Mistletoe Hunter Valley Semillon 2007 $17, Reserve Semillon 2006 $20 There’s a paradox in Hunter semillon. The very warm climate ought to produce alcoholic, fat whites. Instead, early-picked Hunter semillon has a delicacy and at times austere edge — and a trim ten per cent alcohol – more akin to whites from very cool climates. … Continue reading Wine review — Mistloe Hunter Valley Semillon, Chardonnay & Shiraz
At Len Evans’ wake a few months it was inevitable that in the kick-on party venerable old bottles of Hunter shiraz and semillon appeared. Served on Len’s home turf these regional specialties hit the spot. But to the unconverted they remain idiosyncrasies. Idiosyncratic is a key word here for each is as eccentric as it … Continue reading Idiosyncratic or idiotic? — Hunter semillon
The release this week of the magnificent McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2000, reminds us that greatness is often accompanied by idiosyncrasy. And in the case of Hunter semillon, idiosyncrasy begins with a paradox. How can a comparatively delicate wine style emerge from such a warm, humid and wet climate? Haven’t we been told for … Continue reading Lovedale Semillon and the emergence of a Hunter specialty
Vineyards in the vicinity of Griffith, New South Wales, produces large volumes of semillon mostly for anonymous, cheaper dry table wines. But thanks to botrytis in this humid riverine environment, and a bit of human ingenuity, luscious stickies have emerged as the variety’s high point
It seems a paradox that the warm, humid Hunter Valley produces such delicate, low-alcohol, long lived semillon. Phil Ryan makes some of the greatest at McWilliams Mount Pleasant Winery
‘Hi Chris, tell me what you think’, Andrew ‘Spin’ Spinaze scrawled on a paper scrap 20-odd years ago. His note accompanied a bottle each of cork and screwcap sealed Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1998, a wine revered for its great longevity. Plagued by failed corks that tainted or oxidised too many wines, Tyrrell’s tested alternative … Continue reading Cork Vs screwcap Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Semilon 1998
As Canberra wine celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, it’s fair to ask why, in 1971, two smart CSIRO scientists planted grape vines in sheep paddocks? Could the same soils and climate that produced fine wool also ripen wine grapes? Following different paths, and unknown to one another, Dr Edgar Riek and Dr John Kirk concluded that … Continue reading Celebrating 50 years of Canberra wine
An insider’s view of the Australian wine industry and the Jacob’s Creek brand Transcription of an interview with Phil Laffer, Canberra, 16 March 2006 Jacob’s Creek people The winemakers If you’re going to be a good winemaker you have to be passionate about it. And that means passion about wine, food, people vines and a … Continue reading The Phil Laffer tapes – part 2
An insider’s view of the Australian wine industry and one of its successful brands The following is a transcript of my interview with Phil Laffer at Roland Flat, Barossa Valley, 14 March 2006. The interview was one of two I conducted with Phil for the production of The view from our place, a booklet released in … Continue reading The Phil Laffer tapes
The tasting notes in this post represent a wide range of wine styles from regions sprinkled along the Great Dividing Range in southern New South Wales: Tumbarumba, Orange, Gundagai, Hilltops and the Canberra District. I wrote the notes for Jugiong Wine Cellar website. The cellar (located at Jugiong, between Yass and Gundagai) lies at the centre … Continue reading Wine reviews – the high country of southern New South Wales