Wines we love

It's a wrap!

I have just returned from what I can only say is the finest wine trip I have ever taken. Having never been to Australia before, I was not sure what to expect from the land that is famous for great whites, kangaroos and "Yellow Tail". But what I sensed during my seventeen day adventure into the heart of Australian wine country is that there is a new revolution emerging and the momentum is very strong. There is a mix of both old and young winemakers, mostly from families that immigrated from England or Germany almost 200 years ago. The energy is high, to say that there is a strong belief that they can simply make damn good wine. And, they have all the materials needed; old vine vineyards, great consistent weather, and limestone-laced soils. They have learned from past experiences that dealing with the big three; Penfolds, Rosemount and Lindemans, can be a very slippery slope. Instead, there is a new sense of pride of producing a wine from the vines that their fathers and grandfathers nurtured before them. There is a belief in their vineyards, a feeling that they can compete with the finest winemakers in the world. But, at the same time, they are humble about what they have. It is truly a work in progress at a time when their stage is the whole world.

The range of producers that I visited go from some of the finest values that you will find in the world to some of the finest wines period. I would classify these producers into three categories. The first is pure wine values, ranging from $10 to $25. Paringa, "R" Winery, Pillar Box, 3Rings, Longhop, McLean's Farm, Marquis Philips, Trevor Jones and Tscharke are all wines worth seeking out. The second category include producers that are making wines that are complex and powerful. These are wines that are small production, hands-on, low yielding wines. They include Burge, Hazyblur, Loan, Kalleske, The Willows, Henry's Drive, Parson's Flat, Kay Brothers, Two Way Range, Red Nectar and Wild Duck Creek. And, then there are those producers that I consider to be as good as anyone in the world. These are the wines that with one smell you can tell that you are about to taste something extremely special. These are very hard to find, low yielding, very complex and long-lived jewels. They include Rockford, Chris Ringland, Greenock Creek, Shirvington, and Noon. 

Well, as I fight the jet lag and try to keep my eyes open, I feel that there is so much more to say about this trip but it is all still one "hazyblur" at the moment. I will leave you with this thought: There is no doubt Shiraz is one of the driving forces behind Australia's incredible growth and success. To the outside observer Australia is often seen as one homogenous mass. But just as California has Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Mendocino, Australia has it's own distinct wine regions and wine styles. From the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Padthaway, Clare Valley and others, the future is incredibly bright. And I feel like I got to experience it while it is still in it's early stages. So the next time you ask for a bottle of Australian Shiraz, explore a little bit more to learn about the different regions and styles. There is a whole new world to experience.

Light at the end of the tunnel!

Well, the caravan has rolled into Melbourne where tonight we are going to see Friday Night Football, the Australian Rules Football game that will attract 45,000 crazy fans. And, Australians are crazy about their sports. Talking to several different winemakers, they all have a favorite team. Tonight's game is a match-up between the Western Bulldogs and the Saints (I forgot the city's name). Anyway, it is a game that crosses rugby with football, played in four 20-minute quarters. And the Friday Night Game is our equivalent to Monday Night Football.

A couple of nights ago we went on a Bush hunt, which basically is a bunch of Aussie rednecks driving around the woods in their pick-up trucks with a spotlight looking for kangaroo. It was a blast! We almost got stuck two or three times, but we must have seen twenty roos.

And, yes, we have made a stop or two at wineries, our latest adventures taking us out of McLaren Vale and into the regions of Padthaway and Coonawarra. At Padthaway, we dropped in to visit Henry's Drive, one of my favorite Aussie wines. While most properties on our tour concentrate on Shiraz, as Henry's Drive does quite well, but they also have an incredible Cabernet Sauvignon. And we did a vertical tasting going back to 1998. It is becoming quite clear that if you ever spot a bottle of a 1998 vintage Aussie Cabernet on the shelf, buy it. It is the equivalent of a 1994 or 1997 Napa Cabernet. But Henry's Drive is also the home to Parson's Flat, a Cabernet-Shiraz blend (which is also d#@m good)Pillar Box (which they are releasing a new 2006 white blend which is out of this world and will be at the Ashe) and Dead Letter Office. Overall, one of the finest quality stops on the tour.

We then headed to Majella, located in Coonawarra, and tasted through their wines. Back some 30 years ago, Coonawarra was labeled as the finest wine region in Australia, along with the Hunter Valley. This cool climate region is suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, and the style is very Bordeau-ish. Nice wines, including a blended red called The Magician.

We had a long ride into Melbourne yesterday along with a visit with Buckshot and Lillypilly. Buckshot makes one wine, a Heathecoat Shiraz, and Lillypilly is famous for their botrytis wines. The winery is located in Riverina, which is best suited for growing Semillon, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.

Today we are off to visit Wild Duck Creek, Whistling Eagle and Red Edge, followed by the much anticipated footie game.

Throwing a wobbly

The Aussie saying for one going a little bit crazy is "throwing a wobbly"! It has been pretty crazy the last few days as we have covered quite a bit of ground. After spending several days in The Barossa, we made our way through The Riverlands region where we visited the vineyard that produces the fruit for Paringa. This vineyard was absolutely massive, capable of producing more than 700,000 cases! And, they are continuing to plant more vines. The vineyard's owner, David Hickinbotham, uses only the best fruit for the 50,000 cases of Paringa. And, his motto is "We make the best damn $10 bottle of wine in the world". And, the wines are quite good. We tasted through the 2005's, and the Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Sparkling Red are all excellent values.

We left Paringa and headed to a tasting of a brand new winery created by Dan Philips and Chris Ringland, called "R". Another outstanding value line that includes such names as "Evil" Cabernet and "Pure Evil" Chardonnay. There is also "Bitch" Grenache, and "Bon-Bon" Rose. Also, the flagship Marquis Philips wines are now under the R Winery portfolio. The wines are being made by Chris Ringland and Lisa Wetherell, and these are truly exciting wines. The quality is in the bottle and the packaging is quite unique. The Bitch and Bon-Bon arrived in the store last week, and the others will be coming soon.

The last two days we have been in McLaren Vale, a coastal region located just below the town of Adelaide. The maritime influence tends to have a more floral, elegant red/black fruit style while the Barossa, which is more inland, tends to have more deep black fruits and more of a peppery spice. We have been to some outstanding producers, including Noon, Kay Brothers, Shirvington, Clarendon and Rudderless. Again the theme is of small producers that are very much hands on in the vineyards, working very closely with the vines. Production is very small, and their wines are very difficult to find. Shirvington's Cabernet Sauvignon was called The Screaming Eagle of Australia by Robert Parker. And Drew Noon is producing one of my favorite wines in the world. Every now and then we will get some allocations, but it can be very difficult.

The other running theme is that all of these producers own or control vineyards with vines that are extremely old, 80 to 100 year old vines. The time and effort to manage and maintain the vines is quite hard, but the payoff is incredible quality and power, an expression of fruit that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Looking at my schedule, I have one more day in McLearn Vale, and then I am off to Coonawarra. I will keep you posted. Internet service has been very spotty as we go from hotel to hotel. I am typing this blog from the back office of the manager's office! I told them that it was an emergency!

Cheers

Free BBQ at Thad's, plus notes from his scribe

The phone rang, and the string of numbers on the caller ID was longer than they should be.  The miracle of clear trans-Pacific communication apparently did not extend to Thad having access to the Internet in the hinterlands of Australia, and so he called on me as a scribe to let you know what he was up to, and that accumulated posts about wines we love will hit as soon as Thad can connect.

The following notes are from my conversation with Thad; any mistakes are mine.

Thad's time prior to this posting has been spent with the super-quality (my notes said SQ, maybe Thad said sort of quiet, or suddenly quaking...), family-owned  producers turning out 1500-3000 cases of amazing wine.  These are the multi-generational producers in the Barossa Valley Thad has raved about.

Now, Thad has moved east of Barossa to the Riverlands and the McLaren Vale and is visiting Paringa and R Vineyards.  Thad says the goal of Paringa is to make the best $10 bottle of wine in the world for any type of wine they chose to take on -- Cab, Merlot, Shiraz, and a Sparkling Red.  Paringa and R are bigger  -- 50,000 cases -- and are driven by the creative energy of Dan Phillips and the wine making of Chris Ringland.

Big or small, it has been a dry winter, and there is universal worry about the water table in the vineyards and how it will stress the vines. 

The best news is that Thad is lining the best of Paringa and R for export to Knoxville, and that some of these  will hit the store in the Fall.  Your scribe would like to announce that we will have an Australian BBQ at Thad's house when he returns, but if he did Thad might never ask him to post for him again.

It's all about family

The running theme through out the Barossa Valley has been family and tradition. This valley was settled by German and English settlers seven generations ago. And, today, everywhere we go, we are talking to winemakers you are the sixth or seventh generation. And, they are proud of keeping the family tradition. Now, all of these families were growers  who sold their grapes to the large co-ops. Their grandfathers and great grandfaathers had planted the current vineyards with Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre, Riesling and Semillon, amongst other grape varieties. When Dan Philips, owner of The Grateful Palate and passionate about Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, started to search for vineyards and producers who had the ability to produce world-class Shiraz, he constantly discoverved these small growers who had in their possession these incredible old-vine vineyards. And, it wasn't hard to convience these growers to either sell their fruit to Dan and or to become winemakers and make the wine for Dan. As I said in an earlier blog, the Barossa Valley was becoming known as a world-class region for making Shiraz. What Dan Philips did, with the help of a few winemakers, is push that envelope and to turn over ever stone in the valley looking for quality vineyards. And what he has today is relationships with many growers that have been settlers for many years. Rusden, Hutton Vale, The Willows, Gibson, Kalleske, Rockford, and Burge are just a few examples. But, what is interesting to learn is that these growers and winemakers are becoming famous in the international wine community. But, they have no plans of creating big wineries with fancy tasting rooms and selling T-Shirts and Olive Oil. No, there goals are to continue the tradtion that their fathers and grandfathers started. The valley is throughly a tight-knit family community and I don't see it changing. The Barossa Valley is in the spotlight, and these guys are not going to let it go to their heads. They are working hard to contiune that tradition.

I want to talk more about the varieties of Grenache, Mourverde, Semillon and Riesling. Everyone assumes that Shiraz is the major grpae of Australia, and it is. But, that doesn't mean that other wines aren't being made. And I can tell you that I have tasted some incredible Grenache - Mourvedre blends, along with exciting dry Rieslings and Semillons. More later.

The Napa Valley of the 1970's

It is amazing to learn and see that this wonderfull place called The Barossa is something relatively new to the wine world. When you meet and talk to these winemakers from Barossa, it is pretty clear that they are still in the beginning stages of discovering what exactly the valley can produce. Driving around the valley, the landscape is very similar to the Carneros region of Napa. But, the difference is that the wineries of the Barossa are mixed farms, which is to say that the farms not only grow grapes, but also may raise cattle or sheep too. You will not see any big wineries with front gates that attract the visitor to the driveway. Here in the Barossa, every winery that we have gone to is about the size of the garage in your home. Now, that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. Everything is very simple, very much of the family farming community. I have not seen one BMW or Mercedes Benz in the driveways. These people are third, fourth or fifth generation farmers that were not in it to become rock stars. Robert Parker, Jr. may have helped put Australia in general and The Barossa Valley in particluar on the world wine map, but it really comes down to the people working the vineyards. And I'm talking about Chris Ringland, the most respected winemaker in Australia and one of the top winemakers in the world. And, there is Rick Burge, Bob Mclean, Damion Tscarke, Trevor Jones and a few others that are realizing the resources that are in the vineyards. And, I am talking about 30, 40, 50, sometimes 100 year old Shiraz and Grenache. And, these guys are not trying to make a wine that resembles Chateaunuef-du-Pape, Hermitage or Cote-Rotie. Instead, they are making wines that represent the terroir of Australia. It is as if the story of Robert Mondavi spreading the word about the Napa Valley back in the 60's and 70's. In this case, it is people like Chris Ringland and Dan Philips of The Grateful Palate spreading the glorious news of Australian wines. This is the Napa Valley of the 1970's, still in the growth stages of what is one of the most exciting areas in the world to grow grapes and make wine. I know it is hard to not think about Australia without some sort of animal label on the bottle, but instead in the near future you will be seeing varietals like Grenache, Mourvedre (Mataro), Semillon, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and other unique varieties on the shelves. The story is that Australia is still very young when it comes to the world wine market. But, keep your eyes open for really fun wines in the future. Do not be afraid of picking up one of these wines, they will amaze you.

In The Barossa

Yesterday was an exciting day for anyone who loves Australian Shiraz. We arrived into the region of Barossa, considered by almost every wine critic in the world as the best place to grow Shiraz in Australia. Dan Philips started is import company when he discovered Barossa Shiraz back in 1997. Back then, the Australian wine industry was focused on Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coonawarra and Western Australia areas. But most Cabernets were lean, thin and produced a green, vegetal taste to most of them. But, Shiraz was considered to be a poor man's wine, blonk. In fact, many farmers were pulling up Shiraz plants and crafting over to Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. But one day Dan met Chris Ringland, a winemaker from the Barossa and with their partnership started the Shiraz movement globally. One of the great things about the Barossa are the poor, limestone ans sandstone that is spread throughout the valley. Also, there are several old-vine vineyards still in existence to make complex, rich-textured Shiraz. To Dan, this is his favorite place on earth and we are spending the next four days in the area.

Our first stop of the morning was to Burge Winery, and the exciting, silkly, elegant wines of Rick Burge. A few years back his family had a disagreement about the direction of the business, so Rick and his brother, Grant Burge, divided up the vineyards and Rick went on his own. Rick loves to blend his wines, and the 2004 Clochemerle GSM (Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre) tasted like a beautiful southern Rhone valley red. His top two vineyards are the Draycott and Olive Hill, and both of his flagship wines were powerful, complex Chateauneuf-du-Pape like wines, due to the fact that old vines from over 90 years old go into the blend. And, even though the reds were outstanding, Rick also produces a very clean, bright, rich 2005 Semillon. Rick says he serves Semillon as one would a Riesling or Muscadet, which is as an aperitif or with lighter seafood dishes, and or pate.

Our next stop was a quick drop into Trevor Jones Winery, which is famous for making the juicy, fun Virgin (Unoaked) Chardonnay. We did a quick tasting and tour, and then we were off to Rockford. The owner, Robert O'Callaghan, is all about old-school traditions. He still uses presses and holding tanks that were used by wineries fifty to one hundred years ago. They are hands on about everything that takes place in the vineyard to the cellar. They too make a wonderful Semillon, but their 2002 was bigger in structure. One of the finest wines in their book is the Mappa Springs, which is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre (GSM). We tasted the 2001 at the winery and had the 1998 Mappa Springs magnum with lunch. We also had the 1996 and 1987 Basket Press Shiraz with lunch, which included Fennel & Almond soup, Goose Cassoulet and Pineapple Quince. It was an oustanding meal and it was a great way to see how the wines of Rockford have held up over time.

Our last stop of the day was to Hare's Chase, which is apartnership between Mike De La Haye and Peter Taylor. Peter is head of global wine production for Fosters/Southcorp/Rosemount. He wears many hats and travels frequently, but his love is this little hobby he has with his childhood friend. One of the best value's in Dan's whole portfolio, the 2005 Hare's Chase Red is a blend of Shiraz, with Merlot and a bit of Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo. They also produced a limited production Barossa Shiraz. All of the fruit for both wines come from their estate vineyards.

Tomorrow we are off to visit Two Way Range, Loan, Glaymond & Tscharke (pronounced Shark-ie), McLean's Farm, Hobbs and Dan's close friend, Chris Ringland.

Cheers,

Thad

On the move in Adelaide and beyond

The last two days have been incredible. Yesterday, we chartered planes for the 30 minute trip to Kangaroo Island, located just southwest of Adelaide. We spent the day touring the island with the help of Cape d'Estaing, the island winery that specailizes in Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. After searching for wild kanagroos and taking in a breath-taking view of the high cliffs of the north side of the island, we headed to Cape d'Estaing WInery for a tasting and Bar-B-Que. Cape d'Estaing has 25 acres divided evenly between Cabernet and Shiraz. The vineyard is a very short distance to the ocean, so they get a constant breeze that helps the fruit ripen evenly and longer. Several in our group enjoyed the 2001 Cabernet, but for me, the 2003 Shiraz and the very limited production 2004 Admiral's Reserve Shiraz topped my list. Kangaroo Island is a very special place and the owners are wonderful people. After the Bar-Que, we took a short drive on the beach (where the van got stuck) and then headed back to the airport for the flight home.

Today's schedule started with a tasting and brunch with Lengs & Cooter Winery at Stamps Restaurant. Both Karel Lengs and Colin Cooter are long time home winemakers. They met through a wine-making club back in the 1980's, and they started their winery in 1993. The winery is located in the Clare Valley, which is a cool climate valley which has the reputation for producing outstanding Rieslings. And, in fact, Lengs & cooter's 2006 Watervale Riesling is outstanding. Made in a dry style, as most Aussie Rieslings are, this is a great wine to serve as an apperitif, with seafood or Asian cuisine. The three Shiraz's included the great value 2004 Victor Shiraz, along with the 2003 Clare Valley Old Vines Shiraz and the 2003 McLaren Vale Reserve Shiraz. And, for lunch, we happened to be served a wonderful Kangaroo tenderlion.

After lunch, we headed to the office of Geoff Weaver, a white wine specailist who in my opinion produces wonderful Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs. Geoff was the chief winemaker for BRL Hardy before leaving to start his own winery. His winery is located in the Adelaide Hills and he does all the vineyard work himself. Geoff's 2005 Riesling was delicious, and as expected, the upfront, lush, rich 2005 Sauvignon Blanc was a hit. I hope to have both of these wines in the store as soon as I return to the states.

Our last stop of the day was to one of my favorite wineries of the Grateful Palate portfolio, Hazy Blur. The Italian immigrant, Ross Tramboli, is making outstanding, ultra-rich, exciting Shiraz from several different appellations within South Australia. The winery is located in the Adelaide Plateau, just outside the city of Adelaide. It is hard to describe the energy and excitement that Ross has for his wines, and his passion for life is just as exciting. He went out of his way to make sure that everyone was having a good time, and we had the opportunity to barrel-sample his entire 2005 wines. We then tried the 2004's, which are currently released. Ashe's has both the 2004 Baroota Shiraz (Baroota is the northern most AVA in the South Australia region) and the 2004 Barossa. The wines were accompanied by a pig roast and fireworks! It was a great way to end the day. If you love big, rich, deep, penetrating reds, then this is your winery. The wines are big, but they are well-balanced and complex.

Tomorrow we are off to the Barossa Valley. I will check back in soon.

Arriving in Australia

It's one of my dreams come true! The adventure of a lifetime. The chance to explore one of the hottest new viticultural areas of the new world  -  Australia. Now, when I mean new, I mean in the minds of the American mind. You see, Australian wines are a fairly new frontier to us Americans, but in reality, current day vineyards date back to the mid- 1800's. That's right, while you have heard and probably drank a glass or two of Yellow Tail Chardonnay; in fact some of the oldest and finest vineyards in the world belong to Australia. More on this subject in a moment.

First, let me tell you what has to be done to supplant yourself into the middle of Australia's vineyard heartland. For me, it was a ticket that originated in Knoxville and sent me to Atlnata, Los Angeles, Sydney and to my final destination of Adelaide. The journey from my front door to the hotel in Adelaide took 32 hours, which meant that I left Knoxville on a Thursday and arrived in Adelaide on a Saturday. Adelaide is 13 hours ahead of Knoxville.

Adelaide is a city of about a million people, located in the region of Southeast Australia along the coast. It is a very clean city, and it is thriving in the art and culinary scenes. And, it is the only city in the world to be surrounded on all side by public parks. It reminds me alot of a small town in Claifornia, with it's fresh breezy winds and quaint downtown.

It didn't take long for our group to get to work. Within an hour of checking into the hotel, we were on the bus and on our way into theAdelaide Hills. There we stopped at the very small winery called Aston Hills. Their main focus is old world varieties, including Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We started with a non-vintage "Salmon Brut" sparkling, which is 100% Pinot Noir. Gorgeous salmon color, dry, very intense and complex. The 2005 Riesling was beautiful, along with the barrel-fermented, oak aged Chardonnay. He makes two Pinot Noirs, of which the 2005 Estate was quite good but the 2004 Reserve was the quality of a very good Premier Cru burgundy. We finished with a 1998 Cabernet Sauvigon/Malbec/Shiraz sparkling red that was out of this world. Hopefully a case or two will find its way to Ashe's in the coming months. Our next stop was to Cleland Wildlife Park, where we got the opportunity to see and pet both Kangaroos and Koalas. It was a beautiful park located just outside of Adelaide. For dinner, we met on the roof of our hotel and met the owners of Clos Clare and Lunar. Clos Clare is from the Clare Valley, and really makes only one wine - Riesling. And, arguably Australia's finest Riesling. We tasted the bone dry, minerally, stoney 2005 and a just bottled 2006. Next, we tasted the first release of Dan's newest project, Lunar. From the Barossa Valley, which is located about an hour outside of Adelaide, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon was very good, but it could not stand up to the deep, complex, yet well-balanced 2004 Shiraz. Total production for the winery is 500 cases, so we will see if we can get a case or two. So, the first day was quite full and yet tomorrow morning we are off to Kanagroo Island and the winery Cape d'Estaing.

Learning to download pix

I am able to post a blog, put not sure how to download pictures.

Two days before leaving for Australia

Today I am learning how to blog so that I can Blog Blog Blog around Australia.

Going to Australia

I wonder if they mean what they say about 240 volt current in Australia.  Can I just plug in one side of the cord?