Monthly Archives: January 2015

Wine review – Delamere, Weingutt Bernhard Ott, E Guigal, Domaine Fevre, Tyrrell’s and Richard Hamilton

Delamere Naissante Pinot Noir 2012 $23–$27
Tamar Valley, Tasmania
A leisurely new year’s eve dinner at Moruya’s River Restaurant provided three of today’s wine recommendations. Delamere pinot accompanied the fourth of seven courses – a luxurious duck and ham hock terrine, with shallot chutney and truffle vinaigrette. The wine’s bright, plush fruitiness added to the sweetness of the duck and ham hock. After the initial fruity hit, Naissante revealed deeper savoury flavours and the fine, silky tannins of a satisfying, serious pinot noir. Husband and wife team Shane Holloway and Fran Austin (formerly Bay of Fires) make the wines. (See delamerevineyards.com.au). Fran Austin writes, “The fruit is sourced from five little independent growers around the Tamar Valley, eastern and western banks, just little pockets we think are interesting”.

Fass 4 Gruner Veltliner (Weingut Bernhard Ott) 2012
Wagram, Austria
$32–$39
What all-purpose, off-the-regular-Australian-menu-white could we enjoy with the first three courses at River Restaurant, Moruya? What could roll successfully through Horseradish and beetroot, cured salmon, and crab-filled zucchini flowers? We chose Austria’s signature white, gruner veltliner, grown in the Wagram region, at latitude 48 degrees north. Bernhard Ott’s 2012 excited with its shimmering, pale lemon-green colour and pristine, spicy–fruity aroma. The delicate but intense palate revealed spice and melon-rind flavours, smooth texture and refreshing, dry finish. Served too cold initially, it gave its best as it warmed to around 10 degrees.

Crozes-Hermitage (E. Guigal) 2010 $35–$38
Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France

The wines of Crozes-Hermitage generally rank below those of its northern Rhone shiraz-producing neighbours, Cote-Rotie and Hermitage. Thankfully, that means a lower price and, at its best, yet another unique expression of shiraz from the variety’s home. From River Restaurant’s wine list, we selected Guigal’s 2010 vintage as company for our grilled eye fillet. We’d normally opt for a more tannic wine, like cabernet. But Guigal’s ripe, medium bodied, spicy shiraz worked with this tender, sweet cut of beef. The wine also had sufficient fine tannin and savour to add life to all the protein and fat.

Chablis (Domaine Fevre) 2012$36
Chablis, France

At restaurant 86, Braddon, we rediscovered a simple and great wine–food combination: fresh oysters and Chablis. The restaurant presented Clyde River oysters at their best: ice cold and ultra-fresh with the briny tang of the sea. That briny tang overwhelms many wines. But austere Chablis stands up to the attack, adding the unique flavours of mouth-wateringly acidic chardonnay grown in France’s cold north. Ergo Wine Imports distributes Domaine Fevre mainly to restaurants, including 86, and to one Canberra retail outlet, Plonk, Fyshwick Markets.

Tyrrell’s Lost Block Shiraz $15–$18
Heathcote, Victoria

Tyrrell’s Lost Block began as a single wine in 1993 – a bottling from a block of semillon grapes harvested as an after thought. The latest iteration features quirky labels on a small range of regional–varietal specialties, including this shiraz from Heathcote, Victoria. Tyrrell’s bring the fruit to the Hunter for winemaking. The winemaking and maturation techniques capture vibrant fruity–savoury varietal flavour, reminiscent of ripe black cherries. The combination of fruit and soft, savoury tannins give Lost Block great drink-now appeal.

Richard Hamilton Riesling 2014 $19.95
Bryskies vineyard, Watervale, Clare Valley, South Australia

Richard Hamilton is perhaps best known for his Richard Hamilton McLaren Vale and Leconfield Coonawarra reds. However, in 2014, Hamilton’s winemaker, Paul Gordon, sourced riesling from the time-proven Bryskies vineyard in Watervale, at the southern end of the Clare Valley. The result is a beautiful example of this great regional specialty. It offers Watervale’s pure, lime-like varietal aromas and flavours and a light, delicate, soft palate, cut with brisk, drying acidity.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published 27 and 28 January 2015 in Fairfax digital media and the Canberra Times

Canberra’s Wig & Pen brewpub – Canberra landmark returns

After closing its city brewpub on 30 October, Canberra’s much-loved Wig and Pen poured first beers at its new Llewellyn Hall home on Monday 12 January.

Owner Lachie McOmish opted for a low-key launch, heralded by nothing more than a “not long now” Facebook post on 1 January.

Eleven days later the Wig opened. And the customers came. “We did about the same business as we would’ve on a usual Monday at the old Wig and Pen”, said McOmish.

On our visit a day later, patrons enjoyed their brews as workers – no longer visible in the bar area – completed the finishing touches to the brewing and storage rooms.

Brewer, Dr Tom Lillicrap, said he hoped to begin brewing at the new site by mid January. Meanwhile, the bar served beer brewed at the original site and kept in cold storage during the move.

Wig and Pen Thousand Monkeys Hefeweizen $12 pint, $7 half-pint
Dr Tom Lillicrap says he’s leaving the Wig for post-doctoral studies. But he’s handing over to Frazer Brown and Alan Ball, his collaborators on this delicious wheat beer, infused with fresh plumcots, navel oranges and lychees. The fresh fruit and orange-rind flavours make an already spritely, fruity beer even more enjoyable.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published 27 and 28 January in Fairfax digital media and the Canberra Times

Wine review – Mt Monster, Chapel Hill and Tyrrell’s

Mt Monster Limestone Coast Shiraz 2013 $13–$16
The Bryson family owns two vineyards, totalling 170 hectares, at Padthaway on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, about an hour’s drive north of Coonawarra. By my estimate a vineyard of that size might produce around 120 thousand dozen bottles in a good year – fairly large production for a family holding in Australia. The family manages the vineyards and marketing of its Moorambro Creek, Jip Jip Rocks and Mt Monster brands. The 2013 shiraz pours deep and crimson-rimmed, offering ripe mulberry-like aromas and a generous, fruity mid palate, with soft, easy tannins.

Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Verdelho 2014 $12.80–$16
In the nineteenth century, cuttings of the verdelho vine found their way separately to the east and west of Australia direct from the Island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, about 700 kilometres west of Morocco. The vine adapted well to Australia’s hot dry conditions and over its almost 200-year history here, winemakers have used it in both fortified and table wines. These days it’s used mainly in light to medium bodied table wines and offers an alternative to our big-volume favourites, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Chapel Hill’s offer bright, fresh passion fruit- and –citrus-like flavours on a light to medium bodied palate with pleasantly tarty finish.

Tyrrell’s Belford Vineyard Hunter Valley Semillon 2009 $26–$35
The Elliott family planted the Belford vineyard in the Hunter in 1933 and still controls it. However, Tyrrell’s lease and manage the vineyard which is source of some their best semillon. Typically these are very pale, minerally and delicate as young wines, gradually taking on a fuller, honeyed character with bottle age. Fortunately, Tyrrell’s hold small volumes back for later release, giving the majority of drinkers without cellars a chance to taste the glories of aged semillon. The 2009 is a great and delicious example of this unique style, currently displaying a combination of aged and youthful characteristics.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published 24 and 25 January 2015 in Fairfax digital media and the Canberra Times

Wine review – Tyrrell’s, Tim Adams, Fighting Gully Road, Hesketh and Zeppelin

Tyrrell’s Belford Chardonnay 2012 $33.50–$40
Belford, lower Hunter Valley, NSW

Tyrrell’s led Australia’s charge into chardonnay decades ago, albeit misnamed as “pinot chardonnay” for many years on its Vat 47 label. In theory the Hunter ought to be too warm to make cutting edge chardonnay. But Tyrrell’s top version, Belford and Vat 47, easily stand alongside more expensive wines from cooler southern regions. Belford 2012 lifts even higher in quality than usual, offering quite powerful chardonnay fruit flavour on a fine, richly textured palate, subtly seasoned by partial fermentation and maturation in French oak barrels. The wine bears two trophies, four gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Tim Adams Riesling 2014 $19–$22
Clare Valley, South Australia

Australia’s best dry riesling provide beautiful drinking at modest prices – partly because they’re released young, and therefore not burdened with holding costs, and don’t require expensive treatments such as oak maturation. Clare Valley producer Tim Adams makes a particularly fine and pure expression of the style. Picking fruit early (at around 11.5 per cent alcohol potential) gives an austere, lemony edge to the acidity. This gives life and freshness to delicate but generous lime-and-lemon-like varietal flavours.

Fighting Gully Road Aglianico 2012 $40
Alpine Valleys, Victoria

Winemaker Mark Walpole describes Aglianico as, “my climate change variety. I think the site may be a little cool at the moment, but if things warm up as predicted the hopefully I’ll have some old vine aglianico in the perfect climate”. Aglianico, the most extensively planted red variety of Campania and Basilicata, southern Italy, buds early, ripens late and produces high quality very tannic reds. Walpole’s version, from a cool vintage, displays a limpid colour and vibrant, fresh, berry aromas with a touch of spice and pepper. The medium-bodied, elegantly structured palate reflects the aroma, especially in its berry and pepper character. It finishes with quite firm, fine, lingering tannins. (Available at fightinggully.com).

Hesketh “Small Parcels” Touriga 2014 $25
Tscharke vineyard, Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley

Jonathon Hesketh and winemaker Phil Lehmann collaborate on the “small parcels” range, sourcing “fruit grown by specialist growers who are friends of either Phil or Jonathon and have a particular parcel that Phil believes will make something special”, write the pair. Their touriga (a Portuguese red variety) comes from the western Barossa’s Seppeltsfield sub-region. The limpid, purple-rimmed wine offers delightful floral and musk-like aromas. The fine-boned palate reveals more musk, a lick of pepper, a pinot-like texture and quite a firm backbone of fine tannins.

Zeppelin Big Bertha Shiraz 2013 $16–$19
Barossa Valley, South

For a modest price, Zeppelin, a brand of the McWilliams family, delivers the power, richness and ripeness of a warm Barossa Valley vintage. Although the wine is in the big regional style with abundant (though soft) tannin, the fruit remains vibrant and lively. Winemaker Andrew Higgins says he makes the wine from “low-yielding vineyards, traditional hands-off winemaking, open fermenters and basket pressing before bottling with minimal fining and filtration”. You can taste its wholesome goodness.

Tyrrell’s Stevens Vineyard Semillon 2009 $32.30–$35
Neil Stevens Glen Oak vineyard, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW

The lower Hunter’s idiosyncratic semillon style divides drinkers into lovers and haters. True believers, agnostics and the uninitiated should be tempted by Tyrrell’s latest release. From the outstanding 2009 vintage, it reveals the power and delicacy of the style: at just 11 per cent alcohol, it combines some of the lemony tartness of a young wine with the first honeyed richness of bottle age. Tyrrell’s source the grape from one of the Hunter’s great vineyards, planted between 1911 and 1966.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published 20 and 21 January in Fairfax digital media and the Canberra Times

Beer review – Prickly Moses and 2 Brothers

Prickly Moses Blueberry Hefeweizen (Barongarook, Vic) 330ml $4.65
Prickly Moses introduces blueberries to the southern German wheat beer style. The full flavoured ale displays the rich and enduring head of a good wheat beer, and the fruity aromas and flavours. Definite blueberry notes come through on nose and palate and the beer finishes with typical wheat ale tartness.

2 Brothers Growler American Brown Ale (Moorabbin, Vic) 330ml $4.23
The aroma of molasses, toffee and roasted coffee beans seems to fit the brooding, deep brown colour. The molasses and toffee flavours come through on the suprising buoyant and lively palate. They give an impression of richness and warmth, delicately offset by mild bitterness – but not enough to detract from sweet, comforting malt flavours.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published 20 and 21 January in Fairfax digital media and the Canberra Times

All the way with IPA in USA craft beer market

The trend-setting American craft beer market is being led by the very strong and distinctive IPA (India Pale Ale) styles.

Summing up developments in 2014, the Brewers Association, representing craft and home brewers, said IPAs account for around one fifth of craft beer sales to June 2014 and formed the biggest category in the Great American Beer Festival. Sale of craft beer overall increased 18 per cent by volume in the same period.

The association says craft beer is now moving into the mainstream as volumes grow and increasing numbers of people from different age and backgrounds give it a try.

In 2013 craft beers claimed $14.3 billion of America’s $100 billion beer market.

The number of craft brewers is increasing at a rate of 1.5 a day, and more than 2000 are being planned.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published:

  • 20 January 2015 in goodfood.com.au
  • 21 January 2015 in the Canberra Times

Wine review – De Bortoli, Angullong and Ferngrove

De Bortoli Vinoque Yarra Valley Sangiovese 2013
De Bortoli’s first straight Yarra Valley sangiovese comes from the warm 2013 vintage. Fruit comes from the family’s north-facing Art Martin vineyard. Presumably the warm season and good sun exposure accounts for such ripe fruit flavours and tannins in this otherwise quite cool region. Leanne De Bortoli and winemaker husband Steve Webber say they planted the vineyard to “premium sangiovese clones” in 2007. Their irresistible first effort delivers deep, juicy sweet fruit flavours, backed by earthy, soft tannins. The palate is medium bodied and perfectly balanced despite an alcohol content of 13.9 per cent.

Angullong Fossil Hill Central Ranges–Orange Vermentino 2014 $22
The 220-hectare Angullong vineyard rolls in and out of the Orange region: sections of the vineyard at an altitude of 600 metres or more qualify for the Orange appellation, while those below 600 metres belong in the Central Ranges region. The variety thrives in hot, dry conditions, says Ben Crossing. “We chose a site on top of a ridge that is exposed to hot, dry, westerly winds during summer”, says Crossing. They grafted the variety onto existing vines in 2011 to test the variety and made the first vintage in 2014. The result is a pleasing, full-flavoured, smooth-textured, soft, citrus-and-melon-like dry white.

Ferngrove Frankland River Symbols Cabernet Merlot 2011 $14–$17
With over 300 hectares of vines in Western Australia’s Frankland River region, Ferngrove makes a range of wines including this very good, modestly price blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. As eastern Australia contended with almost non-stop rain and low temperatures during the 2010–11 growing season, vignerons in the west experienced benign conditions and ultimately harvested outstanding grapes. The high quality shows even in this entry-level wine with its bright, fresh berry characters and lively, fresh palate. The wine’s fruity varietal flavours, medium body and soft tannins provide good current drinking.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published 18 January 2015 in the Canberra Times

Wine review – Swinging Bridge, Angullong, Redman, Hahndorf Hill, Seppelt and Santa Margherita

Swinging Bridge Mrs Payten Chardonnay 2013
Balmoral vineyard, Orange, NSW

$32
With an altitude range of something like 500 metres, the Orange region, not surprisingly produces a spectrum of wine styles. Chardonnay performs well in the cooler sites, in this instance the Balmoral vineyard at 870 metres. The wine topped its class at the 2014 Orange wine show and went on to win trophies as best chardonnay, best white and best wine of the show. Winemaker Tom Ward captured the delicious grapefruit- and nectarine-like varietal flavour of cool-grown chardonnay, with the added textures and subtle flavours derived from maturation in high-quality oak. (Available at swingingbridge.com.au).

Angullong Shiraz 2013
Angullong vineyard, Orange, NSW
$19

In contrast to the high-altitude Swinging Bridge Orange chardonnay reviewed today, Angullong’s shiraz comes from the lower, warmer edge of the Orange district. The 220-hectare vineyard varies between 580 and 620 metres. Since the regional boundary includes only vineyards at 600 metres or above, Angullong literally rolls in and out of the Orange region – a bizarre situation, but one that at least acknowledges the primacy of growing temperatures in determining wine styles. The shiraz shows the generosity of a warm and benign season in a still-cool climate. The brilliant, crimson-rimmed colour and vibrant summer-berry flavours make compelling, medium bodied drinking right now.

Redman Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Redman vineyards, northern Coonawarra, South Australia
$27.55–$32

Bill Redman arrived in Coonawarra in 1901, just 10 years after the first vines had been planted in the area. In 1908, after a period working for John Riddoch, Redman struck out on his own. I still hold haunting memories of an ethereal and lovely, 1919 vintage Coonawarra red, thought to have been made by Redman. His son, Owen joined the business in 1937 and in 1952 the family founded Rouge Homme wines. They sold this to Lindemans in 1965 but established Redmans, releasing the first wine under the label in1966. Owen Redman’s sons and their children continue to run the vineyards and winery today. Their 2012 cabernet sauvignon, a pure expression of the Coonawarra style, displays pure, ripe-berry varietal character with firm, fine cabernet tannins.

Hahndorf Hill Winery Cru Gruner Veltliner 2014
Hahndorf Hill vineyard, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

$28
Hahndorf Hill owners Larry Jacobs and Marc Dobson identified a fit between Austria’s late-ripening gruner veltliner and their elevated, continental-climate vineyard site in the Adelaide Hills. In Austria, they write, “vignerons all place huge emphasis on one crucial quality-defining factor – significant diurnal variation… the combination of good ripening days and cold nights that allows for an extended growing season… coaxing out its famously pure flavours and aromatics”. Jacobs and Dobson now have a run of successful gruner’s behind them. The latest citrus-like aromas and a full, dazzling-fresh, dry palate – a bit like a full-bodied riesling, but with a different flavour and a pleasant bite in the finish.

Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz 2010
Grampians, Heathcote and Bendigo, Victoria

$17.90–$18.80
Seppelt developed and popularised Australia’s love-it or hate-it sparkling shiraz style from its Great Western Cellars, western Victoria. Some, like me, tend to see it as a waste of good shiraz. Others love the idea – and flavour – of a real red with bubbles and a lick of balancing sugar. They also like the idea of a red wine you can chill and drink in hot weather. The wine begins as a regular shiraz, mellowed in oak casks and steel tanks for a short time, before being undergoing secondary fermentation to produce the bubbles. The 2010 looked good at a recent tasting, and I understand the 2011 and 2012 vintages are also in the market.

Santa Margherita Valdobiaddene Prosecco Superiore 52 2013
$21.80–$22.90

Woolworths’ Italian import (sold through its Dan Murphy and BWS outlets) looked good in a pre-Christmas sparkling tasting. Its light body (11.5 per cent alcohol) and clean, fresh, fruitiness provided refreshing, undemanding drinking. A creamy, mouth pleasing texture, bone-dry finish and typical Italian tartness added to the appeal. It makes no pretence to be anything other than a light and easy drinking sparkler to enjoy now. Made from the prosecco grape, it comes from Valdobiaddene in the northern Veneto region.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published:

  • 13 January 2015 in the goodfood.com.au
  • 14 January 2015 in the Canberra Times

Erina brewer excites with pale ale and dark red IPA

Our Sydney beer scout, Mr Malty, drew our attention to Six String Brewing Co, of Erina on the NSW central coast. “These blokes are good”, he said, “especially the Pale Ale and Dark Red IPA”.

We found cans at Plonk Fyshwick. Shell shocked at paying $99.90 and $123.90 respectively for a slab of each, we threw in a can each of Hefeweizen and Gold Ale and headed down the coast.

Hefeweizen, a wheat beer in the southern German style offers banana-like fruity aroma, lively, zesty flavours, low bitterness and characteristic lemony bite in the finish. It’s a fair rendition of the style (three-and-a-half star rating.

The mid-strength (3.5 per cent alcohol) Six Strings Golden Ale really steps up to the mark for this style, using rich malt and hops to fill the gap left by the low alcohol content (four-star rating).

Six String Brewing Co Pale Ale 375ml can $4.16
The brewer calls this “a hybrid between American and Australian pale ales”. That’s a fair description of an opulent, pale golden beer, with a beautiful, persistent head and intense, citrus-like hops aroma. The hops also give a strong, lingering bitterness to a very pleasing example of the style.

Six String Brewing Co Dark Red IPA 375ml can $5.16
Six String’s powerful IPA pours dark, almost black with a distinct red hue, topped by a luxurious white head. The head concentrates the hop oils and bitterness, so it takes a few sips of the smooth, malty liquid below to see the great harmony of this very malty, very bitter beer – a triumph of the brewer’s art.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2015
First published:

  • 13 January in goodfood.com.au and other Fairfax digital media
  • 14 January in the Canberra Times