Peroni Leggera 330ml $2.99
This is the latest starter in the lo-carb race. It’s watery pale and, like most of the genre, is a bit skinny. But it’s also got the pleasantly tart, well-balanced finish seen in the full-bore Peroni beers. Trust the Italians to show a little class in this generally unrewarding style.

Murray’s Craft Brewing Co Pilsner 330ml 4-pack $14.99
Hops can add a lot to beer’s aroma, flavour and bitterness. But there’s a tendency, at times, for hops to sweep all before it, rather as oak did in Australia’s early chardonnays.  Hops seems to totally dominate this beer, starting pleasantly enough but building to a resiny hardness with a few sips.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

If the new Steinlager Pure “encapsulates the purity of New Zealand in a bottle” does that make it more pure than the original Steinlager – which uses “only pure, natural New Zealand ingredients”?

Why can’t the spin-doctors simply cut to the chase and tell us what’s different about the new product? It’s not the purity. Both versions claim that. And it’s not the amount of alcohol, carbohydrates or energy in each 100ml. According to the website they’re identical in Steinlager and Steinlager Pure.

The press releases says that Steinlager Pure uses Pacific Jade and Nelson Sauvin hops, while the website attributes the original Steinlager’s distinctive flavour, in part, to Green Bullet hops.

Hops are important, of course, because they affect the aroma, flavour and bitterness of beer. So, if we sip the two side by side, yes, there’s a flavour difference.

Now the press release says that Steinlager Pure “satisfies the thirst of a modern drinker”.  My interpretation of this, after tasting both beers, is that the modern drinker doesn’t like hops aroma, flavour or bitterness. I couldn’t help viewing the new release as a dumbed-down version of the old.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

In his biography ‘A Life Uncorked’, the great UK writer, Hugh Johnson, made a comment that applies as well to beer as it does to wine, “It depends on whether you see wine primarily as a drink or as a recreational substance. In a drink you look for something refreshing and satisfying without too loud a voice, not too intrusive on your food or your thoughts each time you take a sip…”.

In the ever-growing world of specialty beers there are brews that have more than a loud voice – they yell, demanding your attention. In-your-face exotica like chocolate porter, lambic gueze, chilli beer, smoked beer, triple bock and over-the-top hoppy creations like American pale ale, are just a few examples.

In small quantities they can be terrific, especially regional specialties, like Bamberg’s smoked beer (Rauchbier), consumed on location with the local food. But these loud-voice style are never ‘just a drink’.

Not surprisingly, the big-volume beers, like VB slip down easily without intruding on our thoughts. That’s what they’re designed for and that’s what they do well.

But there are complex, specialty beers that slip down unobtrusively but also have complexity and individuality if you happen to be paying attention. The Sunner Kölsch reviewed on this site is a stunning example.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Pinot noir attracts a lot of talk for a variety that makes up only five per cent of Australia’s annual red grape output. In 2008 it contributed just 47 thousand of the 964 thousand tonnes crushed by our vignerons – a crush dominated by shiraz and cabernet sauvignon at 436 thousand and 254 thousand tonnes respectively.

Pinot’s comparatively small presence in Australia is explained partly by history and largely by climate: historically we grew grapes in warmer areas and came to love the resulting robust reds, led by shiraz. When we sought more elegant red wine styles, including pinot noir, our vignerons had to move to cooler southern or elevated fringes of our warm continent.

Pinot noir, in particular requires a cool to cold climate to deliver the perfume, flavour and supple texture that distinguish it from other varieties. We only have to cross the Tasman to see what a difference a few degrees of latitude makes to its success.

Pinot noir accounts for almost two-thirds of New Zealand’s red wine production, with merlot as its nearest competitor (about one third the volume of pinot) while cabernet and shiraz, restrained largely by climate, are only just on the radar.

In Australia our best pinots tend to come from the southern eastern tip of the mainland at between 37 and 38 degrees south (Macedon, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong,  Bellarine Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Gippsland), occasionally from higher altitude sites further north (for example, the Adelaide Hills) and increasingly from Tasmania, between about 41 and 43 degrees south.

New Zealand’s important pinot plantings start at around 41 degrees south at Martinborough (near Wellington, on the North Island), and continue across the Cook Straight at Marlborough (the country’s biggest grape growing area and biggest pinot noir producer) and to the west of Marlborough at Nelson.
Plantings are expanding, too, further south at Canterbury/Waipara (43 degrees). But perhaps the most significant in quality, if not the biggest in volume, are in the Central Otago district, in the vicinity of Queenstown, at 45 degrees south.

As in Australia, a good deal of New Zealand’s pinot production, particularly in Marlborough, goes to sparkling wine production. But that’s not the pinot that’s grabbing the attention of wine drinkers.

The increasing attention on pinot, from consumers and the industry, builds on the very high quality reds now being delivered by the best Australian and kiwi makers. There’s an inimitable magic in drinking top pinot. But it’s elusive. And though the failures and mediocrities perhaps still outnumber the successes, the odds have increased in favour of the drinker.

Today’s successes build on forty years of pioneering work by small makers. But unlike the case with, say, shiraz or cabernet, where big producers equal boutique makers in quality, top pinot remains largely the domain of the boutiques, both in Australia and New Zealand.

As well, we’re not seeing big volumes of high-quality, low-priced pinot that might bring the variety’s magic to a wider audience. We see the odd, convincingly good pinot at around $20 (for example Curly Flat’s Williams Crossing from Macedon). And Montana – New Zealand’s largest producer, owned by France’s Pernod Ricard – is getting close to the mark with its popular Montana and Stoneleigh Marlborough pinot noirs.

But we’re unlikely ever to see $10 to $15 pinot noir as good as equivalently priced shiraz or cabernet. And that’s because it’s inherently more expensive to make – a function largely of intense viticultural management and lower grape yields.

But increasing numbers of producers are getting their premium pinots right. Here are just a few really top notch styles that I’ve enjoyed in the last few months: Bass Phillip Premium 2004 (Gippsland); various Ten Minutes by Tractor wines priced from $23 to $60, Main Ridge, Stonier’s, Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate (all from Mornington); Curly Flat and Williams Crossing (Macedon); Phi and De Bortoli (Yarra Valley); Felton Road and Carrick (Central Otago, NZ); Ashton Hills (Adelaide Hills); Neudorf (Nelson, NZ) and Ata Rangi (Martinborough, NZ).

All the talk about pinot includes two large-scale events – one in Wellington, New Zealand, this week, the other in Mornington Peninsula in the first week of February. The keynote speaker for each is well-known English commentator, Jancis Robinson. But there’ll be an opportunity to taste top pinot from around the world.

I’ll bring back a shopping list from the Mornington event.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2009

Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2008 $29–32
Seppelt’s Drumborg Vineyard, located in the very cool Henty Region, near Portland in southwestern Victoria, was planted by Karl Seppelt way back in 1964. It was a prescient, if bold, move at the time, and one we can be grateful for now, almost half a century later. This rates amongst the finest of the 2008 rieslings. It has an exquisitely delicate flavour and fine structure more akin in its intensity to Champagne than mere table wine. It’s delicate enough to be enjoyable now. But the spine of bracing acid that helps fix the flavour also suggests good long-term cellaring.

Tim Adams Clare Valley Riesling 2008 $22
Knappstein Clare Valley Hand Picked Riesling 2008 $22
Shaw Vineyard Estate Murrumbateman Premium Riesling 2008 $22
Many of the 2008 vintage rieslings offer terrific, drink-now fruit flavour and seem more advanced than usual in their ageing. These are three good, subtly different examples of that style – two from the Clare Valley and one from Canberra. Tim Adams’ wine is surprisingly soft and full-bodied for such a low-alcohol wine (11.5%), but it’s fresh, crisp and a pleasure to drink now. Knappstein is classically floral with a juicy, deliciously fresh palate. And Graeme Shaw’s wine pips the other two with its deep, super vibrant flavour.

Crittenden Estate Los Hermanos King Valley Albarino 2008 $28–30
Following the feast of Italian varieties of recent years we’re seeing a trickle of Australian produced wines from Spanish varieties – the red tempranillo and graciano and white albarino. And who better to go Spanish than the Crittenden family, one of the earliest and greatest Australian champions of Italian varieties. Second generation Zoe and Rollo Crittenden sourced this lovely drop from the King Valley. It’s a modest 12.5% alcohol but has a richly textured palate and, crunchy, pear-fresh flavour and pleasantly tart, dry finish. It’s a terrific summer drink. See www.crittendwines.com.au for details.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Pikes Clare Valley

• ‘The Red Mullet’ 2006 $13–16
• ‘Luccio’ 2006 $15–18
• ‘Eastside’ Shiraz 2006 $22–27

These three reds from Pikes in the Clare Valley offer a wide spectrum of flavours. The lighter-bodied, fine, savoury and taut ‘Luccio’, a blend of sangiovese, merlot and cabernet, is the one to enjoy with roast meets and savoury dishes. The combination of bright fruit and fine tannic bite is delicious. ‘The Red Mullet’ (shiraz, grenache, mourvedre and tempranillo) is medium bodied, fruity and fleshy. It’s an all-rounder but surprisingly good with spicy food, thanks to the sweet fruit. And ‘Eastside’ 2006 is a full-blooded, ripe, soft, Clare shiraz. The sweet fruit and earthy shiraz flavours work well with traditional winter stews.

Moppity Vineyards Hilltops Reserve Shiraz 2006 $35
Moppity Vineyards of Young has a long connection with Canberra. It was established in 1973 and across the years sold fruit to several Canberra wineries, including Lark Hill. In 2004, Jason Brown (son of John and Robin Brown, owners of the Cand Amber liquor retail chain) bought it. He still sells grape (it’s one of the biggest vineyards in the Hilltops region at 68 hectares) but turned his focus to wine production, too. The standard wines – Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay and Rosé – sell at $15. I’ve not tried these. But the flagship shiraz is an impressive, deep, fragrant, spicy and supple drop. See www.moppity.com.au

Richmond Grove

• Mount Lofty Sangiovese 2007 $19–22,
• Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2007 $21–24
• Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2007 $21–24

Along with Jacob’s Creek, Richmond Grove belongs to Pernod Ricard Pacific, a division of France’s Pernod Ricard. Its thorough understanding of regional wine specialties shows in these realistically priced newcomers from various parts of South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges. The strongest, perhaps is the barrel-fermented chardonnay, a delicious, fine-boned expression of the variety. Big companies have trouble with pinot, but this one is on-track. It’s on the lighter side but it offers grip and texture as well as varietal flavour. And what a terrific sangiovese it is, with bright fruit flavour and the tight, grippy tannins of the variety.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

Hopidemic Autumn Seasonal Ale 285ml glass $4.20
The Wig & Pen, Civic, currently offers three seasonal brews celebrating the recent hop harvest. ‘Hopidemic’ (the hoppiest beer in Australia claims brewer, Richard Watkins) comes from the hand pump. It’s a soft, fresh and aromatic real ale with piquant hops fragrance in harmony with the rich pleasing malt flavours.

Hop Heads Ale & Venom Imperial Ale 285ml glass $4.20
‘Hop Heads’ arrives in your glass via a ‘modus hoperandus’ – a vessel filled with fresh hops flowers. These infuse the ale with a startling, raw hop character. It’s idiosyncratic but a must-try for hop heads. Venom is your poison if you prefer intense bitterness mollified by malt opulence and alcohol.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2008

In the wine industry the lead-time from vision to realisation can be twenty years. It takes that long for vines and winemaking skills to mature. Indeed, in some cases, it may be even longer before consumers perceive the benefit of a visionary decision made decades earlier.

For example, when Karl Seppelt established vineyards at Drumborg, first landfall north of the Antarctic in Victoria’s cold Portland region, and at Keppoch (now called Padthaway) in 1964, he was twenty years ahead of the market. In Drumborg’s case, the lag was probably more like forty years, as I believe we are yet to see the best of that remarkable vineyard.

And so it is with viognier, the Rhone Valley’s most highly regarded white variety, now attracting serious intention in France, Australia and California – an interest that appears to have stirred in all three countries about twenty years ago.

Yet production figures tell us that, in Australia at least, viognier occupies a small but well publicised niche.

According to the Winemakers Federation of Australia, our vignerons crushed about 400 tonnes of viognier in 2000, 700 in 2001, 1300 in 2002 and 1910 in 2003. With a reported 540 hectares in the ground, we can expect future annual production in the vicinity of 5000 tonnes (350 thousand dozen bottles) a year – small change compared to riesling’s 30 thousand tonnes (2.1 million dozen) or chardonnay’s 250 thousand tonnes (17.5 million dozen).

I quote these figures not to deny the importance of viognier, but to underline the fact that wine consumption is not nearly as prone to fashion swings as is sometimes suggested. Almost invariably wine ‘fads’ are more about winemakers and adventurous drinkers gradually expanding the sensory palette available to all of us rather than introducing any popular shift in taste.

In viognier’s case, that sensory experience can be sensational, offering a unique spectrum of aromas and luscious flavours and a silky, viscous texture. However viognier’s charms are not easily captured

Australia’s interest in viognier seems to have begun in the late seventies. According to a Yalumba paper, Heathcote winery in central Victoria probably trialed the variety prior to Yalumba’s acquisition of cuttings from Montpellier, France in 1979. Yalumba propagated these cuttings and planted 1.2 hectares on the Vaughan vineyard, Eden Valley, in 1980, claiming this as the first commercial viognier planting in Australia.

Viognier seems to have made its way to France from Bosnia in about 280 AD. Once widely cultivated, it fell from favour, the total area planted falling to 29 hectares by 1958 before its renaissance in the 1980s.

Although widely planted in Provence and the vast Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south, viognier’s most profound expression is found in the sumptuous whites of Condrieu and Chateau Grillet in the northern Rhone Valley. It also plays an important supporting role to shiraz in many of the reds of neighbouring Cote-Rotie.

These wonderful whites and reds serve as inspiration to new-world winemakers. Like most global benchmarks, the best Rhone wines cost a packet but they do find their way into Australia and have done for twenty years. The best known and distributed, and also amongst the very best are those of Marcel Guigal.

To taste Guigal’s Condrieu (100 per cent viognier) or Chateau d’Ampuis Cote-Rotie is a fast track to enlightenment. (The wines are imported by Negociants Australia, the import distribution arm of Yalumba).

However, Australia has made great progress with viognier as a straight varietal white and in tandem with shiraz. A benchmark of the dry style is Yalumba’s ‘The Virgilius’ made from those old vines in the Vaughan vineyard. It retails for $60, when you can find it. For around $50 you can savour the superb – and even scarcer – Clonakilla Canberra District Viognier.

But there are many more affordable versions available of which Yalumba Eden Valley, Stonehaven Limestone Coast and Kingston Estate Empiric give the true, sumptuous ‘apricot’ flavours.

And what is to my taste the best Australian shiraz viognier blend, is made right here in the Canberra region at Clonakilla, Murrumbateman. Clonakilla’s Tim Kirk was a pioneer of a style now being trialed by many producers around the country, with varying degrees of success.

Well executed, these are supple and lovely wines. I’ll visit this emerging blend later in the year after extensive tastings.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2004 and 2009

Despite the massive  re-shaping of Australia’s wine landscape now under way, South Australia remains — and looks set to remain — not just our biggest wine producer, but our biggest premium-wine producer.

The massive explosion of vine planting and re-writing of our wine map shows in preliminary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), indicating that 32,773 hectares (37 per cent) of Australia’s 88,474 hectares of grape vines in the ground at the end of 1997 had been planted since 1991.

There’s been unprecedented activity in all states, led by South Australia with 15,530 hectares or 47 per cent of those new plantings. Victoria comes in second with 7,881 hectares (24 per cent) followed by New South Wales with 6,986 (21 per cent), Western Australia with 1,543 hectares (5 per cent), Queensland with 583 hectares and Tasmania with 245.

New plantings since 1991 expressed as a per centage increase, not surprisingly, show big growth for the States starting on low bases: Tasmania up 103 per cent to 482 hectares, Queensland up 75 per cent to 1,359 hectares and Western Australia up 64 per cent to 3,958 hectares.

But we begin to see the scale of expansion with New South Wales up 55 per cent to 19,738 hectares and Victoria up 46 per cent to 25,102 hectares.

South Australia’s new 15,530 hectares bring its total to 37, 376. Given its high starting base, that’s a massive lift of 71 per cent in just 7 years.

But if they say you can’t be all things to all people, South Australia’s wine industry is not listening. An exceptionally diversity of geology and climate means that ‘The Wine State’ is just that.

It has the hot stretches of the Murray River producing bulk table, sparkling and fortified wines for the budget and middle market sectors.

It has Coonawarra, Padthaway, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa Valley, Eden Valley and Clare Valley producing  (collectively) cutting-edge Cabernet, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Grenache and sparkling wine.

Many of those same regions, plus the Adelaide Plains, back up with commercial quantities of high-quality, mid-priced table wines for world markets.

And it has world-class fortified material emerging, especially from the warm Barossa, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley.

Grape production figures confirm why South Australia is still ‘The Wine State” as we move into the era of high-quality, regional wines.

If we arbitrarily chop out the 192,275 tonne grape output of the warm Murray River and Adelaide Plains in 1997, South Australia’s remaining areas still produced 179,258 tonnes, equivalent to around 12.5 million dozen 750ml bottles. But we ain’t seem nothin’ yet!

The 150 year old Barossa-Eden Region, long the biggest-volume premium producer is about to lose its crown to the Limestone Coast, embracing Coonawarra and Padthaway.

In 1997, wine makers drew 57,983 tonnes of grapes (4 million dozen 750ml bottles) from Barossa-Eden and 48,512 (3.4 million dozen) from the Limestone Coast.

By 2002, wine makers estimate their intakes will reach 79,763 tonnes (5.6 million dozen) from Barossa-Eden and 99,630 (7 million dozen) from the Limestone Coast. In other words the Limestone Coast’s output will have doubled in five years, making it by far our most valuable premium-wine growing area.

By then total South Australian wine-grape production will have risen to 635,470 tonnes (44.5 million dozen), with the Adelaide Hills contributing 10,624 (0.7 million dozen); Clare Valley 28,946 (2 million dozen)); Langhorne Creek 40,381 (2.8 million dozen); and McLaren Vale 55,694 (3.9 million dozen).

South Australia’s five year grape projections from 1997 to 2002 reflect the massive global swing to red wine consumption (triggered partly by the ‘French paradox’ and other positive links between moderate consumption of red wine and health.

Figures released by South Australia’s Grape Industry Board and Grape Advisory Committee (based on wine-maker actual reported usage for 1997 and estimates for 2002) predict that while white-grape usage will increase 33 per cent from 205,950 to 274,135 tonnes, reds will explode by 118 per cent from 165,583 to 361,325 tonnes.

All those extra grapes have to be made into wine and the wine has to be drunk by somebody. The first part requires huge new investments in wine-making and storage equipment.

Assuming all goes well in that department, there’ll be one heck of a lot of wine splashing around the world (not just Australia) by 2002 — perhaps bringing a little price relief.

Provided demand for premium wines remains buoyant, the new century offers a brilliant future for South Australia as it builds on its old strengths and develops the new. From a drinkers point of view it’s good to know that the best is yet to come from a totally renewed ‘Wine State’.

Copyright © Chris Shanahan 1998 & 2007