Yearly Archives: 2008

Wine review — Two Hands, Leon Desfrieches & Pear Tree

20 January 2008Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Two Hands ‘Brilliant Disguise’ Barossa Moscato 2007 500ml $18
The Moscato d’Asti wines of Piedmont, Italy, have inspired a new use for white frontignac, one of the old workhorses of the Australian wine industry. The keynotes of those from Asti, and neighbouring provinces Cuneo and Alessandria (which also use the Asti appellation) is delicacy, freshness, low-alcohol (5.5 per cent), moderate sweetness and intense grapiness. Many Australian producers now emulate the style with considerable success, albeit with a slightly higher, but still modest, alcohol content. Two Hands, sourced from 80-100 year old vines, weighs in at 7 per cent alcohol. With its delicate muscat flavour, fruity sweetness and light spritz it makes a wonderful warm weather aperitif. See www.twohandswines.com

Le Pere Jules Poire de St Desir-de-Lisieux (Leon Desfrieches) 750ml $16
Close your eyes and think, not of England, but of Normandy, just across the channel. This is fruit country. And what better way to preserve fruit than by making eau-de-vie or cider. Calvados and poire William are Normandy’s classic apple and pear brandies – offering, just like the region’s other fruit eau-de-vies, a teasing impression, or spirit, of the fruit that made them. Cider provides a more direct connection to the fruit flavour, and a drink more suited to our hot summer. This one’s as delicate, fresh and crisp as a just-ripe, just-picked pear, and offers a similar balance of sweet-fruit and tart acid. It’s just four per cent alcohol. (Sample purchased at 1st Choice, Philip).

Pear Tree Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $24.99
In 1993 brothers Matt and Chris Farrah established Campbell Liquor Discounts. In 2004–05 they developed the Pear Tree Vineyard in the Waihopai Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand – partly through the influence of winemaker Anthony Moore, an old mate of Matt’s from the AIS. And just in time for Christmas 2007, Matt and Chris took delivery of their first sauvignon blanc, sourced from the Pear Tree vineyard and local contract growers. Made by Craig Murphy, it’s a decent debut wine in the typically bracing, in-your-face Marlborough style. It’s available at the Farrah’s Campbell store and at Pangea, Tower, Milk and Honey and Debacle Restaurants and at selected bottles shops around Canberra.

Monteith’s — a treat from NZ’s west coast

16 January 2008BeerChris Shanahan

‘Plonk’ is a postage-stamp-sized liquor store squished into the southern end of Palmerston Lane, Manuka. When I first saw it, thirty years’ liquor retailing experience rated it too small to be viable.
But it’s still going. And the racks of bottle-your-own liqueurs seem to be giving way to an expanding, carefully chosen selection – driven, I’m told, by Dan Rayner, archaeologist and local amateur brewing champ.

Dan wasn’t there for the Schloss Shanahan pre-Christmas raid. But the haul, including today’s line up of six Monteith’s beers, should keep this column going for a few months. It’s worth a visit.
Like Australia’s Matilda Bay (Fosters) and James Squire (Lion Nathan) Monteith’s belongs to a large brewer but still makes outstanding and idiosyncratic styles from its breweries in Greymouth, Timaru and Auckland.

We found six Monteith’s brews at Plonk and paid a fair price of $3.15 for each 330ml bottle.

Radler smells and tastes like shandy, thanks to a dash of lemon juice, but it’s an undiluted 5 per cent alcohol and, though sweet, tastes zesty and fresh. Summer Ale, a spiced beer has a distinct note of ginger, offset by touch of honey.

Pilsner, a beautifully balanced lager, is roughly in the ‘Bohemian’ style with similar aromatic hops, if not as overtly bitter. The gentle, caramel-and- malt Original Ale with its mild hops bitterness is a treat.
-Celtic Red attacks pleasantly with strong, roasted-malt and smoky flavours – a good warm up for the deep, opulent, warm Doppelbock Winter Ale. Rich, chocolaty Hearty Black Beer completes the range.

Celtic Red attacks pleasantly with strong, roasted-malt and smoky flavours – a good warm up for the deep, opulent, warm Doppelbock Winter Ale. Rich, chocolaty Hearty Black Beer completes the range.

Wine review — McKellar Ridge, Jacob’s Creek Steingarten, Stefano Lubiano and Tower

6 January 2008Wine reviewChris Shanahan

McKellar Ridge Canberra District Shiraz Viognier 2006 $22-$24
Brian and Janet Johnston’s McKellar Ridge is a tiny operation focusing on small parcels of high quality Canberra district fruit. The wines have always been good. But this latest release, to my taste, does away with a few little blemishes that kept earlier vintages out of the top ranks. In the past I thought that the oak intruded slightly on what were otherwise very fine-boned wines. But what we see in the 2006 is the pure, lovely fragrance and flavour and supple, smooth texture of cool-grown shiraz. Brian sourced the grapes from Martin Susans’ Murrumbateman vineyard and made the wine using traditional techniques. See www.mckellarridgewines.com.au

Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling 2005 $28
In 1962 Orlando’s Colin Gramp planted the Steingarten vineyard on a high, exposed ridge a few kilometres to the east of his family’s historic homestead on Jacob’s Creek. The vineyard struggled but produced a number of long-lived rieslings over the years. By the time Steingarten shifted from Orlando to Jacob’s Creek branding a couple of years back, it had become a blend of material from Steingarten and other nearby vineyards. The just-released 2005 seems to mark a style shift for Steingarten – away from austerity and towards softness and more easy drinkability when young. The makers have done this beautifully. It’s a magnificent, delicate drop now but has very long-term cellaring potential, too.

Stefano Lubiano Tasmania Pinot Noir 2005 $52
Tower Tasmania Pinot Noir $58
Some time back I reviewed Stefano Lubiano’s Primavera Pinot Noir – as the name suggests a fresh and youthful expression of the variety. This is a more sophisticated drop, showing the depth of a superior vintage with ripe varietal definition, layered, soft tannin structure and complexity. It’s a wine that intrigues and holds your interest from first sip til last and ought to develop with five or six years bottle age. Hunter based Tower, founded by the late Len Evans, makes regional specialties from around Australia. I think Len would’ve loved this, the last vintage fermented at Tower before his death last August. Tassie’s cool climate shows in the wine’s intense, delicate flavour and very fine-boned structure.

Gippsland’s little gem

1 January 2008Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

If you’re motoring through Gippsland, Victoria, chances are you’ll be on the Princes Highway – just a skip over the mountains from Cooma via the Snowy Mountains and Cann River Highways.

Continue west past Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale and it’s not far to Morwell – and from there it’s only half an hour south, on the Strzlecki Highway, to the village of Mirboo North, home of the Grand Ridge Brewery.

This is one of our great and enduring microbreweries, founded as the Strzlecki Brewery before taking on its current name after Eric Walters and others bought it from the receivers in the late eighties.

Beginning with a high hops Pilsen style, Eric and the team developed, over time, a wide spectrum of beer style from low alcohol lager to11-per-cent alcohol ales, modelled on Belgian classics.

While you can buy bottled versions of the beer, it’s at its best from tap in the brewery bar (open 7 days) or attached restaurant (lunch and dinner Thursday to Monday).

On our flying visit we opted for the ‘paddle’ – a timber serving tray with inset shot glasses of six of the key brews: Natural Blonde, Mighty Light, Brewers Pilsner, Gippsland Gold, Moonlight and Black and Tan – a classy line up to be reviewed over the next few weeks.

Grand Ridge Brewery Natural Blonde Wheat Beer 330ml $3.50
Grand Ridge natural blonde has an advantage over the original Belgian coriander and orange-peel infused wheat ales. Being locally brewed it’s fresher – especially from tap at the Gippsland brewery. It’s a delight — from the pale lemon, cloudy colour to the stiff, fine head to the creamy texture to the bracing, lemon-fresh tang.

Grand Ridge Brewery Moonlight Midstrength Ale 330ml $3.50
With beer flavour tends to rise and fall with the alcohol content, making it difficult to brew tasty low and mid-strength products. This English nut-brown ale style meets the challenge with its plush toffee and malt flavours, creamy, soft mid palate and beautifully judged Golding hops that provide subtle flavour and a balancing bitterness.