Labels: Australia

Pinot Grigio is not my thing. As you may have gathered from most of the wines I review for The Quaffer, I prefer towering reds with beefy flavors like leather, unsweetened chocolate, smoking road tar and bacon fat. So it was a surprise to find that I enjoyed the Lindemans Bin 85 Pinot Grigio 2009 (about $8US, $11 Cdn). This unoaked Australian wine has a very light pale straw color, delicate aromas of citrus and lemongrass and crisp flavors of lime, unripe pear and passionfruit.

Quaffability Rating: 87

From the same easy-drinking style, the Lindemans Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (about $9US, $12 Cdn) is another good work-week workhorse. I used some of this one in a risotto and tasted it as the wine was sizzling away in the pot of carnaroli, butter and onion. (Tasting a wine at the stove is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated wine-drinking experiences – as the flavours of the wine meld into your food and the vapors waft through the air, you inhale the fresh aromas out of your glass and take a swig.) Still fresh and crisp like the Pinot Grigio, the Sauv Blanc has a deeper bouquet of lemon and a touch of honey. Classic grassy and tropical fruit flavors lead to a pucker-free finish. Not bad, not bad at all.

Quaffability Rating: 88

Labels: Australia, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc

Hewitson Ned and Henry's Shiraz 2007 ($20-25) succeeds in a department where many other Shiraz-based wines fall short: “sippability.” Yes, I just made up that word, but it’s not often you find a flavorful Shiraz that’s also easy to sip on its own. Australian winemaker Dean Hewitson named this one after his two sons, so you know he’s not going to mess around. The Ned & Henry's has a dark ruby hue and aromas of cassis, cloves, cinnamon, oak, ink and fresh road tar (that addictive smell when you walk past a construction crew pouring hot tar). Classic Barossa Valley Shiraz notes of brambly blackberries and other wild fruit pop off the palette, along with oak, spice, pencil lead and bitter chocolate. Oddly, the fine tannins and lively flavors remind me of cream soda - maybe because it’s so drinkable. My wife’s two-word rating: “Nice wine!” And I concur.

Quaffability Rating: 90

Labels: Australia, Shiraz

A blind tasting of three Australian reds at different price points

The wines:
Peter Lehmann Mentor 2002 - $35 Cdn
Magpie Estate The Sack Shiraz 2006 - $20 Cdn
Hardys Bankside Shiraz 2007 - $15 Cdn

My friends Matt and Chris came over last night for a blind tasting of three Australian reds. Our mission was twofold: to enjoy some wine and to determine whether we could tell the different between three different price points ranging from $15-35. My wife Dianne joined us as well.

I wrapped the bottles in brown paper bags, marked them 1, 2 and 3 and off we went. After we tasted all three, we could all try to the guess how much each of them cost, knowing that one was $15, one was $20 and one was $35.

Bottle #1:
We all had trouble pulling aromas out of this one and the flavour profile wasn’t any more obvious. Chris said it smelled like low-VOC paint, I thought it tasted like watered-down blueberry juice, Matt said it was buttery but lacked flavour and Dianne tasted a hint of mince pie.

Bottle #2:
A couple of us noted sweet plum and pepper aromas and similar flavour on the palette. Dianne tasted figs and Chris called it “syrupy.” The flavours were much more apparent on this one, and the aromas jumped out of the glass compared to Bottle #1.

Bottle #3:
To me, this wine was a blockbuster in the aroma department. My immediate reaction was “Wow.” I noted walnuts, baseball glove, raisins, smoke and a fascinating mix of pineapples and exotic fruit. Chris immediately picked up smoke aromas and dark fruits and citrus on the palette. Dianne tasted Christmas cake, dark fruit and spice. Everyone liked this one a lot.

Now the fun part: guessing the prices. Matt and I both guessed the same bottles. We chose Bottle #1 at $35, figuring the pricey one would be smooth and subtle. We guessed Bottle #2 was the mid-level wine and Bottle #3 – our favourite – was the inexpensive one, as it had a rustic character. Dianne picked the price points based on what she liked, choosing Bottle #3 as the $35 wine, Bottle #2 as $20 and Bottle #1 as $15. Chris picked Bottle #2 as $35, Bottle #1 as $20 and Bottle #3 as $15.

The verdict:
Bottle #1: Hardys Bankside Shiraz 2007 - $15
Bottle #2: Magpie Estate The Sack Shiraz 2006 - $20
Bottle #3: Peter Lehmann Mentor 2002 - $35

The winner: Dianne

Matt and I were hoping we had found a great value in Bottle #3, but in this case, our preferences followed the price point.

Labels: Australia, blind tasting

Too Much of a Good Thing

Australia has too much wine. According to this article in Wine Economist (yes, there is such a magazine), the wine glut Down Under has risen to 100 million cases, and that number is projected to double in the next two years if demand doesn’t increase. According to a joint report released by two days ago by four Australian wine industry groups:

Structural surpluses of grapes and wine are now so large that they are
causing long-term damage to our industry by devaluing the Australian brand,
entrenching discounting, undermining profitability, and hampering our ability to
pursue the vision and activities set out in the Directions to 2025 industry
strategy.

Coupled with inefficient and/or inappropriate vineyard and wine
operations, oversupply is amplifying and exacerbating fundamental problems in
the industry, notably our decreasing cost competitiveness. As such it is
compromising our ability to adopt new pricing structures and market solutions
and adapt to changing market conditions.

Comprehensive analysis and consultation suggests at least 20% of
bearing vines in Australia are surplus to requirements, with few long-term
prospects. On cost of production alone, at least 17% of vineyard capacity is
uneconomic.

These structural problems in Australia echo those experienced in France a few years ago. You may remember reading about the massive amounts of fine Spanish and French wine being turned into industrial fuel. As a wine lover, this kind of news make my heart sink. You spend your hard-earned money on a well-crafted bottle, savoring every drop, only to read about 100 million cases of the stuff that could very well end up being destroyed. The E.U. implemented some changes to their system. Hopefully, the Australians can pull things together to stem their oversupply tide before their wine industry collapses.

In the meantime, I’m going to do my part in whittling down the oversupply by doing a blind tasting of Australian Shiraz tonight. Results will be posted here tomorrow.

Labels: Australia, Shiraz, wine business

Labels: Australia, Pinot Noir

Wine Review: Pennyfield Petit Verdot 2005 ($25)

In Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is traditionally used in small amounts as a blending grape, to add tannins and color. The late-ripening grape often gets wiped out by rains in the Bordeaux region, so it’s falling out of favor, but fear not, Petit Verdot lovers, because New World winemakers have stepped up to the rescue. The grape is making a comeback in Australia, California and South America, where the climates allow Petit Verdot to mature fully. If you enjoy big red wines, Petit Verdot is a good way to go.

This week’s featured wine is a Petit Verdot from the Riverland region of South Australia. The Pennyfield Basket Pressed Petit Verdot 2005 ($25) is hand-crafted using traditional techniques. The nose gives out floral and smoky aromas. After one swig, the tannins coat my mouth with a tartness that makes me chew my cheeks. I taste loads of Sour Chews, which reminds of the days as a kid when I used to buy Sour Chews from the dispenser at the supermarket to see how many I could jam into my mouth at the same time. This wine has a sweet-and-sour backbone, with some interesting notes of cowhide and slightly burned fresh-out-of-the-oven pie crust. It's a stellar wine that begs for pairing with rich foods, such as barbequed pork or ribs.

Labels: Australia, Pennyfield, Petit Verdot, red wine review