Published in The Canberra Times 23 June 2002 The dazzling explosion of Australia’s wine industry is nowhere better seen than at Langhorne Creek, near Lake Alexandrina, South Australia. What was once home to a few small to mid sized wine producers and grape growers, with combined plantings of just 400 hectares of vines in 1992, is … Continue reading 111 years on Langhorne Creek’s Metala vineyard still pumps out a winner
St Hallett Western Front Barossa Shiraz 2015 $14.30–$18 Japanese-owned Lion owns the Barossa’s St Hallett Winery and produces several outstanding regional shirazes. Western Front, made for Woolworths (Dan Murphy, BWS, Woolworths Liquor), sits in price between St Hallett Faith Shiraz ($17) and Gamekeepers Shiraz ($12) – two widely distributed St Hallett wines often discounted by … Continue reading Wine review – St Hallett, Chapel Hill, Jacob’s Creek
Clonakilla Ceoltoiri 2015 Clonakilla vineyard, Murrumbateman, Canberra District, NSW $45 Clonakilla’s push into Rhone Valley wine styles began with shiraz and now extends into varieties once thought to be too late ripening for the Canberra climate. However, in warm seasons like 2015, grenache, mourvedre and cinsault ripen fully and join shiraz in the fragrant, light-coloured … Continue reading Wine review – Clonakilla, Craggy Range, Tate, Yalumba, Jacob’s Creek
McWilliams Appellation Series Syrah 2014 Canberra District, NSW $21.80–$25 Last year McWilliams launched their “appellation” range, devoted to wines from the southern NSW high country. But the company staked its first major claim in the region in the 1980s when it acquired Young’s (now Hilltops region) oldest vineyard, Barwang, from the Robertson family. The new … Continue reading Wine review – McWilliams, De Bortoli, Jacob’s Creek, Penny’s Hill, Leo Buring, Bream Creek
The Four Tonne Project Canberra District Shiraz 2015 6-pack $100 In the 2015 vintage, two Canberra wineries turned four tonnes of excess shiraz from Four Winds vineyard into a tasty fund raiser for Companion House – a provider of support to asylum seekers and refugees living in Canberra. Collector’s Alex McKay and Eden Road’s Nick … Continue reading Wine review – Four Tonne Project, Four Winds, Jacob’s Creek
Jacob’s Creek Classic Riesling 2015 $7.85–$12 Humble Jacob’s Creek often upstages more expensive wines in Australian wine shows. In the recent National Wine Show of Australia, for example, this riesling’s cellar-mate, Classic Pinot Gris, topped the pinot gris class and won the trophy as the best “Dry white, other variety” in the show. Jacob’s Classic … Continue reading Wine review – Jacob’s Creek, Andrew Thomas, Charles Cimicky
Greywacke Pinot Noir 2013 Yarrum and other vineyards, southern valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand $40–$45 Marlborough makes its red specialty, pinot noir, mostly in the light and fruity, drink-now style. However, the area’s cool, sunny climate suits the variety and the best equal those of more glamorous New Zealand pinot regions like Central Otago and Martinborough. … Continue reading Wine review – Greywacke, Soumah, Jacob’s Creek, d’Arenberg, Huntington Estate, and Tulloch
Simao and Co Vintage Fortified 2014 Alpine Valleys and Glenrowan, Victoria $48 This is the story of a seventh generation winemaker, six grape varieties, purple feet and a totally slurpy wine inspired by Portugal’s vintage ports. In 2013, winemaker Simon Killeen left the old family business, Stanton and Killeen, and shortly afterwards struck out on … Continue reading Wine review – Simao and Co, Vickery, West Cape Howe, Toolangi, Schild Estate and Willow Creek
Vickery Watervale Riesling 2015 Brazel, Castine and Koerner vineyards, Watervale, Clare Valley, South Australia $19–$23 This beautiful riesling is a collaboration between riesling master John Vickery (first vintage 1951) and Barossa based Phil Lehmann, winemaker for the WD Wine group, owners of Hesketh Wines, St John’s Road and Parker Coonawarra Estate. Vickery’s involvement extended from … Continue reading Wine review – Vickery, Tar and Roses, Balnaves, Xanadu, Bream Creek, and Taittinger
Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2012 $14.95–$18 Blue Pyrenees vineyard, Pyrenees, Victoria Every so often a wine comes along that runs off the value-for-money scale. The latest, Blue Pyrenees Shiraz 2012, provided camp-fired comfort during a wintery outdoor party. The bottle sat unloved on the bar, ignored as other reds came and went. What turned people off; … Continue reading Wine review – Blue Pyrenees, Jacob’s Creek, Mount Pleasant Elizabeth, Red Knot, Wolf Blass and Moppity Vineyards Lock and Key