Winestate Magazine July - August 2021

WELL, THINGS ARE CERTAINLY CHANGING IN THIS EVER-ADAPTING COVID AFFLICTED WORLD and as such we have felt that we need to change along with it. For a start, we have for a long time been urged to change to a points-based system by some in the trade and by some consumers. As you may be aware this is a system developed by legendary American wine critic Robert Parker, who I came across back in 1982 when I launched the US Wine & Spirit magazine. He was genuinely respected as not being a critic who “runs with the hares and hunts with the hounds”. In other words, not selling or using his name or image to promote the same wines that he critiqued, which can be fraught with issues. This is the…

REALLY WILD FIRST, Barossa-based winemaker, Rebekah Richardson, worked on a collaborative winemaking project – Hear Me Roar – to raise funds to assist in the career advancement of women in the Australian wine industry. Now, she has embarked on even more challenging work to help with rewilding, the reintroduction of lost animal species into natural environments. All profits from the sale of her newly launched Lucid Distilling “new world spirit,” based around a twice distilled wine base steeped in natural ingredients, will assist with this important work in environmental conservation. “The reason we were drawn to rewilding as a focus rather than just conservation was that it seemed to encompass a longer term, more sustainable approach to the rebalance of nature,” she writes in her Lucid Dreaming blog on www.lucidistilling.com Her Lucid Lime and Lucid…

MOTHER NATURE KIND BUT NOT GENEROUS DURING VINTAGE ANYONE involved in winegrowing knows producers have to play the hand they’re dealt each harvest. Last year Mother Nature was kind enough but the escalating coronavirus pandemic delivered a uniquely new set of challenges. This year, Mother Nature again dealt a benevolent hand but she did not deal a particularly generous one. It’s no secret that volumes are down in most regions, some significantly so, mainly a result of unsettled spring weather and frosts. In Marlborough, which provides 75% of New Zealand’s harvest and the world’s second largest crop of sauvignon blanc, it’s estimated that yields were down by around 30%. Given 2020 was also a relatively light vintage with many wines already sold, the supply/demand juggle will be trickier than ever. Get…

METEOROLOGICAL spring in the northern hemisphere is March, April and May. In five of the last six years, Europe has been hit by spring frosts, of varying extent and damage. This seems counter-intuitive in the glare of climate warming claims. The frosts in European spring 2021 have been devastating. Budburst started early as is becoming rather familiar in the climate change era, with early warmth bringing forward growth. Then a devastating frost in the beginning days of April 2021 caused widespread damage in Europe, but especially France, as temperatures dropped down to -6ºC in some areas, evoking memories of, and comparisons with, the extensive frost damage of 1991, 1997, and 2017. The pervasive chill ravaged other crops too, including apples, stone fruits and other arable crops. In Italy, many regions across northern…

A RED wine that suits all occasions at the dinner table must be smooth, velvety and supple on the palate. Not too heavy, not too alcoholic, not too jammy but pleasantly fruity and not overpowering. It should be an all-rounder, preferably medium bodied. So, what fits the bill? Well, I’d recommend a gamay or another grape that has undergone some sort of carbonic maceration. This technique, applied at the start of the winemaking process, was once pigeonholed to only Beaujolais in France, but now it is a primary colour in a winemakers ‘palette’. In one version or another, carbonic maceration can be found in the production of Australian shiraz, grenache, pinot noir and a swathe of other red wines. Carbonic maceration or maceration carbonique is a complex intracellular fermentation of whole grapes…

CANBERRA is more accessible than ever for Sydneysiders. The massive WestConnex road system begins at the back of Newtown on the edge of the CBD and a drive to the nation's capital now takes under three hours. It's a great incentive for more frequent visits as Canberra is constantly changing with new cafes, restaurants, hotels and some of the finest new buildings in the country. Canberra's three cool climate wine regions are a major magnet for tourists. On a recent visit, we decided to focus on the Lake George area, including Bungendore and Wamboin in NSW. First stop the much-lauded Lark Hill Biodynamic Winery. Founded in 1978 by Sue and Dave Carpenter, the property was certified biodynamic in 2006. Four grape varieties are planted to the original vineyard - riesling, chardonnay,…