Nick O’Leary Canberra District Riesling 2009 $24 Nick O’Leary Canberra District Shiraz 2008 $28 In Canberra recently, Wolf Blass sunk the boot into Hardys, suggesting they contributed nothing before departing the local wine scene. What Wolfie didn’t say was that Hardys won the ‘champion wine’ trophy (for shiraz) at the local show in both 2005 … Continue reading Wine review — Nick O’Leary, Lerida Estate and Capital Wines
As reported last week Cowra’s wine output recently halved as demand for its grapes evaporated. In response, a dozen independent growers formed Cowra Winemakers to promote the area’s soft, fruity, easy-drinking, inexpensive wines. Like South Australia’s Langhorne Creek and Wrattonbully regions, Cowra’s broad-acre developments fed largely into multi-regional blends. As a result Cowra became perhaps … Continue reading Cowra boutique wines — part 2 of 2
Two weeks ago a dozen independent Cowra winemakers visited Canberra. Their story is a microcosm of the shrinking act now underway in Australia as big makers pull the pin on grape contracts, export and local prices decline, and domestic tastes shift dramatically away from chardonnay to sauvignon blanc. Cowra, the group told me, had already … Continue reading Cowra part 1 of 2 — honey, they shrunk the wine industry
Wolf Blass — behind the bow tie Liz Johnston, Fairfax Books 2009, $39.99 Old winemakers and merchants don’t retire. They push on past the golden years, working until they drop. At 75 years Wolf Blass remains the man behind the brand, owned by Fosters since 1996 – and out of his financial control since 1991, … Continue reading Book review: Wolf Blass — behind the bow tie
In the early days of chardonnay in Australia we probably all gagged on an over oaked vintage and heard the usual jokes… splinters in the tongue, build a weekender out of it… the list went on. Perhaps the most colourful metaphor, though, was penned about ten years ago by UK writer Jilly Goolden. In The … Continue reading Oak jokes are old hat
‘Terroir’, or a sense of place, is the vocabulary of the fine-wine world. It’s the language of regions, their climates and soils and the grapes that work best in particular circumstances. The wine drinker’s fascination with origin progresses to the peculiarities of individual vineyards sites and the subtle differences of wines from various locations within … Continue reading Big makers must deliver the regional message
A recent database published by Winetitles, Adelaide, lists 2320 Australian vignerons, mostly small and sprinkled across southern Australia. As a judge at the recent Winewise Small Vignerons Awards, I was struck by the diversity of styles and high quality now offered by these small makers. Indeed we judged at such a leisurely pace (for a … Continue reading Winewise awards — a view from the judge’s bench
On a recent blustery Friday afternoon, Canberra hosted an international chardonnay shoot-out. The bullets may ricochet around the world for some time. While the event may never take on the legendary status of Steven Spurrier’s 1976 judgement of Paris – where a handful of Californian wines out gunned some of France’s best – the Canberra … Continue reading Australasian bulls eye in Chardonnay shoot out
We may never hear an Australian prime minister saying ‘fair sniff of the truffle mate’. But in the Canberra region truffles are already a highly visible seasonal luxury, with more action to come when recent local plantings bear fruit. At a grower seminar during the recent truffle festival, local producer Wayne Haslam said that 30 … Continue reading Truffle ahead for Australia’s wine industry
Ravensworth Murrumbateman Marsanne 2008 $21 Ravensworth Murrumbateman Viognier 2008 $21 These amazingly good whites cement Bryan Martin’s place as one of Canberra’s best winemakers. They’re Rhone varieties, grown at Murrumbateman and made by Bryan at the Clonakilla Winery – a top environment, it seems, for making every notable variety in the district. Both taste as … Continue reading Wine review — Ravensworth and Mount Majura