2009 Zonte's Footsteps Violet Beauregard Langhorne Creek Malbec

Malbec Grapes

One of the five grapes permitted in Bordeaux blends, Malbec was until 1956 a significant variety in south-west France. The great frost of that year put pay to the oldest vines there and now like Petit Verdot, takes a back seat to the Cabernet brothers Sauvignon and Franc and their mate Merlot. Most vignerons replaced the disease-prone Malbec with more resilient and economically viable alternatives. 

The predominant plantings in France are now found in the Cahors region where Appellation Controllee regulations require a 70% minimum content, Merlot and Tannat usually supplementing the remainder. In that southern region of Bordeaux it goes under the names Cot, Cot Noir or Auxerrois. 

Documented evidence suggests that Malbec has over 1000 synonyms, a legacy of widespread plantings at its peak in 30 different departments of France. It is interesting to note that the name Auxerrois in other regions such as Alsace is an entirely different grape variety. This synonym however may also suggest a hint as to its origins in a town of the same name in northern Burgundy and not as it is recorded, the Cahors region. 

Since the late 1980's Malbec has become Argentina's signature variety thriving in the hot, high altitude Mendoza Valley in the country's west where it avoids vineyard moulds and diseases that had pestered it in Bordeaux. Perhaps not as popular as the maestro Lionel Messi, it has however single-handedly put Argentina on the world's wine stage producing wines of different styles and price points. As its most widely planted variety Malbec or Fer as it is known there, has become the equivalent to the story of Australian shiraz.

If there was a spinoff in the Australian context, Malbec's resurgence, if that is what you call it, has been slow since its heyday a couple of decades ago when it was used primarily in Cabernet or Shiraz blends. With more knowledge nowadays about the health benefits of dark-skinned grapes such as Malbec and Tannat and with the efforts of entrepreneurial and enthusiastic vintners, the future appears positive for Malbec as a varietal wine in Australia.  

Malbec is found in vineyards throughout the mainland states and has thrived at Langhorne Creek for decades.  Zonte's Footstep's first 100% Malbec release packs a real wallop of blueberry. Glass staining opaque purple with an intense nose of smokey dark cherry, plum fruit, violets and the ubiquitous blueberries. Beside the stains, in the mouth you get big dark fruit and rich chocolate flavours playing centre stage. Full, well-rounded with a spicy edge to it that is softened by gentle, velvety tannins. Lingering, fruity finish. A touch flabby in texture and a little too much heat are my only concerns. Nonetheless, this is a wine that is certainly not backward in coming forward !  

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 14.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 88 Points.
Website: http://www.zontesfootstep.com.au/

2012 Sirromet 820 Above Vineyard Selection Verdelho

It's interesting to note people's reaction these days when you mention Queensland wine. Expressions of bemusement, incredulity to a sudden expertise in the state's climate, 'it's too hot and humid to grow grapes there', appear to be the norm. That may be the case in the tropical north where fruit wines predominate and are an acquired taste in themselves. But far further south on Queensland's border with New South Wales lies an elevated, cool climate region perched on the Great Dividing Range called the Granite Belt. With altitudes between 600 and 1200 metres the vineyards in the Granite Belt are amongst the highest in Australia. The climate and the ancient, rich mineral-laden soils make it the state's premier and largest region with over 500 hectares under vine.

Opened in 2000 and the winner of over 500 national and international awards, family owned Sirromet Winery is located at Mt. Cotton between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Assistant Winemaker Jessica Ferguson says that "fruit for this year’s Verdelho was primarily from our relatively young (8 years) Night Sky vineyard (planted to white varietals only), with 15% also coming from the older St Judes’s vineyard" both of which are located in the Granite Belt Region. 

Now I realise that Verdelho is not considered an alternative variety according to the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show classification but for me notwithstanding the fact that it is a grape grown on all mainland states, it does not appear to be front and centre in people's thinking when it comes to white wine, giving it that 'esoteric' factor. Even the trendoid variety Gruner Veltliner got a jersey ahead of it amongst sommeliers, winemakers and retailers in an alternative varieties survey last year, which helps prove my point.  

Verdelho is indigenous to Portugal where it is grown in the Douro Valley but its reputation has come from its vinification into fortified wine styles on the islands of Madeira, east of Morocco. Grown also in Spain's Galicia Region and France's Loire Valley, its successful adaptation in Australia as not only a dry table wine of some complexity but also as both a late picked version and a fortified wine, has made it a truly versatile variety. Verdelho's history in Australia dates back to the 1820's when cuttings were imported from England by wool industry pioneer and pastoralist John Macarthur. 
   
The Sirromet is a pale straw yellow in the glass. Attractive lifted aromas of guava, honeydew melon, orange blossom and spicy fruit salad give the wine a fresh, lively nose. The palate is refreshingly dry, the natural grape acid backbone keeps it vibrant and clean. Cut grass, tangerine and tropical fruit flavours add to form a juicy mouthfeel. A smooth, flavoursome finish. I like the twelve percent alcohol here as some Verdelhos can get too overpowering in that respect. Excellent matched up with a chicken salad. A good alternative to the current market-dominated Sauvignon Blanc glut.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 12.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 89 Points.
Website: http://www.sirromet.com/?referer=foodwinesleep
     

2008 Westend Estate Calabria Private Bin Saint Macaire

The Saint Macaire grape has fascinated me for some time because of its rarity as a varietal wine. No longer grown in its native Graves region of Bordeaux and with little in the way of substantial literature about it, Saint Macaire is truly one of the world's most obscure varieties.  

Supposedly named after the medieval town of Saint Macaire, which is situated on the right bank of the Gironde River 50 kilometres south-east of Bordeaux or because it was widely grown in the region, statistics indicated that around two hectares existed up until the mid-1990's in the region. It appears that together with the other lesser known red varieties Carmenere and Gros Verdot, Saint Macaire succumbed to the dreaded phylloxera louse in the late 19th century and as a consequence, became all but a shriveled memory.

Despite its obscurity on the world stage, it has been resurrected in California where it is sanctioned for use in Meritage reds and in the Riverina Region of New South Wales at Westend Estate. The Calabria range of wines are premium barrel-matured alternative varietals that give the winery more feathers to its already impressive bow and the mantle as the only Australian producer of Saint Macaire. The two hectares of low yielding vines are from thirty year old plantings. 

Intense purple, almost black in the glass, it's like looking at ink. An aromatically intriguing combination of violets, spice, briary notes, white chocolate and bacon fat. The silky textured palate is complemented by black cherries, sweet dark plum flavours, spice and fine grain tannins. Well integrated vanillin oak characters to boot with a long, warm finish. Tastes older than its four years and will still be around for another four. A powerful yet approachable wine that has broken new grounds for not just the Riverina but Australian wine.    

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 13.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 90 Points.
Website: http://www.westendestate.com.au/index.php 

2008 Kay Brothers Amery Vineyard Basket Pressed Mataro

The heritage-listed Kay Brothers Winery in the McLaren Vale has grown Mataro, the Spanish term or Mourvedre to use its French name, since the 1890's. The Barossa Valley has purportedly the oldest vines of this varietal in the world dating even further back to the time of the Crimean War.

Mataro / Mourvedre Grapes

The grape's popularity has waxed and waned over the years in sync with its blending partner Grenache right up until the recent upsurge in GSM blends. The tannins and alcohol of Mataro complement the Grenache with structure in addition to earthy, gamey flavours. Unblended examples are rare despite the varietal's extensive growth in the Vale and the Valley but are worth trying if you can get hold of them. Aged in American oak hogsheads for twelve months prior to bottling, this is the first release of the Kay Brothers Basket Pressed Mataro. 



Deep ruby red in colour with intense smokey, red and blackberry fruit aromas on the nose. Visualise the waft of fruit-laden punnets after a fire and this is what you get. Throw a little licorice, cinnamon and white pepper into the mix and you enhance the intriguing aromatic profile.   The palate reveals more brooding berry fruit flavours and dried herbs in addition to bitter black olives, spicy mince pie and tobacco leaf, which were nice. Leather and an earthiness that led me to think of farmyards, add a certain rustic element to the Mataro that I quite liked too but the alcohol heat disappointed. Fine chalky tannins and a smooth, savoury finish make this medium bodied Mataro a serious and complex wine that will develop further with age. Overall, a wine that I neither liked nor disliked but at an affordable price point, a good example to explore this varietal.  

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 15.0%. Closure: Screwcap. 
Rating: 89 Points.
Website:  http://www.kaybrothersamerywines.com/    

2010 d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne

Roussanne Grapes

The McLaren Vale Region is world renown for its reds, but occasionally some whites appear from under the radar and made you sit up and take notice. This rare beast, a wine made of 100% Roussanne from Chester Osborn's d'Arenberg winery is one of them. There are far more prominent examples of the variety around such as the Aeolia from Giaconda but The Money Spider over delivers for a fraction of the price.

Normally blended with its cellar companion Marsanne to produce the Rhone Valley's famous Hermitage wines, Roussanne on occasions is allowed to reign supreme in varietal wines particularly here in Australia. Amongst a vast number of varietals and eclectic blends on its portfolio, d'Arenberg has championed the Rhone Valley white varieties since the mid-nineties. The Hermit Crab  Viognier Marsanne is a perennial favourite but the Roussanne is one of those quirky varietals that hits on both the pleasure senses and the cerebral front. If you want to experience what qualities the grape brings to the table, then Chester Osborn's example is the one to try first. 

The Money Spider is a complex and intriguing dry wine that will reward patience and perseverance. It pours a brilliant yellow gold colour and the subtle aromatics need a swirl or three to entice the honeysuckle, peach, honey and citrus blossom nuances to lift from the wine. I love the aromatics and further breathing reveals hints of cinnamon spice and vanilla bean. Wow. Worth the price of admission. But wine drinkers and cognoscenti alike do not live on the sniff alone ! 

The palate has this unctuous mouthfeel to it that reflects the exotic aromatics. Bolstered further by savoury pistachio nut, lime and nectarine flavours with an omnipresent honey nuance throughout, it never feels oily, rather balanced, fresh and lengthy. Texturally complex. Underrated in blends, Roussanne can be a diva on its own and in my opinion, this one is a standing ovation. Take a bow. Overall, a varietal that for me is now far more opulent than its stablemates Marsanne and Viognier which pallor in comparison. 

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13.2%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 93 Points. 
Website: http://www.darenberg.com.au/
  

2007 Dog Ridge Reserve Petit Verdot

Petit Verdot Grapes

There's life in this old dog to be sure and I can assure you that this is not a dog of a wine. Sorry about the doggone puns, but it's time to pause now and reflect upon this beauty from the McLaren Vale ! 

Pre-dating Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot has traditionally been used to prop up and enhance its more illustrious counterpart in classic Bordeaux blends. In Australia and California however where conditions are more conducive to its late ripening properties, the grape is often produced as a single variety wine. Indeed, four times as much is grown here as it is in France and the quasi Mediterranean climate of McLaren Vale allows Petit Verdot to ripen to its intense and distinctive potential for which the variety is known. These characters are invariably intense colours, generous and fragrant aromas, rich dark fruit flavours and soft tannins. 


Dog Ridge is a small family-owned winery in the McLaren Vale with vineyards located throughout this premium wine growing region. The small Petit Verdot vineyard is planted over very ancient shallow topsoils with underlying limestone. Viticultural practices embrace biodiversity and sustainability. The variety's small, thick, black-skinned grapes produce an inky purple, glass-staining wine. Opaque and dark. Black as the ace of spades! Allowing time to aerate, there are lifted blackberry, plum, violet and liquorice aromas. A serious and intense nose. Bitter chocolate, spice, notes of oregano and cracked black pepper enhance the underlying firm, dark fruit mouthfeel. Quite a juicy palate, sharpened by fine-grained tannins and acid on the back end. Good weight and lingering soft fruit, mineral finish. I like the varietal expression of this Petit Verdot very much. There will be more planted of this underrated variety in future as global warming envelopes us. Forget your Cabs for the time being, put this impressive wine on your radar and give it a try. Make no bones about it !

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 14%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 92 Points. Website: http://www.dogridge.com.au/

2011 Oliver's Taranga Vineyards Fiano

Fiano Grapes

Oliver's Taranga winery in the McLaren Vale has a history dating back 170 years when the newly-arrived Oliver family from Scotland settled on land they named Taranga, after the word meaning "middle" in the language of the local indigenous Kaurna people. The 2011 Fiano is the fourth vintage and is 100% Estate grown. Minimal intervention was required in the vineyard as the variety is drought tolerant and disease resistant or in the winery as it happens with its ability to maintain moderate levels of acidity and little need for oak treatment.

The grape Fiano di Avellino has its origins in the mineral-rich, volcanic and calcareous hillsides around where else, Avellino in the Campania region of Italy. If you draw a line, it is located roughly north of Salerno and east of Naples. The variety itself dates back to Roman times when it was called Vitis Apiana because its luscious sugary pulp attracted bees (Apis in Latin). The Roman wine Apianum is thought to have been made from Fiano grapes. Earlier records suggest that the Greeks were responsible for its importation and cultivation in settlements throughout Campania. Nowadays, within the Campania region Fiano di Avellino is a DOCG (Denominazione Di Origine Controllata) variety, an Italian governmental quality assurance label that is modelled after the French AOC.

Fiano is a relatively new variety that has slowly made its way onto the Australian wine scene without too much fanfare but with great interest from winemakers and expectations that it will do well in our warmer wine growing regions. Pale straw-yellow colour in the glass with appealing aromas of ripe pears, pine needles and fresh white flowers. Very minerally and crisp on the palate with toasted hazelnut and floral nuances. Slightly orange citric and salty. A fascinating wine that I enjoyed even more the second night where notes of honey and beeswax added to its beguiling complexity. Perhaps serving at a cool rather than cold temperature will show Fiano's true characteristics. It conjures up images of wild, wet and rocky Mediterranean hills. This is a classy, well balanced, medium bodied wine with a refreshingly long finish. I hope Australian winemakers realise its potential here and produce more of the stuff in the future.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 91+ Points. 
Website:  http://www.oliverstaranga.com/

2006 Robert Oatley Vineyards Montrose Omaggio Barbera

Barbera Grapes

It's taken a while for me to write a post on Barbera but the wine I've chosen is one produced in the Mudgee Wine Region of New South Wales. To be more precise, the Central Ranges Wine Zone. Situated on the north-western slopes of the Great Dividing Range the Region's climate is quite different owing to its elevation, to that of the Hunter Valley on the coastal side of the mountain range. 

From the term Moothi, meaning 'nest in the hills' in the local indigenous Wiradjuri language, Mudgee is not as well known as its easterly neighbour, but has an important viticultural history that dates back to the late 1850's and now ranks as the state's third-largest wine region. It is considered that Mudgee was the original home of Australia's original Chardonnay vines, the wines from which were labelled White Pinneau.   

The Oatley family purchased the historic property Craigmoor, formerly Poet's Corner in 2006 and renamed it Robert Oatley Vineyards in 2009. The old Montrose property acts as the family's winemaking headquarters today and is the name of one of the company's relaunched brand labels.  

However, it was back in the 1970's that an Italian winemaker by the name of Carlo Corino was credited with importing Australia's first vine cuttings of Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Barbera planting them at the Montrose Stony Creek's vineyard. The Omaggio, Italian for homage, is a recognition of his legacy to winemaking with these varietals. 

The red Barbera grape is indigenous to Piedmonte in north-west Italy where it is the most widely planted variety and for all the trivia buffs out there, the fourth most planted in the whole of Italy. One of the reasons for this fact may have been that owing to simple viticultural requirements, there were vast plantings of Barbera after the phylloxera blight of the late 1800's. Now, it is the primary grape of Barbera d'Asti DOCG, Barbera del Monferrato DOC and Barbera d'Alba DOC, all of which have different idiosyncrasies of their own and which arguably are the best examples produced from the variety.

Deep red garnet in hue, the Omaggio has complex spicy plum, cherry and blackberry fruit characteristics that are fresh and fragrant on the aromatics. Nice hints of chocolate and liquorice notes as well. Medium-bodied with twelve months of barrel age, this wine is dry on the palate and well supported by the variety's natural fresh acidity and gentle tannins, which compliment in turn its sour cherry, blueberry and earthy flavours. A soft, jammy plumpiness reminds me of a Merlot-type definition. A savoury, chocolatey finish. Cries out to be matched with a wood-fired pizza napolitana. However, it does need a good decant for you to enjoy the secondary fruit characters as for me it tasted better on the second evening. 

Inevitably, comparisons are going to be made with Barbera's testy Piedmontese cousin Nebbiolo as to which will do or has done better in certain Australian wine growing conditions. For this humble blogger, it appears that Barbera has the upper hand at present.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 14.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 90 Points. 
Website: http://www.robertoatley.com.au/home/Default.aspx  

2010 Salena Estate Ink Series Vermentino

Another variety that is now making waves and gaining momentum in Australia is Vermentino. That interest over the past decade or so has come from winemakers in the warmer regions primarily in the country's south-eastern corner. With average temperatures in inland wine regions predicted to rise 2°C over the next thirty years, emerging varieties suited to these climatic conditions such as Vermentino will become important to the consumer as other varieties struggle to adapt. 

A white grape variety grown extensively along the Mediterranean coast from Languedoc-Roussillon in France to Liguria and Tuscany along Italy's north-west coastline, Vermentino's status is also important on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. The grape has a considerable number of synonyms among the most noted being Pigato in Liguria, Favorita in Piedmonte, Vermentinu in Corsica and Rolle in eastern Provence making it seemingly the quintessential Mediterranean variety. Commonly thought to have originated on the Iberian Peninsula and brought to Italy in the fifteenth century during a period where Spaniards ruled the waves, this theory has now been fairly well disproved with more credible evidence suggesting it was indigenous to Liguria, perhaps related to the ancient family of Malvasia grapes. The variety possesses large pyramid shaped bunches and when they ripen mid-season, produce big yellow flavourful berries with great natural acid, minimal sugar content and flavours of ripe pear and citrus.     


Salena Estate is a family-owned winery based in South Australia's Riverland Region and a certified organic production processor. The Ink Series of wines are produced to highlight particular varieties and are invariably limited in their availability. The 2010 Vermentino is pale yellow with a green edge in the glass. A lifted lemon and honey bouquet. Medium bodied that is heightened by good acid, peach and citrus fruit flavours. Dandelion floral aromas on the palate which I like very much. There is something rustic and unpretentious about this wine, yet it is mineral driven and its floral subtleties only confirm why I am enjoying the whole Italian dry white wine variety scene right now. Drink this wine while young and with seafood.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 11.0% Closure: Screwcap. 
Rating: 90+ Points. Website: http://www.salenaestate.com.au/

2009 Olssen Bass Hill Vineyard Carmenere

Carmenere Grapes

If you thought the Carmenere grape had some association with an opera by Bizet, you'd be wrong. However the drama behind the variety could well feature as the storyline for an opera itself ! It is a narrative of the nobility and the working classes, of death and devastation, of loss, triumph and eventual redemption. Perhaps all this is a little melodramatic, but it is as close to any epic human drama as any grape variety will even come to experience.

An ancient and noble variety, Carmenere is believed to be the progenitor of Cabernet Franc and therefore the Cabernet Sauvignon grape with known origins in Bordeaux's Medoc Region and wide plantations throughout the Graves Region. Prior to these facts, the Romans were instrumental in disseminating the variety from its origins in Spain to Italy and eventually to its heartland on the Left Bank . Considered the sixth member of the original vaunted Bordeaux red varieties, it was used primarily for blending purposes there, adding deep crimson colours and aromas to wines much like that other unsung variety Petit Verdot. Despite its aristocratic heritage, Carmenere's cantankerous nature as a beast of a vine in terms of its coulure (poor fruit set), late ripening and high methoxypyrazine content saw it fall out of favour with vignerons, especially in light of the cool, wet spring climates associated with this south-western region of France. 

Now to the story. A petulant variety prone to a range of debilitating conditions, our noble charge is spirited away in the dead of night by foresighted, enterprising migrants prior to the outbreak of the dreaded phylloxera plague. Devastating vineyards throughout France and Europe from the late 1860's, vines didn't stand a chance. Once the ravages of this mass-murdering root louse had passed, Carmenere was presumed to have emulated the way of the dinasaurs, obituaries flowed in tribute. What vines found were too difficult or too damaged to replant with vignerons opting for its hardier fellow Bordeaux varieties that would give them a return on their efforts rather than more misery and heartache. 

Fast forward to the 1990's and Chile. After being presumed lost and forgotten to viticultural history for almost a century and a half, our irascible Carmenere was discovered, thriving in the warm, phylloxera-free valleys of Central Chile amongst other Bordeaux varieties, most notably the hard working Merlot with which it was bended there. Indeed, Chilean winemakers believed it to be a variant of Merlot, the similarities between both vines and leaves were remarkable despite their very distinctive flavour profiles. In 1994 through DNA testing, French ampelographer Professor Jean-Michel Bousiquot revealed to the wine world that the earlier ripening grape of the two was in fact Carmenere. Often described as Merlot on steroids, the favourable Chilean growing conditions had produced a deep, dark and rich wine with smoky, earthy aromas and flavours of black plums, licorice and mocha. 

The story now had come full circle, there was a happy ending to this epic saga, the opera was over. Carmenere had been rediscovered 11,700 kilometres away and was now officially recognised as Chile's own separate varietal, its signature wine. Every grape has its own fascinating history, Carmenere's probably the most remarkable of them all. That kind of story is one of the reasons why I enjoy drinking wine.        

Australia's history with the Carmenere variety is very recent. Cuttings from Chile were imported in the late 1990's with the first vines planted in 2002 after the regulatory quarantine period. The Olssen family's Bass Hill vineyard in the Clare Valley had one of Australia's first plantings of Carmenere. This vintage is its second and the only single varietal to be bottled in Australia. Bright crimson purple in colour - the name carmin actually means crimson in French - with a violet tinge on the glass rim. I get red currents, dried herbs, green peppers and smoke on the nose with a hint of bittersweet chocolate. It's fairly low key and medium bodied unlike its richer, spicier, black fruit Chilean counterparts. Fresh, succulent red cherries, prune juice and light tannins on the palate with an aftertaste of granulated coffee. Had I not known this was a Carmenere, I would have thought, its Chilean comrade Merlot but sans the steroids, had made an appearance ! To paraphrase Miles in Sideways, "this is a well made but ultimately non-distinct wine, there is nothing wrong here, it just wasn't a transcendent wine experience". Nevertheless, kudos to the Olssen family for pioneering this variety in Australia.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 86 Points. 
No website at present. 
   

2010 Hickinbotham of Dromana Taminga

Innovation, foresight, knowledge and quality are the hallmarks of the Hickinbotham Family whose association with wine production in Australia has stretched across a number of generations. Their winery and its vineyards on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula have been deigned to minimise the effects of production on the environment while at the same time ensuring positive and sustainable outcomes to it and the local community. Such is the care and commitment that their mission statement is available on the winery website, a fact not embraced by many others, at least in practical terms.

The Tamnga grape variety was originally developed in the halcyon 1960's decade by the Australian CSIRO to be grown in warmer climatic and higher yielding conditions such as the Riverland Region of South Australia. The term Taminga ('place of the white gum') was derived from pre-European settlement, a name given to Adelaide by the indigenous Kaurna people whose territory extended from the bottom of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the south to the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent in the north.      

A cross between Riesling and Gewurztraminer, the grape combines the floral aromas of Riesling with the spicy characteristics of Gewurztraminer to produce a wine of zesty, mouth-filling intensity. While Taminga was originally intended to produce a sweeter style of wine,  Hickinbotham of Dromana has used innovation and expertise to allow the grape at its cooler estate vineyards on the Peninsula to flourish and yield a distinctly interesting melange of powerful aromatics, spice and citrus fruits. What more could you expect from a variety with such a heritage!   

With changes in our culinary eating culture and the proliferation of Asian restaurants, Taminga is very well suited in standing toe to toe with the fiercest of dishes. Whether it is a nuclear Thai green curry or a lava hot Indian beef vindaloo, it impresses with how it quells the heat and spice while retaining its own integrity. While other whites buckle under the torrid assault and slink off to the background, Taminga does not in any way, shape or form. Often I am amused even bemused to see diners have the heavier reds accompany these types of cuisine but people once frowned if you had reds with fish. It's a personal choice isn't it ? My preference and recommendation to match these incendiary dishes has now changed to Taminga.

Once poured this bright straw yellow coloured wine opens up with some lovely lifted aromas of citrus and fresh flowers continuing on to a ripe mouth filling palate of spicy pear and lime with a hint of apricot and guava action in the background to add interest. Backed up by clean, balanced, crunchy citrus zest, the Taminga finishes crisp and dry. I liked this from the first sip. For wine aficionados and funsters alike, do yourselves a favour and experience this intriguing variety at your next Asian restaurant outing, you will not be disappointed. Drinking beautifully now.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 92 Points. 

Website: http://www.hickinbotham.biz/   

2010 Mt. Franklin Estate Pinot Grigio

There has to be some magical ingredient in the volcanic soils at Mt. Franklin Estate that helps owner and winemaker Lesley McGillivray make such delicious wines. One of three Italian grape varieties produced at this boutique family-owned winery north of Daylesford, the 2010 Pinot Grigio vintage is a superb example of old world finesse blended with big Australian fruit flavours and spice. Fifteen years experience of growing the Grigio grape in this extraordinary terroir has enabled McGillivray to bottle such a delicious wine.    

One could reasonably argue that Pinot Grigio and its French counterpart Pinot Gris, has these days become a mainstream variety in Australia, grown in all states and virtually all regions. Both the Grigio and Gris grapes are the same variety, the difference lies in the style in which the wine is made despite the early ambiguity surrounding what label to use on what wine style. Speaking of labels, if there ever was a grape variety that demands closer scrutiny of a wine bottle's back label, it is this one. 

A grape variety of the species vitis vinifera, Pinot Grigio is believed to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir grape and takes its name from the French translation for 'pinot' meaning 'pine cone', a reference to the pine cone shaped clusters of the grapes. The variety usually thrives in cool climate regions such as in its north-eastern Italian heartland of Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friuli and judging by this regional Victorian interpretation, certainly delivers the goods in environs not too dissimilar. 

Pale straw yellow to the eye with a slight bronze tinge throughout due to the greyish-purple colour of the grapes. Subtle lifted aromas of pear, peach and floral blossom with a little citrus and mineral action permeating the nose. The first thing you notice on the palate is the wine's crisp, off dry style followed by the underlying savoury, mineral notes typical of the variety.  Texturally, the wine is silky smooth, slightly oily but enough steely acidity and pear, lychee and nutmeg flavours throughout to make this a well made, approachable wine with lovely balance and length.

Source: Winery Sample. Alcohol: 13.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 89 Points.

Website: http://www.mtfranklinestate.com.au/

2009 Elderton Wines Barossa Zinfandel

Similar to quite a number of grape varieties, Zinfandel has a controversial past. There appears to be conjecture as to its lineage. Its origins were believed to be a twin of the Primitivo variety of Italy's Puglia region and as having a relationship to the Plavic Mali grape from the former Yugoslav republic of Croatia. However, DNA profiling has now indicated that its genetic root goes back to the grape Crljenak Kasteljanski, which was grown in the Dalmatia province of Croatia. There is even research that suggests original plantings migrating there from Greece.

Zinfandel or 'Zin' as the Yanks prefer to call it, arrived in the United States in the early nineteenth century and despite a hiccup or two along the way, is now considered a signature American wine and the mainstay particularly of the California viticulture scene, popularity and proliferation wise. Our good buddies from across the pond would have us believe that it is their indigenous variety but the truth appears to be that in terms of vitis vinifera vines, it will be the closest they get to an all American variety. Be that as it may, the Yanks are responsible for Zinfandel's prominence on the world's wine stage creating not just the dry and sweet red wine styles but also the uber-popular rose/blush White Zinfandel that caters to the American white wine-drinking consumer market.     

In Australia, Zinfandel hasn't fared as well owing to its similarity to Shiraz and our tradition with this mainstream variety. Margaret River's Cape Mentelle was the first winery to take up the cudgels in the early 1990's and now seems to be the benchmark for Zinfandel in this country. The grape tends to do well in warmer climates where its susceptibility to bunch rot, mildew and uneven ripening - even within the same bunch - may not be an issue.  

This 2009 Elderton Zinfandel is part of the company's Estate Range with the grapes sourced from vineyards in the Greenock sub-region of the Barossa Valley and the Eden Valley. In the glass it exhibits rich dark purple colours. Lifted jammy berry fruit sweetness on the aromatics incorporates hints of spice and plum that flow into a lively textured wine. Pepper of the black variety and chocolate complete the full bodied, dense palate. A little coarse in places, not aided by the heavy heat, which subtracted from the enjoyment. In short, a wine of good balance between its savoury and varietal fruit components but to me, this version wasn't overly generous, there was something missing, a knock out punch perhaps that would have pushed it over the line. A variety to consider as an alternative to Shiraz and one I'll explore further in future posts. 

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 16.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 87 Points.  
Website: http://www.eldertonwines.com.au/

2010 Brown Brothers Crouchen Riesling

    

There are a number of white wines in Australia that are real crowd-pleasers and this unique blend of 67% Crouchen and 33% Riesling from Brown Brothers, is one of them. We all know that Riesling is one of the world's classic white grape varieties but I will concentrate upon the Crouchen component of this blend primarily as it falls under the mantle of rare grape varietal status.

Crouchen or Crouchen Blanc originated in the Pyrenees wine region of south-west France and by all accounts it appears that this obscure white grape variety has disappeared from production there although it does come up as a variety that can be used in the wines of Bearn. South Africa - where it is called Cape Riesling but is not related to the actual Riesling varietal -  and Australia are the only two countries in the world commercially producing the variety.

A fascinating story and identity crisis of sorts emerged in Australia that lasted more than a century before the Crouchen variety was identified in the mid-1970's. Prior to this revelation, the grape it appears arrived in the 1850's from South Africa as Riesling making its way to the Clare Valley. There, it became known as Clare Riesling. It also found its way to the Barossa Valley and Riverland regions where it was called Semillon, which Australians at the time believed to be the Riesling variety! Sanity or something like that prevailed, and the name Clare Riesling stuck around until the eventual identification. Given all these machinations, another intriguing tale narrates that James Busby introduced Sales Blanc or Sable Blanc in the 1830's, both synonyms for Crouchen and a variety used in the Vin de Sable wines of the Landes department in south-west France, adding more complexity to the early history of this rare grape. 

Crouchen is rarely made as a varietal wine possibly because of its neutral flavours yet it does do well in blends. This 2010 blend has a pale straw colour with a greenish tinge to it. Enticing aromas of ripe pear, honeydew melon and citrus are graceful on the nose. The lively palate is not sweet but packed with rich fruity and spicy flavours that are balanced by the Riesling's acidity leading to a crisp yet smooth and generous finish. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this wine, having preconceptions that it would be too sweet for my liking. There is residual sugar but it is well integrated. Serve chilled and drink while young with Asian spiced foods. Widely available from local watering holes to cruise ships on the high seas, believe it or not !        

Brown Brothers has a market stranglehold on the grape and has produced the Crouchen Riesling blend since the early1970's and a further two wines of late using the it in other blends: the Crouchen Sauvignon Blanc and the Crouchen Riesling Rose, where a small percentage of Cienna is used.  

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 10.0%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 89+ Points. 
Website: http://www.brownbrothers.com.au/

2009 Campbells Wines Trebbiano

I can't say if I've tried much varietal Trebbiano in the past. Those that were consumed usually came blended with Chardonnay or Colombard and in four litre cardboard handbags from some winery like Woop Woop Estate. The mere thought of these wines gives me a headache as if I'm suffering some kind of retrospective hangover. But I guess they had their import in the greater scheme of things as far as industry objectives and consumer demand were concerned at the time and possibly still do if you take a look into some retail outlets today. 

Trebbiano or 'White Hermitage' as it was known, has been in Australia since James Busby introduced it in the 1830's. Most plantings are found in New South Wales and South Australia with few these days offered as varietal wines. Campbells, one of Australia's first families of wine now 140 years young, grew the grape originally for sherry production at its Rutherglen Winery in north east Victoria. The slow decline in public consumption of fortified wines towards the latter half of the 1960's meant that in order to meet the increasing popularity of table wines, Campbells reinvented their two white varieties one of which was Trebbiano, into varietal wines. The multiple award winning Glenburn Trebbiano was their first release and a trail blazer for this varietal in Australia. 

Trebbiano is a variety indigenous throughout Italy enjoying the title as its most widely- planted white grape variety and is included in over 80 DOC's. The whites from the Orvieto region of Umbria are probably the most renown of Trebbiano-based blends using a local clone Procanico in the mix. A fun fact. The Trebbiano grape is also used in the production of balsamic vinegar. 
Furthermore, Trebbiano holds second position as most planted vine in the world in terms of acreage, behind the Spanish white grape Airen! The what? It appears however that in recent years the crown Airen wore as the world's most planted grape has slipped, that distinction now held by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Airen still holds the mantle as world's most widely-planted white grape variety.    
Under the name Ugni Blanc in France, the Trebbiano vine holds most widely-planted white grape status and appears to have had more success there than anywhere else. It grows extensively along the Provencal coast, the Gironde and Charente regions where it is mainly used as table wine. In the Cognac and Armagnac regions where it is known as St. Emilion, Trebbiano is used in providing wine for distilling into brandy.

Despite the records and importance in various regions, Trebbiano cannot escape the fact that it produces varietal wines of bland uniformity, better known for high quantity yields rather than for quality vintages. In the glass the 2009 Campbells vintage is a clear mid-yellow in colour. Aromas of honey suckle and dried grass are quite restrained with the palate clean, zesty.and to a degree, mouth-puckering. A light-bodied white whose green peach, lime fruit and herbal nuances are overwhelmed by the tart acidity and alcohol. There's an unpleasant razor's edge feel through to the finish. It's a wine, not unlike Muscadet that screams out for fresh shell fish but without food, I unfortunately cannot call this more than a quaffer. 

Trebbiano's reputation precedes it and it is difficult to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Campbells Wines has probably made a wine as best as it could given the grape's blandness and for that it should be commended.

Source: Retail Purchase. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: Screwcap. Rating: 85 Points.  
Website: http://www.campbellswines.com.au/