Eldredge Vineyards named as one of Australia's Top "Dark Horse" Wineries

James Halliday has named Eldredge Vineyards as one of his ‘Australia’s Top Ten Dark Horse Wineries’ in the 2014 edition of the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion:

“Leigh and Karen Eldredge established their vineyard and winery 20 years ago in the Sevenhill Ranges at an altitude of 500metres above Watervale. Over the years they have had conspicuous success with one or two wines, but have now produced a suite of lovely wines from the 2010 and 2012 vintages, ALL KEENLY PRICED.”

The 2012 Eldredge Blue Chip Shiraz has achieved cult status as one of the Clare Valley’s most sought-after Shiraz, rated 94 points in the Halliday Guide, it will cellar brilliantly for a decade.

The 2012 Eldredege ReserveMalbec also scored 94  - points – “the ultra-full-bodied palate with its array of Satsuma plum and black cherry fruit”. It has excellent cellaring potential, James advises us “to store it for the longest possible time.”

The Australian wineries merry go round goes on and on...will we now see "Babycham Barossa"?

While the possible private equity pursuit of Treasury Wines, owner of the Penfolds, Rosemount and countless other brands, seems to have gone quiet, up pops a couple of other companies keen to keep the merry go round spinning.
Accolade Wines, the other Australian monolith who continue to pretends that half-price Hardy's is a "family" brand, have decided that they haven't enough brands (17 Australia brands on their website at last count). So they've splashed the cash and bought Barossa producer Grant Burge Wines (well done, Grant). There must be a strategy there, perhaps they'll merge it with one of their other "premium" brands and christen it "Babycham Barossa"?
On a more sensible note, Casella Wines, owners of the Yellowtail brand have bought Peter Lehmann Wines from their Swiss owners, Hess. PLW no longer have a figurehead with the sad passing of Peter and, lately, his son, Doug. Yellowtail obviously has a thirst for the Barossa vineyards loyal to PLW, perhaps they'll create a Yellow Label? Sorry, that one's  already been done....  by Wolf Blass,... part of the Treasury stable, following a few rounds of takeovers.
The merry go round goes round and round...

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz - a slice of Australian Wine History

Robert O’Callaghan’s iconic Basket PressShiraz is produced in tiny quantities from old dry grown Barossa vineyards that were probably planted by Silesian immigrants fleeing religious persecution in Europe in the late 1800’s. 

Over the next 100 years or so, their descendents toiled the vines, each generation preserving this rich heritage for the subsequent generation. It is then a matter of honour and pride to hand this unique inheritance on to them, as the next link in the chain

When you drink a bottle of Basket Press you are enjoying a slice of Australian wine history. Limited stocks are available at the Australian Wine Centre.

Wine is made from grapes so why are some wines said to be not suitable for vegetarians?

It’s all to do with the fining agents that are used to clarify the wine. A clarifying or fining agent makes wine clear by removing proteins from the wine. The agents eventually settle out of the wine. Some fining agents are animal-based products, while others are earth-based. Common animal-based agents include egg whites, milk, gelatin, and isinglass. Gelatin is an animal protein derived from the skin and connective tissue of pigs and cows. Isinglass is prepared from the bladder of the sturgeon fish, while egg whites and milk can also be used.
The quantities used are miniscule: whites from 3 eggs can clarify 250 litre of wine Both the clarifying agents and the removed proteins coagulate on the bottom of the wine tank or barrel. They are then removed through either a settling process or a cellulose fibre filter and are not present in the finished product.
It depends on how strict a vegetarian (or vegan) is as to whether the fining agent is a concern.

25 vintages of Primo Estate Joseph Moda Amarone on video

With the release later this week of the 2012 vintage, Primo Estate have clocked up 25 vintages of this outstanding Aussie Cabernet Merlot. You can see the videos of winemaker Joe Grilli tasting all 25 vintages of Moda here.

Joe Grilli combines Aussie know-how with his traditional Italian winemaking by air drying the finest McLaren Vale fruit on shaded outdoor racks for two weeks prior to crushing. The fruit is concentrated so that it loses around 15% of its weight. This inspired use of the Italian Amarone technique creates an opulent, brooding wine.

2012 Primo Estate Moda

The 2012 vintage was a near perfect ‘no excuses’ growing season in McLaren Vale. Whilst there was plenty of dry, warm weather in the lead up to harvest the really hot temperatures were only short lived and the ideal combination of warm sunny days and cool nights prevailed. Not surprisingly these conditions have produced wines with lovely poise.

Intense bouquet of concentrated blackcurrant fruit intermingled with characteristic raisin and cigar box notes. Mouth filling palate of rich, lush blackcurrant wrapped in fine dark chocolate. The palate goes on and on, all the way to a gentle tannin finish and some lingering cedar oak.

Bowen Estate moves on to the next generation

In 1972 when Doug and Joy Bowen founded Bowen Estate near Penola on the red soils of the Coonawarra, it was one of the few wineries based there. Some forty years later, it has become one of the region’s landmarks, still producing the best value reds from the district as they swim against the tide of ever-increasing prices, clearly focused on delivering value-for-money.

Now Doug has “retired” from winemaking entrusting that role to daughter Emma, a graduate in winemaking from the Charles Sturt University in Wagga  and with experience in the Hunter Valley, Mudgee and Burgundy.

The seamless transition, with Doug now as Chief Viticulturist (and also chief lobster gatherer) can be seen with the wines from the 2011 vintage, which have caught the attention of The Independent’s wine critic, Anthony Rose, who wrote about the 2011 Bowen Cabernet Sauvignon: "A berry-scented, elegantly expressed Aussie red polished with a delicate brush of vanilla oak and a touch of herb". 

The Bowen heritage is in good hands!

Tim Adams The Fergus is a legend

Tim Adams’ The Fergus is a legend. Now in its 17th release –it was first produced in 1993-  from the old vine Grenache vineyard next to Tim’s kitchen, owned by his neighbour Fergus Mahon (now in his eighties, but still going strong). That year was one of a shortage of grapes and when Tim persuaded Fergus to sell him his grapes, he promised to name the wine after him. The Fergus is now one of the great blends to come from Australia.

I rate the 2009 Fergus the best we have seen since the 2006 vintage. It continues the outstanding Fergus lineage: Grenache and some Tempranillo were crushed over the skins of Mataro and Shiraz , using a method known in Italy as “Ripasso”, but one that Tim learned while working for Mick Knappsten at Leasingham in the 1970s. Last weekend I greatly enjoyed a bottle of the 2004 Fergus, still drinking beautifully a decade later!

The wine 2009 Fergus is stunning: the varieties all combine to form a spicy, juicy wine with lifted red berry aromas and flavours, grenache spiciness and given extra back palate firmness provided by the blending of the other varieties. It's medium weighted and superbly crafted to be a fantastic food partner, especially duck, lamb and gamey meats. Fergus will cellar patiently through to 2019.

Order here

Penfolds - the story goes on....

Isn’t it sad to see a great name like Penfolds “back in play”, as various private equity firms vie to purchase Treasury Wine Estates, no doubt to split it into the constituent parts that once were brands in their own right: Wolf Blass, Lindemans, etc – who remembers Seppelts?

Seems to me that they lost touch with their customers as they sought to become “luxury” brands with icon wines. Bob McLean at St. Hallett in the 1990s maintained that he wanted Poachers Blend (and Gamekeepers) to be his everyday wines so that fans of his Old Block Shiraz could enjoy these wines and when they wanted something special, dip deeper into their pockets for Old Block. Penfolds have let those great Shiraz: Bin 28, 128, etc. lose touch with their regular customers, while seeking to “reposition” them far up the scale. As for Rosemount, where has that once proud Hunter Valley brand gone, last seen in McLaren Vale… enough said.

And who can name the previous owners of the Penfolds brand – Tooth & Co. South Australian Brewing, The Adelaide Steamship Company, Southcorp? A sad story. 

25 years of Primo Estate Moda

The Joseph Moda is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the release of the 2012 vintage, (arriving in the UK early October) and to look back at its vinous history Joe recently opened up every one of them. The collection is a testament to the ageing ability of cabernet sauvignon (albeit in a blend with merlot), and also a fascinating glimpse into the unusual “amarone’ technique Joe employs in the drying of the grapes before they go into the winery. One thing Joe is convinced about is cabernet sauvignon’s suitability.

“It’s a tough little berry that can withstand the more challenging years,” he says. “You get the sun-filled Australianness of the raisins, as well as an Italian aged, earthy red character which comes around the seven-year mark.” If you’re a collector and have 2010, 2004, 2002, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1991, and even the 1989 and 1988 experimentals as Joe started out on this journey, then there are wonderful thrills to be had in your cellar.'

Watch the video of Joe Grilli making JOSEPH Moda at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9sTpQlF-KU

Water Wheel Shiraz rated 94 points - just £12 per bottle

Peter Cummings told me over a pint or two of London Pride last year that his 2012 Water Wheel reds were fabulous, now Australia’s top wine critic has rated the 2012 Bendigo Shiraz at 94 points, "exceptional value", in his latest Australian Wine Companion.
http://www.australianwinecentre.co.uk/acatalog/Water_Wheel_Vineyards.html