Wine reviews – Whitton Farm and Collector Wines – Canberra winemakers, Hilltops grapes

22 December 2021People, Vineyard, Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Whitton Farm Hilltops Fiano 2019 $27 The fiano grape, originally from Campania, southern Italy, makes distinctive, full-flavoured dry whites. Jancis Robinson says the variety was first mentioned in 1240, while others speculate it may have been the variety behind the ancient Roman wine Apianum. The heat-tolerant variety finds a home in increasing number of Australian … Continue reading Wine reviews – Whitton Farm and Collector Wines – Canberra winemakers, Hilltops grapes →

Tempranillo from six top Aussie winemakers

9 September 2015People, Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Mayford Tempranillo 2014 Mayford vineyard, Porepunkah, Alpine Valleys, Victoria $38 Though planted throughout Australia and used by about 340 winemakers, Spain’s tempranillo remains a niche variety. Our vignerons harvest just four to five thousand tonnes of it annually, depending on vintage conditions – about one tenth the volume of pinot noir, or one hundredth of … Continue reading Tempranillo from six top Aussie winemakers →

Lesson for Canberra winemakers — always put your best foot forward

7 October 2009WineChris Shanahan

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 →

A barrel of fun — why winemakers use oak barrels

18 February 2007Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

The wooden barrel, one of the most enduring of all wine vessels, was used originally for storage and transportation some 2000 years ago. Its value today, though, lies in its ability to clarify, stabilise and add complex aromas and flavours to wine and set the scene for further flavour development in bottle. Until about the … Continue reading A barrel of fun — why winemakers use oak barrels →

Winemakers push for quality

26 May 1996UncategorizedChris Shanahan

Quality of Australian wine is on the rise and reds will be in short supply for the remainder of the century

Celebrating 50 years of Canberra wine

7 December 2021People, Vineyard, Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

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 →

The Phil Laffer tapes – part 2

10 April 2020People, Uncategorized, Vineyard, WineChris Shanahan

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 →

Canberra chardonnay records the story of climate change

6 February 2020People, Vineyard, WineChris Shanahan

Mount Majura chardonnay picked an amazing 45 days earlier in 2019 than in 1990 What better proxy for a warming planet , experienced on a local basis, than in the harvest dates, over time, of chardonnay table wine from a single site. Mount Majura manager and winemaker Frank van de Loo’s graph reveals the precipitous … Continue reading Canberra chardonnay records the story of climate change →

The Phil Laffer tapes

28 November 2019People, Vineyard, WineChris Shanahan

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 →

Wine reviews – the high country of southern New South Wales

27 September 2018People, Vineyard, Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

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 →

Chris Shanahan

Australian wine & beer judge, writer and connoisseur

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