McNabb, famous for her workseasonal fish with a variety of traditional sauces. with Cutler & Co and Cumulus in Melbourne; eateries blessed with a similar vibe. Home to the Radisson Blu since 2000, the heritage-listedCoravin’s explosive glitch building was built in 1856 by John Fairfax & Sons and housed The Sydney Morning Herald for almost 100 years before becoming a bank.ONE of the wine world’s latest must-have preservation systems, At 27 O’Connell St, Bentley is open Monday-Friday for lunch andCoravin, has temporarily ceased production following alarming Monday-Saturday for dinner. Bookings: (02) 8214 0505; info@incidences of exploding bottles. thebentley.com.au; www.thebentley.com.au.The manufacturer called a halt to production and has begunan investigation after receiving seven reports of broken bottles, Focus on sangioveseat least one causing lacerations.The Coravin system was launched to great acclaim only last THE NEWLY merged King Valley Vignerons and Wines of theyear. Developed by an American medical technology expert, King Valley are aiming to cement the north-east VictorianCoravin withdraws wine through a long, thin needle inserted region as the Australian capital of sangiovese. A five-yearin the cork and then replaces it with inert gas to protect the study has the key aim of increasing the knowledge ofremaining wine. winemakers and growers about sangiovese, with an ultimateMany Australian sommeliers as well as wine lovers have bought goal of boosting quality.Coravin units, which retail at around $400. One restaurant, Through the five-year study the best growing and productionGrossi Florentino in Melbourne, released a press release just methods and sites for producing sangiovese will be identified.one month before the product withdrawal, praising the system Association chairman John Darling says, “This is an excitingfor “allowing us to have even more exquisite wines available project which can only improve the wine quality of theby the glass”. sangiovese grown in the region”.16 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

briefsSparklings in the spotlight A real wine adventureJOSEF Chromy Wines is putting together a two-day event celebrating VISITORS to the d’Arenberg cellar door are being offered theTasmanian wine that will be held on October 31-November 1 and chance to choose their own adventure and combine the traditionalwill be known as Effervescence Tasmania 2014. tasting with exciting discovery, luxury or culinary decadence,While final details and a full participants list are still being ironed perhaps explore McLaren Vale region in a 4WD, take to the skiesout, wineries involved will include Clover Hill, Arras, Jansz, and soar above the coast in a Waco plane or blend and bottleStefano Lubiana, Freycinet, Tamar Ridge, Delamere, Moorilla, their own wine.Ghost Rock, Kreglinger, Frogmore Creek, Apogee, Barringwood The winery has partnered with local businesses to create severaland Spring Vale. specialised packages, designed to showcase the best that theThe event is billed as “giving consumers the opportunity to try Fleurieu Peninsula has to offer.some of Tasmania’s best sparkling wines and learn how and why”. “Since 1959, when my dad first released wine with a red stripeEvents will include a degustation dinner, a range of masterclasses on the label, we’ve been making great wine,” says winemakerand a food and wine tasting event on the Sunday. See www. Chester Osborn. “Since 1996, when we opened d’Arry’s Verandaheffervescencetasmania.com. Restaurant, we’ve been making great food. So it makes sense that we offer package experiences that not only show off our wine andReds with a dash of difference food, but the beautiful region in which we have proudly tended vineyards for the past 102 years.”ADDING a new dimension to the use of barrels in winemaking, For more information on how to choose your own adventure atJacob’s Creek has used Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey d’Arenberg, visit www.darenberg.com.au/experiences.barrels to finish off two new red wines. It calls the wine rangeDouble Barrel. Hunter gets festive againIn addition to the usual ageing in French and American casks,chief winemaker Bernard Hickin took a 2012 Barossa shiraz and THE HUNTER Valley Wine Festival, which was revived in 2013aged it in old Scotch whisky barrels. A 2012 Coonawarra cabernet after a 30-year break, will take place on Saturday October 11 atsauvignon was finished in old Irish whiskey barrels. the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, with more exhibitors and moreBernard says he opted for the unusual oak treatment, believing food stalls, organisers have promised.it would bless both wines with extra layers of complexity and Since the successful relaunch of the festival at its new venue, the“smoothness as well as richness”. Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley has added the Lovedale Brewery, while“We discovered,” he says, “that finishing the wines in aged whisk(e) resort owner Dr Jerry Schwartz has acquired a former McWilliam’sy barrels introduced additional intricacy and a smoother texture, vineyard next door and will debut the first wines from his Jadedue to the fundamental differences between barrels made for Estate label at the festival.ageing whisk(e)y, and those crafted to age wine”. The wines are The event aims to showcase the best of Hunter Valley wines andpriced at $24.99 each. local produce, giving visitors a taste of what the Hunter Valley has to offer. In addition there will be beer and cider tastings from theLast link to Hunter cut Lovedale Brewery and other local producers. The tastings will be complemented by wine appreciation sessions,THE FINAL lingering image of Rosemount Estate’s origins in the and entertainment will be provided by Hunter Valley performersHunter Valley has finally been laid to rest with the launch of the new Rebecca Henry and Chris Byrnes. Children will also be entertainedRosemount MV Collection dedicated to the brand’s now-permanent throughout the day with train rides, a merry-go-round and the Waterhome, McLaren Vale. Dragons Kids Club.Four wines released under the Collection – chardonnay, GSM, Ticket prices are maintained at $20 for advanced purchaseshiraz and cabernet sauvignon – are said to best represent the via Moshtix (www.moshtix.com.au), or $30 at the gate, whichregion’s ‘hero’ varieties and are priced at $25 each. includes five tasting tickets and a tasting glass. For moreMcLaren Vale fruit was first sourced for Rosemount Estate in the information and details on accommodation packages visit 1980s, followed by the company buying the 100-year-old Ryecroft www.huntervalleywinefestival.com.winery and vineyards in 1991. But its origins go back to the HunterValley, where the brand’s founder, Robert Oatley, a successfulNew Guinea coffee and cocoa plantation owner, turned to winegrape growing near Denman in the 1970s. With his first vintagein 1975 he collected a staggering 58 medals at Australian wineshows. Rosemount went on to enjoy huge national and internationalacclaim, principally as a chardonnay maker, and merged withSouthcorp in 2001.Oatley no longer has a connection to the name. Now, neither doesthe Hunter Valley. September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 17

briefsTempest gathers strength Singing viognier’s praisesTHE RELAUNCH a few year years ago of iconic Tasmanian wine CHIEF winemaker Louisa Rose has spent more than 20 yearsbrand Heemskerk was a major success for Treasury Wine Estates, at Yalumba, where she has been one of the prime moverswith first Anna Pooley and now Chilly Hargrave as head winemaker. behind the promotion of the French white grape viognier,Heemskerk’s second label, Abel’s Tempest, has until recently which is used both in red blends and as a stand-alone been stunted by a lack of quality of fruit, but the purchase from white varietal.Brown Brothers of White Hills at Relbia, one of the state’s best, and Yalumba today produces several different viogniers, includinglargest vineyards, will soon see more wines from Abel’s Tempest The Virgilius ($50), its white. The elegant and seamless in the marketplace. 2012 is a recent release, along with the 2013 Yalumba While fruit for Heemskerk will still be sourced from some of the best Eden Valley Viognier ($25), a more affordable incarnationvineyards in the state, from now on fruit for the Abel’s Tempest label that is flavoursome and rich but beautifully poised. Therewill be sourced from White Hills. is also the entry-level Yalumba Y Viognier ($12-14), anChilly Hargrave, who has spent most of his wine career in South excellent quaffer.Australia, says, “I think the wines being made out of Tasmania are Viognier, which originates in the Rhone Valley, produces soft,some of the best examples of their variety: steely riesling, beautiful full-bodied whites and is often co-fermented with shiraz. Itaromatic pinot noir, taut and linear chardonnay and sparkling wines was planted in Heathcote, Victoria, in 1978 and by Elgeewith lovely finesse.” Park on the Mornington Peninsula and by Yalumba in theThe new Abel’s Tempest by Heemskerk packaging depicts the Eden Valley in 1980.stormy seas and raging tempests off Tasmania’s coast, where “With the vines now over 30 years of age we are starting toDutchman Abel Tasman navigated his flagship, the Heemskerk, understand what viognier can do, but we are still learning,”and sighted land in 1642. Louisa says. “One surprise has been that while not manyThe current Heemskerk wines include a 2009 chardonnay pinot people cellar it, viognier actually ages pretty well undernoir sparkling ($60), a 2012 chardonnay and 2012 riesling (both screw caps (Yalumba has been using these closures for$50) and a 2011 pinot noir ($60). viognier since 2003).” ALDILiquor aldiliquor.com.au Over 200 wine, beer and spirits are available at your fingertips from our every day range and exciting special buys. Order now on your smartphone, tablet or desktop for quality liquor delivered straight to your door. free metro delivery when you spend over $300† Delivery charges are on a per case basis. (†Excludes Beer and RTD’s. This offer is valid for selected Eastern Seaboard Delivery locations only.) ALDI supports the responsible service of alcohol. It is illegal to purchase alcohol for people under 18. On-line sales made pursuant to the Authority of packaged liquor licence no: LIQP77001027818 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

briefsHong Kong’s new Qantas venue Black to the futureTHE NEW Qantas lounge at Hong Kong has a cocktail bar, selection IT’S a marketing adage that you never mess with a successfulof fine wines and its own restaurant. Guests can sit at the bar formula, but Cointreau has just added to its worldwideand enjoy cocktails, wines such as Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate range for the first time since it launched in 1849. La Maisonand Heemskerk, beers and spirits, perhaps accompanied by Cointreau, known for its iconic square-bottled orange liqueurbarbecued pork and rice, or enjoy table service in the restaurant that sells around 13 million bottles a year in more than 150area. Alternatively, there is a very good buffet with a range of countries, has launched a new variant: Cointreau Noir.vegetarian options and five desserts from which to choose. Bernadette Langlais, Cointreau’s master distiller, says sheStaff say many Qantas Club, business and first-class flyers opt to was inspired by Majestic, which was a premium blend ofhave a full meal in the lounge and then go straight to sleep when Cointreau orange liqueur and cognac crafted by Edouardthey board their flights. Qantas International CEO Simon Hickey Cointreau in the early 1900s. She decided to put her ownhas said the new multimillion-dollar lounge is designed for that spin on Majestic to create Cointreau Noir, described asspecific purpose. “an irresistible marriage of Cointreau’s perfect balance ofThe lounge builds on the menus of consulting chef Neil Perry, sweet and bitter orange peels and world’s finest cognac, focusing both on local flavours and international dishes. Remy Martin”.Qantas operates 28 return services each week from Australia Bernadette enriched the original recipe by adding macerationsto Hong Kong, with daily flights from Brisbane, Melbourne of nuts and almonds, introducing new aromas and complexity.and Sydney. The end result, however, is midway between a liqueur and a cognac, and is designed to appeal to dark spirit connoisseurs and cocktail lovers. The recipe, like that of the original Cointreau, is a secret. Alfred Cointreau, a sixth-generation member of the Cointreau family, visited Australia to launch Cointreau Noir, which is now available at an RRP of $64.99.Dare to be different!!Eric Semmler: Australian Winemaker of the Year 2013Proudly made in the Riverland! www.919wines.com.au 0408 855 272 September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 19

briefsSalute to a great half dozen … and a brown revivalSIX wine legends have been inducted into the inaugural Clare WOLF BLASS Wines has released a special Brown Label ShirazValley Hall of Fame. to mark the 80th birthday of the label’s founder.Judges for the awards looked to the valley’s long association with First released in 1975, a blend of shiraz from Langhorne Creekthe grape and some of its early successful winemaker pioneers, and the Barossa Valley, the wine established the Blass reputationas well as modern-day leaders. – and the 2012 release, with McLaren Vale added to the blend,· The late Carl Sobels of Quelltaler fame was employed by the reinstates Brown Label to the Wolf Blass collection. It was releasedsecond Quelltaler owner to make wine in 1868, and eventually in August for $49.99.with his partner, Leo Buring, bought the winery in 1890. The Sobels “We thought we should re-create one of Wolfie’s signature andfamily continued to be involved with the Quelltaler name right up favourite wines to celebrate this milestone,” says chief winemakeruntil 1960, introducing best-selling wines like Quelltaler hock and Chris Hatcher. “It’s made in the style of Wolf’s early vintages andGranfiesta sherry. I’m certain that enthusiasts of the traditional Wolf Blass style will· The late Mick Knappstein was the driving force behind Stanley thoroughly enjoy the return of this classic 30 years on.Leasingham and the keeper of winemaking integrity and style as “Opulent richness and depth of fruit provide both intensity ofthe company passed through a series of owners. He was in control flavour and density on the palate. It’s a generous wine of powerof winemaking from 1962 onwards and with winemakers Chris and intensity, yet with finesse, character and eminent drinkability.”Proud and Tim Adams made Bin 7 Rhine riesling, Bin 49 cabernet and Bin 56 cabernet malbec, all Clare Valley icons. New flagship in a quality fleet· The late Jim Barry of Jim Barry Wines was the first qualifiedwinemaker to practice in Clare and was long-time winemaker at WHEN chief winemaker Neilthe Clarevale Co-op (with a short stint at Chateau Clare) before McGuigan launched the $150setting up Jim Barry Wines in 1959. He was a riesling maker par a bottle McGuigan Wines Theexcellence. Philosophy recently, he was· Jane Mitchell co-founded Mitchell Wines with her husband making a statement aboutAndrew in 1975 and has been a strong promoter of Clare Valley the three-time Internationalwines, in particular riesling and shiraz. She was the driving force Winemaker of the Year’s questbehind the establishment of the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend for quality.which turned 30 this year. While Neil recognises that only· Jeffrey Grosset of Grosset Wines is a Clare Valley winemaker a handful of consumers will beof international renown, enjoying a strong reputation for rieslings able to afford the new flagshipof purity and finesse. He was one of the leaders behind the push – a 2010 blend of cabernetby Clare winemakers in 2000 to choose screwcap over cork for sauvignon and shiraz in thetheir rieslings, thus starting an Australia-wide conversion to these traditional Australian style thatclosures. took 10 years to develop – he· Brother John May at Sevenhill is widely regarded as the believes making wines at thewinemaker who transformed the winery and vineyards at the top end will also help ordinary consumers drink better by settingSevenhill-based Jesuit church and college with his arrival in 1972. the bar higher for the winery across its entire portfolio.His St Aloysius riesling and St Ignatius cabernet blend made “When I got back into the business in 2004 I spent some timeSevenhill an Australian household name. going around to our vineyards, speaking to the winemakers, and said, ‘How hard is it to make a $10 bottle of wine?’ And they said,A green revolution … ‘Given all the fancy winemaking gear we’ve got, it aint that hard to make a $10 bottle of wine’.DE BORTOLI Wines has completely revamped its Yarra Valley “And that was the problem. Complacency will set in because we’verange of wines, which now carry green branding. De Bortoli’s got all the gear and it shouldn’t be that hard. To make a $150 bottleYarra Valley winemaker, Steve Webber, says he is excited of wine you need, of course, fruit, but you need everything elseabout the new look. going for you too.“Our Estate Grown range is obviously one of our most “And if you put good-quality wine into a system with that culture,important ranges and its new packaging showcases this – we there’s a chance to make a $150 bottle of wine, and what happensreally love the green capsule. Hopefully you’ll see that from a along the way is you lift the bar in everything else that you do; a $10distance and recognise that as a De Bortoli wine, just as you wine starts to taste like a $12 bottle of wine and so on. And that’smight see a red cap and think it’s a Penfolds,” says Steve. what the process behind The Philosophy has been about – it’s to lift“We’ve also got some single-vineyard wines from very small the bar with everything that we do. We’ve come a long way and hadplots on the property, and we try to make some really special ranges to develop as we’ve gone through this process of creatingwines. We’ve introduced two Village wines, which come from a super-premium red.” The 2010 The Philosophy, a blend of Edensome of the really premium vineyards that we buy fruit from.” Valley and Clare Valley fruit, is a limited release, available now.20 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

briefsBrazil scores wine goals Rare release rewards faith in fortifiedsTHE WORLD Cup soccertournament in Brazil has FEW, if any, winemakers in the world would put 55 years into asparked a worldwide wine before selling a single bottle. But that is the path the highlyinterest in all things respected WA producer Talijancich Wines have taken with theirBrazilian – including wine. latest release, labelled 30 Year Old Rare Tawny.Miola Wines is one ofBrazil’s leading fine wine The story of this incredible journey began in the late 1950s, whenproducers from the Vale Peter Talijancich (then in charge but now retired) decided to make ados Vinhedos region, and tawny port-styled wine to complement his vintage port production.its wines are now being exported to Australia. Founded by Italian Using fortified shiraz and grenache grown and processed on theirimmigrant Giuseppe Miolo in 1897, the family-run vineyard Swan Valley property, he proceeded to fill 10 quarter casks over theproduces traditional European varieties, from merlots and pinot years until in 1977, James Talijancich joined the operation and askednoirs to chardonnays and pinot grigios – as well as a decent his father, “What’s in those old barrels in the back of the winery?”version of the southern French variety tannat from the 2011vintage and an unusual 2011 pinot gris/riesling blend. They retail Peter, who has always had faith in fortifieds despite a nationalfor around $22. drop in demand because of society changes, told his son of hisWe may well see more Brazilian wines making their way Down intentions. Intrigued, James decided to carry on with the plan,Under, with trade magazine Harper’s reporting that 16 Brazilian adding younger material in a solero system to generate styleproducers are already exporting to the United Kingdom. consistency in what for him was a baptism of blending.The Miolo Wine Group has commissioned renowned Frenchconsultant Michel Rolland to work on some of its higher-end Neither Peter nor James have had any formal training inwines, with grapes grown at an altitude of between 450 and 650 winemaking, learning as they went along, with some special helpmetres, in a valley in the south of Brazil, between the cities of from Houghton doyen, the late Jack Mann, especially in blendingBento Gonçalves, Garibaldi and Monte Belo. and in acid adjusting of table wines.See your Penfolds doctor In the late 1980s, James decided on an extremely bold move laying claim to the wine’s uniqueness – by adding to the blendPENFOLDS will continue some 7-8 per cent of a sherry-styled fortified verdelho from fruit also grown on the property.to host complimentary “This has given the wine a much greater degree of interest andwine ‘health checks’ in complexity,”major Australian cities in James says. “It really is like a cross between a madeira and a tawny port.”September and October, On the palate the wine is rich and concentrated, initially more likeoffering an exclusive ‘after- a liqueur, but the finish is medium-dry. It had its first ‘public outing’ in mid-May, when it was lauded for its tremendous bouquet andsales service’ for owners of depth of flavour, a wine to be sipped and savoured. Penfolds red wines aged 15 The tawny is the fifth fortified produced by Talijancich and probably the last because of the lack of old material remaining inyears or older. the cellar. The wine is marketed in 500ml old cognac bottles after maturation in brandy, bourbon and old English oak casks. It sellsA unique proposal in the world of for $65 a bottle, a bargain given its development.wine, the Penfolds Re-corking The release is the family’s contribution to the Swan Valley celebrations marking 180 years since the area’s first commercialClinics give collectors and wine production in 1834 by British botanist Thomas Waters at his Olive Farm land grant that is now part of suburban Perth.consumers alike the opportunityto, as required, have their prizedwines opened and inspected sotheir quality can be assessedand they can be topped up, certified and re-capsuled, prolongingtheir life.Penfolds has been providing the service to collectors around theworld for over 20 years, with over 120,000 bottles being re-corkedsince 1991. Wine owners must make a booking for the clinic intheir state.“We anticipate seeing many rare and interesting wines come throughthe doors from around the country,” says Penfolds chief winemakerPeter Gago. “From our flagship Grange through to the classicKoonunga Hill reds from the 1970s, each bottle has a tale to tell.”To register visit www.penfolds.com or call 1300 651 650. September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 21

nzbriefswhat’s happening on the NZ wine sceneCLOUDY BAY EXPANDS IN CENTRAL OTAGO WET END TO THE VINTAGE IN MARLBOROUGHCloudy Bay, the much-acclaimed producer of Marlborough April, the crucial month for harvesting, was generally warm but wetsauvignon blanc, has confirmed its growing interest in the Central around the country. In some North Island regions, the weather provedOtago region for red wine production by purchasing the Northburn drier than normal, but heavy rain affected the vintage in Marlborough,Station vineyard and cellar door in the Cromwell Basin, where the Nelson and Canterbury.focus is decidedly on pinot noir. In Hawke’s Bay, the second-largest region, Trinity Hill reported theCloudy Bay’s first Marlborough pinot noir flowed in 1994. “The hottest growing season on record, well ahead of the very warm 2009wonderful thing about pinot noir is that it’s a variety that truly expresses season and much-lauded 2013. Trinity Hill’s harvest began and endedits origin,” believes communications manager, Stephanie McIntyre. on record early dates. “It was an extremely strong vintage,” says chief“Around six years ago we began exploring beyond Marlborough and winemaker Warren Gibson, “particularly for red wine, with syrah beingfound ourselves most intrigued by Central Otago.” the absolute highlight”.Tom and Jan Pinckney, owners of Northburn Station, a high country, However, in Marlborough, which has nearly two-thirds of the country’s12,000-hectare merino sheep run, established their 23-hectare producing vineyard area, a cool, dry March was followed by the fourth-vineyard on the eastern shores of Lake Dunstan in 1999. Pinot noir is wettest April on record. The challenging weather arrived on April 8, justthe key variety, with smaller plantings of riesling, pinot gris, sauvignon when many of the larger wineries were shifting into top harvest gear.blanc and chardonnay. Fortunately, some producers had already finished picking. WhenCloudy Bay’s first foray beyond Marlborough was its 2010 vintage of the heavy rains persisted, within a few days stories surfaced ofTe Wahi Central Otago Pinot Noir, from grapes grown at Bannockburn, mechanical harvesters and trucks getting stuck in the slushy ground.Bendigo and Lowburn. The company signed a long-term lease in On April 20, the Marlborough Express reported that “most vineyards in2013 for half of the highly acclaimed Calvert Vineyard, in Felton the region will leave up to 10 per cent of their crop to rot on the vine”.Road, at Bannockburn, but Northburn Station is its first purchase Clive Jones, chair of Marlborough Winegrowers, says that somein the region. of the region’s 2014 wines will be “as good as any previous year”. Fairbourne, the specialist sauvignon blanc producer, reported thatTHE TOP THREE “we are very pleased with the harvest and fruit quality. All picked by April 1 and ripe at 22.5 brix”.Think NZ wine … think sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and Marlborough. Brian Bicknell, of Mahi, says the 2014 vintage was one that “testedThat’s the conclusion to draw from New Zealand Winegrowers a number of vineyards that were still out late in the vintage and oneVineyard Register Report 2013, released recently, based on input that rewarded lower crops and favourable sites as they will havefrom 2,054 vineyards. ripened earlier”.The survey reveals that NZ had 35,182 hectares of bearing vineyards,mostly in Marlborough (64.9 per cent), Hawke’s Bay (13.8 per cent) LION SNAPS UP MORTON ESTATEand Otago (5.6 per cent). Sauvignon blanc dominated plantings ofwhite wine varieties (73 per cent), followed by chardonnay (12 per Lion NZ, a subsidiary of the Japanese brewing giant, Kirin, hascent) and pinot gris (9 per cent). purchased the Morton Estate brand from one of New Zealand’s largerAmong red wine varieties, pinot noir was similarly dominant (70 per producers, The Wine Portfolio - originally known as Morton Estate.cent), ahead of merlot (16 per cent) and syrah (5 per cent). Renowned for its wide range of chardonnays and bottle-fermented sparkling wines, Morton Estate was acquired by John Coney, a Kiwi based in Canada, in 1995. Lion, which also owns other wine brands; including Wither Hills, Corbans and Lindauer, has bought the Morton Estate brand and the company’s 41-hectare Stone Creek Vineyard in Marlborough. Based at Katikati, near Tauranga, the company was reported in the Bay of Plenty Times in 2011 to own 475 hectares of vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, to be producing over 400,000 cases of wine, and to be shipping sauvignon blanc in bulk to the UK, for bottling by supermarkets under their own brands. “We expect to grow Morton Estate beyond its existing channels, in order to fully unlock the potential of the brand,” says Rory Glass, managing director of Lion NZ. Coney has retained ownership of his other wine brands, including Nikau Point and Mill Road.22 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

c o o p e r ’s c r e e d WORDS michael cooperIs age just a number when it comes to wine?The team at Moana Park winery in The tasting was ‘for people who love the only one per cent is cellared for moreHawke’s Bay don’t muck about; their 2014 smells and flavours of good oatmeal, than a year. Fortunately, some wineCrush Pad Sauvignon Blanc, harvested cashews, hazelnuts...’ producers are doing the job for us. Gemsin early March, hit the shelves on April currently on sale include Hans Herzog1. When sent a press release about this, Kelly believes too much emphasis Spirit of Marlborough Merlot Cabernetsome wine writers suspected an April is placed on young wines in NZ, 2004, Vinoptima Ormond ReserveFool’s Day prank. partly because many wine judges are Gewurztraminer 2008 and John Forrest winemakers. “Generalising, winemakers... Collection Wairau Valley Marlborough Sauvignon blanc, which accounts for speak most highly of fresh and fruity Riesling 2007.two-thirds of all New Zealand wine, is not smells and flavours in wine. How else canusually seen as a variety that needs time they sell their young wines? Consequently, At Mazuran’s Vineyards, in Henderson,to develop. A decade ago, Marlborough it is quite rare to find NZ winemakers who West Auckland, you can still buy theirwinemakers often stated that the region’s really enjoy old wines or attend tastings 1942 Vintage Madeira Port, 1943 Royalsauvignon blanc ‘should be picked, of them.” Vintage Port and vintage ‘ports’ frompressed and pissed by Christmas’. every year since – a great gift for special To celebrate a 20th anniversary, I birthdays. Today, most sauvignon blancs develop recently opened Te Mata Colerainesoundly for a couple of years, but the Cabernet Merlot 1994. From a good but But if you are keen to build up a cellarpopularity of New Zealand pinot noir has not great year for red wines in Hawke’s of distinguished chardonnays, rieslings,done far more to persuade consumers Bay, we were taken aback by how well it pinot noirs or cabernet merlots, how doaround the world that the country’s wine has matured and how much pleasure it you decide what to buy? Confidencecan mature gracefully - as it must, if New offers right now. comes from vertical tastings, whereGeneralising, winemakers... speak most highly of fresh and fruity smells andflavours in wine. How else can they sell their young wines?Zealand is to be accepted as a serious At a recent Rangitoto Beefsteak & several vintages of a wine are tastedwine producer. Burgundy Club dinner in Auckland, the side-by-side. Vertical tastings, becoming delights of bottle-aged red wine were far more common in New Zealand, let you “To gain true international recognition, also on display. Chateau Palmer 1999 assess the overall quality of a wine, thean industry has to be capable of making and Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2001 were evolution of its style, the impact of vintagewines that improve with age – that’s the clearly still on the rise; Newton/Forrest variation and its maturation potential.ultimate quality factor,” stresses John Cornerstone Hawke’s Bay CabernetBuck, of Te Mata Estate Winery. “People Merlot 1998 was in full stride. To sum up, I suggest drinking mostneed to be able to put wine into their NZ sauvignon blancs at six months tocellars with confidence and know that The oldest NZ wine I’ve tasted is two years old. The good news is thatwhen they pull them out they will be a the legendary, first 1965 vintage of screwcaps are preserving the wines’damn sight better than when they put McWilliam’s Hawke’s Bay Cabernet freshness markedly better than corks did.them in.” Sauvignon. Broached about a decade Most fine-quality chardonnays are at their ago, it was light and tired, but still best at two to five years old; top rieslings But do all winemakers share that view? drinkable. A few months ago, I tasted a at three to seven years old.Geoff Kelly, a Wellington-based wine non-vintage bottle of Mission ‘Sauterne’,critic, recently arranged a tasting of over 50 years old. Amber-hued, it smelled Pinot noirs, merlots and syrahs typicallychardonnays from France, California, like a mature, mellow sherry, but its drink well for up to five years; outstandingAustralia (Bannockburn, Tyrrell’s Vat sweetish flavours were a surprise, offering examples can flourish for much longer.47, Mountadam and Rosemount Show hints of raisins, tea and nuts. New Zealand’s top cabernet merlotReserve, all from 1986) and Hawke’s Bay blends from Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke(Morton Estate Black Label Chardonnay Today, most wine in New Zealand is Island are still the safest bet for long-term1986), ranging from 28 to 45 years old. consumed on the day it is bought and cellaring over decades. September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 23

europeanreport WORDS sally easton MWWith a ‘lake’ to drain, Spain works on a balancing actTHE International Organisation of Vine Despite a largely stabilising vineyard if only in single-digit percentages, bothand Wine (OIV) has given its assessment acreage in Spain (that 5000-hectare Italy and France have a better balanceof the global wine market in 2013. The increase represents less than 0.5 per cent of the figures. In 2013, Italy producedsubsidies to permanently grub up vines of the country’s total vineyard acreage), 45Mhl, consumed 22Mhl at home, andare long finished. Nonetheless, since the 2013 wine production was just under 45 exported 20Mhl. France produced 42Mhlsubsidies stopped in 2011, another 73,000 million hectolitres, or Mhl (a hectolitre is of wine, consumed 28Mhl at home andhectares of vines have been taken out 100 litres). This was a whopping 44 per exported 14.5Mhl. Indeed, on theseacross the European Union. Let’s put this cent up on 2012. data, France has a small shortfall. Italyin perspective – there are still nearly 3.5 In real numbers the increase, just the is reasonably well balanced. Bettermillion hectares of vines in the 28 countries increase, was over 13Mhl, or well over balancing production with the trends andof the EU. However, this is now less than the entire production of Australia in capabilities to consume and export ishalf the global vineyard, which comes in 2013. It does create a uniquely Spanish probably Spain’s biggest challenge.at nearly 7.5 million hectares. Ten years issue. Spain’s production is running at However, it’s not all challenging newspreviously, Europe had accounted for 44.7Mhl, its domestic consumption at for Spain. These data cover the bigaround 60 per cent of the global vineyard, 9Mhl. It exported less than 20Mhl. That picture, highlighting the influence of bulkwhich was almost 8 million hectares. still leaves a rather large lake of 16Mhl. production. In parts of Spain, especiallyThe OIV data suggest that the vineyard Can we attribute it to the vagaries of the the northern third, there are a few handfulsacreage of many European countries is natural season? Well, the increase in of smaller regions that are resurging, and making some sharp, flavoursome winesWhile consumption in the top three producing that are already beginning to change thecountries continues to decline, if only in single-digit vinous landscape of the country.percentages, both Italy and France have a better The bit of north-western Spain abovebalance of the figures. Portugal is particularly rich in ‘new’ regions including Valdeorras, Beirzo,stabilising, even for the top three producing production was 13Mhl. But the smaller Ribeiro and Ribeira Sacra. And it is in thecountries of France, Italy and Spain, which production in previous years was, in part, far north-western corner, in the low, rainy,together account for nearly three quarters due to poorer climatic conditions, so the river valleys opening into the Atlanticof the vineyard in the EU-28. Indeed, alone, increase in production may be a return to Ocean where Spain produces one ofSpain accounts for 30 per cent of the total. ‘normal’. As always, it’s difficult to assess its most delicious, aromatic, gentle andIn contrast to other European nations, these things with any degree of precision sometimes intense white wines.Spain’s acreage actually increased by over the short term. Rias Baixas (pronounced ree-ahs-buy-5000 hectares between 2012 and 2013. Neither France nor Italy has such a shuss), and translating roughly as lowAnd production increased dramatically gap between production and total river estuaries, lies immediately on thein 2013. Many of Spain’s old vineyards consumption (effectively domestic other side of the border from Portugal’sare extensively planted, low-density, dry- consumption plus export). Vineyard Vinho Verde region. The weather for bothfarmed, low-yielding plots. The country restructuring started earlier in France is cool, humid, windy and wet. This is theis undergoing a period of restructuring and Italy. And modernisation did not first landfall reached by the westerly tradeand replanting its vineyards. Typically, result in such notable increases in yield. winds that sweep across the Atlantic frommore efficient training and management All of which means Spain is highlighted the Americas.systems have allowed larger yields to be now as going through this somewhat In Rias Baixas the (almost) single grapeharvested. This was particularly notable in awkward adjustment. variety of the region is albarino. Itsthe big, bulk-producing region of Castilla- While consumption in the top three thickish skins provide a modicum ofLa Mancha. producing countries continues to decline, protection against the damp climatic vagaries of its location. A few years ago Australia had a bit of a thing with albarino or, rather, savagnin.24 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

What had been planted as albarino hassubsequently been identified as savagnin.At the time there were estimated to beabout 150 hectares of the cultivar. They’vebeen labelled as savagnin since the2009 vintage. But the hitherto little-knownsavagnin has quite the lineage. It is thelocal specialty grape of the Jura, in France.And thanks to the book Wine Grapes, wenow know that savagnin is a very oldcultivar that has given rise variouslyto such luminary grape varieties assauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, cabernetsauvignon, gewurztraminer and grunerveltliner, among others. So it’s maybe notsuch a bad grape variety, after all, to havein the vineyard.But back to albarino and Spain. In itshome town of Galicia, albarino makes upa vineyard area of around 3500 hectaresdotted around lush granitic river valleys inan area stretching around 80 kilometresnorth to south, and almost as much acrossat its widest point. Vineyard altitudes rangefrom 100 to 300 metres above sea level.Notwithstanding such subtle stylisticdifferences offered by the different sub-regions, typically albarino is fresh, withcrisp acidity, which it combines with afrequent fleshiness of Mediterranean stonefruits, especially peaches and apricots.Tropical pineapple can come through too.These plush fruit flavours add a roundnessof texture and flavour to an otherwise crispprofile; all of which is sometimes mademore complex by additional layering ofstony steeliness, and a delightful precisionof focus. The cool climate retains thedelicate fragrance of honeyed whiteflowers. The best wines preserve thesepristine, pure, perfumed and primary fruitflavours. This is a wine en vogue. The factit achieves only modest alcohol levelsprobably adds to that. No wonder it was(thought to be) planted in Australia. It willundoubtedly be back.

winetutor WORDS clive hartleyTricks of the trade, or the finer points of fermentingWINEMAKING can be a simple affair. September or early October. In the so- bunches including stems. NormallyTake bunch of grapes, squash and leave called appassimento process, traditional stems are taken out by a de-stemmingto ferment. Voila, you have wine – of sorts. producers use bamboo racks to dry machine to leave only the berries. ThisBut if winemaking was that simple you the grapes. This takes place in well- technique is used with pinot noir, and awould have a lot less written on the topic ventilated lofts of the winery for up to growing number of other varieties suchand a lot less choice in a bottle shop. 120 days after picking. These days most as shiraz, to provide more tannin fromWinemaking techniques, and the skill producers dry their grapes in specially the stems as well as additional aromasof the winemaker to deftly use them, designed, temperature-controlled, and flavours. In short, it gives the pinotare paramount in deciding the quality humidified rooms to control the process more complexity and structure. Critically,and the style of a wine. Some varieties as nature doesn’t always oblige with the stems, like the grapes, must be riperequire minimal intervention to shine. the right conditions to dry the grapes and not green. Stems also help theThis is especially true of riesling, which perfectly and you chance getting them fermentation process by aerating therequires a cool fermentation in stainless infected by botrytis. cap and allowing the heat to escape,steel to retain its primary fruit aromas. During this period the grapes lose about naturally cooling the ferment.On the other hand, varieties such aschardonnay can accommodate a whole Maturation in new oak barrels was, and probablygambit of winemaking techniques. still is, all the go. You can order your barrel light,Walking through the process you come medium or heavily toasted.across a number of options that candetermine the final style and quality of 30 to 40 per cent of their original weight. Sharing some similarities with wholethe wine, which starts as soon as the In February or March of the following bunch fermentation is the technique ofgrapes are received into the winery. year the grapes are crushed and de- carbonic maceration. With this techniqueIn some fastidious cellars grapes don’t stemmed and fermented. Drying the the whole berries are fermented initially ineven see a fermenting vessel, as the first grapes increases the potential alcohol an anaerobic environment and undergostep is to sort them out manually and up to 15 per cent and produces a silky, an intracellular fermentation followeddiscard unwanted, damaged or unripe rich, intense wine. In Australia we have by a normal fermentation. The resultinggrapes. Removing ‘mog’, or matter other played around with this technique with wine is more aromatic with less tannins.than grapes, is also done. This normally producers in the King Valley, Hilltops Renowned as the technique that makesconsists of leaves and other debris and McLaren Vale regions using different Beaujolais so fruity, it can also be usedcaught up in the picking process. methods to dry a range of grape varieties. with other varieties to produce forward,Some grapes simply don’t have the right Fermenting the grapes provides the fruity, easy-drinking wines.amount of ripeness or concentration when winemaker with a number of options. Cap management is a critical step inthey are picked, so partially drying them Selection of yeast can play a role in making red wine. The cap is the floatingis an option. Italy has a great reputation developing a wine style. While most yeast mass of skins and stalks that rise tofor doing this and wines such as the belongs to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae the top of a fermenting vessel. Thissweet white Passito wines of Pantelleria genus, there are hundreds of different cap needs to be put into contact withor Recioto from Soave are delicious strains that can be matched to the grape the fermenting must below to extractexamples. But above the Shakespearean variety and help deliver certain flavours phenolics that provide colour, flavour andcity of love, Verona, is where the most or control the fermentation temperature tannins to red wines. Plunging by handfamous wine is made from raisined/ dried or influence the colour of a wine. is the most time-honoured method, but isgrapes, that of Valpolicella. Whole bunch fermentation is, as it labour-intensive. Heading down boardsTwo types are made: the dry Amarone sounds, the fermentation of whole laid across the vat is another method,and the traditional sweet Recioto dellaValpolicella. To make an Amaronestyle the grapes are harvested in late26 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

as is pumping and spraying juice overthe cap to allow the winemaker to coolthe fermentation. The whole process canalso be mechanised by the use of a rotaryfermenter, which periodically churns upthe fermentation and is the most effectivetool for complete extraction. Wines can benefit from sitting on their lees(dead yeast cells and other particles) andthis is a technique used with chardonnay.The French call it sur lie and you see thisterm used on the label of wines from theMuscadet in the Loire Valley. Batonnage,another French term, means stirring theselees while the wine is in barrel. This buildsthe flavour and complexity in a white wine.You find aromas of toast, yeast and breaddough in these wines.Maturation in new oak barrels was,and probably still is, all the go. Choiceof cooperage, length of seasoning ofthe oak staves and type of oak areall factors. Toasting the insides of thebarrels achieves less oak lactones pick-up, fewer tannins, and higher smokyaromas. You can order your barrel light,medium or heavily toasted. There is alsorenewed interest in traditional methodssuch as using larger oak barrels, oldbarrels with neutral flavours and evenmaturation in cement.Finally, the degree of fining and filtrationin red wines is another choice. Finingis the process of removing unwantedparticles that could make the winecloudy, and they do this by addingsubstances like egg whites, isinglassand bentonite to coagulate theseparticles and let them sink to the bottomof a tank or barrel. Some winemakers willchoose the most delicate methods offining and filtration or not bother at all.Wines labelled as unfiltered will probablythrow a heavier deposit over time butretain all their flavours.

winetravel WORDS ELISABETH KING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONEA new lease of life for Pompeii and the wines of CampaniaTHE RUINS of Pompeii attract more than won’t find a better berth than the Grand The place that still boasts the longest2.5 million visitors a year but long-term Hotel Cocumella. A former 16th Jesuit queues, as it probably did during itsneglect and Mafia kickback scandals monastery built on the cliff’s edge, it has heyday, is Pompeii’s largest brothel.have bedevilled the ongoing ‘Save 50 antique-filled rooms and suites, a Local lore has it that Mozart visitedPompeii’ scheme. Yet after reading Mary swimming pool, a private chapel and spa. P o m p e i i ’s Te m p l e o f I s i s a n d w a sBeard’s award-winning book, Pompeii: In spite of the myths propagated by old inspired to write The Magic Flute. WhileThe Life of a Roman Town, it’s clear sandals-and-togas films such as The the House of the Tragic Poet, the town’sthat today’s shenanigans would have Last Days of Pompeii, more than 17,000 most luxurious villa, supposedly featuredcome as no surprise to the citizens of of Pompeii’s estimated population of as the house of Glaucus in Bulwer-the ancient port. Although the city was 20,000 managed to escape. The eruption Lytton’s 19th century potboiler, The Lastdestroyed by ash and lava in 79 AD, of Vesuvius wasn’t a sudden event; the Days of Pompeii.Pompeii’s citizens lead very modern volcano had been rumbling for weeks. The Stabian Baths, the biggest bathlives in other respects. Advertising in When the town was first rediscovered complex in the town, straddles the Viathe form of signs played a significant in the 18th century, the houses were dell’Abbondanza, Pompeii’s main drag,role for bakers and brothel owners alike, sparsely furnished because their owners from the Forum to the palaestra – theand political graffiti denouncing the dirty loaded up their best furniture onto former gym and wrestling school. It’stricks and under-the-table dealings of the carts before fleeing. Many of the major bristling with stucco work, frescoesofficials of the day is splashed on walls artworks and artefacts left behind are and coffered ceilings, and you’re left inHuge phalluses, flagellation, a virgin and the god Bacchus, slobbering and threesheets to the wind.all over the ‘frozen in time’ town. to be found in the National Museum of no doubt that this was the town’s mainThe destruction of Pompeii wasn’t viewed Archaeology in Naples, not at Pompeii. entertainment and social complex fromas a major disaster at the time, and paled We wandered though Pompeii at will the steam room through the hot and coldin comparison with catastrophes like with an audio guide, starting at the baths, bowling alley and dining areas.the Great Fire of Rome which occurred magnificent Forum. Pompeii is a huge King Francis I of Naples declared that15 years earlier. The Bay of Naples site, though, so don’t linger here too many of the notorious erotic artworks ofarea was studded with the villas of the long. The most ghoulish and moving Pompeii should be seen only by “peoplerich and famous of the first century, yet attractions are the ‘dead bodies’ – of mature age and respected morals”.most Pompeiians were resolutely middle the remains of the old, the ill and the Many were hidden away for decades.class. Life wasn’t a breeze for any strata optimistic who couldn’t or wouldn’t The most famous sensual wall paintingof society, though. They might not have leave. But for all their seeming reality, the in Pompeii is located in the Villa ofbeen as malnourished as the plebs, but figures are moulds. A savvy 19th century Mysteries (Villa dei Misteri) just beyondthe local elite suffered from appalling archaeologist thought up the idea of the city walls. Although I don’t thinkdental problems such as industrial- pouring plaster of Paris into the cavities anyone then or now would be baffled bystrength plaque and major cavities. that surrounded the skeletons left after the explicit nature of the subject matter –A visit to Pompeii ranks as the most the flesh and clothes decomposed huge phalluses, flagellation, a virgin andpopular day trip from Rome. Most tours to create a ‘living image’. Modern the god Bacchus, slobbering and threeaverage 13 hours and include Naples, technology has further improved on the sheets to the wind. A timely reminderwhich makes for a very long and tiring technique and scientists have been able that the ancient locals loved their wine.day. I prefer to stay in Sorrento, at the to re-create gardens, flowers and trees Greek settlers planted the region’s other end of the Bay of Naples, and you from the impressions they left behind. first vines in the 7th century BC but28 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

following the demise of the Roman empirethe indigenous grapes of Campanialargely propagated by ‘promiscuouscultivation’ until the late 19th century.The first Campanian winery of notewas Mastroberardino in Avellino, whichpioneered the red wines of taurasi andnear-defunct white varietals such as fiano.In the mid-1990s, the archaeologicalsuperintendent of the ancient siteasked Piero Mastroberardino to re-create the wines of Pompeii. Campaniais better known for its whites but heselected two red varietals – piedirossoand sciascinoso – for the job; the blendBacchus was probably drinking in thefresco. Following Roman methods ofcultivation and techniques, Berardinoproduced 2000 bottles of the 2001vintage under the label Villa dei Misteri,of course.Apart from this momentous project, whichalso led to the discovery of vineyards andwine cellars within Pompeii’s city walls,the Mastroberardino family are creditedwith launching the red wine revolution ofthe Italian south. The company’s taurasiwines are known as the ‘Barolos ofCampania’ and they also gained globalattention for the local grape varietalslacryma christi and greco di tufo.Over the past 20 years, more than 130wineries have sprung up in Campania.Many are close to Avellino and provide agreat day or two’s touring for wine lovers.The largest is Feudi di San Gregorio,a state-of-the-art winery near SerboSerpico. Mastroberardino remains thesecond-largest producer in the area,followed by Terredora. Other must-stopson a drive through Campania winecountry include Marisa Cuomo, LuigiMaffini and Villa Matilde. Just don’t getas merry as Bacchus on some of thesmall, winding roads.

winehistory WORDS VALMAI HANKELAndre L. Simon leaves Victoria and heads to Adelaide ON 22 January 1964, back in Melbourne greatest wines (19 at 90/- a dozen), 1956 concern may have been because there wasafter a rushed trip to Ballarat and Great Seppelt Great Western Type M51 Burgundy at the time no branch of the Wine and FoodWestern, visiting French wine and food writer (19 at 130/- a dozen), and 1959 Chateau Society in South Australia, and only oneAndre Simon attended a late-morning tasting, Tahbilk Cabernet Bin 26 Burgundy (19 at member, Sir Lloyd Dumas. Or was there aarranged by the Wine and Brandy Producers’ 145/- a dozen). The “Champagne” was touch of interstate rivalry? A month later, inAssociation of Victoria, of commercial Seppelt Great Western Imperial Reserve December, Gibson wrote to the manager ofwines “available to the public at moderate Dry (19 at 21/6 a dozen), and to finish there the Australian Wine Board, Kevin Kilgariff,prices”. He made no comment about the was All Saints Old Madeira Extra Special (12 saying that the South Australian tour waswines. In striking contrast, on the following bottles at 8/- each). The average cost of the being organised by the Wine and Brandyevening he attended a banquet arranged wines worked out at 15/2 per head. Of course, Producers Association and himself. Penfoldin his honour by the Wine and Food Society there were toasts, and commentaries on the Hyland was concerned that Simon was toof Victoria in the ballroom of the Southern wines. (With a shilling worth 10c in the 1966 be in Adelaide on the Australia Day longCross Hotel. Among the distinguished changeover to decimal currency, these 1964 weekend, when the public holiday meant thatguests the most distinguished was the wine prices equated to, for example, $13 it was likely that many of the leading lights ofGovernor of Victoria, Major-General Sir for a dozen of the Great Western Burgundy, the industry would be spending the day awayRohan Delacombe, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O., $7.25 a dozen for the Orlando Riesling and a from work. But he was sure that “they will rallywho proposed Simon’s health, much to his to the cause”. They did.delight. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister, The group of seven wereRobert Menzies, himself a knowledgeable Sir Lloyd Dumas happened to be headgastronome, was unable to attend. all at least 70 years old, of South Australia’s morning paper, The Advertiser, which ensured that Simon’s visit Although Simon did not mention the food and represented the would receive plenty of press coverage. Andor wine served, the Wine and Food Society’s Adelaide had an active Bacchus Club, whosepapers in the State Library of South Australia pillars of Adelaide’s legal members were quite happy to participate.do record the wines consumed by the 131 Certainly, events in South Australia arrangedguests, and their cost. Simon would not have and medical society. for Simon were well attended.approved that all the guests were men. Theyrepresented the wine industry, Wine and heady $2.10 a bottle for the Tulloch Dry Red. On arrival, Simon was whisked off to hisFood Society members, restaurateurs and Putting these prices in historical perspective, Adelaide accommodation – the grand andother groups. The wine list makes tantalising average male weekly earnings at the time now sadly defunct South Australian Hotel. Itreading for what it shows of some of the were $51.70). was a short walk from there up North Terracebest of Australia’s wines of the time. For a to the Adelaide Club, where he was to dine“subscription” of £5 10/- guests could start The next afternoon, 24 January 1964, as the guest of Dumas. The group of sevenwith All Saints Sherry Amontillado style (12 Simon, with his Australian guide, Victor were all at least 70 years old, and representedbottles drunk at a cost of 8/- each), and then Gibson, president of the Wine and Food the pillars of Adelaide’s legal and medicalproceed to three whites: 1962 Hamilton’s Society of Victoria, and Gibson’s wife Madge, society. Unfortunately I do not know whatSprington Riesling (24 bottles at 81/- a flew from Melbourne to Adelaide. they ate or drank. Simon was to spend sevendozen), 1959 Orlando Riesling (19 at 72/6 a days in South Australia, gathering informationdozen), and 1963 Lindemans Bin 64 Chablis When Simon’s Australian itinerary was for his book on the vineyards and wineries of(19 at 102/3 a dozen). There were four reds: being prepared back in November 1963, Australia, attending welcomes and visiting1954 Tulloch Pokolbin Dry Red, famously its organiser, Gibson, in a letter to Jeffrey wineries in most of the state’s picturesquetop claret and top burgundy at the 1956 Penfold Hyland, expressed concern over and productive wine areas (there was noSydney Wine Show (19 at 21/- each and the South Australian visit: “I am getting a time to get to Coonawarra or, even closer,the most costly wine of the evening), 1952 little apprehensive about [Simon] being well Langhorne Creek). Reading what SimonMount Pleasant Stephen Hermitage, made looked after in South Australia, but perhaps wrote about his South Australian visit, youby Maurice O’Shea and one of Australia’s my feelings are unjustified”. They were. His get the impression that he enjoyed himself immensely, despite the heat.30 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

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IN NEW ZEALAND’S LOVELIEST, MOST LOFTY WINE REGION, WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS THE 124 PRODUCERS HAVE HUNG THEIR HATS ON THE GREAT RED-WINE GRAPE OF BURGUNDY.32 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

MICHAEL COOPER The good news is that Central Otago’s lies the town of Cromwell, with a population pinots are not dismissed as ‘fruit bombs’ of 4,000. Founded during the 19th century“Pinot noir at its optimal is about by Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine gold rush, it is New Zealand’s farthest townmultiple layers of complexity that you de la Romanee-Conti, who visited the from the sea. Before the Clutha River waskeep coming back to, rather than region earlier this year and was ‘more than dammed 27 km downstream, at Clyde, inbeing sledge-hammered,” enthuses impressed’ by the wines. “According to 1992, creating Lake Dunstan and floodingviticulturist James Dicey, president of Central what I’d read, I thought I would be tasting the old town, the ‘new’ town of CromwellOtago Winegrowers. fruit bombs, vins du soleil, where the sun was rebuilt on higher ground. is important. Even if some are like that, In New Zealand’s loveliest, most lofty on the contrary, the majority are delicate, The sub-regions identified and promotedwine region, with few exceptions the 124 with a minerality which is the expression by Central Otago’s winegrowers areproducers have hung their hats on the great of the terroir.” changing too. Until recently, four sub-red-wine grape of Burgundy, which accounts regions were celebrated– Gibbstonfor three-quarters or more of the totalplantings. Pinot gris, the most extensively TWENTY YEARS AGO THE OLDESTplanted white-wine variety, covers just 11 per VINES WERE STRIPLINGS – BEARINGcent of the vineyard area, followed by riesling(4 per cent), chardonnay (3 per cent) and THEIR FIRST, TINY CROPS – BUTsauvignon blanc (2 per cent). TODAY THE CROMWELL BASIN IS BY FAR CENTRAL OTAGO’S MOST The country’s most southern and coolestwine region, Otago also ranks as the third IMPORTANT SUB-REGION.largest, although with fewer than six percent of the national vineyard, it is far smaller Far from being a small, homogeneous Valley, Wanaka, Alexandra and thethan Marlborough or Hawke's Bay. The vast region, the 175 vineyards and 20 physical Cromwell Basin.majority of the vineyards lie in Central Otago, wineries in Central Otago are far-flung. Mountless than an hour’s drive east of the tourist Maude Vineyard, near Lake Wanaka, lies 100 Now, six sub-regions are on the map.mecca, Queenstown, although during the kilometres north of Black Ridge at Alexandra. Wanaka, Gibbston Valley and Alexandrapast decade, plantings have also spread into Another 75 kilometres of mountains and remain, but the Cromwell Basin has beenthe Waitaki Valley of North Otago. gorges divide the most westerly plantings divided into Bannockburn in the south, at Lake Hayes, near Queenstown, from Bendigo in the north, and a catch-all, valley Otago’s most captivating wines are its Alexandra to the south-east. floor sub-region consisting of Cromwell,headily perfumed, rich and supple pinot Lowburn and Pisa.noirs. On the best sites and in warm seasons Twenty years ago the oldest vines werein the Cromwell Basin - where the majority striplings, bearing their first, tiny crops, Behind the scenes, Central Otago’sof the region’s vines are planted – there is but today the Cromwell Basin is by far winegrowers have been grappling fora risk that the grapes can over-ripen into Central Otago’s most important sub- several years with the issue of sub-regionaljamminess, losing their more delicate varietal region. The first growers in the basin were boundaries. Some, at first glance, lookedcharacters, but overall Central Otago’s attracted to the elevated Bannockburn easy to define, but there are alwaysgenerous, sweet-fruited reds enjoy a glowing district by its relative warmth and lower ‘outliers’. After much debate, Centralinternational reputation. frost risk. Further north, on the valley floor, Otago Winegrowers have decided to step Lowburn and the Pisa Flats have large back from the details, offer six ‘high level’ Not everyone is a fan – some critics areas suitable for viticulture. At Bendigo, definitions, and let the precise boundariesstereotype Central Otago’s reds as one of the hottest districts, vineyards get sorted out over time.excessively bold and alcoholic ‘fruit bombs’. sweep across a north-facing ridge and“I don’t believe any of us really set out to gentle northerly slopes below. Opposite: Terra Sancta’s vineyard at Bannockburn, atmake this style of pinot,” says Malcolm Rees- the head of the Cromwell Basin, in Central Otago, liesFrancis, winemaker at Rockburn, “but that In the heart of the Cromwell Basin, at the near the base of Mt Difficulty.is what the climate here is giving us to work junction of the Kawarau and Clutha Rivers,with, and it has won the hearts and minds OTAGO tasting starts page 120.of many”. Rees-Francis believes the youthfulness ofCentral Otago’s vines means that the winesreflect climate, more than terroir. “The nextgeneration will start to make wines of the soil;I don’t pretend to.” September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 33

ANDRE PRETORIUS greeted by his wife, Elvi, and five exuberant This is the opposite end of the peninsula. dogs. But there is not a vine in sight. Like the best stories in life (and wine)MARK Shannon drives up to our rendezvous “We’re only at 400 metres altitude here,at the gates of the hilltop abbey of Madonna but in Puglia that is generally too high for it was happenstance or, if you wish,della Scala and beckons us to follow him. viticulture,” Mark explains. “Winter frosts serendipity. Mark was a wine consultantWe do so, descending a warren of small can be severe up here and most vines in based in the Sacramento valley whenroads through a parched landscape Puglia are grown between sea level and he received some samples from Sicilydemarcated by dry-stone walls, olive 200 metres altitude. So we source our that resulted in a consultancy job on thattrees and the strange, conical shapes of grapes from elsewhere.” island in 1997. He was consulting on thethe traditional trulli of this region. The wind winemaking, but the project also had ahas got up and after a sweltering August Later he will entertain us with tales of marketing consultant: Elvezia Sbalchiero.week in Puglia, a thunderstorm is gathering grape buying by a newcomer to Puglia. They ended up spending weekendsover the Salento peninsula – the very heel But how did a Californian end up buying together and discovered a shared passionof Italy’s ‘boot’. grapes and making wine in Puglia in the for wines with a sense of place. first place? It was not romance alone that When we stop at their house – a beautiful brought him here: Elvi is Italian, but she At one stage Mark encountered ablend of traditional architecture, minimalist hails from the north-eastern region of Friuli, Puglian red, made from the region’sdesign and contemporary art – we are on the borders with Austria and Slovenia. emblematic grape, primitivo, and he was intrigued. He came to Puglia and found34 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

vineyards and grapes full of tantalising a smile. With increased competition and the other leading red, negroamaro,promise, but wines that did not live up came improved quality: “Everyone knows near Brindisi.to that promise. Together, Mark and everyone in these parts and it becameElvi decided to “make a go” of crafting a matter of honour not to have grapes In this Italian bewilderment, primitivo is thesomething special from those beautiful rejected for inadequate quality…” mainstay of Puglian reds, and a curiosity. ItPuglian vineyards, and A Mano wines is the same grape as California’s zinfandel,were born (the name means “By Hand”). In that first vintage, he made only one but Mark notes that it is Italian. As we taste wine and it was, inevitably, a primitivo. the 2011 vintage of that foundation wine, “At the time there were four cooperatives Italy has a bewildering number of grape Mark says, “Some of our competitorsthat bought pretty much all the grapes varieties – there are between 1000 and emphasise power in their primitivos,in the region. For growers with really 2000, depending on how you count, Mark resulting in dense, heavily extracted wines.good grapes, we decided to offer 50 later says – which are often very parochial But we prefer to match power with eleganceper cent more than the price paid by in their growing habits. On a map, Mark and that is how we make the wine.”the cooperatives and to pay up front. showed me the differences in principalThe growers could not believe it; soon growing areas even within the relatively We find one of those over-wrought wineseveryone knew our car and I would be small area of Puglia: primitivo in the south the following evening when we order aflagged down in the street by growers around Taranto, the white fiano and greco very reputable Primitivo di Manduria atoffering their grapes!” Mark recalls with further north between Bari and Corato, a restaurant in the port city of Brindisi. Combined with its 16.5 per cent alcohol, September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 35

the wine is so overpowering as to mask for Puglia: the 75 per cent fiano provides – from primitivo and negroamaro – withany finesse and sense of place. the attractive floral aromas and tropical a pale strawberry colour. It is a beautiful flavours, while the greco gives it structure. drink, with much more interest than many But in the elegant surroundings of Mark The result is a very drinkable white; Italian sparkling wines – the result, Markand Elvi’s house, there is elegance too in approachable, but with a solid backbone. explains, of a carefully made base wine.their interpretation of Puglia’s primitivo. “The fiano we have here is fiano minutolo. ItThere is power, make no mistake, and shares half a name with the fiano di Avellino Winemakers often tell you that the bestintense colour, but there is also fruit and from Campania further west. But nothing wines are made in the vineyard, not thefinesse and a wine of which you want more,” Mark says. cellar, and that their calling is essentiallymore, rather than one that sends you agricultural. Does Mark not miss having hiscowering. “This is a hot climate,” says When Mark talks about his next wine – the own vineyards, instead being forced to relyMark, “but I don't want over-extracted hot rosé (or rosato) he first made in 2008 – on local growers, I wonder? “We have beenclimate wines.” something of the poetry of his winemaking looking for a vineyard to buy and a while philosophy shines through. “When you back a very good 120-hectare estate came A Mano's first foray beyond primitivo are a good winemaker and you go into a on the market. But in the end the ownerswas into negroamaro, a variety Mark calls vineyard, the grapes talk to you and tell decided not to sell. I was disappointed,the “abused workhorse” of Puglian wine. you what they want to become. But not but we have a great relationship with“Bush vines produce good results with rosé; for that you need all sorts of difficult our growers and we get good-qualityprimitivo, but not negroamaro. So we were things – decent flavour, but at lower colour grapes. And, without wishing to soundlooking for a good vineyard before we levels, for example – and you need to make sanctimonious, when the sale fell through,made a negroamaro and then we found the wine. It is the only wine I make this way: I did also think of the 500 local familiesthis little plot with 30-year-old vines and the others I just ‘coach’!” whose livelihood is based on our buyingone training wire,” he recalls. The resulting their grapes – this is not a rich region,”wine is lighter than its older sibling, fresh Their next experiment was also pink and a Mark says as he and Elvi prepare supper.and refreshing – a versatile wine. novelty. “Sparkling wine – spumante – is a relative newcomer in this region; it has only What Elvi had labelled a “very simple In 2006, Mark and Elvi found a couple of developed in the last two or three years,” kitchen supper” turns into a celebrationvineyards a few kilometres from the house Mark says as he pours his Vino Spumante of the irresistible simplicity of Italian foodwhich allowed them to make their first white. Rosa 2012. It is half blanc de blancs – in seasonal and regional flavours: freshlyOne was fiano and the other greco and made from greco – and half blanc de noir sliced San Daniele ham from Elvi’s nativeMark blended them into an unusual blend36 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

Friuli with local melon; Elvi’s home-grown in years when the grapes justify it, from answer and I think it is a great reflectionheritage tomatoes with local mozzarella low-yielding old vines near the Ionian of him – if you like and understand(made from cow’s milk, not buffalo’s as on coast which are their first grapes to ripen. this wine, you will like and understandthe other side of the peninsula in Campania); “This is our idea of the highest expression Mark,” she says of the intense, purplethe fresh caserecce pasta that Mark of Puglia,” says Mark. It is his answer to velvet wine.conjures from his pasta mixer; and ultimately those overpowering primitivos; an intensethe near-sweetness of Elvi’s tiramisu, made wine that never feels heavy, a voluptuous Dinner is drawing to an end – we havewith ricotta, rather than mascarpone, and wine that does not overwhelm, a complex their Aleatico passito with that tiramisutherefore less fat, rich and sweet. wine that craves the simplicity of the and then an espresso for the way food tastes on the table. Freshness and home. The threatening storm had blown We eat on the verandah near the pool that elegance balance power. over and manifested on this terrace asis Mark’s salvation in the heat of summer nothing more than a pleasant evening– that storm has not arrived yet – and If Prima Mano expresses Puglia, A Mano’s breeze. Puglia is a special place – inconversation ranges wide. None of their newest wine is a more personal affair. It is its landscape, its seas, its food and itswines is a DOC, like Primitivo di Manduria, called ‘Imprint of Mark Shannon – Appassito people – and it is easy to see how twobecause that no longer offers any guarantee 2012’ and was made using an Amarone- people from elsewhere can be seducedof quality, says Mark. If an appellation style process: the grapes – 100 per cent to settle here and pursue their dreamdoes not guarantee quality, is it not better primitivo – were left to dry on the vine before of making wines that are an expressionto do something that is an expression of being harvested. Vintage 2012 was special, of this land. Their handcrafted winesplace, he reasons. Hence, their wines are not only “the most open, friendly vintage” have many virtues, including that basic,all Indicazione Geografica Tipica or IGT. since Mark came here, but also the year in often-overlooked one: they are extremelyAnyway, laughs Elvi, when it comes to which he became a grandfather. “This is pleasant to drink. But their one virtuerules – like DOC – the Italians are very good one I made to keep,” he says. which is perhaps hardest to articulateat inventing rules. And at inventing ways is their acute sense of place: drink themaround those rules… Elvi, who designed this wine’s label, as and taste Puglia. she did all the others, takes up the story: Wine, then, should be an expression “I asked Mark to make a wine which was Above from left to right: Elvi in the vineyard at harvestof place and people. The final two reds his personality in a bottle. I wanted the time; Ready for the picking: plump primitivo; Markexemplify this philosophy. Prima Mano is wine to be an expression of him: open, and Elvi; Organic Puglia; An exacting buyer: Marktheir finest primitivo: a wine made only friendly, straightforward. This was his inspecting “his” grapes. September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 37

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Bellbrae Estate Wines Cellar Door. BELLBRAE ON THE CREST OFGEELONG’S EXCITING MODERN ERA!\"##!$%\"& \"'(%(\"& )*+\"'September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 39

SOILS ARE GOOD, THE CLIMATE IS GREAT FOR followed by Gary Farr at Bannockburn inBOTH PINOT AND CHARDONNAY AND WE’RE 1973 and Scotchmans Hill a decade later. The late Stephen Hickinbotham at Mount CLOSE TO A GOOD POPULATION CENTRE. Anakie helped the region’s revival with his innovative Beaujolais style Cab-Mac andMICHAEL HINCE Geelong’s vine stocks of about 300 a memorable 1986 cabernet sauvignon. varieties, of which only 12 to 16 wereHISTORICALLY, Geelong once ruled the suitable for planting in the area, came Today Geelong has about 780 hectaresviticultural and vinicultural waves. It was a from Hobart and Camden in NSW. Sadly, under vine, embracing 150 vineyards,time when Victoria lay challenge to being Geelong’s place in the sun soon clouded 60 wineries and over 40 cellar doors.Australia’s pre-eminent wine producer over and the “Black Pinot Burgundies, It’s divided into three sub-regions: theand was making wines deemed “better Red Hermitage and delicate ‘Hocks’ Moorabool Valley, the Bellarine Peninsulathan Pommard”. were short-lived” thanks to the onset and the Surf Coast. of phylloxera in 1887. The area was As Sam Benwell writes in his Journey devastated, and Victorian viticulture Climate has not always made life easyto Wine in Victoria, “Geelong was, for migrated elsewhere as a new cash crop of late; the past decade’s prolongeda brief episode in Victorian viticulture emerged in the guise of gold. droughts punctuated by occasional heavythe capital of a truly great vignoble, the rain downpours have taken their toll. Yet,Bordeaux of the Antipodes. The Yarra This was at a time when sweet fortifieds undeterred, the region continues to thrive.Valley may have been the cradle of dominated, winemaking skills were limitedVictorian wine, but Geelong was the – and long before today’s descriptors like Riding the crest of Geelong’s new-wavenursery and the schoolroom” or what cool climate, maritime influence and terroir pinots and chardonnays is Bellbrae EstateFrancois de Castella called the “third became fashionable. on the Great Ocean Road, inland fromprong of Victorian viticulture after Lilydale Torquay and not far from Bells Beachand the Melbourne vineyards”. It wasn’t until the mid-1960s that Geelong, on Victoria’s popular Surf Coast. Owned long overshadowed by the Yarra Valley, by stockbroker Richard MacDougal, As early as 1842 the Swiss, including the and latterly, the Mornington Peninsula’s Bellbrae has its emergence in the handsPettavel family, gravitated to the area and popular pinots and crisp chardonnays, re- of winemaker David Crawford.by 1861 Geelong,was Victoria’s dominant emerged from oblivion thanks to the likeswine region, with 225 hectares under vine. of Daryl and Nini Sefton’s Idyll Vineyard, Rutherglen born and bred and a Charles Sturt oenology graduate, David owes much to the likes of Bill Chambers and Colin Campbell and admires the canny Paul Dahlenburg at Baileys of Glenrowan. With 26 vintages under his belt, including time in Rutherglen, Taltarni, Tasmania’s Clover Hill, Macon in Beaujolais and more recently at Willow Bridge in Western Australia, he brings a depth of experience

and know-how to Bellbrae. They are are good, the climate is great for both other winemaking processes playing aa tough, talented, resourceful lot in pinot and chardonnay and we’re close supportive role, rather than being at theRutherglen – so Bellbrae could not have to a good population centre.” forefront. This leads to some wines beingpicked a better winemaker to help create slightly under-ripe and green – but whenthe quality pinots and chardonnays that If there’s one thing that distinguishes they get it right, they’re fantastic.”typify both the small five-hectare estate the region’s pinot noir, it’s tannin.and Geelong today. “There’s a great backbone to the pinots So what distinguishes a Geelong grown on the Surf Coast. My challenge chardonnay? According to David, great Bellbrae rests predominantly on sandy, is not to make them too ‘dry reddish’ fruit drive focus. He thinks they appeal tochocolate loam soils, with the reds planted but, conversely, they can have great a great many chardonnay drinkers.on small buckshot ironstone outcrops. longevity,” David explains. “Our challenge at Bellbrae with The five hectares comprise two of Thus, in keeping with the region, chardonnay using Mendoza andpinot noir, one each of chardonnay and Bellbrae’s reputation and future very Penfolds 58 clones is to develop levels ofsauvignon blanc and, much to the liking much rests on pinot noir and chardonnay complexity and artefact without alienatingof an old Rutherglen boy, one of shiraz. that exemplify what James Halliday our current customer base,” he says. ThisAverage yields are between six and eight describes as wines of “strength; depth entails, among other things, creatingtonnes a hectare, with a total crush of of colour, bouquet and flavour”. more blending options.30 to 35 tonnes resulting in 1800-2000dozen cases. Eighty per cent of the fruit David’s MV6 clone 2013 pinot comes Presently Bellbrae is concentratingis estate grown on the estate’s own vines close to defining what he’s seeking in on its on-premises sales locally andfrom rootlings first planted in 1998-99. a house-style – it’s savoury with a hint in Melbourne with a smattering of key of barnyard, as distinct from forest independent retailers, and hopes to push Bellbrae enjoys long summer days and floor. It exhibits a delicate balance into Sydney soon.cooling ocean winds that buffet the coast between aroma, subtle fruit and tanninand bring good rainfall, occasional salty backbone. “Our Bird Rock 2013 Pinot Opposite Page: Vineyards at Bellbrae Estate.drifts and mists and, thankfully, no frosts – has good weight, colour and density withhence Bellbrae’s Surf Coast iconography associated strength in tannin – I used a Above Left: Longboard Wines range.as typified by its Estate Range wines reasonable amount of whole bunch in Above Right: Bellbrae Winemaker David Crawford.named after local surf breaks and its aptly the ferments, which has served to liftnamed Longboard wines. the aromatics and give some initial fruit sweetness,” he says. Though David has done only fourvintages at Bellbrae since arriving Among the local wines, David likesin 2011, he’s confident of creating a Scotty Ireland’s Provenance pinots andpremium-quality, house-style pinot and Leura Park’s chardonnays. On the subjectchardonnay befitting Geelong. “I’m of chardonnay, David thinks present-dayenjoying both the challenges and rewards styles tend to be “tight, fruit-driven andof viticulture in the region,” he says. “Soils aromatic, with layers of oak, autolysis and September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 41

LILIAN CARTERSWORLDOFWINE HOW A GRADUATES DECADE-LONG JOURNEY HAS STRETCHED TO CHINA42 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

Lilian Carter in Tiansai vineyardSeptember/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 43

WINTERS ARE EXTREMELY COLD, AND THE VINES MUST BE BURIED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS TO SURVIVE THE ICE COVER.DENIS GASTIN South Africa, after her graduation. Then cold climate and the expectation of the Pernod Ricard transition program took contemporary quality wine outcomes.GROWING up on her family’s vineyard in her to Marlborough, New Zealand for a And she obviously excelled in this role:Rutherglen, Victoria, Lilian Carter couldn’t brief assignment at its Montana winery. her 2008 Helan Mountain Special Reserveescape thoughts of a career in wine. But After completing the graduate winemaker Chardonnay won the trophy for Best Wine ofher current role as winemaker and winery tenure, she took a break to do a worldwide Asia at the Hong Kong International Wine &manager at Tiansai (Sky Mountain) Winery, eye-opening tour that included a vintage Spirit Competition in 2009. What made thisan exciting new viticultural and winemaking in Corsica, in 2006, and a first-hand look even more of a standout achievement is thatventure in China’s far north-western at viticulture and winemaking in France, chardonnay is still very much a marginalXinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, would Spain, Argentina and Chile. variety in China, despite its global stature.have been beyond her wildest dreams inthose early years. After this, she was definitely in the right After the two vintages at Helan Mountain, state of mind for a big shift to the world Lilian returned to Australia and did vintages Despite a temporary academic diversion stage. So what industry icon and her with Oakridge and Domaine Chandonupon completing school (she enrolled in winemaking mentor at Orlando, Philip in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. But the farLandscape Architecture at Melbourne Laffer, had in mind for her on her return horizons maintained their appeal and, whenUniversity) she soon realised that was just right. He began involving her approached in early 2012 by one of the bigwinemaking was what she really wanted in his project in China’s burgeoning names in wine in China, Professor Li Demei,to do, so switched to Adelaide University to western frontier region, in Ningxia Province, to take up the role as winemaker and winerystudy oenology. Upon graduation, in 2003, where Pernod Ricard was building up a manager at Tiansai Winery, she agreed. she secured one of the highly sought after contemporary winemaking operation undergraduate winemaker contracts awarded the Helan Mountain brand. This evolved The winery is the core investment ofby Pernod Ricard each year to provide a into a full-time assignment at the end of the privately owned WangZhong Wineunique transition for two top graduates from 2007 in the role of winemaker and winery Company and is underpinned by lotsacademia to hands-on winemaking in its manager for the 2008 and 2009 vintages. of emotional commitment and passionOrlando/Jacobs Creek network. for wine from the chief stakeholder, Ms Lilian saw this as an interesting yet very Cheng Lizhong. She was determined to And then the world of wine began to really challenging blank space, and set about find an ideal location for grapegrowingopen up for Lilian. Her first glimpse had crossing the divide between the totally and the final choice, made in consultationcome as an intern for the 2003 vintage at unconventional viticultural environment with Professor Li, is surprising. WhereasThe Bergkelder Winery in Stellenbosch, presented by Ningxia’s dry and extremely most of the vineyards in Xinjiang are within44 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

a discreet distance of the autonomous and grenache, is becoming a popular varietal expression, elegant structures andregion’s capital, Urumqi, the Tiansai choice for high-end wineries in China. surprising length.vineyards are in Yannqi County, about 600kilometres (or a one-hour flight) south-west The extreme dry weather promotes All of this sounds like a big enoughof Urumqi, towards Tibet. good ripening and minimises disease responsibility to keep Lilian totally occupied risk. Supplementary water for the vines in Xinjiang all year through. But she is Lilian says the location is “breathtakingly comes from melting snow from the nearby determined, also, to maintain active workingbeautiful”. It is also surrounded by stunning Tian Sheng mountain range and the vines connections with the industry in Australia.physical attractions, such as Bosten Lake, are carefully drip-fed. Lilian has been So she made an arrangement with Tiansaithe largest inland lake in China, covering impressed by the quality of the grapes. that allows her to travel backwards andalmost 1000 square kilometers, and the They are showing a surprising flavour forwards so she can continue to work as aTalimu, a big inland river slicing through the intensity, reflecting lower harvest volumes consultant with Australian wineries.desert terrain. Anticipating that the physical and later maturation, she says, and thisattractions will provide further incentive for certainly comes through in the Tiansai She describes this mobile life as thevisitors, WangZhong is building a very wines from the two initial vintages. contemporary version of the flyingstylish chateau for accommodation that will winemaker. IT forums like WeChat, sheinclude restaurants and a tasting room. The Two Tiansai red wines were among the says, mean it is no longer essential for allwinery is fully operational, and the chateau line-up of 21 premium Chinese wines involved in the vineyard and winery to bewas completed in August. from regions across the nation that were on the same piece of ground all the time. assembled by Professor Li to demonstrate She says she can be in regular contact with Now the venture has 130 hectares of vines, progress in the industry in China to an counterparts in Asia and Australia throughplanted progressively, at altitudes between international industry audience at Vinexpo group chat, photos and video and text700 and 1100 metres. They have chosen in Hong Kong in May this year. I’ve been messages. The team at Tiansai, she says,a horizontal trellis system, rather than the tasting Chinese wines for almost 30 years is comfortable with this and all functionsvertical trellis system most commonly used and this was one of the best selections smoothly, now that the initial groundworkin China, to promote more even ripening. I have seen. And I ranked both Tiansai has been covered in situ and practical wines – the 2012 Tiansai Dry Red (varietal working relationships are formed within While summers are warm and dry, winters blend) and the 2013 Cabernet Franc Dry the team.are extremely cold, with temperatures as low Red (with some merlot) – in my top fiveas minus 30 degrees, and the vines must wines in this selection. Both showed Opposite Page: Lilian with vineyard workers.be buried for several months to survive the fresh, ripe fruit characteristics, with good Above: Lilian in a tomato field.ice cover. They are covered with about 60centimetres of soil. Applying and removingthis soil can account for up to 30 per cent oftotal vineyard expenses. If done manually,it can require up to 200 workers, so Tiansaiis working on a system, under Professor Li’sdirection, to mechanise the task. The inaugural vintage for Tiansai wasin 2012, when just over 100 tonnes wascrushed, under Lilian’s direction; theultimate goal is around 600 tonnes. The aimis to produce all of the required grapes inthe company’s own vineyards, for qualitycontrol purposes, rather than to rely oncontract growers, which is more often thecase in China. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot, thevarieties that dominate the contemporarywine scene in China, are the mainplantings. But there is also a significantamount of chardonnay, as well as smallvineyards with cabernet franc, shiraz,petit verdot, petit manseng and marselan,for trials and for blending purposes.Marselan, a cross of cabernet sauvignon September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 45

A DELIGHT TO JUDGE THIS Honest VarietyPETER SIMICWE ARE truly blessed to have had the regardless of the depth of your pocket. case, panel discussion occurred before aopportunity to taste such a fabulous line- For our annual tasting more than 500 rating was given, then noted. At the end ofup of shiraz and syrah wines across all the week all five-star wines were broughtprice categories. Of all the reds, perhaps wines were judged blind during a four-day back and a second bottle was openedshiraz is the most honest; attention period, with a “trophy panel” on the final and judged to determine our Top Tento detail pays off in droves as clay is day comprising Masters of Wine Drew winners (alphabetical) with first, secondmoulded into works of art. Although Noon and Phil Reedman and national and third placings determined.there are exceptions, generally speaking wine show former chairman of judges,(compared with other reds) with shiraz Ian McKenzie. The judges (see photo) In addition to the above, a categorythe more you pay the more you get! Here each day comprised panels of three peer winner for all classes was named, andis a tasting that should please many, group winemakers who painstakingly these are also brought to your attention. evaluated the wines before them. In each Here is a brief summary of each category:46 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

WO R L D ’ S G R E AT E S T S Y R A H & S H I R A ZU nder $ 1 5 - Fresh is best, said $35-$50 - More serious ’12s showing As they say, a great week was had by all and our thanks must go to all the wineriesthe judges, meaning that at this price some bottle age (but no ’13s). Some involved, the judges who did the tastingthey were looking for fresh fruit varietal of the ’11s and ’10s disappointed with and our great sponsors Mainfreight,character, not complexity. Naturally, early development or over-extraction. Sip n’ Save Cellars, the National Winethis meant that the 2013 vintage C e n t r e a n d i m p o r t e r , N e g o c i a n t s excelled, with a couple of exceptions $ 5 0 - $ 7 5 - Great fruit overall here, with Wine Merchants.from 2012. intensity to age further and even improve. Congratulations to all those whose$15-$20 - Not surprisingly, a cut above Not so many advanced ’10s or older wines were recommended – no easy task vintages. Holding well! with our tough panels of judges, and inthe previous class overall and with a few particular our category winners, Top Tenmore ’12s and a handful of older wines. $ 7 5 - $ 1 0 0 - Big and flavoursome, placegetters and Final Three. As I alwaysStill at a great-value price! say, by all means note the wines at the with many young wines to age further. top but also check out the performers at$ 2 0 - $ 2 5 - Overall, another lift with Here’s where the ’10s came into their own the price category you normally play in. with secondary flavours and balanced, Chances are you might discover a newsome excellent ’13s and good ’10s. A retained fresh fruit and appropriate oak. favourite or two.crowded area at this price and lots tochoose from. $ 1 0 0 - $ 2 0 0 - As expected, great$ 2 5 - $ 3 0 - More of the same. wines here with intensity and balance.$30-$35 - More hand-crafted wines $ 2 0 0 + - The big battle between somehere, said the judges, with moretextural elements. top Aussie and French examples, with individual differences of style and judges having their favourites. A pleasure to judge. September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 47

1ST placeEncore!A Star ShinesWine is such a subjective thingso our starting point has to bethat we make wines that we enjoy.JOY WALTERFANG World’s Greatest Shiraz champion. When told of his latest triumph, BirdIT WAS March 2007 and I was heading outto the Godfather of all wine shows – Vinitaly. in Hand’s founder and director AndrewI arrived in Verona with 12 of Australia’s best Nugent reflected, “I suppose that indicatesdrops for an international tasting – ‘A world just how special that wine really is. It’stour of international wines’, to be presented very humbling and gratifying and we’reby the world’s most influential magazines, delighted”. Winestate’s publisher Peter SimicWinestate being one of them. was also pretty pleased because for him it confirms the consistency of the judging. The shiraz we chose to representAustralia’s most popular red variety was an It isn’t just Bird in Hand’s shiraz wines thatelegant, cool climate number from a small grab all the gold at all the shows; they havefamily winery in the Adelaide Hills: the 2005 a list as long as your arm of medals andBird in Hand shiraz. trophies won by every one of their wine styles. Why that one? The year before it was the “Kym Milne, our chief winemaker, is the$30-$40 category winner in Winestate’s genius behind our winemaking,” Andrew isWorld’s Greatest Shiraz Challenge, going quick to point out. Kym has been making veryon to be crowned Wine of the Year. There good wine for more than 30 years. He waswas much rising of eyebrows and approving chief winemaker at New Zealand’s Villa Marianods when those international palates for nine years, became the second Australiangot a mouthful of the wine. Spitting was to achieve the Master of Wine qualification inconspicuous by its absence! 1991 and in ’92 headed for Europe to continue making very good wine for the next 10 years. In 2012 the wine named the World’sGreatest Shiraz was the 2010 Bird in Hand In 2003 Kym moved back to the AdelaideNest Egg. Now that same wine is the 2014 Hills with his family, consulting for Bird in Hand until Andrew managed to nail his feet48 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014

WO R L D ’ S G R E AT E S T S Y R A H & S H I R A ZBIRD IN HAND NEST EGG SHIRAZ 2010to the ground. “When Kym came back to throughout the year hosts outdoor concerts in Hand’s DNA. We’ve always been activethe Adelaide Hills to live with his family we in its vineyards featuring some of Australia’s sponsors in local sport clubs and, whereverstruck up a very good friendship almost leading talent, which has included artists like possible, employ the disabled. My focusstraight away, and now we have a fantastic Kate Ceberano and James Morrison. Andrew is now with the foundation. That’s where Iworking rapport. Our families all get along believes that “for the true wine experience you spend a lot of my time.”very well too.” need to be surrounded by good company, good conversation, and good food”. Tying in with the local community and its “Wine is such a subjective thing so our history is the reason the winery has chosenstarting point has to be that we make wines And Bird in Hand’s Chinese distributor has the names of Bird in Hand, Two in the Bushthat we enjoy,” says Andrew. “We are very now duplicated that true wine experience by and Nest Egg for their wines. These were allfirmly focused on the creative and artistic building four replicas of the winery’s cellar goldmines in the district in the 1800s. Butside of winemaking, looking to make the very door throughout the north-eastern provinces nowadays there is more gold inside the winerybest wines we can, then rolling that into a total of China. “They wanted to reproduce the feel than “in them thar hills”.experience by sharing it with our love of art, and essence of what we have here.”food and music.” Bird in Hand’s first vintage, in 2001, produced Before Andrew graduated in agricultural about 600 cases of wine. Ten years later that That total experience embraces the winery’s science at Roseworthy he had seriously had increased to 70,000 cases.unique designer wear, which includes a considered social work as a career path,range of jewellery from a local artist, the finest and that desire to help others was the driving The winery’s website states that AndrewItalian leather handbags, silk and cashmere force behind the formation of the Bird in Hand “exudes a steely determination to grow Birdproducts and local hand-spun knitwear. “Lots Foundation. It was set up last year to give back in Hand into one of the world’s great wineries”.of wineries have merchandise, for want of to the community by helping the young, thea better word, but at Bird in Hand we have underprivileged or those who just need that How will he know when he has achievedgathered together the very finest handcrafted little extra helping hand. that? “I don’t think you ever stop and thinkproducts we can find,” says Andrew. that’s it – we can’t get any better. We are The foundation is really important to always looking to the next vintage, the next Bird in Hand has its own brand of olive Andrew and his team. “Contributing to the week’s work, the next day’s work.”oil, an art gallery and function rooms, and community has always been a part of Bird And no doubt the next Winestate Shiraz Challenge! September/October 2014 W I N E S TAT E 49

2NDplace TINY APPELLATION, GIANT REPUTATION Wines that deliver on the promise made by their label The quality of these wines was so outstanding that we didn’t have the courage to blend them into our classic Hermitage. This is how the Ex Voto was born. SALLY EASTON Henschke’s Hill of Grace. This is the hill that houses the tiny chapel – La Chapelle – of GUIGAL is one of the iconic names of the St Christopher, built on the site of a 12th Rhone valley in France, despite being century chapel. founded only in 1946. The company name retains the E of its founder, Etienne, The hill of Hermitage is the final, easterly succeeded in turn by Marcel, and now, just outpost of the granitic Massif Central. the third generation, Philippe, who is both It is the point at which the river Rhone winemaker and general manager. turns sharply eastwards, before turning south again. This means the vineyards of As well as being an important negociant in Hermitage are all broadly south-facing – the Rhone valley, buying fruit and blending straight into the prized warmth of the sun wines from across the region, the family – syrah grown here in the northern Rhone own more than 60 hectares among the most is at its coolest, northern (in the northern prestigious appellations of the northern hemisphere) extreme of ripening. Rhone, including Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Condrieu. The label shows this wine as “Ermitage Ex Voto”. It’s still the Hermitage appellation. It is the Hermitage appellation that is Producers are able to choose whether the source of the E. Guigal Ermitage Ex to use the ‘H’. Philippe Guigal explained Voto 2010, runner-up in Winestate’s 2014 “there is no rule regarding the use of an World’s Greatest Shiraz Challenge. “H” or not in Hermitage but it is generally admitted that if the producer vinifies two Hermitage is a tiny appellation of just Hermitages, his normal cuvee [blend] will 136 hectares on the slopes of the hill of come with the H (the classical way) and his Hermitage. Thirty producers work this tete de cuvee [top wine of that appellation] land, and Guigal own two hectares of the will come without the H (the historical way) – area, which is just a quarter of the size of50 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2014