Indholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2022 i Winestate Magazine

I HAVE SAIDTHIS SO MANYTIMES OVER the past few issues it may be verging on getting boring. I know that the trend now is to drink what is in front of you but please don’t miss out on getting a few extra wines to put away for further cellaring. Not only will you be delighted to enjoy these in the future, but you will also be helping out the many wineries who may be doing it a little tougher than usual. Heaven knows I can’t remember a time when more great wines have been heavily discounted. Whilst this may last into next year this opportunity is not going to last forever. And definitely try some wines you have not tried before. If you can’t find some of the wines, we…

CERTIFIED organic viticulture has been a benchmark of viticulture looking to preserve the finite resource that is soil, biodiversity, and to reduce agrochemical inputs. It has moved from quirky oddity of the 1980s and 1990s, to something aspirational, if not yet mainstream. It’s worth remembering that ‘non-organic’ agriculture - conventional agriculture - is a phenomenon of post-world war two, as agrochemicals were widely introduced in the 1940s and became lauded as a way to produce high yields of crops, more reliably, with reduced manpower inputs; things that were desirable in the aftermath of global conflict. But it didn’t take too many decades before the risks of agrochemicals were becoming evident, such as toxicity, resistance development, and the damage to non-target species, and so a new organic impetus began. In a…

BERLINDA CONTI THE late 70s in Margaret River was a magical time in WA’s wine history. Although the spiritual home for peace-loving hippies, cheese cloth kaftans, hard-core surfers and beaten-up Combis (layered with nuances of patchouli and sandalwood and notes of a familiar “medicinal” smoky-haze) - there were very few wineries in the deep, forested southwest back then – though, for the visionaries who established a vineyard during this whimsical era, the benefits have rewarded three-fold. Jeff and Wynn Gallagher, the original founders of Woody Nook Wines (this year celebrating its 40-year anniversary), had the foresight to purchase prime viticultural land within the golden triangle of Wilyabrup during this time. Revered for its rich loamy soils and near-perfect Bordeaux-like conditions, the couple had every intention of planting vines in 1978…

102 TASTED 82 AWARDED SPARKLING 1 TASTED 1 AWARDED A well-handled sparkling from an unusual variety. Vineyard 28 Wildwater Sparkling Pignoletto Geographe Sparkling 2020 ★★★ 90pts Brioche nose with nice balance of acid and sweetness on the palate. $35 OTHER WHITE VARIETALS & BLENDS 2 TASTED 1 AWARDED Good to see a chenin. The variety used to be huge in WA in the past. Swings & Roundabouts Backyard Stories Margaret River Chenin 2021 ★★★1/2 92pts Floral fragrances with fresh quince and peach-like flavours on a full-bodied palate. Long finish. $34 RIESLING 3 TASTED 3 AWARDED Solid result from these cool climate rieslings. Singlefile Single Vineyard Mount Barker Great Southern Riesling 2021 ★★★★1/2 96pts Attractive green hues with a pretty floral bouquet and long generous lemon/lime flavours with a floral edge,…

44 TASTED 44 RECOMMENDED About 20% of New Zealand’s total vineyard area lies in the more populous North Island, where most regions have an ‘intermediate’, rather than ‘cool’, climate for viticulture. Hawke’s Bay, the dominant North Island region, has a vineyard area almost double that of the combined plantings of the four other regions - Auckland, Northland, Gisborne and the Wairarapa. Hawke’s Bay is renowned for its rich, elegant chardonnays, savoury, Bordeaux-style reds from merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and perfumed, spicy syrahs. The tasting also yielded superb examples of barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, gewürztraminer, sweet white wine, rosé and malbec. Prices shown are approximate New Zealand retail. Wines available in export markets are shown as (A) Australia; (UK) and (US). SAUVIGNON BLANC 5 TASTED 5 RECOMMENDED New Zealand sauvignon…

ADELAIDE HILLS Art Wine Pty Ltd Phone: 0411 422 450 Email: wine@artwine.com.au Web: www.artwine.com.au Corryton Burge (Burge Family Wine Estates) Phone: +61 8 8563 7575 Email: info@corrytonburge.com Web: www.corrytonburge.com Hahndorf Hill Winery Phone: 08 8388 7512 Email: cellardoor@ hahndorfhillwinery.com.au Web: www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au Mt Bera Vineyards Phone: 08 8389 2433 Email: greg@mtberavineyards.com.au Web: www.mtberavineyards.com.au Paracombe Premium Wines Phone: 08 8380 5058 Email: winery@paracombewines.com Web: www.paracombewines.com Vinteloper Phone: 0415 297 787 Email: david@vinteloper.com.au Web: www.vinteloper.com.au BEST OF THE WEST Bettenay Wines Phone: 08 9755 5539 Email: info@bettenaysmargaretriver.com.au Web: www.bettenaysmargaretriver.com.au Gralyn Estate Phone: 08 9755 6245 Email: info@gralyn.com.au Web: www.gralyn.com.au Rivendell Winery Phone: 08 9755 2000 Email: darryn@rivendellwinery.com.au Web: www.rivendellwines.com.au Singlefile Wines Pty Ltd Phone: 0409 108 166 Email: theteam@singlefilewines.com Web: www.singlefilewines.com MCLAREN VALE, LANGHORNE CREEK, FLEURIEU & SURROUNDS Australia Heidrun Estate (Rohan) Phone:…

PINOT Noir is a difficult grape variety to get right. But when it is handled correctly, both in the vineyard and winery, it is capable of providing the finest entertainment in the world of wine. Understanding pinot noir can be tricky as the grape has a number of masquerades, which is driven by the region, soils and the hand of the winemaker. Pinot Noir loves a cool to warm climate. But the conditions must be warm enough to get the grapes fully ripened, otherwise it has a habit of producing thin and herbaceous wines that lack colour. The one exception to this is if the grapes are made into sparkling wine. Champagne produces glorious sparkling wines from pinot noir. Occasionally they make table wines in the region and if you…

NIGEL HOPKINS TWO years of COVID 19 has seen a lot of disruption in the wine industry, possibly none more so than that experienced by McLaren Vale-based winery Doc Adams Wines. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic caused delays in renewing its cellar door lease in California Road at Tatachilla. Without a lease extension the cellar door – awarded Cellar Door of the Year in 2017 – was obliged to move to less salubrious premises in Lonsdale, an industrial precinct closer to Adelaide than McLaren Vale. Hit number one. Hit number two was the ending of a three decade-long relationship between winery owners, orthopaedic surgeon Dr Darren Waters and his wife, general practitioner Elizabeth, and viticulturist and winemaker Adam Jacobs. It was the combination of their names that gave the…

MELBOURNE is waking up from a long two years. The popups, deliveries, Zoom tastings and cooking classes that were created by the industry over lockdowns have shown the never-ending versatility and adaptability of the hospitality industry and now that doors are swinging open, there are some real gems feeding people across the city. After building a following during the lockdowns of 2020 and executing a successful Pozible campaign in 2021, Gomi Boys Ramen opened their first bricks-and-mortar venue at 692 Sydney Road, Brunswick in late 2021. Friends, chefs and business partners, Benjamin Reardon and Ryan Maher -the duo behind Gomi Boys - started their business during the first lockdowns of 2020 when the pair found themselves out of work. They created a range of heat-and-eat ramen kits which they made…

139 TASTED 86 AWARDED SPARKLING 7 TASTED 4 AWARDED A mixed group with the non-vintage wines showing good winemaking skills. A couple of the aged wines were disappointing. Amelia Burge Sparkling Australia Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut NV ★★★★1/2 97pts Interesting nose – delicate but complex with hints of nougat and a perfectly balanced creamy palate with nice up-front sweetness. “A great sparkling – very French!” $22 d'Arenberg Pollyanna Polly Adelaide Hills Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier NV ★★★★1/2 96pts A rich and complex style with an ethereal peach bouquet showing some floral elements. Big bold and flavoursome ripe citrus palate with zesty acidity. $36 Tomich Adelaide Hills Sparkling Blanc de Noir NV ★★★★ 94pts Rose petal fragrances and rich creamy palate with pleasantly tart peach flavours lingering across the…

35 TASTED 35 RECOMMENDED Prices shown are approximate New Zealand retail. Wines available in export markets are shown as (A) Australia, (UK) and (US). CHARDONNAY 6 TASTED 6 RECOMMENDED Pegasus Bay Virtuoso Waipara Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2019 ★★★★★ 98pts A real conversation piece, this very ‘complete’ wine was harvested from vines over 30 years old and lees-aged for a year in oak puncheons. Bright, light yellow/green, with a fragrant bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with searching stonefruit flavours, highly complex and savoury, and a rounded, very long finish. Already delicious, it should be at its best 2024+. $65 Spy Valley Envoy Johnson Chardonnay 2017 ★★★★★ 98pts Approaching its peak, this distinctive wine was estate-grown and hand-harvested in the Southern Valleys and barrel-fermented. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling, with deep…

THE American seaside resort was invented in Newport, Rhode Island. Some of the wealthiest families in the US started building extravagant mansions, ironically called summer cottages, during the so-called Gilded Age in the late 19th century. Anyone who became addicted to the recent TV series of the same name, written by Julian Fellowes of Downtown Abbey fame, googled locations for filming to discover that many of the scenes were shot in the former Newport getaways of the Vanderbilts, Astors and Morgans, including The Breakers, Marble House and Chateau-sur-Mer. Several of these plush piles are open to the public and like Highclere Castle in the UK, the home of the fictional Crawleys in Downtown Abbey, they can be hired for weddings and events. Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence married her longtime boyfriend…

DAN TRAUCKI NESTLED in the picturesque Adelaide Hills atop a 1.7-billion-year-old plateau at 425 metres above sea level, Paracombe Wines is somewhat different to most wineries. It started as a result of tragedy, when a brave young couple, Paul and Kathy Drogemuller, bought a burnt-out dairy farm following the devastating 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. With no viticultural experience they were talked into planting vines on their new property by Andrew Garrett. In the mid-1980s the South Australian Government sponsored a “vine pull” scheme in order to reduce the amount of grape vines in the state, due to a wine glut at the time. While most people were ripping out grape vines left, right and centre including some of the oldest vines in the state, the Drogemuller’s were busy planting their…

208 TASTED 184 AWARDED SPARKLING 4 TASTED 3 AWARDED A very solid class of “old school” styles; well made with good mousse and great mouthfeel. Scarpantoni Black Tempest McLaren Vale Sparkling Shiraz NV ★★★★1/2 96pts Rich shiraz, ageing nicely with a ripe and spicy plum bouquet and a veritable explosion of sweet red flavours with fresh acid and a sweet finish. $28 Watkins Langhorne Creek Sparkling Brut Rosé 2021 ★★★★ 94pts Candy sweet aromas and well-balanced grassy palate with great mouthfeel and a long lingering finish. $25 Watkins Langhorne Creek Sparkling Blanc de Blancs 2021 ★★★1/2 92pts Nose is a richness of melons and apples and has flavours of apples and melons with fresh acidity. $25 OTHER WHITE VARIETALS & BLENDS 17 TASTED 17 AWARDED Excellent line-up of alternative varietals…

175 TASTED 137 AWARDED Another most interesting New Releases tasting across two days. The winemaking skill certainly comes to the fore here especially with the so called “alternative varieties” for both red and white wines. Whilst sauvignon blanc and pinot gris/grigio’s were a general disappointment, across the board all other categories excelled with both viticulture and winemaking. Lots to choose from. Choose well! SPARKLING 12 TASTED 7 AWARDED A mixed group of both neutral and complex wines with the better wines showing good fruit and winemaking skills. Sidewood Isabella Rose Adelaide Hills Sparkling Rosé 2015 ★★★★★ 98pts A serious wine, pinky/bronze in colour with an intense and complex bouquet. Palate is bone dry with a sherbet-like liveliness and a delicate savoury/herbal flavour profile. $35 Rymill Coonawarra Coonawarra Sparkling Brut 2018…