Mini-Molly

Not content with a Fosbury Flop off a step ladder some days prior to Christmas (don’t ask me precisely when) resulting in a suspected broken hip, which, fortunately, turned out to be only severe deep bruising, I followed up with a more emphatic slip and dive on to the same right hip and buttock on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I did this while I was upstairs without a mobile phone, and with Suzanne off somewhere without hers (I think), an hour of dragging myself to a phone where I could dial 000 resulted in one of those bad Fawlty Towers-type stories as on various aspects of my birth, lifestyle, state of mind, and god knows what else with the 000 operator ultimately led to an ambulance arriving, and after protracted delay (mercifully with painkillers on the menu) we headed off to Ringwood Private Hospital, only to be told a few minutes before arriving that the hospital was now full and I would now have to go to Maroondah Hospital (which had no private rooms).

After a further protracted delay I found myself in a bed thanks to Dr Mark Horrigan of Pimpernel Wines (just around the corner from Coldstream Hills) who had pulled some strings to get me into one of the very few private wards available. There I spend until New Year’s Eve, with weeks of physiotherapy and discomfort in front of me. A planned New Year’s Eve dinner at Spice with Tom Carson and partner Nadege Sune (and my wife Suzanne) had to be abandoned, a dinner at home substituted with ‘96 Dom Perignon, ‘08 Montrachet of Frederic Magnien under screwcap eased the pain (mental and physical) somewhat.

The mental pain comes from the fact that I had, with immaculate foresight and planning, put aside eight days’ work in the cellar, in my library and elsewhere that will now have to wait for another year. Very bloody aggravating, as they say in the classics. It goes without saying that, however aggravating it may be for me, it has been far more so for Suzanne, forever at my beck and call, our extended family Christmas Day, many intervening events and full-on New Year’s Eve celebrations all cancelled, Suzanne simply running in circles trying to fill gaps for me.

For the time being, I hobble around, with physiotherapy and weeks to go before the leg ceases to be a square peg in a round hole.

A+ Australian Wine Celebration

What many consider a long-overdue campaign by Wine Australia to feature the best wines of Australia will run from 12-29 April 2012. A preliminary media release giving some idea of the extent of the programme follows.


Australia’s greatest ever wine celebration kicks off nationwide in April 2012
Wine Australia’s A+ Australian Wine Celebration launches for the first time from 12 to 29 April 2012, and all Aussies are being called on to get involved in the country’s biggest collaboration of wine events.
The 2012 inaugural celebration of Australian wine will feature almost 100 events, tastings, parties and wine love-fests from Sydney to the Strathbogie Ranges via Subiaco and Strathalbyn.

The A+ Australian Wine Celebration is an opportunity for the Australian wine community to come together to collectively promote the quality, diversity and value of Aussie wine – on our own soil.

The Celebration is for anyone who enjoys a drop of Australian wine whether it be Tassie Pinot Noir, Hunter Semillon, Margaret River Cabernet, Yarra Valley Chardonnay or Barossa Shiraz (and of course all the other variants from more than 60 designated wine regions).

Wine Australia’s Regional Director, Australia and Emerging Markets Aaron Brasher said it was a unique occasion for all Australians to discover more about this country’s wine and get behind the wine industry.

“We are thrilled with the exciting mix of Australian wine experiences in April next year. Australians can celebrate the great wine created in their own backyard, across the street, down the road or on the other side of this great land,” Brasher said.

A+ Australian Wine Celebration will be launched at a public gala event on 4 April at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom, in conjunction with the Merivale Group, before events across the nation commence on 12 April.

“For two-and-a-half weeks, Australians can celebrate the most diverse, dynamic and exciting wine producing nation in the world as Australian wine flows across our capital cities and many of our most beautiful regional communities,” he said.

A snapshot of events across the great divide…

NSW
14 April: Join Brokenwood Wines Winemaker for a Day – make great wine and have fun with winemaker Ian Riggs for a lesson in what it takes to make those award winning ‘iconic’ wines from the Hunter.

28 April: If you fancy yourself in the white coat without the Doctorate then join the Sydney Wine Academy - Australian Wine Show Judging Class at the Wine Academy at TAFE NSW. Learn what it takes to be an experienced show judge and educator with behind-the-scenes access to the industry leaders in show judging.

SA
13-14 April: Join the Coonawarra as its wineries open their doors for the Coonawarra After Dark Weekend, the peak of the grape harvest for two very special evenings giving you the chance to see, hear, touch and learn about the hard work and passion that goes into great Coonawarra wines.

VIC
26-29 April: Head along to the four-day Yarra Valley Food & Wine Festival, Reap & Relish, which will showcase the Yarra Valley’s best wine, food and beer offerings.

TAS
18 April: Come and enjoy what Tasmania is famous for at the Sparkling Tasmania Tasting at Pipers Brook, hosted by Jansz Winemaker Natalie Fryar. You can enjoy the flagship cuvees among other varieties and learn all about the very best of Tasmania’s sparklings.

QLD
21-22 April: It wouldn’t be a celebration without the Elevated Taste – Grazing the Granite Belt. Experience all the Granite Belt has to offer in a long lunch throughout this exciting and interesting wine region.

WA
21 April: Vasse Felix is holding the Pre-release Heytesbury Tasting & Meet the Winemaker hosted by Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock within the winery. It will be an opportunity to taste a pre-release of its flagship wine among others.

Do your part for the Australian wine industry and get involved in one or many of the exciting and interesting events in a town near you during April 2012. Register for one or all national events at http://www.apluswines.com/a-australian-wine-celebration

For a full list of events go to http://www.apluswines.com/en/a-australian-wine-celebration.aspx


For further information relating to A+ Australian Wine Celebration month please contact:

Prue Semler
Account Manager
E pruesemler@liquidideas.com.au
P 02 9667 4211
M 0404 099 967

Georgie Leach
Account Executive
E georgieleach@liquidideas.com.au
P 02 9667 4211
M 0415 501 998

Aaron Brasher - Wine Australia
Regional Director, Australia and Emerging Markets
E aaron.brasher@wineaustralia.com
P 02 9361 1227
M 0411 470 856

About Wine Australia
Wine Australia is a statutory Government organisation established to provide strategic support to the Australian wine sector. Its mission is to enhance the operating environment for the benefit of the Australian wine industry by providing the leading role in market development; knowledge development; compliance; and trade.

A+ Australian Wine is the consumer-facing brand which aims to reposition the Australian category via image, price and representation.

Dan Buckle Returns to the Yarra Valley

After eight years as senior winemaker at Mount Langi Ghiran in the Grampians, Dan Buckle is returning to the Yarra Valley, having spent five years at Yering Station (and two years at Coldstream Hills) before moving to Mount Langi Ghiran. He has been appointed senior winemaker for Domaine Chandon, and will take up his position in February 2012.

Kaesler Wines’ Old Bastard Shiraz

Kaesler Wines’ Old Bastard Shiraz has managed to score consistently high points in the recent Wine Companions, notwithstanding alcohol levels ranging between 15.5% and (in the ‘08) 16.5%. Coming, as it does, from a single vineyard planted in 1893, the sheer density of the fruit has enabled it to carry the at times extreme levels of alcohol. It also managed to shake off the toughness that marred many Barossa and McLaren Vale reds from ‘07. What a pleasure then, and what an even greater surprise, to find that the ‘09 Old Bastard has an alcohol of 14%, and is a perfectly wonderful wine. My tasting note reads ‘From the prime estate vineyard, planted in 1893, with the usual, albeit inimitable, Ralph Searle label. What is not usual is the alcohol, 2.5% lower than that of the ‘08; it is beautifully supple, fresh and balanced, but retains the intensity, clarity and integrity of very old vine wine. Bravo. $170, 97 points, drink to 2029, cork.

Very similar comments applied to the ‘09 Kaesler Old Vine Barossa Valley Shiraz at 14.5% alcohol, with the following tasting note: From three estate vineyards with 40, 60 and 112-year-old vines, matured for 12 months in French oak, the colour is good, rather than remarkable; the bouquet, however, immediately signals a change from prior vintages, more perfumed, the palate more elegant, but still crammed with plum and blackberry fruit. $80, 95 points, drink to 2029, cork.

There is much more to be said about this, not the least that numbers don’t tell the whole story, even if they are correct (and that, up to now, has been a major assumption). Thus a wine of 14% alcohol may taste every bit as hot and alcoholic as one with 16% alcohol and vice versa. But even that’s only the start. More anon.  

Wine shows, Rick Kinzbrunner and Andrew Jefford

I was fascinated to read the following piece extracted from Decanter Magazine in October:

Decanter magazine - 7 Oct 2011


The Australian show system is holding good wines back and promoting boring wines, winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner says in the latest issue of Decanter.

Kinzbrunner, founder of Giaconda in Beechworth, Victoria, tells Andrew Jefford the shows have become moribund. In the ‘early years’, he says, the system helped ‘drag the bottom end up’ but now it’s doing the opposite. ‘It’s holding people back. It just drives wines to a certain level of interesting boredom, clean boredom.’ The problem is one of winemakers’ egos, Kinzbrunner says, and the solution would be to have consumers in charge. 'Why do winemakers run the show? They're not the people who drink the wine. It's absolutely crazy. You should have consumers in charge, with a small winemaking contingent.' Giaconda’s wines are feted by critics as diverse as Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson and Jefford himself. Berry Brothers, which imports the wines, is begging for a ‘stay of execution’ on a Roussanne vineyard that Kinzbrunner is thinking of pulling out – Giaconda’s Aeolia, pure Roussanne, is one of the most renowned of the range. ‘Despite his success, he’s still very much the outsider,’ Jefford writes, ‘his famed Chardonnay … is the antithesis of modern Australia’s …critically acclaimed ideal.’ In the course of a wide-ranging interview, Kinzbrunner airs his views on a number of subjects, including the Australian need to ‘cut you down to size’, his countrymen’s ‘insane preference for screwcaps’, and his love of Schubert, Bach and Beethoven. ‘Bach's cello sonatas [are a] wonderful example of harmony in art as in nature – it reminds me of the synergy I think there can be between a terroir and a winemaker.’

www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/529418/australian-shows-make-boring-wine-kinzbrunner


It is always easy to criticise and/or pontificate on a subject if you have no real knowledge of it. But the arguments advanced by Rick Kinzbrunner really took my breath away when I read them. This is how I see it:

1. I know Rick Kinzbrunner has never participated as a judge in any of the mainstream wine shows in Australia, and I would be terribly surprised if he had ever attended the post-show [exhibitor?] tastings where the wines which win medals (and those which don’t) are available for tasting.
2. At last year’s National Wine Show in Canberra the split between winemakers and sommeliers, journalists and retailers was as close to equal as you can have it when the total number of judges and associates was 21. Eleven were winemakers, five sommeliers, four journalists and one a retailer. Last year’s Sydney Wine Show went much further, only 10 of the judges and associates were winemakers, 18 came from sommeliers, retailers and journalists.
3. Many of the current judges and associates are graduates of the five-day Len Evans Tutorial, which is an intensive series of masterclasses in one way or another putting Australian wines in the context of the great wines of the world. It is absolutely not boring, and is equally absolutely designed to puncture any complacency.
4. Attitudes and practises within the Australian winemaking fabric have always been in a state of change. Before the mid-1970s there was no pinot noir, and virtually no chardonnay of any lasting worth being made in Australia. How different the situation today. It is ironic that the conversation should have been between Rick Kinzbrunner and Andrew Jefford, for it was the latter who recently ‘came out’ and voiced the opinion that top-end Australian chardonnays (and no doubt he would include Giaconda in that) can effortlessly compete with Grand Cru White Burgundies.
5. The dinners that Len Evans pioneered for the judges and associates during the currency of each show have always featured French wines, with a solid smattering of German, Italian, Spanish, New Zealand and Californian wines. Once again, the purpose is to broaden vision and defuse complacency.
6. The Australian wine show system (and that of New Zealand) stands apart from the shows blessed by the key international authorities OIV and INAO. Under the Australian system, every judge and every associate must be able to precisely explain why he or she gave any particular wine points that were at odds with their fellow judges. This is the accountability which is totally and utterly lacking in the European system, where the points go off to a computer, there is no discussion, and, indeed, none of the judges know what points there fellows awarded. In my view, those shows are sterile and devoid of any use other than marketing.

Wine & health – pregnant women

Despite intensive and extensive studies over several decades, there is no evidence that a pregnant woman in good health, who does not smoke, and who has a balanced diet, including (say) a glass of wine each day, is in danger of harming the health of her unborn child because of that daily consumption of wine.  There is evidence to suggest enhanced cardio vascular health protection, and there is evidence that the social and stress-relieving impact of strictly controlled consumption is good for the mother’s health, and by extension, the baby’s.

Simply because it is impossible to prove a negative from a scientific epidemiological standpoint, it can’t be proved that there is no risk whatsoever.  And even the warning to a mother that she may cause harm to her unborn baby has an enormous emotional impact, and most GPs tend to dodge the issue when they are asked for an opinion by the pregnant woman by saying it has to be a personal decision.

All of this was reported by Natasha Bita, consumer editor for The Australian newspaper, and lo and behold, the Daily Wine News, published by Winetitles, covers the article and finishes with this sentence, ‘According to The Australian, wine, spirit and beer bottles will have to be labelled with tobacco-style health warnings to tell pregnant women that drinking will damage their unborn baby.’  It’s the sort of headline-grabbing sloppy reporting on this important issue that really makes me cross.  Like countless couples, my wife and I fought for our equal share of the bottle of wine chosen on the night before she went off to hospital to respectively give birth to my beautiful and highly intelligent daughter, and my supremely healthy son with a Masters degree in human movements.

Australian wines in the Old Dart

I had to read a recent piece in the Daily Wine News twice before believing what I was seeing.  At a presentation of Australian wines at the Australian Wine School in London, under the auspices of Wine Australia, Tim Atkin MW said ‘Australia is more exciting today than at any point in my life as a wine writer.’ He was joined by Andrew Jefford, the distinguished English wine author who recently said that top end Australian chardonnays could effortlessly compete with grand cru Burgundies.