Indholdsfortegnelse for September - October 2017 i Winestate Magazine

ALWAYS A PLEASURE! I think about this term when we put together our annual Winestate Mainfreight judging of syrah and shiraz wines. It is one of our major tastings that we always look forward to. Not only is it one of our biggest, it also involves sourcing some of the big-name players from Australia and France to go head-to-head in a fearless, no holds barred battle. These include the Penfolds Grange, Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road, Wolf Blass Platinum, Torbreck The Laird and Henschke Hill of Grace, in the Australian corner, with others of equal stature to make their mark in coming years. Interestingly none of these wines enter wine shows and are happy to live on their laurels. With the results of the blind judging by their peer winemakers it…

I’M really enjoying my role as Winestate’s New Zealand Editor. The main focus is to chair the NZ Regional and New Release tastings, which are a significant part of the magazine’s offering to consumers. In keeping with Winestate’s policy of independent and balanced reviewing, I invite experienced judges to participate as part of a panel. This is important to ensure there is a diverse and impartial set of palates tasting each wine. As with all professional tastings, initially wines are tasted blind and individual scores collected. All high-scoring wines (four stars and above) are tasted a second time, still blind, and judges asked to discuss the merits of each. In this way every wine is given a chance to be promoted (or in a few cases demoted) once opinions have…

ACCESSIBILITY is all when a country is looking to attract more high-spending international tourists. Jetstar launched new flight services to Vietnam in May, igniting a renewed explosion of interest in the fastgrowing country. Direct services to Ho Chi Minh City, link to 15 other destinations and a smart first choice is Hanoi. Only in Asia would a city of seven million rank as a second banana to a bigger rival, as the Vietnamese capital does to its sprawling southern counterpart still routinely referred to as Saigon. Something to mull over as you balance on a small plastic chair at one of the roadside joints at Beer Corner in the Old Quarter, where locals, backpackers and tourists sip on the local draught brew - bia hoi - with a shelf life…

It pretty well had everything a winemaker could want except for an affordable source of power. ROB Dolan is no stranger to kicking goals. As a Port Adelaide ruckman the “six-footsix” tall Dolan once played in two South Australian premiership sides when, as he says, he was “a lot slimmer and trimmer”. He grew up on a vineyard in the Riverland, picking grapes and other fruit as a kid, and after spending a vintage at Rouge Homme in Coonawarra he returned to university and studied winemaking. He started kicking goals of another kind when he moved to the Yarra Valley, first as senior winemaker at Yarra Ridge and managing Victoria’s Mildara Blass operations, then with two highly successful Yarra Valley brands - Sticks - after his footy nickname - and…

MOST of Australia’s wine enthusiasts don’t have a cellar and with the recent outlandish escalation in housing prices, that ain’t going to change any time soon. So the choices are to tuck their pride-and-joy bottles in a sock drawer, cupboard or foam wine box and hope for the best. Sometimes this works, while other times it turns out to be a disaster. Even when it turns out fine (they drink the wine before it heads down the slippery slope) there is a severe constraint on how many bottles can be stored around the flat/ house before it becomes a major issue. Some people ask that if it is such an issue, why bother to cellar wine in the first place? Surely in this “instant age” it is ready to drink…

WHAT happens when a cuisine becomes so popular that an outpost springs up in every suburb? In the case of Chinese, Indian, Lebanese and more, it gets a contemporary makeover. There’s still plenty of restaurants offering traditional Middle Eastern menus, but over the past few years Sydney has witnessed the opening of upmarket Turkish eateries like Anason and Stanbouli. The Thievery at Glebe sparked queues for its sophisticated Lebanese plates and now Nour has raised the bar further in terms of decor and adventurous, elegant listings. The team behind Nour, Ibby Moubadder and Eleanor Harris, established their culinary cred with Cuckoo Callay, a quirky Newtown cafe where the main magnet is bacon-dominant brunch dishes. There’s no other connection. Nour fills the location once occupied by Japanese stalwart Tokonama and the…

PERTH-BORN winemaker Andrew Cherry may not have grown up in a winemaking family, but as he sees it, “enjoying a good bottle and amazing food, surrounded by my family, is certainly something that has always brought us together”. After first completing a chemistry degree, he headed to London. Here, a stint working at a Michelin-starred restaurant and learning from the sommelier there, saw his interest in wine gear up to a point that, on returning to Western Australia, he signed up to an oenology post grad at the University of Adelaide. Practical experience followed in Beaujolais, the Clare Valley and Tuscany, but since 2008, home base has been at Alkoomi Wines in the Frankland River - WA’s most isolated wine-growing region. Where did your first opportunities in the vineyard arise…

45 TASTED 37 AWARDED SEMILLON BLENDS 11 TASTED 6 AWARDED A very mixed group with the better wines offering good quaffing with some tending to the green pea end of the spectrum. Millbrook Winery Barking Owl Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Lifted fresh aromatics of cut hay showing a rich tropical thread. Great flavour profile, good line of acid. An excellent quaffer. $18 Beelgara Estate NSW Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2016 More savoury in style. Obvious semillon characters on the nose and nice acid drive to the palate with good phenolics. $10.99 Brygon Reserve Wines Third Wheel WA Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Citrussy nose with a confectionery edge. Great palate that’s big, rich and loaded with long lingering varietal flavours. $19.99 Berton Vineyards Head Over Heels SEA Semillon Sauvignon Blanc…

83 TASTED 63 AWARDED PROSECCO 2 TASTED 2 AWARDED T’Gallant Bright & Zesty Mornington Peninsula Prosecco NV Grapey fruit nose with some nice florals. A generous dry savoury palate tasting of cut pears and apple blossoms. Simple and fresh. $20 Yarra Burn YB Yarra Valley Prosecco NV Musky perfumed aromas and easy generous sweeter style of palate with a savoury end. $9 OTHER DRY WHITES 6 TASTED 4 AWARDED The judges found this an interesting group with the riesling and arneis being standouts. Allinda Hand Crafted Limited Release Yarra Valley Riesling 2016 A clean bright nose showing great lime and lemon-like varietal definition. Excellent varietal fruit purity on the crisp dry palate with a well focussed finish. 3-5 $27 Bittern Estate Mornington Peninsula Arneis 2013 Attractive honeysuckle aromas with citrussy…

126 TASTED 59 AWARDED SPARKLING 5 TASTED 3 AWARDED A few drinkable wines showing vibrancy and freshness at a great price! South Point Estate Riverina Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV Toasty honeyed citrus aromas and some toasty development on the citrussy palate. $5.99 Zilzie Wines Estate Australia Prosecco NV An attractive more complex style. Perfumed fragrances, textural palate length. Refreshing acidity. $14 Trentham Estate The Family Murray Darling Prosecco NV An austere wine; some toastiness on the nose and palate with attractive sweet pear flavours. $15 OTHER WHITE VARIETALS & BLENDS 7 TASTED 3 AWARDED Some pleasant examples with the viogniers quite aromatic and showing good varietal characters. Zilzie Wines Regional Collection Murray Darling Viognier 2016 A lifted bouquet with marmalade and spice characters evident. Slight oiliness to the palate…

78 TASTED 64 AWARDED Although its reputation rests squarely on its ability to produce world-class pinot noir, our tasting showed that Central Otago is more than a one trick pony. Exciting riesling, first-rate pinot gris and chardonnay and a brilliant method traditionelle showed the diverse wine styles now being made. Yet as expected the tasting was dominated by pinot noir. Only a few years ago the region’s reputation rested on its ability to produce rich, deeply coloured and almost exotically flavoured wines, full of fruit and alcohol. But our tasting showed that today the landscape is much more varied; pinots with texture, the influence of whole cluster apparent, more sympathetic use of oak. It is an exciting time in Central. Prices shown are approximate New Zealand retail. Wines available in…

An interesting tasting with chardonnay and pinot noir dominating the section and also a great selection of syrahs. Also, a couple of fantastic gewurtztraminer’s that are well worth seeking out. Prices shown are approximate New Zealand retail. Wines available in export markets are shown as (A) Australia, (UK) and (US). Alpha Domus AD Chardonnay 2015 Barrel ferment notes of nutmeg and sweet spice complement the perfectly ripe white nectarine and peach fruit flavours. There’s a nice chalky texture to the palate which keeps the wine interesting and the finish is long and savoury. Really rather lovely. $38 Mission Estate Gewurztraminer 2016 Textbook gewurz; rose petal, lychee and Turkish delight aromas jostle for attention. Richly textured with a definite sweetness gives a plump, squishy mouthfeel and leads to a lingering finish.…

Hoggies Australia Moscato 2017 "A fun wine," said one judge. Lovely elderflower lift to the nose and grapey flavours with balanced sweetness. $14.99 Hoggies Estate (Stentiford Pty Ltd) Phone: 0418 854 102 Email: gavin.hogg1952@gmail.com Hoggies Estate Coonawarra Riesling 2016 An acid-driven wine with defined zesty lime/lemon varietal fruit characters. $14.99 Hoggies Estate (Stentiford Pty Ltd) Phone: 0418 854 102 Email: gavin.hogg1952@gmail.com Black Stump Frankland River Riesling 2016 Powerful estery citrus bouquet with a simple fresh and clean palate showing good length of flavour and nice acidity. $18 Black Stump Wines Phone: 0415 971 113 Email: tim@blackstumpwines.com La La Land Victoria Pinot Gris 2016 Subdued aromas. Light florals on a long delicate palate; flavours in the citrus/apple spectrum. $18.99 Wingara Wine Group Phone: 03 9682 5000 Email: aaldridge@wingara.com.au Web: www.deakinestate.com.au Sacred…

YOUR lifestyle is the envy of friends and work colleagues on social media. Regular lunches at name restaurants, business trips to destinations near and far, and toasting career successes with the finest champagne and whiskies. You’ve earned the trappings of the good life but there’s a price to pay even when you’re not picking up the tab. I relearned this fact of life recently when I had to schedule three multi-course restaurant meals in as many days. The accumulated menu of rich sauces, ample servings of meat, two mounds of hummus and matching wines seemed to stay in my stomach long after they should have moved on, so to speak. I am not complaining but made a firm pledge to space out such enjoyable blow-outs in the future. Over 20…

LEGEND STATUS THE 2017 Hunter Valley Living Legend has been awarded to leading viticulturist Ian Tinkler for his significant contribution to the Hunter Valley wine industry for more than three decades. Tinkler worked for the Primary Industry Department and was instrumental in helping to form the first Hunter Valley Viticultural Improvement Society before moving into wine production with his own winery at Pokolbin. “We built a winery and stuffed our weekends!” he quipped during his acceptance speech at the black tie dinner in the Hunter in late May. Also recognised were the local stars of the wine industry. Rising Star of the Year went to Rauri Donkin of Bimbadgen Estate; Viticulturist of the Year was Andrew Pengilly (Tyrrell’s Wines); Cellar Door of the Year went to Thomas Wines; Winemaker of…

THE phenomenon that is prosecco continues to froth and fizz. Those of us with long memories will recall the burgeoning prosecco bubble kicked off in 2009 when the prosecco people moved to gain protection for their wine and their region. They successfully claimed that the then-called grape variety prosecco was inextricably linked to the protected geographical indications (DOC and DOCG in Italy) in north-east Italy. It became European Union law that anything containing “the prosecco grape” made outside of the delimited regions in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia must thenceforth be labelled “glera” - an alternative name of the same grape variety. And despite Italian protests, Australian wine producers remain allowed to label wines - made from glera - as prosecco, but on the domestic market only. What happened back…

FRENCHMAN Andre Simon’s magnum opus on the Australian wine world was nearing completion. Right until the last minute the book’s final contents were being decided. The biggest problem was whether or not to include New Zealand. Some argued for its inclusion in this first edition of the Australian book, while others thought it could be added to a reprint, assuming one would be required. Some even hoped for a separate book. None of those options was followed. As late as November 1966, a week before Simon’s book was published and getting a bit late to make changes, Simon and his guide in Australia, Victor Gibson, and publisher Lloyd O’Neil were still corresponding and wondering if they had made the right decision about New Zealand: leave it out of this first…

For our Top Ten selection this year it was impossible to separate the very high point scores that the judging panels awarded to the wines. Each wine achieved a unanimous 18.5 points from each of the three judges involved. We could have done a “judge off” but decided this year that this would not have done justice to the exceptional quality of the wines involved. At this high level it would have come down to a judges preference rather than a quality decision and that would have been unfair to the bottom wines in any Top ten ranking. Hence the “no particular order” rating was decided. THE STATS that count NUMBER TASTED: 427 NUMBER AWARDED: 354 % awarded: 83.05 NUMBER OF FIVE STARS (Gold Award): 40 % awarded: 9.36 NUMBER…

AUCTION DATES MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S September 22-27 (inclusive): online auction (taking consignments until September 15). October 17, 18: live auction (taking consignments until September 30). MW WINES September auction: Opens September 6, closes September 13 (submissions close September 2). October auction: Opens October 4, closes October 11 (submissions close September 30). November auction: Opens November 1, closes November 8 (submissions close October 28). Submissions can be received at any time. LANGTON’S AUCTIONS Auctions close at 9pm every Tuesday and Thursday with unreserved auctions every second Sunday. Finest & Rare, $5 Reserve, Single Vendor and more. Visit langtons.com.au to view the full calendar STERLING WINE Live on-line auctions run every two weeks, back-to-back, finishing on Wednesday evening. ODDBINS WINE AUCTIONS Visit oddbins.com.au for the latest auction dates and information (All dates subject to…

Andrew Locke Winemaker with Rosemount Wines since 1998. Previously he was a winemaker with Orlando Wyndham and De Bortoli Wines. He has completed vintages in the US and Loire (France). In 1993 he attended the AWRI advanced assessment course. Stephen John Senior Winemaker for The Wine Group Australia and owner/winemaker of Stephen John Wines. More than 30 years’ winemaking experience. Has judged at Adelaide, National, and Barossa wine shows. Regular Winestate panellist and chairman of judges at the Winestate Wine of the Year Awards. Tom Shanahan Winemaker with Treasury Wine Estates (Wolf Blass). Previously worked in Adelaide Hills Cellar Door before winning Wolf Blass scholarship for a winemaking career. Has also vintaged in the Yarra Valley and Granite Belt.…

Sarah Andrew Owner Selador Wines. Certified Sommelier; WSET Certified Educator. Judged at the Eltham/Daylesford wine show and Heathcote and Cool Climate Wine Show. Formerly on premise work and retail in the UK. Victor Nash Chief Winemaker at Fowles. 15 years winemaking experience. A finalist in the Young Australian Winemaker of Year competition. Director of the Victorian wines show. Mark Nikolich Senior winemaker at Rob Dolan Wines for the past four years. Formerly at Sticks Wines, DeBortoli Wines and Tokar Estate. Has also vintaged in Beaujolais, France.…

Jonathan Creek Senior winemaker of operations at Zilzie Winery. Formerly winemaker at Gallo Winery (US) and Coldstream Hills, Nepenthe & Brokenwood wineries. Associate judge at the Inland wine show in Swan Hill. Eric Semmler Proprietor of 919 Wine Company. Formerly winemaker for the Hardy Wine Company. Previously with Brown Brothers and Auldstone Cellars. Has spent eight years as fortified winemaker for Hardys. Associate judge at Rutherglen, McLaren Vale and Riverland shows. Dave Matthews Formerly Winemaker at Rosemount and Boar’s Rock and Group Winemaker for Treasury Wine Estates. Vintaged in Tuscany and California. Judged in Australia and overseas. Currently with Francois Freres group of cooperages.…

Jane Skilton MW Winestate’s New Zealand editor has worked in the wine trade for 33 years, 24 of those as a Master of Wine. She runs NZSWS, a wine education school, and judges wine competitions both at home and internationally. Simon Nunns Head winemaker at Coopers Creek Vineyard in Auckland since 1998, Simon has also completed vintages Oregon, Bordeaux and Burgundy. He is a senior judge in all major New Zealand wine shows, a highly sought after educator and speaker and a passionate advocate for alternative grape varieties. Rebecca Deed PhD After completing her thesis on the effects of low temperature fermentation on wine yeast, Rebecca now lectures at the University of Auckland. WSET qualified, she enjoys wine show judging.…

175 TASTED 107 AWARDED SPARKLING 6 TASTED 6 AWARDED A solid class of good commercial styles that are well-made and without any faults. Sidewood Chloe Cuvee Adelaide Hills Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2014 A lovely rich complex nose smelling of bright melons with tropical touches. Great complexity to the creamy palate with excellent flavours and nice tight line of acid. $30 Brazil Intenso Brut Pao de Acucar Sparkling Glera NV Ripe chardonnay aromas with some candied characters. Good length and structure to the wellbalanced and creamy palate. $21.99 Sidewood Isabella Adelaide Hills Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2013 Aged complex honeyed strawberry bouquet with more of the strawberry characters obvious on the long tight varietal palate. $30 Sidewood Adelaide Hills Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay NV Smells fresh and fruity. Nice acid…

November 2017 QUEENSTOWN NZ - Wine of the Year Awards Lunch Thursday 16 November 2017 - Gantleys of Queenstown, NZ 12 noon - 3pm - Tickets available now Contact Peter Jackson: sales@winestate.com.au HONG KONG - Winestate Wines of Australia HK Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, HONG KONG 9-11 November 2017 Details at: www.hktdc.com HONG KONG - Winestate Corporate Tasting Event November 9-10 2017 Email: Peter Jackson: sales@winestate.com.au ADELAIDE - Wine of the Year Awards Friday 24 November 2017 - Adelaide Convention Centre 1pm – 3pm - Trade Only & By Invitation Invitations will be sent September 2017 JANUARY 2018 PERTH - 2018 Winestate Best of the West & Wine of the Year Tasting Friday 19 January 2018 - 6pm – 8.30pm Perth Hyatt Regency Hotel, Perth, Western Australia (Tickets available late…

CHANGING OF THE GUARD THE sale of the Ngatarawa Wines brands to Mission Estate Winery and the ensuing retirement of owners Alwyn Corban and Brian Corban marks somewhat of a changing of the guard for New Zealand wine. The Corbans family has been making wine in NZ for 115 years, with founding father Assid Corban initially selling wine from a truck that travelled around the country. Corban arrived in NZ from Lebanon in 1892, establishing the family’s original 4ha block, Mt Lebanon Vineyards, in Henderson, Auckland in 1902. The Corbans expanded out from the home base to become one of the country’s most pioneering and instrumental families. They were the first to use cultured yeast and stainless steel tanks, pneumatic presses and temperature-controlled fermentations, and the first to produce commercial…

VINEYARDS are made up of soil, subsoil and often the fractured bed rock protrudes from the earth. There is considerable diversity of bed rock, which contributes to create the myriad of factors that add up to a wine’s terroir. It is the study of geomorphology: the study of landforms, mountain, hills and valleys that inevitably involves looking at rocks. The topsoil, where the roots are most active, consists of weathered fragments of bed rock or it may consist of colluvial material thrown down from upper slopes or have been washed into its current location by a stream or river (alluvial soils). As well as these sources of sediment, vineyards can also be covered with wind-blown material which is described as “loess” or ancient debris deposited by retreating glaciers known as…

The Top Ten Shiraz as selected by highest judges score in no particular order are: Penfolds Grange 2012 $1,000 Wolf Blass Platinum Medlands Estates of the Barossa 2012 $200 Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley 2014 $70 M. Chapoutier L’Ermite Rhone Valley France Syrah 2014 $600 Torbreck The Laird Barossa Valley 2010 $780 McLaren Vale 111 Associates Squid Ink Reserve Single Vineyard Estate McLaren Vale 2015 $55 Pirathon Barossa Valley Shiraz 2015 $23 Tenafeate Creek Judgement One Tree Hill Shiraz 2014 $100 Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2015 $37.95 Sanguine Estate Inception Heathcote Shiraz 2012 $39.95 Wills Domain Single Vineyard Block 5 2014 $36 TOP FRENCH WINE M. Chapoutier L’Ermite Rhone Valley France Syrah 2014 $600 TOP NEW ZEALAND WINE Church Road Grand Reserve Hawkes Bay New Zealand Syrah 2015 $42…

Vin de France represents tradition but also having fun. – Gérard Bertrand, celebrated winemaker Think you know where Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec originated? Vin de France will show you why going back to their origins can give you a whole new wine experience. When you think of what Australian wine-lovers drink, most people would probably tell you that they love shiraz (syrah), cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay – and with good reason. These are by far the most common grape varieties grown in Australia. If the name wasn’t already a give-away, the majority of Australian consumers would know that these varieties are of French origin. More recently however, Australians have been branching out, willing to try varieties which provide different taste profiles and seeking a new wine experience. Two of the…

427 TASTED 354 AWARDED SHIRAZ & BLENDS UNDER $10 14 TASTED 8 AWARDED The younger wines show freshness, whereas, as one judge noted, “There is nothing else there once the older wines lose their fruit”. Some fair drinkers here - for the price Berton Vineyards Head Over Heels SEA Shiraz 2016 Attractive bouquet of blackberry and plums with a spicy peppery varietal palate and good tannin structure. $8 A.C. Byrne & Co. McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016 Riper fruit characters on the complex nose and a rich earthy mulberry palate with chocolaty notes and great tannins. $9.99 Earthworks Barossa Shiraz 2016 A fruit-driven style with light peppery notes on the nose and cedary oak on the palate with slightly warming alcohol. $9.99 Zilzie Estate Australia Shiraz 2015 Very good lifted blackcurrant/plum…