Winestate Magazine November - December 2021

WHAT A SMORGASBORD of an issue we have for you lined up in this issue! With the Southern Hemisphere Spring well on track it brings about a great many new release white wines and rosés. Although a number of these are great as aged wines, some of which we feature here, generally speaking we also look forward to the fresh and vibrant offerings given to us to evaluate. So, we have the pleasure of getting a look at the following varietal categories; riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris/grigio and rosé. Looking at each category, one at a time, here are my thoughts. With the riesling tasting there is a great each way bet for spicy, drink now vibrant citrus flavours to aged complex dry honeyed beauties. Fortunately, there is now a clarity in winemaking…

SPECIAL WINE RELEASE SIBLINGS Nick, Angela and Eliza Brown of All Saints wine fame have released a special wine from their historic Mount Ophir Estate. The 2019 Mount Ophir Shiraz was released in September with a $500 price tag. An historic Rutherglen landmark, Mount Ophir Estate was established in 1891. The estate boasts 360-degree views of the surrounding area, including the Murray River Basin and the Snowy Mountains to the east, and offers a winery experience rich in history. Owners of Mount Ophir Estate from 1903, the Burgoyne family, were prominent London wine merchants, who developed the property further by constructing a French provincial tower that was a nod to their heritage, along with a winemaking facility. At this time, the building was the largest state-of-the-art wine producing complex in the southern hemisphere,…

MARLBOROUGH WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL COVID has certainly severely tested the patience of event planners. While the 2021 Marlborough Wine and Food Festival had to be cancelled, Wine Marlborough is taking the leap for 2022, announcing that the 36th festival will be held Saturday 12th February. First held in 1985 when there were just four established wineries in the region (one of whom was yet to release wine), there are now 158 wineries offering a multitude of varieties and styles. All but two of the festivals have been held at the Brancott Vineyard (where the first vines of the modern-day era were planted), but as it’s currently undergoing development, the 2022 event will be held at the nearby Renwick Domain. Alongside hundreds of wines, festival-goers can expect to sample local culinary…

CONSUMPTION of sparkling wine has been growing in many markets for a while now. It now accounts for 7-8% share of global wine production, up from about 5% around the turn of the millennium. Europe is the epicentre of sparkling production. A 2020 OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine, a scientific and technical intergovernmental organisation working with vines and wine), focus report found that the top three global producers of wine also dominated sparkling wine production: Italy, with 27% share of sparkling wine, France, with 22% and Spain with 11%. Top 10 wine producer Germany jumps up the chart as the third biggest producer of sparkling wine, with 14% share. These four countries account for making very nearly three-quarters of the world’s bubblies. It’s worth noting that a significant minority of…

IF there is one alternative grape variety that is suited to Australia, then the Italian white grape fiano holds all the aces. It grows well in a warm climate, retains acidity and can be picked early or left to ripen on the vine. In the winery it can be fermented in stainless steel to retain its freshness, rested on lees, or given oak treatment; some people also think it ages well. In comparison to other grape varieties, it could be compared to chardonnay, being a winemakers’ grape or has the split personality of pinot gris/grigio. The region famous for fiano is Campania in southern Italy. The grape varieties home is in the province of Irpinia and the Fiano di Avellino DOCG which lies in-land from Napoli, the third largest city in…

INTERNATIONAL flights from Australia have been grounded for over 18 months. But the rest of the world has been busy opening a new crop of hotels and resorts eager to welcome back Australians, Americans and tourists from every other travel-starved nation. Qantas announced it would be resuming flights to the US, the UK, Fiji and New Zealand in December and we can now plan to visit some of our favourite destinations again (with restrictions in place of course). If you've been California dreaming, the first large scale resort in the Sonoma Valley has opened its doors. The Montage Healdsburg is the fifth property in the luxury Montage group, alongside swanky sister properties in Laguna Beach and Maui. Northern California's latest wine country bolt hole is surrounded by 22,000 oak trees and vineyards.…