d’Arenberg McLaren Vale “The Dead Arm” Shiraz 2007 $60 Grab a magnifying glass and you can read a lovely back-label treatise on the fungus “eutypa lata” and how it reduces an arm of the vine to dead wood (the dead arm) while the other side of the vine bears small crops of grapes of “amazing … Continue reading Wine review — d’Arenberg, Mount Majura, Mount Horrocks and Henschke
Search “Aland Islands” in Google maps and you’ll see the little group separating the northern Baltic Sea from the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and Finland – at the same latitude as Helsinki. Normally the islands mean nothing to beer drinkers. But the recent discovery nearby of what is believed to be the world’s oldest … Continue reading World’s oldest beer
Helm Canberra District Half Dry Riesling 2010 $20 Here’s the full bottle on Ken Helm’s half-dry riesling – it ain’t ‘alf bad. Inspired by a time-proven German winemaking trick, Helm knocked the yeasts on their heads before they’d gobbled up all the natural grape sugar – arresting the wine at a moderate 10.5 per cent … Continue reading Wine review — Helm, Clonakilla and Shaw & Smith
Thanks to my old friend, Jeremy Stockman for collaborating on this feature. Jeremy is a wine show judge, wine consultant and former fine wine buyer for Vintage Cellars WHY WE CELLAR AND CONDITIONS FOR CELLARING Chris Shanahan There’s terrific pleasure in cellaring wine, whether for two years or twenty. It’s about savouring the lovely changes … Continue reading Cellaring for pleasure
Propagandists in the French wine industry portray Australia as one big, hot, homogenous country pumping out vast quantities of “industrial” wine. While our export success with bright, fresh, affordable varietals – largely at the expense of French producers – might be partly to blame for this perception, it’s as far from the truth as a … Continue reading Extraordinary diversity in Oz wines
Nick O’Leary Shiraz 2009 $28 Murrumbateman, New South Wales Vintage 2009 looks to be a great year for Canberra shiraz. This graceful red won the trophy for best shiraz at the recent Winewise Small Vignerons Awards, with Ravensworth 2009, another gold medallist, not far behind. Nick O’Leary sources about 80 per cent of the grapes … Continue reading Wine review — Nick O’Leary, Bleasdale, Dandelion, Chalkers Crossing, Peter Lehmann and Sam Miranda
Domain Day Mount Crawford One Serious Riesling 2009 $20 Henschke Eden Valley Julius Riesling 2009 $25–$30 A couple of smart rieslings here – one from the Eden Valley, the other from neighbouring Mount Crawford. We tested them with Chinese food and both did the job well, though in this situation we preferred the vivid, sweet … Continue reading Wine review — Domain Day, Henschke, Penfolds and Teusner
Along the Great Divide in New South Wales, wine growing regions are striving to establish their identities in the minds of consumers. Mudgee, Orange and Cowra seem to be struggling in that regard. But Canberra has a foot in, thanks to its shiraz and riesling; high, cool Tumbarumba’s reputation for sparkling wine and chardonnay continues … Continue reading Hilltops — making winning reds
Dandelion Vineyards Wonderland of the Eden Valley Riesling 2009 $23–$25 This is a stunning first release for Dandelion Vineyards, the brainchild of husband and wife Zar and Elena Brooks. Dandelion grows its own grapes and sources others from notable vineyards. In this instance, says Zar Brooks, the grapes come from a “centurion plus riesling vineyard … Continue reading Wine review — Dandelion Vineyards, Turkey Flat and Domain Day
The Hilltops wine region, centred on Young, an hour and a half’s drive north from here, emerged at about the same time as Canberra’s. In 1969, just two years before CSIRO Drs John Kirk and Edgar Riek planted vines, independently of one another, at Murrumbateman and Lake George, cherry farmer, the late Peter Robertson, established … Continue reading Hilltops flies solo