These days Canberra and shiraz is a no-brainer for aspiring vignerons. It’s our most successful grape variety thanks, initially, to Clonakilla, but now thoroughly bedded down across the district. But when Greg and Libby Gallagher planted shiraz at Murrumbateman in 1995, Canberra’s reputation for fine wine was a fraction of what it is now – … Continue reading Gallagher marks ten years of Canberra shiraz
At a regional shiraz dinner a few years back, Garry Parker told me he approached wine marketing as he did building a career as a barrister from 1963 – on the belief that good performance would attract a following. And that’s exactly what he’s achieved at Long Rail Gully Wines – a deep respect among … Continue reading Exciting wines from Canberra’s Long Rail Gully
Whoosh! There goes 2011. What a year. Foster’s decided grape and grain didn’t mix; Constellation Brands USA sold the historic Leasingham winery to Clare winemaker, Tim Adams; Woolworths and Coles share of domestic wine sales hit 79 per cent; and winemakers across eastern Australia endured the coldest, wettest vintage in over a decade. Under these … Continue reading Whoosh! There goes 2011
Cherubino Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $35 Porongurup, Great Southern, Western Australia So many mediocre sauvignon blancs around. But occasionally a wine, usually from France’s Loire Valley, challenges that prejudice. The latest challenge comes from Larry Cherubino’s beautiful 2011 from Porongurup, a rocky knob, just north of Albany, Western Australia. This is a delicate, gentle, soft, subtle … Continue reading Wine review — Cherubino, Hewitson, Bollinger, Dal Zotto and Eden Road
TarraWara Estate Yarra Valley J-Block Shiraz 2009 $35 Though fully priced for an unproven wine off very young vines (planted 2007), TarraWarra’s J-Block shiraz offers pure, sexy, drinking pleasure. From the first sniff of the seductive, floral and musk aroma to the last supple, sweet drop in the bottle, it held our attention. A few … Continue reading Wine review — Tarra Warra, Shingleback and Rolf Binder
Cumulus Wines Climbing Pinot Gris 2011 $18–$22 Orange, New South Wales The difficult, wet and cool 2011 vintage caused much devastation in vineyards across Australia. However, some white varieties, including pinot gris, seem to have benefited from the cool conditions – for example, in the recent local wine show, Mount Majura Vineyard won a gold … Continue reading Wine review — Cumulus Wines, Dopf au Moulin, Voyager Estate, Coolangatta Estate, Ingram Road and Barwang
Once again our local red specialty stormed home in the recent Canberra Regional Wine Show. Shiraz classes attracted the greatest number of entries (47), won the most medals (30), enjoyed the highest medal strike rate at 64 per cent (after adjusting for one statistical oddity) and produced the champion wine of the show – Ravensworth … Continue reading Shiraz triumphs at Canberra wine show 2011
Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz 2008 $14.25–$18 The Rathbone Wine Group owns some of Australia’s great regional brands – Yering Station Yarra Valley, Parker Coonawarra Estate, Xanadu Margaret River and Mount Langi Ghiran Grampians. Winemaker, Dan Buckle, and viticulturist, Damien Sheehan, look after production at the Langi Ghiran operation, producing the sensational “The Langi” … Continue reading Wine review — Mount Langi Ghiran, Tim Smith and Barwang
Early in August, Lark Hill Winery bought an established 3.6-hectare vineyard at Murrumbateman. The purchase coincided with the release of Lark Hill Shiraz Viognier 2010 and Viognier 2011 (top drops today), both sourced from the vineyard. Chris Carpenter commented, “We purchased the vineyard in order to secure our long-term supplies of these varieties, and have … Continue reading Lark Hill grabs a slice of Canberra’s shiraz heartland
For a report card on small Australian winemakers, check out the Winewise website, www.winewise.net.au The competition, judged here in Canberra in July, opens its door to wineries crushing 250 tonnes or less for their own labels. The independent event began as an outlet for small makers off the radar of the big, prestigious capital wine … Continue reading Winewise Small Vignerons Awards 2011