Brindabella Hills Canberra District Shiraz 2005 $25 Perhaps it’s the sandy, gravely soils, wonders winemaker Roger Harris, that makes shiraz from comparatively low-altitude, warm Hall so amazingly cool-climate-fragrant in style. It’s seductively floral with a matching delicate, juicy flavour and elegant, supple structure – a sensational wine. And I suspect that it’ll grow in interest … Continue reading Wine review — Brindabella Hills & Hewitson
The quality and style of several great Australian wine brands owned by Foster’s remain intact despite the wine division’s ten per cent sales decline in the first half 2006–07. But will great brands like Penfolds, Wynns and Wolf Blass flourish long term under the Foster’s banner? Will Foster’s remain in the wine business in the … Continue reading Will Foster’s stay in the wine business
Florita, one of Australia’s distinguished riesling vineyards, carved its reputation in the 1960s and 1970s under winemaker John Vickery and the Leo Buring label. Today the Barry family owns the vineyard and offer, at last, a wine bearing the Florita name.
The wooden barrel, one of the most enduring of all wine vessels, was used originally for storage and transportation some 2000 years ago. Its value today, though, lies in its ability to clarify, stabilise and add complex aromas and flavours to wine and set the scene for further flavour development in bottle. Until about the … Continue reading A barrel of fun — why winemakers use oak barrels
How are we to judge wines like Curly Flat that come out of the blue, grab the attention of critics around the world, clean up at wine shows and sell out quickly at $30 and $40 dollars a bottle? Slowly, sustainedly and over many bottles over many years is my answer. But first impressions count, … Continue reading Curly Flat — Victoria’s emerging champ
There’s a fascinating wine pilgrimage you can make driving to or from Melbourne: heading south on the Hume Highway, take the Kilmore exit, at Kilmore turn right towards Lancefield and at Lancefield follow the Woodend Road through to Newham, and then the signs to Hanging Rock Winery. Coming home from Melbourne, take the airport freeway … Continue reading Hanging Rock — bubbling along nicely
Last week the Chateau Shanahan lined up ten pinot noirs from Australia and New Zealand to get a little snapshot of the state of play. As the tasting consisted only of unsolicited samples, the omissions are greater than the inclusions. But it revealed that both countries now produce convincing pinots across a number of styles … Continue reading A snapshot of Aussie and Kiwi pinots
Last week’s article on the success in Germany of Rich Prosecco — the Paris Hilton endorsed Italian sparkling wine in a designer can — attracted an email from Melbourne based Barokes Wines. Barokes say that in the last year, even without the help of Paris Hilton, they sold over 2.3 million cans of Australian wine … Continue reading The argument’s in the can
When I first toured New Zealand’s wine regions in 1984, viticultural Marlborough was just eleven years old, yet its unique, pungent sauvignon blancs were already on the way to international success; crook wines were easy to find; and dozens of enthusiasts, reflecting the trend in California and Australia, were spreading the vine into every likely … Continue reading Pinot noir to follow sauv blanc as New Zealand’s specialty
Without Brown Bros there may not be a King Valley wine industry today. A seeming permanence on the landscape since 1889, sheer size, wide consumer recognition, an early acceptance of new grape-growing ventures in the south of the valley and apparent prosperity made them the biggest player in the region and keeps them well ahead … Continue reading King Valley Victoria part two of two — Brown Bros