Northeast v West Victoria Wine Challenge

For the past two years I have been one of the judges for the Northeast v West Victoria wine competition. It’s a relatively low key affair, but very enjoyable because of the interaction between the judges and the 30 or so people attending the event at Union Dining.

This year the event was held in late November, and the preference ranking for the wines in the four classes were completely at odds with each other; it may seem strange, but this is the best possible outcome for the event – every winery gets to take home some good news.

Sparkling

Judges:
1.       2010 Mt Langi Ghiran Blanc de Blanc

2.       2012 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz 

3.       2010 Michelini Chardonnay Cuvee
3.       2006 Anderson Sparkling Shiraz

Public
1.       2006 Anderson Sparkling Shiraz

2.       2010 Michelini Chardonnay Cuvee

3.       2010 Mt Langi Ghiran Blanc de Blanc

4.       2012 Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz


Riesling

Judges
1.       2011 John Gehrig RG Riesling

2.       2014 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling

3.       2014 Bests Riesling

4.       2013 John Gehrig Riesling

Public
1.       2014 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling

2.       2011 John Gehrig RG Riesling

3.       2014 Bests Riesling

4.       2013 John Gehrig Riesling


Shiraz

Judges
1.       2013 Dog Rock Shiraz

2.       2012 Baileys of Glenrowan Shiraz

3.       2013 Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Shiraz

4.       2013 Mt Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz

Public
1.       2013 Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Shiraz

2.       2013 Dog Rock Shiraz

3.       2013 Mt Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz

4.       2012 Baileys of Glenrowan Shiraz


Other Red

Judges
1.       2012 Pyren Yardbird Union (Cab Sauv/Cab Franc/Malbec/PV)

2.       2013 Eldorado Road Nero D’Avola

3.       2012 A Rodda Cuvee de Chez (Cab Sauv/Merlot/Malbec/PV)

Public
1.       2012 A Rodda Cuvee de Chez

2.       2013 Eldorado Road Nero D’Avola

3.       2012 Pyren Yardbird Union 

Margaret River Gourmet Escape

I attended the Margaret River Gourmet Escape held on 20-23 November; the press release that follows gives some idea of the magnitude of the event, which was incredibly well organised given the multiple activities going on up and down the region. For much of the time I was based at Leeuwin Estate doing masterclasses, so was in the centre of the village activity that attracted over 13 000 people over the three days. It was striking how very few of those attending showed any signs of being even mildly intoxicated. I guess the large number of children trailing in the wake of parents and friends acted as a natural break. - JH

MARGARET RIVER GOURMET ESCAPE 2014 – THE BIGGEST YET

The 2014 Margaret River Gourmet Escape, presented by Siemens home appliances, saw 21,917 tickets sold – more than double the number of the first Gourmet Escape in 2012 and cementing the event as a must attend for food and wine enthusiasts the world over.
8,288 people attended the 20 satellite events set in picturesque and unique locations including forests, beaches and wineries where 49 international and Australian chefs, food and wine experts engaged with audiences and showcased quintessential produce and wine from the South West.

13,629 food and wine lovers soaked up the vibe of the Gourmet Village at Leeuwin Estate where they sampled and sipped their way around Margaret River and greater WA through the 170 exhibitors and restaurants showcasing their wares.

“Each year we aim to up the ante and deliver a truly unique and exceptional program of events which have evolved as well as the creation of new ideas to ensure we are properly representing the region and all it has to offer to international, interstate and local audiences,” says Margaret River Gourmet Escape Event Director, Naomi Wilson.

“This year we pulled out all stops to create a massive weekend for lovers of food, wine, music and fun which is evident from the new additions to the program including Matt Preston and A.A. Gill playing quizmaster at the Gourmet Food Trivia Night; sundown wine tastings and DJs on the beachfront at Sunset Beats and Bites and the high end International Cabernet Celebration at Cape Mentelle, to name a few. We also saw an exciting fusion of local and native ingredients with an international twist. Unique dishes on the menus included:  

• Saltwater crocodile, fermented mangrove seeds, black ant (Jock Zonfrillo at Land to Vine)
• Kangaroo tartare, sandalwood miso, ants and sea herbs (Matt Stone at Farm, Forage, Graze)
• Poached West Australian marron, cauliflower cous cous, finger lime, vas el hanout broth (Clare Smyth at Michelin Greats at Voyager Estate)
• Pan seared sea scallops in red curry sauce (Sam Leong at East Meets West)
• Botrytis Cinerea dessert dish incorporating 66 ingredients (Heston Blumenthal & Jonny Lake at Michelin Greats at Voyager Estate)

 “Similarly we incorporated new interactive features at the Gourmet Village such as the Regional Pavilions, a new wine attraction and food photography classes, which undoubtedly contributed to its huge success and large visitation – much to the delight of visitor, exhibitors, sponsors and celebrities in attendance such as Layne Beachley, Kirk Pengilly, Adam Garcia and Simon Le Bon.”

“What makes Margaret River Gourmet Escape different from any other food and wine festival on the planet is not only the ability to showcase the region’s offerings in breathtaking remarkable locations but also the genuine enthusiasm from the participating chefs, food and wine experts which is integral in promoting the Margaret River Wine Region to a local and global market,” says Wilson.

To this end, accolades from participating chefs have started pouring in:

“Everything’s laid on. It’s just an absolutely brilliant event from the village to amazing dinners with some of the best chefs in the world. You know there’s very few things that you can go to like that,” says Clare Smyth, Chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, UK.

 

Similarly Australia’s own acclaimed chef and restaurateur, Jacques Reymond has nothing but compliments for the event saying, “Margaret River Gourmet Escape is one of the best events in the country. I’m very emotional to be here because it’s a wonderful part of Australia. It’s so remote but once you get here you feel at home, and it’s wonderful.”

Margaret River Gourmet Escape aims to deliver a program unlike any other which incorporates a lauded international and local line up of food and wine talent, this year including the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Massimo Bottura, Rick Stein and Peter Gilmore. Margaret River Gourmet Escape also attracts significant national and international media exposure with journalists from the UK, Germany, Singapore, New Zealand, China, USA and Indonesia attending the event.

Last month, the West Australian State Government announced continued funding for the event until at least 2017.

The next Margaret River Gourmet Escape will take place from 20 – 22 November 2015.

For event information: www.gourmetescape.com.au

Crittenden Wine Centre

Garry Crittenden, patriarch of Crittenden Estate, and an early mover in innovative marketing and energetic sales efforts in the UK in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, is looking on with approval at son Rollo and daughter Zoe as they release details of the new Crittenden Wine Centre. - JH

The press release explains the concept thus:



The Crittenden Wine Centre will give visitors to the Crittenden Estate family farm an insightful and fulfilling experience, encouraging them to taste and learn at their own pace in seated, relaxed environment.

Winemaker Rollo Crittenden said the Centre represented “a new model for wine tourism, designed to optimise the enjoyment and learning experience of an Australian winery. The Crittenden Wine Centre will be a place where people can come to learn as much as they desire about our wines and the local region at a pace of their choosing”, Rollo added.

Upon arrival, visitors will be welcomed and given an introduction to Crittenden Estate before being offered a place to sit and asked which varietals they are most interested in tasting. Visitors will then be presented with tasting notes in either written form or via interactive presentations on electronic tablet devices, and experienced and qualified wine educators will be on hand to guide them through the wines.

In addition, the Crittenden Wine Centre will be a place where visitors can learn about the many attributes of the Mornington Peninsula wine region as well as the grape growing and winemaking process.

Crittenden Estate is well known for the diversity of wine styles it produces, which makes it an ideal venue for a tasting centre of this kind, with up to 26 wines available for tasting.

Crittenden Estate produces wines from the Mornington Peninsula’s signature varieties of pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as Italian varieties under the Pinocchio label, and Spanish varieties under the Los Hermanos label. Visitors to the Crittenden Wine Centre will have the opportunity to taste and learn about not just what the Peninsula does best, but about the range of fascinating varietals from northern Italy and Spain.

Garry, who like the Cheshire cat, is slowly but inexorably fading from the scene, commented, “the time is right to create a tasting facility such as this on the Peninsula, as it is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading wine tourism destinations".

"We anticipate visitors will leave our new home feeling relaxed, engaged, fulfilled and well-informed about our wines. It’s a more personal approach to wine tasting, and I think people are really going to enjoy it”, Garry added.

This seated, self-paced model of wine education and appreciation is virtually non-existent in Australia. The Crittenden Wine Centre aims to broaden and enrich the cellar door experience in this country.

Zoe Crittenden, who looks after the companies’ marketing, pointed out the natural synergy that will exist between the Crittenden Wine Centre and the newly refurbished Lakeside Villas accommodation suites on the estate, together with the ‘Stillwater at Crittenden’ restaurant. "We hope to provide guests with the complete package in one location”, Zoe added.

Crittenden Estate first planted in 1982 and is now home to some of the oldest vines on the Mornington Peninsula. Its Garry Crittenden is one of the pioneers of the region’s wine industry. He has been acknowledged for his work in championing Italian varietals in Australia, for which he was inducted as a “Legend” by the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Committee in 2012.

Son Rollo Crittenden is also awarded in the wine industry, being named “Young Gun of Wine” in 2010.

With Rollo at the winemaking helm and Zoe leading the marketing charge, the second generation at Crittenden Estate is poised to herald a new era in wine tourism.

For more information contact:
Crittenden Estate , 25 Harrisons Road, Dromana Ph: (03) 5981 8322www.crittendenwines.com.au <http://www.crittendenwines.com.au/

Nature’s Cruel Tricks

Sad news comes from yet another region to join those previously hit by frost and hail. The Canberra District has had a fairly challenging few years (with the notable exception of 2013) to deal with, and now a hail storm has destroyed more than one-third of the vineyards of some of the Lake George district wineries.

Hail storm wreaks havoc on Lake George wineries

Wet weather and hail has hit the region's vineyards causing havoc for some wineries across the region but ideal conditions for others.

A hail storm destroyed more than one third of the crops at Lerida Estate vineyard near Lake George, and continued wet weather could ruin the rest.

Lerida Estate owner Jim Lumbers said about two feet of hail dumped down on his prized grapes on Saturday night, causing irreversible damage.

"It's extremely unwelcome," he said.

"I reckon possibly a 30 per cent crop loss and a few shredded leaves and broken canes."

Mr Lumbers said he has inspected the damage and some areas of the vineyard looked like they were still intact.

However, exposed bunches of grapes were bruised and split, and he said these will die and fall off the vine.

"Grapes and vines are resilient things so we can only watch and wait. Maybe the berries left will grow a bit bigger, but at the moment it's not a pretty sight," Mr Lumbers said.

Mount Majura Vineyard winemaker Frank van de Loo said rainfall was higher than average but not a disaster. 

"It's not my perfect scenario but we're able to cope with it. Fortunately it's early on. Right now, the grapes are pretty much resistant. It's just a bit more moisture than we would like," Mr van de Loo said.

Canberra District Wine Industry Association president John Leyshon said inclement weather did not seem to be a wider problem for the area.

"If it was March, we would be tearing our hair out, but as long as people have kept up their spraying programs and kept the downy mildew under control, I think people will be happy [with the rain]," Mr Leyshon said.

"It's a really early season. There's been so much growth in the vineyards it is setting up for a good time."

Despite the early optimism, Mr Leyshon said there was a long way to go before harvest in March.

"It could be an early vintage, probably talking about three weeks. Whether it will be depends on how the rest of the season pans out," he said.

"The weather really killed us last year because the rain came in March.

"The grapes were ripe and plump and when you get a lot of rain they tend to split, and the rain didn't stop [last year]. We're hoping for a good 2015, it's looking good at this stage."

Bill Crappsley celebrates 50 years of winemaking

Bill Crappsley is one of the great winemaker warriors of Western Australia.  He celebrated 50 years of winemaking this year, and added a third medal to his previous recognitions in 1999 (the George Mulgrue Award) and 2007 (the Di Cullen Award), both recognising his services to the Western Australian wine industry.  Now he has received the Jack Mann Memorial Medal, again celebrating his long – and continuing – winemaking career, with Plan B!

Hilltops winery Moppity Vineyards

Hilltops winery Moppity Vineyards has never been backwards when it comes to announcing its wine show successes and other critical acclaim.  But I have to admit its performance in the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge was amazing.  392 wines were entered in this year’s 20th Anniversary Challenge, retail prices for the wines going as high as $300 a bottle, and many over $100.  During this 20-year period, only seven wineries have had two wines in the top 10 (including Hardys, Grant Burge, Wirra Wirra and Kilikanoon), but this year Moppity had three wines in the top 10, all gold medal winners, two of the wines vying for the Trophy for Best Wine.  In the outcome, the 2013 Reserve (rrp $70) pushed the 2013 Eclipse (rrp $120) into second place.

Moppity’s show record with its five shiraz wines from the 2013 Hilltops vintage have put beyond doubt their quality.  That record is as follows:

2013 Eclipse Shiraz (rrp $120)

2 Trophies, 8 gold medals

2013 Reserve Shiraz (rrp $70)

1 Trophy, 3 gold medals

2013 Estate Shiraz (rrp $30)

3 gold medals

2013 Lock & Key Reserve Shiraz (rrp $25)

6 gold medals

2013 Lock & Key Shiraz (rrp $20)

3 gold medals (including 97 point gold and equal runner up to the eventual Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner (SC Pannell Syrah), Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2013)

Tony Walker and his latest release "Vintage Tasmania: The complete book of Tasmanian wine"

Tony Walker spent two years researching the history of Tasmanian wine from 1823 through to the present day for his Masters Degree from the University of Tasmania.  The 280-page, full colour book, Vintage Tasmania: The complete book of Tasmanian wine, is the outcome of his painstaking and original research.  I was asked to write an introduction to the book, and, having read it from cover to cover, was delighted to do so.  Rather than paraphrase that introduction, it follows verbatim:

This marvelous book is the culmination of a massive amount of original research on the 19th and second half of the 20th centuries, and extensive interviews with the key players in the Tasmanian wine industry of today. It shuts the door on any further book for several decades to come simply because there is nothing more to say.

It’s rare to talk of a non-fiction work as a page-turner, but this is one such. For not only is Tony Walker a researcher, and commentator, he is a skilled writer. If anyone doubts that, simply read Chapter 4: The Bernacchi Experiment. It adds a further dimension to the book – Walker’s wry sense of humour.

The genesis of the book was a thesis exploring the reasons why wine growing and making failed until the vinous torch was lit of Jean and Cecile Miguet in 1956, 130 years after Bartholomew Broughton made the first wine for sale in 1826. Put another way, the Tasmanian wine industry of today is the most vibrant in Australia, pulsating with success, and with virtually unlimited potential. What has changed so dramatically in such a short period of time?

Walker lays this all out in totally convincing fashion, aided by his understanding of wine in general. I have been a frequent visitor to Tasmania as a flyfisherman since Lake Pedder was filled, and as a wine show judge since 1991, co-chairing the Tasmanian Wines Show since that year, when 45 wines were entered, compared to 449 in 2014. I have hung up my judge’s wig, but the prospect of fishing is still attractive.

I also fulfilled a longheld ambition to be involved in making a Tasmanian Pinot Noir under the Coldstream Hills banner, and would love to make more. The problem is that Tasmania is the only region in Australia with a structural deficit of grapes, as a Federal politician or economist might describe it.

Brown Brothers’ acquisition of Tamar Ridge for a reported $30 million; the purchase of the White Hills Vineyard from Brown Brothers by Treasury Wine Estates; the House of Arras/Bay of Fires ownership by Accolade; and the purchase of the Parish Vineyard by the Hill-Smith Family Vineyards/Yalumba demonstrate the arrival of the Big End of Town in the Tasmanian industry. And this is only the beginning of what will be a golden period for and of Tasmania.

And so back to this book. Its design, printing and illustrations are impeccable. Its inclusion of the Regional Wine Routes is another important part of Tasmania today and tomorrow. Which leads me to Horace Greeley who famously wrote of America 150 years ago ‘Go west, young man, go west’. For Australia, it is a case of ‘Go south, young man, go south’.

The book will become available from the end of November, with reasonably wide distribution in Tasmania, but restricted access on the mainland.  Thus, Tony’s website – www.providoretasmania.com.au – will be the most effective way of purchasing it, at an rrp of $49.95 freight free.  Orders can be placed from November 15 onwards, and it goes without saying, I encourage everyone with an interest in wine – and, in particular, its history – to buy the book.  You will not be disappointed, nor will anyone who may receive it as a Christmas present.