Seppeltsfield Flora Fino DP 117 375ml $22 Until recently this sensationally fresh, zesty, tangy, aromatic wine was labelled as ‘sherry’, a name now reclaimed by the Spanish. It’s an overlooked gem on the Australian wine scene and a treat to sip, lightly chilled, during hot weather. It’s bone dry savouriness make it a great match … Continue reading A Christmas drink list
Australian winemaking 2009 – it’s a tale of two industries: mature, vibrant, small and medium producers with their strong regional identities; and the headline-grabbing wreckage of the ‘brand Australia’ juggernaut. A recent Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) report, Wine industry must confront the reality of oversupply, detailed the horror behind the chilling headlines. The report … Continue reading Brilliant regional wines emerging from Oz wine wreck
Canberra’s National Wine Show bills itself as the grand final of the Australian circuit. But to deserve the mantle it needs to re-invent itself. In reality, it’s just another capital city show, more notable for what’s not in the tasting line up than what is. Its strength is the high standard of judging and the … Continue reading National Show shouldn’t ignore gaps in its ranks
Gourmet Traveller Wine recently confirmed what the local wine show and every critic in the land have been telling us for years – that shiraz is Canberra’s number one variety by a country mile. Seizing the publicity opportunity, Clonakilla’s Tim Kirk, local shiraz trailblazer, took ten of our best on a road trip to Sydney’s … Continue reading Visionary Kirk sees new Rhone in Oz Capital
A couple of weeks back well-known author James Halliday rated 13 Canberra wines among his top 100 in New South Wales. Buoyed by this, our local vignerons threw a dinner at the members’ dining room in old parliament house. The dinner paired flights of the Halliday 13, plus a ring-in from Hilltops, with food prepared … Continue reading Lesson for Canberra winemakers — always put your best foot forward
Once again judges at the recent Canberra Regional Wine Show praised the strength of Canberra’s shiraz and riesling. What the commentary didn’t reveal though is the statistical dominance of shiraz from the neighbouring Hilltops region. Hilltops fielded just nine of the forty-seven wines in the two shiraz classes but won seven medals – an extraordinary … Continue reading Canberra show needs its benchmarks
Ravensworth Murrumbateman Marsanne 2008 $21 Ravensworth Murrumbateman Viognier 2008 $21 These amazingly good whites cement Bryan Martin’s place as one of Canberra’s best winemakers. They’re Rhone varieties, grown at Murrumbateman and made by Bryan at the Clonakilla Winery – a top environment, it seems, for making every notable variety in the district. Both taste as … Continue reading Wine review — Ravensworth and Mount Majura
For all the international success of Australian wine (we exported $2.46 billion worth in the year to January 2009, 17% less than in the year to January 2008), our export markets know little of the diverse regional wine styles flowing from our 112 official ‘geographic indications’ (GIs). Our export success to date rests primarily on … Continue reading Taking our wine names to the world
Research being done by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), with help from Canberra’s Jim Lumbers (Lerida Estate) and Frank van der Loo (Mount Majura Vineyard), could have a profound impact on how vignerons control the level of pepperiness in shiraz – Australia’s signature variety. Their work is part of the long history we have … Continue reading Wines sleuths sniff out the pepper molecule
Canberra’s 2009 vintage is underway as I write and will be in full swing when you read this. It’s almost certain to be smaller than the extraordinary 2008 season when, for example, Lerida Estate harvested more than 70 tonnes from a vineyard that ought to yield about 45 tonnes. However, barring adverse weather in the … Continue reading Canberra vintage 2009 begins