McLaren Vale Article

 If you are driving down to McLaren Vale, along the scenic route, you will pass through Aldinga and Maslin’s beach which are two beautiful places to sit down and relax with a glass of regional wine. The sand in summer on the beach light and flurry, while the warmth of the sun will ensure you don’t need a jumper to keep you warm. You may even see families packing up their belongings and while their sand castles are still standing from a massive day of constructing that would surely involve a mote to keep the tide at bay. These two places along with others and activities that are in operation around the region are quintessential to the production of the high quality wine and the style of those regional wines. Let us look at the lifestyle within McLaren Vale so we can understand what impact that has on the style of wine from the region.

McLaren Vale was first established in 1837 and named after the Colonial |Manager of the South Australian company, David McLaren. David first arrived into South Australia Kangaroo Island where he set about procuring land for livestock. Quickly he moved to Adelaide and set about forming a trade route from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island. David identified the area of McLaren Vale as an ideal location for the expansion of those farming lands and thus the township of McLaren Vale was formed. During summer, McLaren Vale generally experiences warm sunny days with the average January temperature being 22.3 degrees. Due to the close proximity to the Mount Lofty and Sellicks Hill ranges, the cool air slides down into lower areas which means that nights in the Vales can be cold even during the hottest summer periods during. As the area is a short distance to the ocean the chance of frost or drought is reduced resulting in an abundance of local produce year round.

Today McLaren Vale hosts one of the oldest and largest farmers markets in Australia where local produce is the order of the day. There is a large organic beef, deer and lamb farm only 10 to 15 minutes from the township so expect to see the owner at the markets with his wares neatly packaged in cold storage for you to buy and in many cases cook that night. There are also local bakers, charcuterie specialists, butchers and olive growers. Olives and olive oil was one of the first products to be made in the area and due to the Mediterranean climate is still one of the leading lights within the area. In fact at a recent olive oil tasting held by some of the top chefs in Australia, the top three olive oils all came from McLaren Vale. Seasonal vegetables are in abundance and many of the local restaurants take full advantage of this fact and showcase as much as they can in their menus. The focus on top quality produce is evident in the Harvest festival which occurs once a year. Many top chefs come from all over Australia to conduct cooking courses for the public that showcase their skills but also highlights the produce that is grown up the road and is shipped all over Australia for the top kitchens to use. As the focus is on growing vegetables in ideal conditions and once they run out they are planting the next season’s produce and this is why many of the restaurant menus change frequently.

For a region that only has 2,000 residents, the number of top quality restaurants is staggering. No other location including other wine regions can boast such a quality to population ratio. The three restaurants that best showcase the flavour of the region are Fino, d’Arry’s Verandah and Elbow Room. Fino is located in Willunga, a district within McLaren Vale, and boasts a provincial style rustic earthy menu. The restaurant is housed in a 1980s cottage but the décor makes it feel entirely modern. Expect the menu to change weekly as they only serve what is grown or caught fresh. D’Arry’s Verandah is a modern interpretation of Australian cuisine but both restaurants have received major awards. The new comer to the group is Elbow Room but the head chef and owner, Nigel Rich, was the head chef at d’Arry’s for a long time. All of these players are heavily involved with nurturing the fruit, vegetable and livestock producers within the region and have a menu that matches the wines that are produced around the Vales.

Whilst food and livestock production relies on fertile soils, quality grape production is heavily influenced by poor soils. As with all soil types, the formation of soil occurs over an extended time period. The top soil is formed by plant, leaf and animal decay along with rocks and moss. These younger soils are fertile and heavily influence high production of agricultural products. The lower sub-straight soils are formed over 1000s of years if they are left disturbed. Erosion and natural disasters can set back the ageing process for the formation of ancient soils but luckily in Australia this hasn't occurred. This means that Australia has some of the oldest soils in the world that are used for wine production. The aspects that make these ancients soils so special is two fold. Firstly, in a scientific study that was conducted around the world it was found that the biological elements in McLaren Vale were scarcely encountered anywhere else in world. Secondly, that the diversity within a small area was very unique, which if studied, could result in vastly different wines within the same geographical area. Within McLaren Vale there has been 16 districts identified based on the ancient soil sub-straights. Over time these ancient soils loose the fertile aspects and all that remains are the minerals. These minerals are taken up by the vines and influence the flavour spectrum and structural component of the wine. So do the wine makers know how these ancient soils change these components? No but a board has been set up to investigate this phenomenon. The members of the scarce earth project each year receive samples from each winery in the districts. The processes of documentation and evaluation of wines has been conducted over the past 3 years by a panel of industry veterans and masters of wine. Wines are then selected based on quality to be presented to the public under the umbrella of the scarce earth project wines.

Oliver’s Taranga is a relatively new winery but they have been growing top quality grapes in the Vales for a while now. This year they celebrated their 170th anniversary in the Vales in style. They hosted 170 people in the barrel room and opened 170 bottles for them to taste. The occasion was grand so the extravagance level was big with every big name in the wine industry invited. The event kicked off with musicians, sparkling wines and then moved to an art exhibition with guests having to participate in the show. It would be easy to conclude that their was a lot of frivolous fun that occurred at that event and I can understand why they would want to show everything off as 170 years in the region is a huge achievement. When I interviewed Corrina Wright, who is part of the Oliver family and the head winemaker for the business, she spoke about her team as being one unit and I can see why this winery has fastly developed a reputation for producing high quality wines. Don, the father, is one of the most well respected vignerons in South Australia and produces some of the best quality grapes in the Vales year in year out. In 2011 75% of Grange will be from the Oliver’s vineyard which is a recommendation in itself. Next in the team is Corrina who has one of the best palates in the region and who sits on the scarce earth development board. Corrina has worked at Penfolds previously as a research winemaker in charge of developing all their wild yeast fermentation projects. She is also a virement advocate of finding the right varieties to pair with the appropriate soils and climates. As such Oliver’s experiments with alternative varieties and clonal selections and all of the wines from these successful experiments have regularly been awarded the top wines in the nation for their variety but they are under other people’s labels. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone has tasted the fruit from Oliver’s without knowing it. The most interesting story that Corrina told was one where in 2011 she rejected the fruit from one of her vineyards only for Penfolds to come in and take the whole lot for Grange. Does that go to show that the HJ Shiraz from Oliver’s Taranga has higher standards than Grange? One can only imagine.

Stephen Pannell has a huge history in shaping the quality of Australian wine. He was awarded top 50 most influential winemakers in the world by Decanter magazine, and the first thing that stands out is his thirst for knowledge. He is a fervent believer that if you haven’t tried something before you should try it to see what happens and I’ll give you an example . A parcel of Shiraz comes in to the winery and it feels big and bold in the mouth and another winemaker says I wonder what this would taste like with greater acidity. Stephen says let’s try adding acid after ferment, co-fermenting with a high acid variety and a base wine of Shiraz standing alone. When all the wines were ready they tried them blind and made up their own minds about the quality of each of them before they discussed their thoughts. Now I don’t know what the outcome was for that particular wine but I know that these type of experiments have lead Stephen to develop his wines under his own label. During his upbringing Stephen has worked at many different high profile wineries which include Domaine des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and G.D. Vajra in Barolo. On the home front Stephen has helped establish Wirra Wirra, Hardy’s, Shaw & Smith and Seppelts Great Western as household names in the Australian wine world. However, it is only recently that I have come across his name. Why would this be? I think there are two reasons for this phenomenon and the first ishis phenomenal work load. Stephen is a prolific wine judge around Australia and donates a lot of his time to judging and assisting in raising the profile of Australian wine in our home country and abroad. Secondly, Stephen lets his wines do the talking instead of marketing his wines to death like so many other wineries do. He is down to earth but with a clear knowledge and understanding of what he feels high quality wine should look like. The wines Stephen produces are not huge but they have elegance and length with a balance of acidity and tannin built into the body. He plans to increase his production a little but due to the fact that he works for one of the biggest McLaren Vale wineries, Tinlins, he won’t stretch his legs too far and only work on producing high quality regional wines of interest.

Like Stephen Pannell, Justin Lane, the wine-maker and owner of Alpha Box & Dice, exudes masses of passion and enthusiasm for McLaren Vale but he has striped back his winery only to the bare essentials. When I first saw it I thought I had time travelled back into the 1950s with open top fermenters with no temperature control and wine left on extended skin contact for months instead of your conventional 2 weeks. Justin has come to the realisation that more needs to be done in the vineyard. Justin thinks this begins with selecting grape varieties that suit the climate and geological outlook of the area. This has resulted in Justin using a lot of Spain and Italy as his base and then blending them with each other or other more traditional French varieties. On tasting his wines it is easy to feel the melding of both worlds coming together. Justin has honed his skills by working with a large variety of people and in a diverse range of places such as Hardys in the Vales, to Moldova in the former USSR. Instead of only working with people that have varieties that Justin wants to work with, he has now focused on assisting people change what they plant to suit the needs of the environment. This has meant that he will soon produce an Aglicanico from the Vales. In McLaren Vale he has formed a strong friendship with Drew Noon and has based his business plan on the Noon’s model. This would suggest that Alpha Box & Dice will be producing a large selection of high quality affordable wines that will be accessible to everyone.

Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir 2008's

This was written for Australian Wine Showcase Magazine A few months ago

Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir 2008's

As I wake up today I can see the fog has rolled in outside which makes me feel uneasy.  It almost as if a four piece orchestra should be playing a tune about the impending doom that awaits. Once I am ready to head to the airport I slink into my car only to find that ice has encrusted itself onto every window in my car.  Luckily I carry a large bottle of water for such occasions so I douse the windows with water and crank the heat up to high. On the way down to the airport my mind drifts away to all things pinot noir and I start to feel a wave of energy run through my body. My mouth starts to salivate with the possibility of beautiful wines being poured right in front of me. As I park my car, my mid drifts back to reality which is fortunate as I am now running a little behind time. I quickly get my boarding pass and head down to the gate with my visit Tasmania magazine that I picked up on the way only to find that I am the last to board. Once in my seat I flick open my magazine to find a piece on the cheeses and food culture in Hobart.

As the plane levels out I look out at the most stunning crystal blue sky stretching out as far as the eye can see.  As the journey takes me closer to Hobart, little white clouds emerge which reminds me more of a stiff egg white than atmospheric formations. As the plane starts to make its final decent one thing stands out. Generally as the plane descends, you get the feeling of the temperature warming up but this does not occur at all.  In Hobart the sun is shining but the temperature is an icy cold five degrees when I arrive. Some thoughts start racing through my head as we pull into the terminal like, am I going to freeze or will my spring time English pullover keep me warm as I am led through Pinot Noir vineyards at the winery? Quickly as these two troublesome thought s entre my mind one calming thought takes over which is that Tasmania must be one of the most marginal areas in Australia and that makes for the possibility of exciting wine experiences.

As I drive towards the city center I remember a holiday I had in Hobart a few years ago. It was coming into the end of autumn but it already felt like it was the heart of winter. In the morning I woke up and headed down into Salamanca place on a Saturday morning for a coffee and something special from the local bakery.  What I found was a producers market that spanned the length of the place. The square was built around the 1990s and is lined by monumental sandstone buildings which remind me more of Bordeaux than Australia.  Every Saturday growers from around Hobart travel into the markets to sell their wares to the locals and holiday goers. It was my lucky day on my holiday as the Bruno Island Cheese Company was selling some of the most interesting and tasty cheeses I have ever tried in Australia. The markets are all about discovering what Tasmania and Hobart has to offer and you could spend hours just sampling your way around the little stalls. Alas I couldn't day dream any longer as I had to tuck myself into bed as it would be a long day of tasting and talking. 

The sun had only just peaked its head over the skyline, casting its glorious arms of colourful bright lights which would illuminate my path as I wanted to go for a run before the day began. As I ran across the cobble stone path, towards the bluff I notice what looks like frost covering the grass but I soon realize that those majestic moments will only last a few moments longer as the sun’s warmth would soon melt it all away. Once I start running I quickly forget that it is cold in Hobart and I start thinking about how the day will pan out. After I am ready to go I am picked up and driven out to Granton which is 20 minutes drive along a windy road along the coast. There are a few wineries along the way but it is the museum that stands out as it is architecturally stunning yet a contrast to the surrounding buildings.  The Mona museum was established in 2001 by David Walsh who is an art collector who also happens to be a billionaire. Most of the artwork is from David’s private collection while the building is something that can only be seen to be believed. One could say that it is a beacon for the area. Once we pass Mona it is not long until we arrive at Stefano Lubiana which is situated on a north east facing slope just a stone’s throw away from the Derwent River. This aspect allows for the cool winds to chill the grapes at night if it has been warm during the day but as we have been having the El nino weather system for the last two years it has just been cold all the time. Stefano and his wife Monique planted their first vineyard in 1991 with the white block commencing planting in 1995. The white block consistently produces the best quality Pinot Noir from the Estate and now forms almost 100% of the Sasso label. Stefano wasn’t planning on planting Pinot in the block in 1995 but a friend, Michael, who happened to be in mining but was obsessed with wine went to Stefano for some advice.  They came up with the idea that Michael could plant Pinot in the most marginal of areas on their estate and lease the vineyard from them for 15 years to which he agreed.  Once the vineyard came online the first two crops produced brilliant Pinot which was released under his own label. With the continual success of mining and smelting in the area the company that Michael worked for was bought by a Chinese company who soon moved Michael to China. The Lubiana’s took back the lease of the vineyard and soon after the Sasso label was born.

After passing the white block we arrive at our destination which happens to be a big hole in the ground. The massive hole looks like someone has dropped a bomb and the earth has scattered around the edges but really it is the start of their new wine cave, restaurant and cellar door. Stefano had this dream to build a state-of-the-art elegant restaurant with a cellar underneath that could house his entire production of sparkling wines. They had a budget of $800,000 to compete the project including the architecture’s fees. They went through the arduous task of designing the building with the architecture firm and they ended up with a building that they were very happy with except of thing. The price! The project would end up costing over $2 ½ million. If that was me I would have gone back to the drawing boards but not so for Stefano or Monique as they decided that they could build it themselves for the price that they could afford. When I arrived they had just completed digging out the earth for the cellar. It will result in the wines being stored in the earth that the vines are in just a few hundred meters away. Once it is complete the restaurant will take its fresh produce from the vegetable patches that lie just at the bottom of the building . What could be more exciting than that? Well, Stafano has been cultivating his own unique Pinot Noir vines over the past 2 years. They are unique to his vineyard as they are from the natural fertilization between the vines he has on his property. Over the course of his trials he will select the best quality producing vines and plant them out into a single vineyard which may become a single vineyard wine. This is an exciting period for Stefano and the Australian wine scene as this project will result in a truly authentic representation of Pinot Noir from Tasmania which may result in more people becoming enthused and trying to produce their own unique wines.

In the winery everything is geared up for experimentation and refining of skills but what do I really mean by that. Well, there is a section set aside for oak Rieslings, which this year comes in at 10 barrels.  Stefano tastes then regularly to track the development but hasn't made a decision as to what he is going to do with them. He could make a single vineyard limited release wine or blend it into his premium label to fill out the mid-palate and increase the textural component of the wine. Right next to these barrels lays an amphora which is a clay fermentation vessel that resembles a large chicken egg. Stefano is also experimenting with extended maceration and he is doing this in a science based manner. He has found out that the Europeans have been doing extended maceration for some time now but it is the Slovenians that have been documenting the effects. Stefano has got his hands on the research and is following up with those techniques. As a result of his trials Stefano now allows all of his red wines to have extended contact with their skins but it ranges from an extra 2 weeks for his Primavera label to an extra 2 ½ months for his Merlot. This means that he selects particular parcels for extended maceration and then allows them to develop slowly. The only thing that is used in the winery is a little sulfur which would mean that this winery is at the forefront of natural wine-making. All of the wines taste clean and structured which is at odds with many natural wine-makers in Australia but the wines do possess that extra flavour and easiness like so many European natural wines.

It was a lot to take in as we work our way through the winery but it was magical to sit at a long wooden table with three glasses of Pinot Noir from the experimentation that has occurred over the last 6 years. The below wines are the first release from the trials that were kept separate in 2008. Stefano could keep these separate as the yields were a little higher in 2008.

Selection 1/3 Pinot Noir 2008

There is only 480 bottle of this extended maceration wine which makes this as scarce as hens teeth. The wine spent 146 days on skins and was bottled under cork. On the nose the wine seems to be bursting from the seams with masses of dark fruit and spice sprinting out of the glass. Once the wine enters my mouth it coats every last millimetre of vacant space. It has texture and brightness in a dirty earthy sort of manner with fruit flavours of cherry and wild boar. The flavours aren't really the thing that sets this apart from most of the other top quality Pinot Noir in Australia; rather it is the wealth of tannins that latch on to my mouth and never let me go that takes this into the stratosphere.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $60

Rated: 95

Drink: Give it another 6 years and it will see its 15^th birthday

Selection 2/3 Pinot Noir 2008

This wine was fermented in a more conventional manner as it was fermented in stainless steel tank for 16 days with only the MV6, 115 and 116 clones used. The wine smells sweeter than the previous wine and also more approachable. This transfers onto the palate but the brightness is evident like the previous wine. The flavours remind me of summer when I was a kid as I was obsessed with raspberry sorbet and caramel swirls. One could almost call this bottled childhood but I won’t go that far. There is a softness to the palate weight and a lightness to the delivery of flavours which makes this very appealing.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $60

Rated: 92

Drink: Whenever you want

Selection 3/3 Pinot Noir 2008

The last of the trio was selected due to the sub-soil and is a combination of two vineyards, the white block and red block. This wine is a balance between lightness and richness as there is a rose petal and cherry blossom component over blueberries, dirt and sweet aged vinegar. The mid-palate is super rich and there is a treasure trove of chalk tannins coming through which makes me think I should give this another 5 years for it to show its true potential.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $60

Rated: 94

Drink: 2017 - 2024

Chardonnay Skins V Non skins

I am making two white wines this year, both from Chardonnay which I buy from a high quality grower in the Adelaide Hills.  Both wines were picked on the same day from the same part of the vineyard. I selected the picking date due to the flavour profile of the grapes. I have never bothered to get my wines analysed as I trust my own palate.  As I now make my wine up the road from my house and they have the facility to test the wines I decided to get my wines tested yesterday and these were the numbers.

Skin contact 20 days Chardonnay

Alc: 12.8%
TA: 6.8
PH: 3.56

The wine has gone through full malo already and was wild fermented with no addition of sulphur at any stage.

No skin contact and whole bunch pressed straight to barrel.

Alc: 13.3%
TA: 8.0
PH: 3.3

This wine has gone through full malo already and was wild fermented with no addition of sulphur at any stage.

Sangiovese - Australia V Italy

About three months ago I was sent a huge amount of Sangiovese from Australian and Italian producers and here are the results. I have tasted through all of them but are still in the process of writing up my notes but there are a few things that stuck out in my mind. Sangiovese has moved into the mainstream for Australian consumers and for total plantings around the country.  As it is now a household name, the quality has risen from poor to now being good to very good.  The areas that stands out the most are Beechworth, King Valley, Bendigo, Heathcote and McLaren Vale but the bigest surprise comes from Margaret River.  Carpe Diem has produced two beautiful wines in a more savoury style, that needs a bit of extra bottle age to show its best.  Each of the Sangiovese based wines from this producer follow the Italian train of thought so they are blends with Sangiovese taking the centre stage. The list of the top 6 Sangioveses in the country are listed below.

The top 6 Sangiovese wines in Australia

Castagna La Chiave 2009
Castagna Un Segreto 2009
Coriole Vita 2009
Pizzini Rubacouri 2005
Sutton Grange Giove 2009
Vinea Marson 2010

Coriole provides Sangiovese in the form of a full bodied wine with a little Cabernet in the blend, while Castagna La Chiave sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.  All of these 6 wines should be tasted if you are into top class Australian Sangiovese.

On the other side of the coin. The wines from Italy have dropped in price, due to the strength of the Australian dollar, and the quality of the Italian wines has risen.  This rise in quality resulted from a perception that the majority of wines from the country were very rustic or dirty due to extended maturation in oak barrels, up to ten years, and sloppy winemaking practises.  Italy has changed its whole philosiphy and is now turning out some of its best wines made from a large variety of indiginous grapes that are unique to the area. The country prides itself on producing wines that pair well with food in a meduim bodied savoury style which is everything that consumer is moving towards at the moment. Watch out for quality imports competing with the Sangiovese based wines from Australia.

The Legend of Terroir part 2

The Adelaide Hills wine region spans a vast mountainous range with differing varieties planted at different altitudes over this large region of 795 square kilometers. As many wine makers in this region are focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir this article will outline some of the characteristics of the region followed by the history of Chardonnay and the type of winemaker that endeavours to craft quality Pinots. 

Image from Trip Advisor

It is coming into summer in the Adelaide Hills and the plant life is going wild. In fact due to the cool climate and healthy rainfall during the winter months the flora and fauna is thriving.  The fruit set has come through on the vines, while the maple trees have started to put on a large amount of bright green leaves which has meant that the areas that have embraced the local markets look particularly brilliant.  Many communities have gone further with their art and cultural displays which may account for the close community feel that pervades every district.  Most Saturdays and Sundays you can drive down to the farmers market to purchase the seasonal fare which last week-end happened to be Woodside’s turn.  The markets are not the most formal of events, almost all of the stalls have been set up by the farmer that planted the produce and then picked the day before bringing it down for sale.  This particular day the cherry man was out in force. His cart was filled with lush dark red cherries that seemed to glisten in the sun, inviting me over for a taste.  As the season was a little late this year due to the unseasonal cool weather I am definitely in for a fix of these juicy small wonders.  It is brilliant that so many towns in the Adelaide Hills have embraced the seasonal and regional food as it makes visiting each and every town exciting and unique. Two things that I think food and wine should possess. Come the start of autumn, when the leaves start to change to a darker red, brown or yellow the atmosphere in the hills is electric.  It is an experience sitting in a winery as the leaves gently rock back and forth moving closer towards the ground. If you get a chance to visit the area, I would try to organize it for the change of season as it is spectacular.  As the region has ideal growing conditions for strawberries, stone fruits, cherries, apples and pears the climate lends itself to the cooler climate varieties. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are two such varieties and in many examples of wines from these grape varieties taste like the types of fruits that grow in the area. It’s as if the wines have absorbed the essence of their environment, especially if they are made into a sparkling wine. 

When winemakers talk about cool climate varieties it would be interesting to know what they mean and how cold is a really cool climate.  In fact the region was first recognized as a potential premium grape growing region as a result of Brian Croser and Stephen George understanding that in other regions around the world, such as Alsace and Burgundy, cool climate varieties do best in areas that successfully grow fruit trees such as apples and pears.  The Piccadilly Valley which is located in the heart of the Adelaide hills has an average January temperature of 17 degrees Celsius whereas the Barossa’s average January temperature is 23.  The Piccadilly Valley is the coolest of the Adelaide Hills sites followed by Lenswood and Woodside. As you move further south towards Mount Barker the average temperature rises to 22 degrees during January. This means that while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay may reign supreme, other varieties such as Sangiovese and Shiraz may shine in areas further south. 

Winemakers are starting to understand that varieties need to be placed in an environment that suits their needs, which is something that the Cistercian monks understood in Burgundy. Many believe that Chardonnay originated in Lebanon as they were one of the first in the world to produce wine.  Recently a DNA analysis has discovered that Chardonnay is the lovechild of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, a near extinct native variety of Croatia.  As Pinot Noir and Chardonnay now live together in Burgundy, Central Otago in New Zealand and Adelaide Hills. The Cistercian monks noticed that the cross pollinated variety produced medium sized berries on tightly compacted bunches so they decided to plant a separate vineyard.  As looters were a problem during this period the monks built a wall around the vineyard to ward off any potential problems.  The walls still stand today around the Clos de Vougeot vineyards in Burgundy.  It is no wonder that Pinot and Chardonnay like similar conditions as they are related.

What is interesting is that Pinot is even more fickle and difficult to grow than Chardonnay. Many winemakers and connoisseurs regard Pinot as the Holy Grail of wine experiences. It drives people to extreme lengths to produce a quality wine or to spend obscene sums of money to secure a bottle of the elixir. Quality Pinot requires a delicate hand and a great understanding of the vineyard and conditions but when it is done well the wine has an ethereal quality that has depth of flavour yet is light on the palate.  As a result is it often described as a combination of extremes in one bottle.  Generally the variety is medium bodied with a fine tannin structure and bright natural acidity which makes it perfect for a diverse range of food flavours.   When I was thinking about the people that are all consumed by the pinot grape I started to think what type of winemaker would pursue such a difficult variety.  I pictured them as an earthy sort of person that doesn’t shower as that would be a waste of time that they could have used to focus on nurturing those vines.  They would either live in a semi built house or in amongst the vines so they could feel the heartbeat of the vineyard. These small bands of driven winemakers pursue an almost unattainable goal of perfection but when they do get it right I’ll be one of the first to buy a bottle.

With Chardonnay and Pinot Noir considered the leading light in the Adelaide Hills I tasted extensively from wineries in the area and four wineries were clear leaders in quality and style. The first and the only one to focus almost exclusively on Pinot Noir is Stephen George from AshtonHills.  When you drive up towards the cellar door on a rough dirt road you get the feeling that he is the type of winemaker that is my stereotypical Pinot maker.  The cellar door is a quaint rustic tin shed that looks like it was built before time, but it does provide perfectly for an experience for your taste buds once you start his tasting journey.  Stephen comes across as friendly yet thoughtful and deeply patient.  He has recently finished a 20 year vineyard experiment on clone selection.  He has documented over that period which pinot clones produce the best quality grapes and he has started to plant them out into the rest of the vineyard. This patience is an underlying factor for producing quality wines and Stephen thinks that to show the best quality he needs to be out in the vineyard constantly.  When I arrived he was shoot thinning and in the coming weeks will be shoot positioning.  When asked what type of winemaker he is Stephen replied that he isn’t a winemaker he is a farmer.  The vineyard at Ashton Hills is located in the coolest part of the Adelaide Hills, which has similar climatic conditions to Alsace and Burgundy, so Pinot Noir is the leader of the pack with aromatic whites coming in a close second in terms of quality. Stephen is now adapting his varietal mix to suit the conditions of his vineyard so Pinot Noir will be the majority of the planting with Pinot Gris coming in second.  When you taste his wines you can see how much care and attention has gone into them.   They are slow to evolve in the bottle yet they are an honest expression of the vineyard and the climate for that particular year.  It’s sort of an expression of Stephen himself.

Whilst Piccadilly Valley is extremely cool, the wines from Shaw and Smith, which is located in Balhannah, are from a slightly warmer area.  Martin Shaw crafts immaculate Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc from his estate and a small vineyard in Macclesfield.  When I first met Martin he was dressed neat casual yet it felt like it was decidedly within a business attire structure.  His attire and demeanor was elegant and sophisticated and made me feel at ease.  Once we sat down he talked honestly about the problems that the industry faces and the ways that he and his team are tackling these issues.  You could see the intensity and focus on his face.  Martin talked about how the Adelaide hills has proved itself as a producer of quality Sauvignon Blanc which I definitely agree with but when I tasted his Chardonnay and Shiraz I was extremely excited about these wines. Martin’s personality is personified in his cellar door.  It is a beautifully constructed building that would fit perfectly in an architectural magazine with floor to ceiling glass windows allowing the patrons to look out over the massive lawn area and the lake that is home to a squadron of ducks and ducklings.  The grassy area would be perfect for a picnic on a warm summer’s day with a glass of Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc in your hand.  The grass is so lush with every blade standing to attention it almost feels like a crime to sit on it. I think that this is the length that Martin and his team go to produce an absolutely spectacular experience.  When I got home I opened the wines from Shaw and Smith and started writing my notes.  Over the five days that they were open I noticed some words that were similar to the words that I had written in relation to Martin.  Smart, Sophisticated, Honest and Focused. It is as if someone has crammed Martin into every bottle of Shaw and Smith.  I would recommend going out and grabbing a bottle today and freeing Martin from his glass prison.

Just next door to Shaw and Smith, Rod Short from Romney Park is crafting some unique and restrained wines from his seven acre block.  Rod is a one man band when it comes to his whole production.  When I visited his vineyard and winery he was madly working away amongst the vines.  Everything is done by his hand and spring is one of the busiest times of the year.  Since retiring from full time work, Rod decided that a little hobby farm with some vines planted to a variety of different grape varieties would be the best way to occupy his mind and keep him invigorated.  He now works longer hours than he did before retirement. When tasting his wines you will understand that the time has definitely paid off.  Over the fifteen years since planting the vineyard, Rod has slowly pulled out and replanted the space to the varieties that produce the best quality. He thinks that Chardonnay is the leading light on his estate.  That’s not to say that his Shiraz or Pinot aren’t good but the Chardonnay and the Sparkling Blanc de Blanc are consistently exceptional. The Romney Park philosophy is to treat the grape with respect by not doing much with them.  They are handpicked and moved to the winery which is located 50 m from the vineyard then the free run juice is gently pressed off into French oak barrels.  The wine then stays there until it is ready to bottle.  As we sit next to his pond and talked about wine making it is easy to see that he loves his land and treats it with the utmost respect.  He takes this a little further with his pest control team.  They consist of five guinea fowl which spend every waking moment roaming the vineyard consuming anything that moves.  You could say they are on a search and destroy mission for pests.  Rod certainly runs his vineyard under sustainable practices and the vines are ultra-healthy as a result.

Ngeringa has taken the sustainable practices a little further.  Their vineyards are located near Mount Barker so the temperature is a little warmer again and therefore Erinn and Janet Kline have predominately planted the vineyard to Shiraz, Chardonnay with a little Pinot and an experimental block with every Mediterranean variety under the sun.  The Estate is run using a closed loop farming technique which basically means that they use animals such as sheep to keep the weeds and pests to a minimum.  All the byproducts from the animals are used as fertilizer for the vineyards and their vegetable and grain patch while the excess food and grape product feeds the animals.  I love this philosophy as it has a low impact on the environment.   Due to the elevation, Erinn believes that he is best suited to produce an elegant food friendly Shiraz and Chardonnay with great depth of flavour on a medium bodied frame.  When you look at the Ngeringa vineyards you can see a lot of experimentation going on.  Errin believes that Sangiovese may have a fine home in the Adelaide Hills but he has a project currently in operation to see which clone produces the best quality.  Since Errin is experimenting with many European varieties it is no wonder that a lot of overseas winemakers come over to help with vintage.  I guess this promotes conversation and discussion regarding best winemaking practices.  You can see in the Ngergina wines something special and that has to do with the structure that runs through all of their wines.  They pull you back for another sip.  Erinn is extremely happy with his upcoming 2010 releases and says that they will be totally different to his 2011s.  The 2010 vintage was a near perfect ripening season so expect pepper and spice and all things nice in his Syrah while the 2011 vintage was very cool which means that the acid structure will allow these wines to develop for decades. 

As a group these four producers talked about the vineyard as being the most important aspect in producing quality wines.  Whilst all of them focus on different varieties they have worked out which variety is best suited to their climate and all of them are continually experimenting with refining their plantings.   Below are the tasting notes from the wines from these four wineries and I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite between the lot of them.  What is clear is that the Adelaide Hills produces some spectacular elegant wines of distinction.

The Legend of Terroir

Regionality is the buzz word in the wine industry at the moment. This partly due to the vast range of Australian wines on the international and national stage and the opportunity to define them in a more specific manner. Some American and European wine press have in the past referred to Australian wine “tasting all the same”. What they are really referring to is the more famous Barossa, McLaren Vale or blended wines from a multiplicity of wine regions as these were the large proportion of wines shipped overseas.

The distance and difference between the regions of Australia allow wine makers to create wines for all palates and showcasing regionality lets other styles shine.  Let me take you through the journey that is the legend of terroir with four questions that spring to mind when people refer to terroir or regionality .–

• What is it?
• Why is it important?
• What interferes with the expression of it? and
• Who is doing it best?

Let’s look at each question and then announce which 3 wineries from the Barossa that express the region spectacularly.  In the following articles I will look at other regions within Australia. What is regionality? It is what makes that wine special, unique, giving it a sense of place.  The end result is when you open the bottle of wine and the aroma rises out of the bottle to transport you to the time and place where it was grown.  Regionality is important, as it is the expression of a particular place that makes it very difficult for others to replicate. 

When Australia burst onto the international scene we produced well constructed, clean wines that were fruit driven compared to many of the French, South American and South African wines that had winemaking faults riddled through them.  Now the rest of the world has cleaned up their act while still maintaining their regional heritage.  It is relevant to turn the attention to what interferes with the expression of regional wine.

Regionality gives the bottle of wine a sense of place and uniqueness and is important for marketing and protecting the individuality of the wine. We now turn our attention to factors that influence the degree that regionality is expressed in the wine. Specifically, the viticultural and winemaking processes will be assessed. Many winemakers would argue that the expression of regional wines comes down to the vineyard and the age of the vines.  The older the vines, the deeper the root system and the greater the vine has to draw intake of soil substrates.  While I agree that the vineyard plays a major role, I would propose that the vineyard management plays an equally vital role.  Generally lower yields, canopy management and whether it is dry grown or irrigated plays a critical role as the greater the irrigation and higher yield the greater dilution of flavours. This is the “regionality” of the wine.  Another major component is how long the grapes spend on the vine.  You get two things if you let the grapes sit on the vine longer; one is an increase in alcohol and the second is a change in flavour.  The profile moves vibrant fruit that tastes like you have picked from the bush or tree to currants, port or baked fruit.  Try leaving a tub of blackberries in the oven for 45 minutes at 180 degrees.  It doesn’t matter where the wine originated from, if they are left sitting on the vine too long these flavours work their way into the wine.

Everything in the vineyard plays a huge part in determining the quality of the regional expression but we will turn our attention to the winemaking process that influences the degree to which it is expressed.  Generally some whites and most red wines are treated with oak, so logically the choice of oak would have an effect on the expression of regionality.  There are two main types of oak barrels, American and French.  American oak imparts sweet flavours like coconut, bourbon and vanilla.  Compared to the French, the American oak is quickly absorbed into the wine which can dominate the aromatics of the wine.  French oak on the other hand slowly imparts flavours of spice, toasted almonds, jasmine or roses.  French oak also transmits a silky tannin structure.  It is a real tight rope for winemakers then they use 100% new American oak, if they want to express the regionality.  That does not mean that the quality of wines that are aged in American oak are lower, rather the quality of the grapes has to be higher to fully articulate their regional background.  The vineyard, vineyard management and oak play the major roles in expressing the sense of place in a wine, but how the wine is fermented provides the icing on the cake.

When it comes to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol the type of yeast plays a vital role in adding flavours and textures. There are options galore when it comes to different types of yeast, so I’ll divide them up into the following groups: wild ferment and super charged strains.  If you have ever brewed beer at home you will know that you can pick different strains of yeast to add particular flavours to your beer.  The strains they use in wine do pretty much the same thing.  Wild yeast is common in the environment especially in close proximity to sugar rich food such as grapes.  They lay on the skins waiting to convert the sugars into alcohol. One could say they are the party animals of the organism world. These ferments are generally longer to start and take longer to finish the process.  Generally the artisan makers are the only ones that are doing this and this method results in a unique commonality running through the whole of the range. 

Who is doing it best?

I have had the pleasure of tasting a  wide variety of wines from the Barossa Valley in South Australia  and have selected  three wineries including, Spinifex, Michael Hall and Shobbrook Wines, that beautifully express the characteristics of the region and sub-regions.  From interviewing all three winemakers on the same day the first thing that stuck out was the passion that all three showed.  It was cascading out of each of them and I must admit that rubbed off on me.  You could say that I had an extra spring in my step.  Peter Schell from Spinifex grew up in New Zealand, which is where he met his wife Magali Gely, and moved to the Barossa to pursue an education in winemaking.  After completing his formal education he and his wife travelled the world completing vintages in Burgundy, Provence, Languedoc, Bordeaux and New Zealand before settling down in the Barossa Valley.  It was here in the Barossa that Peter could work with some of the oldest vines in the world including 100 year old Mataro, Ugni Blanc and Shiraz.  Peter works with family growers who have a deep understanding and passion for producing high quality grapes in a respectful and sustainable manner. Similarly, Michael Hall scoured the world to find growers that respected the land, growing sustainable grapes with varieties that suited the climate.  Michael grew up in England where, in his early 20s he developed a passion for wines.  This was the time in England when wine bars started to become popular.  Michael recalls reading Oz Clarks Wine Guide and being inspired and stimulated to be taken on a journey to taste all of the wines from his readings.  He settled in the Barossa where he now makes diverse wine styles like cool climate Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills and full bodied Shiraz all within one hours drive from his home.   Throughout his winemaking journey, Michael Hall has worked with many of the icon wineries within Australia and the world, including Domaine Leflaive, Vieux Telegraphe, Giaconda and Cullen. You couldn’t have asked for a more impressive resume.

Unlike Peter and Michael, winemaker Tom Shobbrook from Shobbrook Wines grew up in the Barossa but travelled to Chianti, Italy to do a vintage overseas.  He ended up staying for eight years where he worked as the cellar master for Riecine which meant he was in charge of overseeing the grapes within the vineyard to the time they left the winery in the bottle.  His time in Italy cemented the concept of quality in the vineyard translated to ease of work within the winery to produce the best possible wine in the bottle.  Tom definitely has a strong sense of respect for the vineyard and pushing the viticultural boundaries to express regional wine that are food friendly and exciting.   The common theme that they talked about was a respect for the land and vine where the people that farmed the land created an environment where the ecosystem was allowed to thrive and produce grapes that showed vitality, harmony and balance.   They spoke about how it is an exciting time in the industry as people are just coming to understand the link between sustainable farming, a connection to land and unique quality wines.  When they spoke about where they saw the wine industry in five years time both Peter and Michael said that he thought the focus would be on high quality vineyards and an increase in the perception of high quality Australian wines worldwide.  Tom thought that education is important where open minded people could discuss viticultural practises and the impact on the quality of grape production.  In the end you can see that these three winemakers are experimenting with viticultural practises to forge ahead with producing quality regional wines.