May
14
One of the more common requests that I get is when friends need their cellars sorted. I just love to delve into someone else’s cellar so I usually always say ‘yes!’ You just never know what treasures you might find, what forgotten pleasures are to be found.
There is really nothing to it, you just need to get down and get dusty and set aside enough time to get the job done – allowing extra for those trips down memory lane.
What you need: Read More
May
8
This week I found myself consoling a friend of mine about their continued love of bold Barossan Shiraz in the face of a changing tide – particularly stateside where he lives. I have long been an advocate for standing strong for your wine choices, they are your own and no one should take them away. Of course, you should never stop trying something new and widely sampling different wines.
The good news for my friend is that there are some young guns striving to make us take a fresh look at Barossa Valley shiraz. Get set to see wines more elegantly structured and purer in fruit coming from producers such as the Kalleske family, Kym Teusner and St Hallett’s, Toby Barlow. Each with a different story to tell but they come together in creating a fresher Read More
Apr
24
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been evolving, not so quietly but not in the limelight either. Marlborough producers such as Ant Moore, Dog Point, Seresin, Framington to name a few have been doing it openly and blatantly. Offering wine drinkers a more satisfying Sauvignon experience that is.
Cloudy Bay also did their job by launching the Te Koko 1996, a wild yeast, fully barrel fermented sauvignon blanc back in 1999. Today, the 2010 vintage is still showing its silky style setting best that is leaner allowing the smoky toast and minerals to wind through the passionfruit, apricot and cream.
This month Brancott Estate pre-launched their new hero Chosen Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2010 with a masterclass led by winemaker Patrick Materman. A sauvignon blanc that is Brancott’s response to the increasing desire to put a more food friendly, ageworthy face on Marlborough Savvy.
The world fell in love with the pristine fruit of Marlborough, clean and bright like the chilled stainless steel it is fermented in. For those in the ‘know’, it was a life raft in a big buttery sea of chardonnay. Now in Australia, the tide of Marlborough sauvignon blanc is still surging despite the abandonment of many of the original early adopters for the style.
The launch this week is a welcome addition to the growing trickle of wines offering more substance and texture. These richer styles offer a more savoury story. Materman and his team have been working with the aim to make the Chosen Rows a wine that will reward time in the cellar.
When they began this, the ‘Icon Project’, back in 2008 they started with a trial using the grapes from 14 different blocks across Marlborough to find the best fruit to go into such an iconic wine. The results of this trial confirmed that the best parcels came from Brancott Vineyard, which has been the main source of fruit since this new release 2010 vintage. They have been also working on the effects of Thiols, aromatic compounds which change quickly in the bottle effecting ageworthiness and now look for aroma compounds that with develop in the cellar.
Chosen Rows also sees wild yeast ferment and at least nine months in contact with gross lees in a mixture of larger format oak. The result is more savoury aromas and flavours in the wine as well as giving the wine a silky texture in the mouth – no hard edges here. To reduce phenolics, the Brancott team use a Coquard Champagne press to gently press the grapes. A slow process taking up to four and half hours. The use of oak and lees, as well as lower phenolics also increase wine’s cellarability.
Having seen the freshness of the 2009 at four years old, these efforts look set to be a delicious candidate for the cellar. Although it is good drinking now and if you cannot wait up to a decade to see what all the fuss is about, here is a little preview:
Brancott Estate Chosen Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($70 available May 2013). The pungent savoury aromas provide the backdrop for the ripe passionfruit, key lime pie and lemon balm that leaps from the glass. Silk rounds out sherberty acid which dances along the palate finishing dry and long with a sweep of passionfruit. Chosen Rows remains true to its Marlborough roots but this wine is distinctly part of the new guard.
Another surprise on the night was the Brancott Terroir Series Fume Blanc 2011 (NZ$35 at Cellar Door only). They did not think the vintage was strong enough to deliver the required quality and so created this fume blanc style. Ever so silky and savoury spiced cream served with creamy pineapple and lemon tart. Long, generous & a much more food friendly wine than the typical Marlborough offering. Certainly would be a must have if you have the chance to pick up a bottle.
See Brancott Estate for more details.
Apr
18
What does a charming German gentleman, a luxurious high tea fit for any queen and a glorious Autumnal day at gentile The Langham, Sydney have in common? Henkell Sekt! The leading German brand for bubbles, Henkell, was reminding us to give a big ‘Cheers to Life!’ Certainly a good philosophy to take to heart and even sweeter in light of just how well the Henkell Trocken, Rosé & Sparkling Riesling matched that high tea piled high with sandwiches and petit titbits.
Henkell brand ambassador, Klaus Kuerten, highlighted the fact that while Australia’s consumption in bubbles is growing, our friends in Germany drink more bubbles than anywhere else in the world. I have fond memories of being able to enjoy a glass of Sekt in many places where my friend enjoyed an expresso while travelling through Germany and Switzerland. Sekt is as plentiful, as it is refreshing. It is also true however, that if an Australian drinker thinks of German wine at all, Read More
Mar
26
After the thrill of Easter eggs and frill of Easter baskets comes the meal to celebrate the spirit of new life. For some more orthodox religions, this also means the breaking of the fast in a traditional feast with all the trimmings. Where ever you live, whether Northern or Southern hemisphere the milder weather is welcomed. Like we just needed another reason to celebrate!
Easter menu’s range from traditional ham, roast pork or lamb with seasonal vegetables to more modern styles. Don’t forget the seafood/fish feasts for Good Friday (this, I confess, is when we aim to have fish and chips by the beach as a family). Dessert is always the height of anticipation on any celebratory menu and may well be a simnel cake or at least the last slices of it or a simple repast of hot cross buns. These never last long in my house for some reason and perhaps if they did, I would turn them into a bread and butter pudding with a Topaque or Liqueur Muscat sticky caramel sauce.
Whatever your plans, here are a few wine suggestions to make your Easter more memorable …… Read More
