Archive for January, 2012
Der Nr. 1 Rotwein in Australien diese Weihnacht mit dem Christmas Turkey: Pinot Noir
“…Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world!” says Robert Parker, a statement that Jim Lumbers, owner of Lerida Estate, whole-heartedly agrees with – especially when matched with his Christmas turkey.
Pinot Noir from Canberra District
It was Jim’s love of Pinot Noir that saw him spend many days in the vineyards of Burgundy while living in France in the late 80’s, and prompted him to try the Pinot Noir wines of Dr Edgar Riek, one of the pioneers of the Canberra District wine region, on his return to Australia. This tasting bought him to the Lake George region of the Canberra District in 1997 to track down what he described as “some of the most outstanding Pinot Noirs I’d ever tried”.
As a result, Jim and his wife Anne Caine purchased a 40 acre plot of land nestled at the bottom of the Cullerin Range, overlooking the beautiful and mysterious Lake George – perfect for planting Pinot Noir.
According to Jim, “The terrior here is ideal; Pinot needs sunshine without excessive heat, dry air, deep soil and cool nights, and the gravelly, colluvial soil at the foot of the Range provides all of this. These conditions encourage deep-rooted, healthy vines with enough stress to favour the production of grapes with thick skins, excellent fruit flavours and high levels of anti-ageing polyphenols. The slopes face east, allowing the rising sun to dry out any dew, and so reduce the impact of moulds and mildews. The steepness of the slopes also contributes to vine health by promoting good air drainage and reducing the risk of frost damage during the growing season.”
Pinot Noir from Lake George
The newly released Lerida Estate 2009 ‘Cullerin’ Pinot Noir, Canberra District follows the highly successful 2008 ‘Cullerin’ Pinot Noir which received excellent scores from both wine critics and wine shows alike. Jim says, “The 2009 vintage was crafted to achieve a balance between a fruit driven style, and more texture and weight. In particular the aroma of the new 2009 is very evocative with stewed plums, rhubarb and spice, mixed with gamey and savoury overtones, and a hint of vanilla from 20% new oak barrel.” Whilst the 2009 is still young, if decanted before tasting you will discover that the wine already delivers the flavours to match its fine, silky tannins and body, and experience with previous vintages indicates that the wine will also improve over the next 8-10 years.”
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Fragt man die Winzer in Australien, so war die Nummer 1 unter den Weinen für den klassichen ‘Christmas Turkey’ der Pinot Noir. Keine andere Rebsorte passt so hervorragend zu diesem typischen australischen Weihnachtsgericht.
Wir dürfen nicht vergessen, es ist Sommer Down Under und in den Küchen werden bei 35-40 Grad Celsius gane Kämpfe zwischen Herd und Hitze (von außen) gefochten. Der delikate, häufig anstrengende und dennoch schwer zu schlagende Rotwein, den wir bei Downunder Wines so lieben, ist der ausgesprochene Liebling zu Christmas Turkey, in unserem Bericht aus dem wunderbaren Lerida Estate im Canberra District, keine 30 Minuten vor den Toren der Hauptstadt Australiens gelegen.
Die Temperaturen in Deutschland lagen mit 6-10 Grad nicht allzu fern dem australischen Klima, dennoch waren hier die schweren Rotweine und Champagner die vorherrschenden TRopfen, oder gab es irgendwo Pinot Noir zum Fest?
Ihr Downunder Wines Team
Beer Advertisement in Australia – still good after five years running
Der Spot ist bereits fünf Jahre alt aber immer noch ein Klassiker.
Ja, es geht um australisches Bier, aber bei James Boags finde ich das in Ordnung, denn nicht nur die Werbung, sondern eben besonders das Bier ist richtig gut.
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Beer advertisement from Down Under – five years old and still great – loved it.
Michael Brecht
Three top winegrowers unite to bring awareness to a forgotten variety Verdelho
Australian Verdelho was found to be ‘the alternative variety we already have’ according to a recent tasting panel for the Wine & Viticulture Journal.
Vineyard in the Hunter Valley
In an effort to bring more consumer awareness to this forgotten wine variety the three award-winning Verdelho winegrowers named for their 2011 vintage – Windowrie The Mill, Bleasdale Potts’s Catch and Tamburlaine organic wines – have banded together to help create an upsurge of interest for a wine that has been described as ‘rivalling the likes of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay’.
In Australia Verdelho first appeared in the 1820’s and was historically grown in the Hunter Valley. According to the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, 12,416 tonnes of Verdelho was crushed in the 2010 vintage. Winegrowers Windowrie, Tamburlaine and Bleasdale believe its appeal would grow if more consumers gave it a try and the Downunder Wines team is fully supporting this fresh way of giving credit to a forgotten variety.
“For the past 20 years winemakers have offered Verdelhos which are too sweet. The unoaked and dry nature of these three Verdelhos rival the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris styles that proliferate the market these days,” says Mark Davidson, winemaker Tamburlaine.
“Verdelho from Canowindra consistently produces great flavoured wines that are beautifully matched to spicy foods. If it were a new variety to Australia it would be giving the likes of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc a run for their money. However, it remains a tough sell. We have success with it in the cellar door, but it relies on the old adage that once customers taste it, they like it,” says Windowrie family owner Jason O’Dea.
These three wines are all made in a similar manner, with the differing styles due to terroir rather than winemaker influence. The fruit was harvested during the cool of the night in order to retain the pristine fruit condition. Racked off solids the wines were then fermented with aromatic yeasts at controlled, cool temperatures, fined and bottled.
The 2011 Tamburlaine Verdelho was made with some of the latest winemaking technologies available, new settling and filtration equipment in their winery delivered a ‘cleaner’ and more sustainable wine, utilising less power and creating less waste.
“Verdelho is a variety that tends to retain its natural acidity even when fully ripe. It was one of the first varieties planted in Langhorne Creek, and has proven to be well suited to our region. Our 2011 were one of the first varieties off the vine. The cooler conditions saw the fruit ripen with a lower baumé but with substantial flavours,” explains Bleasdale’s winemaker Paul Hotker.
These three dry styles of Verdelhos are perfect companions for lighter Asian inspired dishes of veal, chicken and port. “The contemporary styles are drier than they have historically been, with the varietal fruit becoming the focus,” concludes Hotker.
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Das Wine & Viticulture Journal hat in einer jüngsten Ausgabe einen Bericht zu der inzwischen vergessenen Rebsorte Verdelho heraus gebracht. Wir stellen Ihnen drei Winzer vor, die diese Reben für besonders geeignet für ihre eigene Umgebung halten.
In Langhorne Creek, dem ehrwürdigen Hunter Valley und Canowindra gilt Verdelho als neue und doch alte Rebsorte und wird für das weitere Wachstum der drei Winzer als mit-entscheidend angesehen. Drei verschiedene ‘Styles’, aber eben doch typisch für den Wettbewerb gegen die dominierenden Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris oder Chardonnay, für welche wir die australischen Weissweine so schätzen.
Wir wünschen viel Erfolg,
Ihr Michael Brecht
Loved this one at Munich Airport …
you can drink and fly
I think this statement sums it up, I saw the napkin at the airport in Munich yesterday morning on our way out.
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Ein gelungener Beitrag am Münchener Flughafen gestern morgen…
