Monthly Archives: February 2012

Is it worth talking up Canberra cabernet?

29 February 2012People, WineChris Shanahan

Is Ken Helm pushing it up hill? Or does cabernet really have a future in Canberra? I mean not just as a nice wine – but in the sense, as Helm sees it, that it might snap at the heals of our regional top dog, shiraz?

Releasing his 2009 vintage recently, Helm wrote, “Cabernet sauvignon in the Canberra District has suffered from a myth that it is too cold to ripen” – then lists a string of accolades, some more credible than others, stretching back to 1983.

Helm cabernet’s run of gold medals and trophies at the Cowra, Sydney, Hobart and Cool Climate wine shows began in1983 but ended in 1998 – about the time as shiraz stuck its head up (though, this is probably a coincidence).

Thereafter, the third-party praise on Helm’s list comes mainly through individual critics, including Australia’s James Halliday and Nick Stock and America’s Robert M. Parker. But the praise peaks with Halliday’s 94/100 for Helm Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (the score subsequently declined to 89 for the 2006 vintage).

Putting this in perspective, Halliday gave higher scores to several Canberra shirazes from the 2008 vintage. These included 95, 96, and 97 for three different Clonakilla wines, 96 for Collector Reserve, 95s for Lerida Estate, Capital Hill Kyeema Vineyard Reserve and Collector Marked Tree, and 94 for Nick O’Leary 2008.

And if we look to the regional show, we see little support for cabernet. Between 1997 and 2011 the trophy for champion wine of show was awarded to a Canberra shiraz on 10 occasions. Indeed, in 14 years, only two non-shiraz wines won the prize – a chardonnay from Orange in 1997 and Helm Premium Riesling 2008 in 2009 (shared with a shiraz from Hilltops). Cabernet simply hasn’t had a look in at the top level.

After judging a couple of lacklustre cabernet classes in the 2011 show, the judges, led by sommelier Ben Edwards, commented, “Obviously cabernet and family represents significant viticultural challenges in the region, so sensitive management of tannin/extraction is paramount. The top wines showed this”.

They’re basically saying it’s difficult to ripen cabernet in Canberra, but the top wines show that it’s possible. That cabernet requires more heat than shiraz to ripen isn’t in dispute.

In Wine, Terroir and Climate Change, John Gladstones classifies the world’s best-known wine grape varieties into maturity groups, based on degree days (a measure of total heat received during the growing season).

Gladstones derives his classification from a number of studies published between 1857 and 1997. At 1,260 degree days, shiraz sits one classification below cabernet, which requires 1,380 degree days to ripen. However, much of Canberra achieves more than 1,380 degree days in a season.

But total heat doesn’t tell the full story. The day-night temperature range also affects grape development and flavour. And when we look at great cabernet regions and great shiraz regions we see a marked contrast. This might explain why cabernet so demonstrably underperforms shiraz in Canberra.

Bordeaux, the home of cabernet, sits on the Dordogne estuary. It’s a true maritime climate – just like those of Margaret River and Coonawarra, Australia’s leading cabernet regions. The diurnal temperature ranges in theses areas, during the ripening period, is comparatively low.

Shiraz, on the other hand, reaches its peak (in the old world) in the northern Rhone Valley’s continental climate, where the diurnal temperature range is comparatively wide – like Canberra’s.

Gladstones believes that “relatively constant, intermediate temperatures during ripening specifically favour the biochemical processes of colour/flavour/aroma development of the berries”. He concludes that “the narrower the range of variation about a given mean or average ripening temperature, the greater the great flavour, aroma and pigmentation will be at a given time of ripening”.

That view intersects nicely with the great wines of Bordeaux, Margaret River and Coonawarra – and points towards the difficulty of getting cabernet just right in Canberra’s continental client. (But it also sits at odds with the outstanding shirazes we make!).

My own experience from years of wine show judging, private tastings and social drinking is that Canberra’s best shirazes rate with the best in Australia. Our cabernets, on the other hand, simply don’t compare, to date, with the country’s best. As well, our average shiraz tastes better than our average cabernet.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make cabernet or, like Ken Helm, tackle the obstacles and shoot for the stars. The woods would be awfully quiet if the only birds that sang were those that sang best.

The fact is that Canberra makes many decent cabernets. And our region – ranging from 500 metres above sea level to almost 900 metres – offers a wide climatic range for anyone willing to experiment with cabernet or any other variety in the future.

Remember, too, that other revered shiraz regions – including the Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley – make very good cabernet and have done so successfully for 150 years.

These will never be great regional specialties. But, like Canberra cabernet, they enjoy a following, they offer a different flavour and structure from shiraz and they’re here to stay.

While the odds appear stacked against Helm, he’s made notable progress in recent years, both viticulturally with grower Al Lustenberger and fine-tuning in the winery, particularly in regard to oak maturation.

There’s always an exception to a rule. And if anyone can be the exception, it’s Helm. People once pooh-poohed the idea of cabernet in Tasmania. But then along came Peter Althaus and Domaine A’s extraordinary wines. Perhaps Canberra can have a Domaine B.

Wine review — Gallagher, Rochford, d’Arenberg, Terra Felix and Smith and Hooper

29 February 2012Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Gallagher Riesling 2011 $18
Four Winds Vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, New South Wales
If wine show results are any guide, then Four Winds vineyards grows some of Canberra’s best riesling. At last year’s regional show, both gold medallists in the 2011 vintage class came from Four Winds – one under their own label (reviewed here 8 February) and this beautiful wine made by Greg Gallagher. It’s certainly one of our standout rieslings of the cool vintage, delivering huge volumes of pure, floral riesling aroma, with a slight German accent. The bone-dry palate delivers on this promise, with the scintillating acidity of the season intensifying the pure fruit flavour.

Rochford Chardonnay 2010 $28–$33
Briarty Hill Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria
This is full-bore chardonnay, in all the right ways – full-bodied but not heavy; showing oak influence but not dominated by it; packed with vibrant melon-like varietal flavour; showing the buttery influence of malolactic fermentation, but not overwhelmed by it; and delivering the slippery, silky texture of a wild-yeast ferment, without becoming cloying. Winemaker Mark Lunt writes, “[this is] the first Rochford chardonnay from the Briarty Hill vineyard purchased in December 2009. Wild yeast, spontaneous partial MLF [malolactic ferment], Sirugue oak. 781 dozen, bottled February 2011”.

Rochford Cabernet Franc 2011 $28–$33
Coldstream, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Cabernet franc, a Bordeaux variety related to cabernet sauvignon, usually contributes to blends, both in Australia and Bordeaux. We see the occasional straight cabernet franc in Australia, and in France’s Loire Valley it flies solo in the delicious, medium bodied reds of Chinon and Bourgueil. Rochford’s 2011, the first to escape the blending vat, offers an enticing, raspberry-spicy-earthy aromas and flavours on a medium-bodied palate, cut with fine, savoury tannins.

d’Arenberg Stephanie the Gnome Rose 2011 $18
Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale, South Australia
What can we expect of a wine called “Stephanie the Gnome with Rose Tinted Glasses”, blended from pinot noir, cinsault and mourvedre? Fortunately, all the right things for rose – a pale, but not too lurid colour; a pleasant varietal note from the lead variety, pinot noir; and a tasty, richly textured dry palate with a satisfying tweak of tannin in the finish. Winemaker Chester Osborne says the pinot comes from a high, cool vineyard in the Adelaide Hills and the cinsault and mourvedre from warmer McLaren Vale.

Terra Felix Prosecco $20
Gentle Annie vineyard, Dookie, Central Victoria
Prosecco is the grape name, though in its home, Italy, authorities renamed it “glera” for producers outside the official high quality production zones in Friuli and Veneto. It’s a light bodied, fairly low alcohol style and usually gets its bubbles through a secondary fermentation in tank, before going to market as young and fresh as possible. Terra Felix captures some of the subtle, apple-like flavours of the variety and the pleasant tartness that distinguish it from other bubblies. It’s a happy quaffer and goes with pretty well any food.

Smith and Hopper Cabernet Merlot 2009 $15.10–$22
Wrattonbully, South Australia
Wrattonbully begins at the northeastern end of Coonawarra and runs north to Naracoorte on South Australia’s Limestone Coast. With cheaper land than Coonawarra, the area expanded rapidly in the nineties as wineries sought high quality grapes to feed the export boom. As the vineyards mature, we’re now seeing what wonderful fruit Wrattonbully produces – in this instance an elegant, pure blend of cabernet and merlot, revealing red berry and plum varietal flavours, overlaid with cabernet’s leafiness. This is very classy drinking at the price.

Beer review — Hacker Pschorr-Munchen and Murrays

29 February 2012Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Hacker Pschorr-Munchen Gold 500ml $8.00
This is a full-bodied, light coloured (helles) style from Munich Germany. Luxurious comes to mind as we admire the dense white head and rich malty, hoppy aroma. The opulent palate fulfils the promise of the aroma, and finishes with a refreshing, clean hoppy bitterness.

Murrays Nirvana Pale Ale 330ml $4.50
The label describes Nirvana as a hybrid of the American and English pale ale styles. But to my taste the penetrating hops aroma, full, malty body and assertive, lingering hops flavour and bitterness point it more towards the American mould. Beautiful, fresh hops are the keynote – a great match for hot chilli.

Hard to stomach

29 February 2012BeerChris Shanahan

In the Chemical and Engineering News, 14 February, we’re told that drinking beer stimulates the secretion of gastric acid – and that too much of this is not good for us. Hardy surprising news, you would think. But researcher Veronika Somoza of the University of Vienna extended the range of compounds in beer known to do this.

Previous research had confirmed ethanol and several acids formed by fermentation of glucose as culprits. But the new research looked at the bitter acids from hops.

Somoza’s team tested the response of human gastric cells to the individual compounds in fives styles of German and Austrian beer. She concluded that the more bitter the compound the greater its stimulation of gastric juices.

Somoza said as a result of her research “Brewers could produce more stomach-friendly beers by choosing their hops and controlling how long they heat the ingredients”.

Wine review — Gallagher, Pizzini and Rymill

26 February 2012Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Gallagher Duet Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut $25
It takes years, perhaps decades of experience to make bubbly as good as this – exactly what Greg Gallagher acquired at Taltarni before setting up on his own in Canberra. He sources the chardonnay from his own vineyard at Dog Trap Road, Murrumbateman, and the pinot noir from Mount Majura Vineyard, at the north-eastern end of Mount Majura. The pale lemon-gold colour, small bubble and persistent mousse all point to the delicate, fine, aperitif-style bubbly that follows. Gallagher makes the base wine at the Jeir Creek winery, then completes the bottle-fermentation, remuage, disgorging, liqueuring and packaging in the purpose built cellar next to his cellar door.

Pizzini Sangiovese Shiraz 2010 $17–$18
I suspect that in the fairly lean 2010 vintage Joel Pizzini fattened up the sangiovese with a splash of shiraz. It adds meat to the bone, without detracting from its savoury style. In a line up of fruity, traditional Australian reds, first impression is of a lean and sinewy wine – quite a contrast to all the round fruitiness. But it has bright fruit, tightly bound up with firm tannins and with a persistent, savoury, earthy flavour. The savouriness and firm structure make it a good match with roasted red meats and game or with savoury food, such as cooked tomato and olives.

Rymill Coonawarra The Yearling Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $11.39–$15
The Yearling is one of a number of inexpensive, elegant Coonawarra reds being made for current drinking. Fruit comes from Peter Rymill’s vineyards and the wine is made by Sandrine Gimon and Amelia Anderson at the striking winery cellar-door complex – located towards the northern extremity of Coonawarra’s famous terrra rossa soils. It captures Coonawarra’s bright berry aromas and flavours – in distinctive style that says, “I’m not going to suck the water from your eyes”, as some do. The soft, round tannins contribute texture to the fruity suppleness of the mid palate.

Wine review — Bay of Fires, Madfish, Angullong, Bloodwood and Main Ridge Estate

22 February 2012Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Bay of Fires Pinot Gris 2011 $24.69–$36.50
Lower and upper Derwent and Coal River Valley, Tasmania
Yeah, right, we thought as we read the press release. James Halliday must be losing the plot – giving the chairman’s trophy at the Tasmanian Wine Show to a pinot gris. How could a second-tier variety knock off the state’s superb pinot noirs, chardonnays and rieslings? We called for a sample. It came. Halliday nailed it – in the sense that Bay of Fires 2011 expresses the flavours and texture of pinot gris about as well any winery could. It won’t knock pinot noir and chardonnay off the top shelf. But it shows Tasmania is the right place for this occasionally brilliant variety.

Madfish Shiraz 2009 $14.95–$17
Great Southern and Margaret River, Western Australia
Madfish is a second label of Amy and Jeff Burch’s Howard Park, with wineries in Margaret River and Denmark and extensive vineyard resources across south-western Western Australia. Like so many Australian wineries that make more expensive, cutting edge wines, quality trickles down the line to entry-level products. In Madfish shiraz we enjoy ripe-berry and shiraz varietal character, with the lovely spicy, savoury accent and firm, tight tannins typical of the Great Southern region.

Angullong “The Pretender” Savagnin 2011 $25
Angullong vineyard, Central Ranges, New South Wales
Angullong, on Orange’s southern border, has been trialling several lesser-known varieties, including savagnin (thought to be albarino when planted), tempranillo, vermentino, sagrantino and sangiovese. Theirs is a surprising full-bodied expression of savagnin, leaning to citrusy and savoury flavours, with a rich texture and just a touch of alcoholic heat in the dry finish. The style is well removed from the more overt fruit flavours we see in most Australian whites, but retains the familiar cleanness and freshness.

Bloodwood Chardonnay 2010 $27
Bloodwood vineyard, Orange, New South Wales
Peter Doyle writes, “This chardonnay is made from grapes grown on the region’s oldest chardonnay vineyard, planted in 1984 with much bemusement from neighbouring farmers”. Coming on to two years’ age, Doyle’s new release looks fresh and young – its vibrant acidity and restrained but delicious melon-rind varietal flavour revealing its cool-climate origins. The varietal flavour easily keeps its head above the barrel-derived characters. Indeed, these simply make a scrumptious wine even more interesting. The wine will probably drink well for another decade.

Main Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2010 $55
Main Ridge Estate vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
What separates a so-so chardonnay from one costing $55? It starts with the quality of the grapes – meaning an appropriate climate, site and vine age, backed by diligent vineyard work to achieve perfect grape ripeness. Then comes the winemaking – a tricky affair with chardonnay as the techniques (barrel fermentation, secondary malo-lactic fermentation and prolonged ageing on yeast lees) all have the potential to overwhelm the grape flavour. In Main Ridge, the winemaking inputs support the glorious grapefruit and nectarine varietal flavours on a plush but very fine, buoyant and ethereal palate. It’s an exceptional wine capable of extended bottle ageing.

Main Ridge Estate Half Acre Pinot Noir 2010 $70
Half Acre vineyard, Main Ridge Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Nat and Rosalie White’s flagship red reveals a subtle, sensuous, ever-changing face of pinot. The style evolved over many decades (vineyard planted in 1975) as the White’s constantly fine-tuned vineyard management and winemaking techniques. From 2007 on, the pinots were not only wild-yeast fermented, but bottled without fining or filtering – as Nat learned to produce bright, clear wines in barrel. Some of the insights to achieve this came from visits to Burgundy, pinot’s heartland. On opening, the 2010 appears tight and tannic; then, over time, the beautiful layers of pinot fruit characters come through on a supple, deeply layered, sensuous palate, framed by those fine, firm tannins.

Gallagher marks ten years of Canberra shiraz

22 February 2012People, WineChris Shanahan

These days Canberra and shiraz is a no-brainer for aspiring vignerons. It’s our most successful grape variety thanks, initially, to Clonakilla, but now thoroughly bedded down across the district.

But when Greg and Libby Gallagher planted shiraz at Murrumbateman in 1995, Canberra’s reputation for fine wine was a fraction of what it is now – and shiraz had barely emerged as a contender for top spot.

Clonakilla founder, Dr John Kirk, included shiraz among the many varieties he planted in the early 1970s. But until 1990 it joined cabernet sauvignon in the blending vat. That impressive first vintage won two gold medals and two trophies – guaranteeing shiraz a solo role in future Clonakilla vintages. Well, almost.

Four years earlier, Kirk and his son Jeremy had planted viognier – a Rhone Valley white variety. They believed it suited the climate and would a point of difference in the market.

Then, in 1991 while the second Clonakilla shiraz lay in barrel, Melbourne-based Tim Kirk, having completed his Diploma of Education, headed off to France where I’d organised an appointment for him with Marcel Guigal, one of the Rhone’s great winemakers.

There he tasted Guigal’s stunning single vineyard Cote-Roties (blends of shiraz and viognier): the 1988 vintages of La Mouline and La Landonne from barrel and the 1987 La Turque from bottle.

Tim described the meeting and tasting as a “transforming moment”. “Transfixed and delighted” by the perfume and sheer dimension of Guigal’s wines, he decided, “I’ve got to get this shiraz-viognier thing going back home”.

From the 1992 vintage Tim and John Kirk included viognier in the blend in varying proportions: starting at one per cent each in 1992 and 1993, rising to four per cent in 1994, peaking at ten per cent in 1995 and 1996, then falling back to smaller percentages thereafter.

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier’s reputation grew rapidly, and by early in the new century had won acclaim from leading international critics, including the USA’s Robert M. Parker and UK’s Jancis Robinson. But when the Gallaghers planted shiraz in 1995, the Kirks had barely begun the shiraz viognier journey. Indeed, it would be another two years before Tim Kirk from Melbourne to Canberra to run Clonakilla full time.

The Kirks came to shiraz through trial and error. But the Victorian based Gallaghers put Canberra and shiraz together “after doing climatic data searches for about two years, looking for the best area to grow shiraz”, says their website.

They purchased land at Murrumbateman and in 1995, with Greg still making wine for Taltarni in central Victoria, established a vineyard overlooking the Murrumbidgee Valley and Brindabellas. They believed this site would produce the elegant, multi-layered shiraz they had in mind.

As the vines grew, Greg continued with Taltarni until 1998, then from 1999 to 2004 trained young winemakers at Charles Sturt University, Wagga. During this period he also established Canberra Winemakers, in partnership with Rob and Kay Howell of Jeir Creek. The business continues to make wine at Jeir Creek for growers in and around Canberra.

As their vineyard matured, the Gallaghers launched their own label, making the wines at Jeir Creek. They established a cellar door at the vineyard, on Dog Trap Road, and offered their own delicious cheeses, made on site by Libby (a skill she learned at Charles Sturt Uni).

Greg’s expertise with sparkling wine, developed at Taltarni, opened a unique opportunity, first for Canberra Winemakers, then for the Gallaghers. Initially, Canberra Winemakers prepared base wines for others to turn into bubblies. But Gallagher, seeing the opportunity to complete the process, established a sparkling cellar adjacent to his cellar door.

The cellar, with two computerised gyro palates and bottling line, allows Gallagher to clarify bottles of sparkling wine following secondary fermentation, top them up and seal the bottles for market.

The Gallaghers currently offers two bottle-fermented sparklers under their own label – Duet Pinot Noir Chardonnay NV (pinot from Mount Majura Vineyard, chardonnay from Gallagher vineyard) and Blanc de Blanc 2007 (all from Gallagher vineyard).

These are both fine, delicate wines – the sort you can make only if all the bits line up: vineyard management, harvest timing, fruit handling, winemaking, maturation and finishing off. Clearly, it’s a valuable skill for Canberra to have. But it’s not the cutting edge stuff we see from much cooler areas like Tasmania. So, good as they are, bubblies won’t put Canberra on the wine map. That role remains principally with shiraz – which is were this story started.

The Gallaghers came to Canberra for shiraz and, indeed, it became the district hero. And just four years after establishing their shiraz vines – they finished planting on their 16^th wedding anniversary – Greg made the first wine from them.

1999 was the year BRL Hardy trucked grapes from South Australia to help Canberra vignerons wiped out by the October 1998 frost. A mass of cold air had moved up from Antarctica on a wide front, nipping vines in the bud across Victoria, South Australia and southern New South Wales.

The Gallaghers lost all but three tonnes of their anticipated 20 tonne shiraz crop. But in a recent ten-year retrospective of Gallagher shirazes, the 1999 drank beautifully – to my tasted the best of the older wines, and on a par with the vibrant 2006, my pick of the younger vintages.

The 1999 stood out for its amazingly youthful colour, round, juicy, mellow, maturing fruit flavours and soft tannins – probably very much the style the Gallaghers hoped for when they came to Canberra.

The browning 2000 vintage hadn’t held up nearly so well. But the 2001, while mature, still showed maturing plummy, spicy varietal flavours, in a slightly leaner style than the 1999.

The 2002 looked good, 2003 combined both prune-like over-ripe flavours and a touch of greenness, and the 2005 seemed a touch tart in the finish. The 2004 failed to please. But the 2006, 2007 and 2008 all looked good in their own ways.

While neither completely young, nor mature, the 2006 showed a tremendous vitality and intensity of dark berry and spice flavours with a supple mid palate and lovely soft tannins.

While 2007 lacked the intensity and weight of the 2006, it remains vibrant and fresh with a delicious interplay between the fruit and spicy oak. The current release 2008 seems fuller and riper again even than the 2006 – a big wine in the medium-bodied Canberra style.

The 1999 and later vintages, especially 2006, show that the Gallaghers backed the right variety in shiraz and when they get it right, it’s of a very high calibre. They didn’t plant our other district specialty, riesling. But Greg makes a brilliant riesling using fruit from the Four Winds Vineyard (see a full review next week).

Belgians launch PET-packed beer in Australia

22 February 2012Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

In the past, Australian breweries have produced beer in PET plastic bottles, principally for safety at large-scale event – protecting people from liquor fuelled violence or simply keeping benign drunks out of harm’s way.

Recently, however, Fluid Wholesalers, Sydney, introduced a plastic-packaged Belgian beer to the market, promoting its environmental as well as safety benefits.

Distributor Allan Hayes writes, “It is in a patented PET bottle which protects it from any reaction with the plastic and provides nine months life from production. We developed this as we saw a gap in the market for safe, lightweight and more environmentally friendly option over glass and aluminium”.

Initial distribution is Australia-wide through Woolworths’-owned Dan Murphy outlets and a few independent Sydney retailers.

Brass comes in two styles – Lager and Pilsener (which means they’re both lagers, the pilsner, reviewed below, being notably more lively and bitter, and the lager OK, but not exciting).

Brass Belgium Pilsener 330ml 6-pack $14.99
I couldn’t bring myself to drink from the plastic bottle, so glug, glug, glug, into the glass it went. Clear, pale-golden colour, good head retention and lively carbonation all raised hopes; the aroma and palate were as fresh as the appearance suggested. And the intense, bitter hops balanced the malt richness well.

Wine review — Madfish, Cape Mentelle and Curly Flat

19 February 2012Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Madfish Western Australia Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 $14–$17
Semillon adds considerably extra depth and dimension to sauvignon blanc – a blend developed originally in the sometimes profound dry whites of Bordeaux. This blend of 60 per cent sauvignon blanc and 40 per cent semillon (from Great Southern, Margaret River and Pemberton) reveals some of that magic at a modest price. Both varieties contribute to the capsicum/mown grass/passionfruit fruit character and zesty freshness. And semillon adds the backbone and texture that give a satisfaction seldom encountered in straight sauvignon blanc. Madfish is a second label of Amy and Jeff Burch’s Howard Park Wines, with operations in Margaret River and Denmark.

Cape Mentelle Marmaduke Margaret River Shiraz 2010 $14–$19
Cape Mentelle – founded by David Hohnen but now part of Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton – produces Marmaduke from estate vineyards in Margaret River’s Wallcliffe and Karridale sub-regions. It’s made for current drinking – meaning the plummy, spicy varietal fruit flavours are to the fore in a medium-bodied palate. The tannins are soft and easy, and a savoury undertone adds greatly to the wine’s appeal. While it’s ready to drink now, there’s sufficient flavour intensity and tannin to see Marmaduke through three or four years in the cellar.

Curly Flat Macedon Range Pinot Noir 2009 $48–$54
Curly Flat Macedon Ranges Chardonnay 2009 $42–$47
I recall in February 2009 Philip Moraghan rushing from a Mornington Peninsula pinot conference back to the Macedon bushfires. Fortunately, Curly Flat escaped damage and produced sensational wines despite the seasonal heat. Either of these could stand against the best in Australia – the chardonnay for its delicate yet intense flavours, tight acidity and beautiful use of oak to add flavour and textural complexity. The pinot, slightly more alcoholic and fleshy than the 2008, offers layers of delicious flavours with a very fine, firm backbone of tannin to see it evolve over many years.

Nothing sheepish about Wig’s new lambic

15 February 2012Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

This week Canberra’s Wig and Pen releases an oak matured beer, modelled on the ancient Belgian lambic style. Brewer Richard Watkins started the brew in January 2009 – a blend of 75 per cent barley and 25 per cent wheat malts – inoculated with a microbial tag-team, including brewer’s yeast, brettanomyces and lactobacillus (derived from Belgian lambic populations).

At the end of 2010, with the traditional lambic style now almost two years in barrel, Watkins sourced a batch of de-stemmed, de-seeded hail-damaged cherries from Young.

To build the mid palate of the beer, he added the pureed cherries to the two barrels – so the lambic became a kriek style, still following the Belgian tradition.

In early February 2012 Watkins transferred the beer to tank for final adjustments, including carbonation and freshening up with a dash more cherry.

Wig and Pen Lambs-go-Baa (Kriek Lambic) 285ml balloon $9
Three years in the making, this is perhaps Richard Watkins finest brewing achievement. The colour’s a medium cherry-skin red and the flavour combines sour cherry and marzipan. Brisk acidity keeps the palate lively and fresh. But there’s a rich texture, too, and a hint of oak-derived vanilla in the dry, delicious aftertaste.