Packaged beer drives volume growth The Australian Beer Company, a joint venture between Coca Cola Amatil and Casella Wines, launched its Yenda draft beer range in October last year and bottled versions in March 2015. The company began its push into beer under former Group Managing Director, Terry Davis. Releasing the company’s half-year results on 21 … Continue reading CCA–Casella beer venture headed for top five
Penfolds The Max Schubert Cabernet Shiraz 2012 Barossa Valley and Coonawarra, South Australia $450 This new red marks Penfolds’ continuing move upmarket under Michael Clarke, chief of parent company Treasury Wine Estates. The wine salutes the late Max Schubert, whose deep purple thumbprint still marks Penfolds reds 64 years after he created Grange. Schubert was a … Continue reading Reviewed: Penfolds new Max Schubert Cabernet Shiraz 2012
Torbreck The Struie Shiraz 2013 Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia $45–$49 Like a black hole sucking in stars, Torbreck “The Laird” Shiraz 2010 ($700) held 30 tasters captive, powerless to reach the other nine reds on the table. And little wonder. The Laird’s deep, dark power sucked the marrow from our bones and filled … Continue reading Wine review – powerful Barossa shiraz leads trans-continental Aussie wine line up
Ross Hill Pinnacle Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Ross Hill Griffin Road vineyard, Orange, NSW $40 From 1994, the Robson family planted their Griffin Road, Orange, vineyard at elevations varying from 750 to 850 metres. In 2008, the family added another five hectares at 1018 metres, near their Wallace Road winery. In the benign 2013 vintage, five … Continue reading Wine review – Ross Hill, Chrismont, Tolpuddle, Forester Estate, Torbreck and Mad Fish
Big brewers set to reap the benefits IbisWorld research suggests our big brewers, Lion and SABMiller, are better placed than small brewers to reap the benefits of rapidly growing craft beer sales. The researcher estimates craft beer’s market value at $167 million, following annual growth of ten per between 2010 and 2015. IbisWorld says 147 … Continue reading Scramble for craft funds favours the big
Pipers Brook Riesling 2014 $34 Pipers Brook vineyard, Tasmania Tasmania may well become Australia’s premier riesling-growing region, upstaging the variety’s traditional heartland of the Clare and Eden Valleys, South Australia. OK, let’s include comparative newcomers, Canberra District and Great Southern, Western Australia, too. For Tasmania, the question remains whether the whole island gets in on … Continue reading Wine review – Pipers Brook, Bremerton, Golden Ball, Mount Horrocks, Cross Stitch and Mad Fish
Mornington Peninsula Brewery Sorachi 330ml $4.65 Originally from Cologne, Germany, Kolsch is a pale-lemon coloured beer with pronounced hop aroma and flavour, but comparatively low bitterness. Mornington Brewery’s version emulates the Japanese take on Kolsch, using Japan’s Sorachi Ace hops. The result is a delicate but full, pale-coloured beer with zesty, lemony hops character. Maisel’s … Continue reading Beer review – Mornington Peninsular Brewery and Maisel
Sevenhill Cellars Inigo Riesling 2014 $18.80–$20 Sevenhill Cellars vineyards, Clare Valley, South Australia In 1851 the Society of Jesus established Sevenhill Cellars, the Clare Valley’s first winery. The Jesuits still run Sevenhill from magnificent stone cellars where they make amazingly concentrated wines from their own extensive vineyards. Inigo – the cheaper of their two rieslings … Continue reading Wine review – Sevenhill, Bowen Estate, Yalumba, Penfolds, d’Arenberg and Sassafras
Kaiora Bay Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 $14.99 Marlborough, New Zealand’s biggest, most valuable wine region, accounts for a remarkable $NZ 1 billion of the country’s $NZ 1.3 billion wine exports. Sauvignon blanc makes up 86 per cent of Marlborough’s wine production, while pinot noir, the number two variety, claims only six per cent. … Continue reading Wine review – Kaiora Bay, St John’s Road and Port Phillip Estate
As the Australian wine industry moved into another round of takeovers and rationalisation in 2014, Canberra’s vignerons remained many, small and independent. They released probably more outstanding wines in the year than they ever had before, attracting a remarkable flow of wine show gongs. Treasury Wine Estates was the largest takeover target. After months of … Continue reading A year in Canberra wine, 2014