Beer review — Outback & Schwelmer

27 June 2007Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Outback Chilli Beer 330ml $3.75
Ahhhh! Ouch! Ahhhh! Ouch! At last, the beer that creates a need for itself. It has a deep amber colour and a matching, warm opulent, malty palate. That first sweet hit seduces the palate, before a surge of chilli ripples in leaving its pleasantly bitey residue and, alas, a slightly sweet, cloying aftertaste.

Schwelmer Pils Swingtop 330ml $4.20
Imported from the Schwelm brewery, Westphalia, this lovely Pils style lacks only the freshness to earn five stars. It’s a light golden coloured lager, featuring rich malt that’s offset deliciously by assertive but balanced hops. These contribute to the aroma, flavour, and refreshing, bitter, dry finish.

Foster’s VB takes on XXXX Gold in mid-strength stakes

27 June 2007BeerChris Shanahan

There’s a serious battle brewing between our giant beer makers, Foster’s and Lion Nathan. Somewhat like the cane toad, Lion’s XXXX Gold – a mid-strength beer – came from nowhere and may now spread to other states.

A year ago this column observed that Queensland’s unique and growing taste for mid-strength beer (3.3 to 3.9 per cent alcohol) was the main driver behind a 7.2 per cent national growth in a category that was all but dead elsewhere.

Sensing a new trend, perhaps, Foster’s recently launched a mid-strength extension of its VB brand, VB Midstrength Lager. Sporting a gold label, but otherwise similar in appearance to the good-old green VB, the new brew weighs in at just 3.5 per cent alcohol – well under the 4.5 to 5 of standard beers.

Should other states develop Queensland’s enthusiasm for mid-strength beer, then VB could be well positioned to capitalise on the trend.

Wine review — Lerida Estate, Henschke & Clos Pierre

24 June 2007Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Lerida Estate Lake George Reserve Shiraz 2005 $49.50, Pinot Noir 2006 $22
Jim Lumbers and Anne Caine planted the first vines at Lerida Estate – the southernmost of the three vineyards flanking Lake George – in 1997. They later added the striking Glen Murcott designed winery-cellar door-café building. I’ll be covering Lerida and its neighbours in my Wednesday column over the next few weeks. And in a brief visit recently thought these two estate-grown wines to be outstanding. The shiraz, a gold medal winner, is a generous, silky wine with lovely, peppery, cool-climate varietal character. The pinot is the best I’ve seen from the estate yet. It’s clean as a whistle and though in a lighter style, shows pure varietal perfume, flavour and layered texture.

Henschke Lenswood Croft Chardonnay 2006 $45, Lenswood Giles Pinot Noir 2005 $46, Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2004 $93, Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
These and the Abbott’s Prayer Merlot and Louis Semillon reviewed last week make up the current Henschke release – an extraordinary line up of estate-grown Eden Valley and Lenswood wines. Croft Chardonnay shows the white peach character and finesse and style of cool-grown chardonnay; Giles Pinot shows very pure, fine varietal character and depth; Mount Edelstone expresses Eden Valley shiraz from very old vines: it’s highly aromatic, has limpid colour with an elegant structure to match and delivers exceptional flavour concentration without heaviness. ‘Cyril’, too, shows great flavour concentration in its own very cabernet way – and that means heaps of firm tannin to match the powerful fruit.

Clos Pierre Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2005 $15.90 to $20
Burgundian winemaker Pierre Naigeon met France’s trade commissioner while visiting Australia, married her and now has the perfect excuse to return with her each year. In an exchange arrangement with De Bortoli’s Steve Webber, Pierre makes Yarra Valley pinot noir at De Bortoli’s winery while Steve makes real Burgundy in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. Woolworths buys Naigeon’s Aussie pinot and other wines, offering them under the Clos Pierre label at Dan Murphy outlets. The 2005 Pierre’s second vintage continues to drink well six months after its release and delivers much of this difficult variety’s charms at a low price.

Niche white that viognier

20 June 2007Vineyard, Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Viognier’s a niche variety and likely to stay that way. Why? Well, for one it has too much flavour and individuality.

How can a wine have too much flavour? Well, look, for example, at gewürztraminer. Its heady, lychee-like aroma and viscous texture might be unforgettable, and a joy to drink on occasion. But that’s the problem: a little goes a long way. It’s simply too much to drink regularly.

If viognier (a native of France’s Rhône valley) falls into that category it has, in Australia, the considerable advantage of being relatively unknown.

While gewürztraminer – of which there are some very fine examples, like Hanging Rock from Macedon, Victoria – suffers from its use in bland, sweet blends with riesling, viognier walked straight into the premium end of the market sans popular pre-conception.

Viognier’s short history in Australia, as outlined here a few weeks back, parallels its resurgence in France.

Winemaker interest in the variety seems to have begun in the late seventies. According to Yalumba, Heathcote winery, central Victoria, probably trialled viognier 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, and claims this as Australia’s first commercial planting.

This vineyard remains a source of Yalumba’s ‘The Virgilius’, its flagship viognier that inspired many of the outstanding wines to have emerged from eastern Australia in the past decade.

These come, broadly speaking, in two main styles: those that feature the unadorned, plump, viscous, opulent, apricot-like flavour of the variety; and those attempting to incorporate that flavour into a matrix with others derived from fermentation and maturation on yeast lees in oak barrels.

The latter, modelled on the best of Condrieu, a village in France’s Rhône Valley, can achieve a high level of complexity. But even with this high level of winemaker artifice, ultimate quality is driven by the quality of fruit – just as it is with oak fermented chardonnay.

The divergence of the two styles is reflected in price, too. The opulent, simple, fruity wines generally come from higher cropping vineyards and don’t bear the purchasing or winemaking costs of oak. Wines like Canberra’s Meeting Place, Stepping Stone Padthaway and Yalumba Eden Valley, for example, generally deliver the variety’s plush flavour and leave change out of $20.

But as you move up to the hand crafted versions (with the high costs of lower yields, hand-picking and sorting and oak fermentation) prices step up accordingly – to $45 a bottle and more.

Regardless of which style you go for, viognier delivers a unique spectrum of flavours, whether overtly or subtly. That’s what the winemaker quest is all about – capturing the varietal character and, at the same time, expressing regional, clonal and winemaker inputs.

A tasting of eight Aussie viogniers this week showed the common and divergent traits of the variety. I describe them very briefly below in the order in which they were tasted, along with my score out 20 points.

I use the Australian wine-show scoring system in which 12 points or lower is a faulty, unpleasant wine; 13-15 is sound but unexciting; 15.5-16.5 wins a bronze medal – meaning a faultless wine that fits the class description; 17-18 point wins a silver medal – meaning an exciting drop, but not quite in the first league; and 18.5 to 20 points wins a gold medal – these are outstanding wines.

Ravensworth Canberra District Viognier 2006 17.5 points
Another classy barrel-ferment viognier from Bryan Martin. Not far behind the best.

Tahbilk Nagambie Lakes Viognier 2006 15/20
A vibrant and pleasant wine with a strong, estery/passionfruit like aroma and flavour that was a little over the top for me – and not quite ‘viognier’ enough.

Grant Burge Chaff Mill Adelaide Hills Barossa Valley Viognier 2005 17 points
Shows considerable complexity from the barrel input, quite fresh and varietal. Very easy to savour a few glasses.

d’Arenberg The Last Ditch McLaren Vale Adelaide Hills Viognier 2006 16 points
An outstanding example of the ‘let-it-rip’ varietal style – apricot-like, opulent and very fresh, but simply upstaged by the more complex company.

Fox-Gordon Barossa Valley Viognier 2006 15.5 points
From the southern Barossa, this one’s big, fat and juicy – definitely viognier but will probably fatten up quickly, so drink now.

Petaluma Adelaide Hills Viognier 2005 19.0
A simply stunning wine – seductively aromatic, tingly fresh, finely textured for viognier, yet unmistakably of that variety and with a lingering, delicious flavour.

Clonakilla Canberra District Viognier 2006 18.5 points
Not long bottled and very complex, soft and layered, with a wonderful texture. Only just pipped by the Petaluma in this tasting but it could be a different result after another six months in bottle.

Yarra Burn Yarra Valley Viognier 2004 16.0 points
This was surprisingly fresh and fine for viognier – as the variety normally fattens and fades quickly. The focus seemed to be more on texture and structure and less on overt varietal flavour, although it was definitely there.

Conclusion? Our best viogniers, like our best chardonnays, are whites to savour; the cheaper ones are more in-your-face, fade young and tend to heaviness. The flavours, however, are unique and pleasant. Be adventurous and try the best. But, like me, you might find that one or two bottles a year are enough.

Beer review — Coopers Dark & Newcastle Brown ales

20 June 2007Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Coopers Dark Ale 375ml $2.35
Cooper’s ads invite you to meet the dark side of the family – Dark Ale. While it’s dark in colour it’s comparatively low in alcohol (4.5 per cent) — meaning lighter body but not a lack of flavour. It has ale’s fruity aromas and, under that, a touch of roast-coffee-like character. The palate is rich but lively with a very fresh, crisp, dry finish.

Newcastle Brown Ale 330ml $3.25
While this is on the blander end of the ale scale, it’s only modestly alcoholic at 4.7 per cent, and offers attractive toffee and caramel like aromas and flavours. Together with the sweet, malt character this gives an attractive warming effect, while a decent tweak of hops dries the finish out nicely.

Guide to Victorian micro breweries published

20 June 2007BeerChris Shanahan

Regional Development Victoria recently released the third edition of its guide to Victorian microbreweries. The booklet reveals a vibrant craft-brewing scene of twenty-two brewers concentrated in the east of the state, with one in Mildura to the north west.

While this column covered those within cooee of the Hume Highway and Melbourne earlier this year – at Beechworth, Bright, Rutherglen, Woodend and Dandenong – there’s plenty left to explore in future travels.

There’s an adventurous spirit in these mostly young brewers. And that shows in the extraordinary diversity and individuality on tap – from the most delicate, pale wheat beers to the biggest, burliest stouts.

And, like wine, the best place to discover them is at cellar door where you can chat to the brewer and taste the whole range.

The booklet, The Beer Lovers’ Guide to Victoria’s Microbreweries, is available free from Information Victoria, phone 1300 366 356 or www.information.vic.gov.au

Wine reviews — Philip Shaw, Henschke, Lindemans

17 June 2007Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Philip Shaw Orange Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $23, Chardonnay 2004 $30, Shiraz Viognier 2004 $44 and Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2004 $25
In 1985 Rosemount winemaker Philip Shaw spotted a promising vineyard site as the corporate aircraft limped to an emergency landing at Orange. In 1988 Shaw purchased the site, at 900 metres above sea level, and planted Koomooloo vineyard on it in 1989. He sold fruit from the vineyard to Rosemount before launching his own brand in recent years. The by-now-mature vines produce tremendously appealing wines: a pungent, crisp, deeply textured sauvignon blanc; a restrained, slow-evolving, elegant chardonnay; a spicy, savoury, silk-smooth shiraz and a beautifully scented, elegant, firm blend of merlot and cabernets sauvignon and franc. See www.philipshaw.com.au

Henschke Lenswood Abbotts Prayer Vineyard Merlot 2003 $75, Louis Eden Valley Semillon 2006 $28
In 1981 Stephen and Prue Henschke ventured fifty kilometres beyond their Eden Valley heartland, to establish the Abbotts Prayer vineyard at higher, cooler, wetter, more-humid Lenswood in the adjoining Adelaide Hills, part of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Over time the predominantly Abbots Prayer has emerged as, perhaps, Australia’s greatest merlot, albeit bolstered with a touch of cabernet. Surprisingly, the hot and difficult 2003 vintage produced a wine of unusual fruit intensity and elegance – one that’ll blossom for years. And from the Eden Valley (the portion of the Mount Lofty Ranges bordering the eastern rim of the Barossa) comes this crisp, fine, lemony semillon – a largely unsung, but sometimes sensational, regional specialty.

Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz 2006 $7 to $10
What began as an export brand, led by the hugely successful Bin 65 Chardonnay, later won Australian palates, too, and continues to be amongst our most reliable budget wines right across the range, despite reported large market-share losses for Lindemans under Foster’s ownership. The latest Bin 50 is appealing, offering pure, plummy varietal aromas and flavours and soft, palate caressing, drink now tannins. It has a recommended price of around $10. But with strong retail competition, watch for specials at dollars a bottle below normal. Wines like this are made for current drinking, so don’t bother cellaring — there’ll be another vintage next year.

Big reds are OK, too

13 June 2007WineChris Shanahan

Australian winemakers seem to be copping bit of stick from some quarters for making inky, oaky, alcoholic shiraz – ‘caricatures’ some say, of wines that taste awful young and grow worse with age.

But let’s not confuse these over-ripe, over-oaked, sometimes artificially concentrated reds with our very powerful, balanced, warm-climate styles. Many of these are made to age gracefully for decades – and it takes a bit of stuffing to emerge in good nick after twenty or thirty years in the cellar.

And robust wines like this, by definition, don’t always have the drink-now appeal of the vast majority of wines made for early consumption. They’re usually balanced, but sheer concentration of fruit flavour and a high tannin load can be a little daunting.

The best of these, generally released after four or five years’ bottle age, still show a youthful crimson around the rim and a near opaque red/black centre, with solid fruit and tannin to match. At this stage they’re impressive, if a little raw.

Move on a decade or two and the colour tones down to a vibrant red, perhaps with a touch of brown and the aroma and flavour show wonderful, warm, aged characters along with the still-sweet fruit. And by now the tannins have softened and oak character merged into the single ‘winey’ flavour.

At many tastings and dinners over the years aged, robust Aussie reds have emerged beautifully after ten, twenty, thirty and even fifty years in the cellar.

At a single tasting a little over a year ago, Grange 1983, once so dense and tannic, led the following list of robust, mellowing and deeply fruity shirazes: Grange 1991, Jim Barry Clare Valley The Armagh 1990, Penfolds St Henri 1991, Peter Lehmann Barossa Valley Stonewell 1991 and 1994, Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway 1992, Yalumba Octavius 1993, Henschke Hill of Grace Eden Valley 1994 and Tim Adams Clare Valley The Aberfeldy 1994.

We might call these warm climate shirazes the old guard – established and time proven, but now being joined by increasing numbers of supple, elegant cool-climate styles exemplified by Canberra’s Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier of Murrumbateman.

The successful spread of shiraz into cooler areas – notably the Canberra District and southern Victoria – doesn’t spell the end of the old styles. It just means greater diversity for drinkers and probably provides further impetus for warm climate producers to fine tune oak handling and other winemaking inputs – something that’s been ongoing anyway.

While the market demands mainly drink-now reds, the best of the new wave, like Clonakilla, possess the huge fruit intensity and structure for long-term ageing. But they also have the seductive perfume, subtle oak and soft structure to appeal now – virtues that the warm climate long-cellaring reds seldom reveal.

That’s partly because different climates will, thankfully, produce different wine styles from the same grape variety. A Barossa grower cannot emulate a Canberra style and vice versa.

This diversity is important for drinkers and healthy for the wine industry. What we have to hope for is that the current trend for critics to promote elegance and refinement and slam robustness doesn’t turn the heads of winemakers away from proven regional styles.

The danger for drinkers when new enthusiasms emerge is that enthusiasm can be contagious, sometimes for no good reason. I’ve tasted many talked-up, ‘elegant’ cool climate shirazes to be simply feeble, and unripe at that. And that hurts when you’ve paid $25 or $30 a bottle.

I find, too, that’s there’s not a lot of joy in many me-too shiraz-viognier blends. The best, like Clonakilla, are wonderful. But some seem to be going through the motions. What you get, all too often, is shiraz that tastes more like syrup than wine – a far cry from the seductive fragrance and silky texture achieved with that blend by Clonakilla and a few others.

For sure, let’s curb the excesses of oak, alcohol and tannin. But when it comes to our top end, warm climate reds with proven long term cellaring ability, let’s not cave in to whim or fashion. Twenty-year reds need power and structure. Informed drinkers know that and don’t want to see them focus grouped into feebleness.

Quite apart from the long-lived, more robust styles, there’s a generosity and lovableness to the earlier-drinking shirazes from warm areas like the Barossa, Clare and McLaren Vale. Indeed, Australia’s export success to the USA rides on these delicious styles. And, in truth, that’s where most domestic emphasis lies, too.

Beer review — Le Choufe & Outback

13 June 2007Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Le Chouffe Biere Blonde d’Ardenne 750ml $13.50
I found this deep-golden, bottle-conditioned Belgian wheat ale in a tiny Sydney bottle shop. It’s seasoned with coriander and weighs in at eight per cent alcohol. There’s an appealing clove-like character to it, a richly textured, smooth palate and a pleasing tannin grip balancing the sweet, alcoholic warmth. A great winter beer.
*****

Outback Black Opal 330ml $3.15
‘Preservative free & naturally brewed’ says the label. But alas it fell flat, literally. A bad bottle perhaps? The dark amber/black colour suggests substance, but it’s medium bodied and to my taste a little hollow and off balance: the light, sweet/malt/molasses flavour seemed a little cloying and might have been better with a belt of hops.
**

Cold countries drink more beer

13 June 2007BeerChris Shanahan

It’s counter-intuitive, but cold countries tend to drink more beer than hot ones. Amongst the top twenty per capita beer-drinking countries, only Australia (fourth at 109.9 litres a head), Spain (twelfth at 83.8 litres) and Portugal (twentieth at 59.6 litres) could be called warm.

True, the USA, slurping down 81.6 litres per head each year, rates thirteenth. But, in fact, its drinking prowess draws largely from the cooler states. According to beerinfo.com ‘as a rule of thumb, the colder the state, the more beer consumption.

In Europe, at least, as we run down the list – starting at the Czech Republic (156.9 litres) – a long brewing history, probably based on a climate suited to barley but not grape growing – points to the origin of the beer habit.

It’ll be interesting to see if, with growing affluence in future generations, red wine chips away at beer in these frosty climes.