- Type
- News
I love Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Merlot. Yes Merlot, and I don’t care what Paul Giamatti’s character Miles said in the movie Sideways about Merlot. The real irony of the movie (and for Miles) is, his most prized possession was a bottle 1961 Cheval Blanc (a great year for Bordeaux) and guess what, it is predominately made from Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I say ha, ha to him. And besides being one of the most expensive wines in the world, Chateau Petrus is made from Merlot. There is no shame in liking Merlot and I feel better getting that off my chest. But I digress. Aside from the fact that I enjoy certain grape varieties, regionality has become a focus. In other words, wine lovers are focusing their attention on certain regions that are well-known for producing certain varieties. Another important aspect of regionality is that each region adds certain characteristics to wine (soil and temperature have a lot to do with this). There are over 60 registered wine regions in Australia and arming yourself with the knowledge of regionality can help make better decisions about purchasing wine and reduce disappointment. For more information go to: www.wineaustralia.com/australia. Some of my favourite red wine producing regions are:
Margaret River WA Established 30 years ago this region has developed a tremendous reputation. A warm maritime climate with cooler temperatures in the south and soils ranging from sandy, gravelly and to granite gravels. Apart from producing great Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, Margaret River produces great Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Cabernet from Margaret River has great structure, excellent notes of cassis and blackcurrant with great length and gripping tannins. My favourite producer is Cullen. Established in the seventies, Cullen is worldrenowned for producing organic and biodynamic wines and their flagship wine, Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot, is listed as one of the 17 most sought-after wines in Australia as cited by Langton’s. If you can find some try the 2007 Diana Madeline — it’s outstanding!
Coonawarra, SA This region has been producing wine since the late 1800’s. Famous for its limestone terra rossa soil, the area is classified as cool climate. Coonawarra produces great Cabernet Sauvignon and the Shiraz is pretty good, too. The wines tend to have rich notes of blackcurrant and licorice and tannins are fine-grained. Penley Estate is one of my favourites. I am a big fan of their Phoenix Cabernet and Cabernet Reserve — both are beautiful wines, but look out for their Hyland Shiraz and Select Block Shiraz, which is rich and ripe with good berry notes and hints of cracked pepper.
Barossa, SA Slightly elevated at 270 metres the climate is warm, and receives little rain. Barossa consists of many soil types, ranging from carbonaceous, volcanic and shale soil types just to name a few. Famous for its Shiraz, the Barossa region has the oldest Shiraz vines in the country. Of course, there are variations, but generally speaking Shiraz and Merlot wines tend to be meaty, big rich, ripe with notes of plum, fruitcake and chocolate with silky tannin. Try Thorn-Clarke wines, which are five-star rated by James Halliday and their wines punch well above their weight — good quality and well priced. The Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz is a prolific medal winner and is rich and ripe, with sweet berry, spice and a hint of chocolate. Also, the 2009 Thorn-Clarke Sandpiper Merlot is a real cracker, having won the Tattersalls Trophy at the Brisbane Wine show for best Merlot in show.
Eden Valley, SA A sub-region of Barossa, Eden Valley is considered cool-climate, located 400–500 metres above sea level. It produces cracking Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot but is also famous for its Rieslings, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The soil types are well draining, such as limestone, sandstone, shale and slate. The Shiraz tends to be lighter and tighter than Barossa, with notes of raspberry and blackberries. Try anything from Mountadam, another five-star rated winery established in 1972 by David Wynn (one of Australia’s pioneer wine makers). The current wine maker is a bloke called Con Moshos, having arrived in Mountadam about five years ago from Petaluma after serving 23 years with them as senior wine maker. Mountadam Patriarch Shiraz 93 points, High Eden Chardonnay (snuck that one in) 94 points, Mountadam The Red 96 points are wines worth trying. Obviously, there are many fine red wine producing areas that I have not covered here, but be on the lookout for red wines that hail from McLaren Vale, Orange, Clare Valley, Heathcote, Canberra, Adelaide Hills, Rutherglen, Hunter Valley, Stanthorpe (I did say there were over 60 regions) and don’t get me started on Pinot Noir and its famous cool climate producing areas like Yarra Valley, Tasmania and Mornington Peninsula, just to name a few, because that’s a whole other wine column…
Happy and safe drinking!
Peter Panousis – Sample - Winter 2011 pg 12