Insbesondere die Auszeichnung für “Bester Riesling der Welt” hat Neil ‘umgehauen’, “wir haben hier auf dieser Show so viele andere Rieslinge probiert und waren begeistert, diese Auszeichnung hier zu gewinnen ist ziemlich unglaublich”, so Neil in einem ersten Statement nach dem Wettbewerb.

Wir sagen herzlichen Glückwunsch, doch wo waren die J.J. Prüms, Kesselstadts oder van Volxems bei diesem Wettbewerb? Keine Zeit für Australien oder fürchtete man den anderen Geschmack für Rieslinge auf dem fünften Kontinent? Deutschlands Größen meiden noch den Wettbewerb mit den Rieslingen Down Under – das mag sich jedoch in den nächsten Jahren ändern.

Deutscher Riesling chancenlos in Canberra Challenge

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Neil Paulett is the proudest winemaker in Australia after bringing home four individual trophies for his 2005 Aged Release Polish Hill River Riesling at the 11th Canberra International Riesling Challenge last week.

Amongst some of the World’s finest examples of the variety, the 2005 Paulett’s Aged Release Riesling beat all comers winning Best Australian Museum Class, Best Dry Riesling in the World, Best Riesling in Australia and the competition’s highest award, Best Riesling in the World.

Accepting his swag of trophies at the Gala Awards Dinner last Friday night Neil, with his wife Alison, celebrated the biggest win in their boutique winery’s 27-year history.

“The whole experience was a bit surreal to be honest, the first one was a great surprise, I said a few words and thought that would be it for the night. Then they called me up for the second one and I thought ‘how good is this?’ When they called me a third time I must admit I started to get the shakes, it was absolutely incredible.

“The fourth trophy for Best Riesling in the World just blew me away, I literally couldn’t speak.
“On the night of the awards we tasted many of the other trophy wines. That’s when it really sunk in, it’s quite humbling to have been recognised against our peers, such fantastic Riesling makers from around the world.”

A proud family owned and operated winery, tucked away in the Polish Hill River sub-region of the Clare Valley, Paulett’s has always maintained a quietly confident attitude towards producing regionally distinctive wines of finesse, elegance and intensity. “We’ve never worried too much about what other people do, we have great vineyards and we just make great wines with the grapes we have.
“We’re lucky here in Clare though. When we got home we had messages with a pat on the back from a couple of our neighbours who’ve won the same trophy and from many of our winemaking peers and the general community, it’s wonderful to have their support.

“Clare does produce fantastic Rieslings, of course they’re different to a European style but so they should be, we’re not Europeans. “If this award gets a few new people trying aged Rieslings then it’s a good thing. “Riesling is like a person, when it’s young it’s bright, full of life and energetic but when they get older, like me, they get a bit softer and rounder, develop great character and complexity.”

Michael Brecht

So geschehen am vergangenen Freitag, als eine Lieferung von Testweinen der Galafrey Wines von Mount Barker in Western Australia eintraf. Auch hier gilt wieder: erst müssen die Weine für ein paar Tage zur ‘Beruhigung’ in den Weinkeller, erst dann werden sie zwecks Test geöffnet.

Dieser Job ist ein wirklich harter – auch wenn mich meine Bekannten in dieser Hinsicht nicht richtig verstehen wollen …

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This Video shows the unwrapping of six bottles of wine from Western Australian producer Galafrey Wines.

Galafrey is situated at Mount Barker, right on the southern coastline of Western Australia. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the standouts, though I am looking forward to taste the 2004 Shiraz as well.

Thanks Kim for sending us these samples, they will get their deserved rest for a few days before being tasted.

It is a tough job to keep up with all these wines, let me tell you!

Michael Brecht

Shane from High Range with her drink of the day

Shane enjoys a glass of Tertini Riesling from cool climate Southern Highlands.

“I have been a big fan of Sauvignon Blancs in the past years, both from New Zealand and Australia. But I am over them now – the usually high levels of acidity and lack of distinct palate are turning me off now. I’d rather prefer Rieslings these days, this one here shows more delicate fruit flavours and is simply more interesting.”

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In unserer Serie ‘My Drink Today’ berichtet uns Shane aus High Range in NSW über ihren Wein, einen 2005 Tertini Riesling aus den Southern Highlands. Shane war bis vor kurzem ein grosser Sauvignon Blanc Fan. Ihr Geschmack hat sich aber in den vergangenen Monaten davon weg entwickelt, hin zu interessanteren und eher komplexen Trauben wie etwa Riesling.

Michael Brecht

2005 Wignalls Pinot Noir

Da half es also alles nichts: wir mussten umgehend ein paar Flaschen öffnen. Meine erste Sorge des ‘Korkens’ war schnell aus dem Weg geräumt: Wignalls nutzt wie fast alle fortschrittlichen Wineries in Australien den Schraubverschluss, ohne Korken keinen verkorkten Wein. Too easy!

Wignalls ist ein kleiner familiengeführter Betrieb in der Albany Region, also an der Südküste von Western Australia gelegen. Das dortige Klima ist recht einzigartig, denn die dortigen Tage sind für WA recht kühl und die Nächte maritim warm. Und als Pionier der Pinot Noirs in WA gab es schon Anfang der 90er Jahre Pinots von Wignalls.

Mein 2005er hat die letzten Jahre gut überstanden, seine Nase verspricht dunkle Waldfrüchte, sein weicher und voller Abgang ist geradezu typisch für die Pinot Noirs aus WA, schliesslich gibt es dort nicht gar so viele Winzer, die diese Rebsorte anbauen.

‘Kurzfristiges Kellern wird den geneigten Investor sehr zufriedenstellen’ steht auf dem Label, dem ist nichts mehr hinzuzufügen.

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I bought two cases of Wignalls Pinot Noir a few years ago and kind of forgot about them in my wine cellar. When I discovered them last Sunday, an instant question popped up in my head: aged Pinot Noir – does this work?

It certainly does, the 2005 Wignalls Pinot Noir is still a standout of this variety coming from WA. The unique micro climate of the vineyard, the 2005 year being outstanding and the fermentation techniques of this winemaker, who is the pioneer for Pinot Noirs in Western Australia – it all adds up and makes this wine a great sample.

Michael Brecht

Cool Climate Methode Traditionelle

Twenty years ago, some brands in Germany started with the ‘methode traditionelle’ or ‘methode champagnoise’ and did everything the way the French do with their champagne, only not using the grapes form the champagne region (hence not calling the end product champagne). It worked well, even in the country which loves German Sekt from German drink giants such as Henkell or Rotkaeppchen.

One of our current favourite sparklings here Down Under comes from Cuttaway Hill. These guys entered the sparkling arena only last year and what an entry this was: their top sparkling is named Laurence Chardonnay Pinot Noir and won the gold medal in Murrumbateman and a couple of silvers in its first year. Impressive.

The Laurence range of sparkling wines from Cuttaway Hill wines are named in honour of the founder of Cuttaway Hill, Laurence O’Neil. A premium single vineyard blend from hand harvested grapes followed by a slow cool primary fermentation only for the base wine was the base for this sparkling. The end product is then made in a traditional single bottle fermentation method and aged on lees for a minimum of two years before disgorgement and release. Low yields and dry ripening conditions produced full flavoured wines for Laurence.

We like this combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – both excellent grapes that grow well in cool climate conditions here in the Southern Highlands. And Laurence is an excellent example of well made sparklings Down Under.
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Unsere Serie ueber australische Sparklings wird heute fortgesetzt mit einem pitzelnden Wein der Marke ‘methode traditionelle’. Jene Bezeichnung wird nicht mehr lange auf australischen Flaschen stehen duerfen, denn im Einigungsvertrag zwischen der EU und Australien hat sich Letzteres dazu verpflichtet, jenen franzoesischen Ausdruck nicht mehr auf australischen Flaschen zu verwenden.

Hier in der cool climate Gegend Southern Highlands werden erstklassige Chardonnay und Pinot Noir Trauben angepflanzt. Jene sind Grundlage fuer den Laurence Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir, ein erster Wurf der Cuttaway Hill Winery und ein aeusserst erfolgreicher dazu: der sparkling sahnt bereits in seinem ersten Jahr eine Goldmedaille nach der anderen ab – ein koestlicher Tropfen, der Lust auf weitere sparklings hier aus Down Under macht.

Ihr Michael Brecht

2005 Shiraz Hahndorf Hill Winery

Hahndorf Hill Winery’s 2005 Shiraz from Adelaide Hills was this year included in UK wine writer Oz Clarke’s list of Top 250 wines for 2010, see our report here. A good reason to check on this wine and find out how a further few months in the bottle have helped this cool climate champion develop.

An amazing aroma of spicy plums and berries makes me curious when I open the bottle – I find hints of chocolate on the palate and I absolutely adore the smooth and silky finish. This wine is an absolute stunner made by a highly entrepreneurial boutique wine producer in South Australia. This wine is the answer to all these mass producers of cheap Australian commodity wines, outstanding in value and a clear benchmark for cool climate Shiraz around $30.
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Einer meiner letzten Trips nach South Australia brachte mich erneut nach Hahndorf Hill, wo ich mir Zeit nahm, den dortigen 2005 Shiraz der Hahndorf Hill Winery zu probieren. Jener war vor wenigen Monaten vom englischen Weinjournalisten Oz Clark zu einem der besten 250 Weine fuer 2010 gekuert worden.

Der Wein ist fantastisch fuer einen Roten um die EUR 17, grossartige Pflaume und dunkle Beerenaromen begruessen mich, Andeutungen von dunkler Schokolade und ein erstaunlicher, seidenweicher Abgang runden das Bild ab. Dieser Wein ist ein grossartiges Beispiel fuer die Erfolge kleinerer Winzer, sog. Boutique Wineries hier Down Under.

Ihr Michael Brecht

Tasting at Hahndorf Hill Winery

I tried the Shiraz from 2004 and 2005 and immediately fell in love with them although it was a hot summer day with more than 35 degrees. Their Sauvignon Blanc is probably one of the best ones from South Australia and the HHW Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are simply great examples of an excellent producer in a cool climate region.

Today I receive news from Co-Owner Larry Jacobs that Hahndorf Hill cellar door was voted in the Top 10 cellar doors in Australia in 2009 by Wine Business Magazine. And in the UK, influential wine writer Oz Clarke has selected the Hahndorf Hill Winery Shiraz 2005 in his list of 250 Best Wines 2010.

Well done guys, these are great achievements.

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Eine meiner Lieblingswineries in South Australia ist Hahndorf Hill Winery, gerade einmal 5 Minuten ausserhalb von Hahndorf Hill gelegen. In diesen Tagen hat die Winery grosse Auszeichnungen zu verzeichnen, thumbs up, wie wir hier Down Under sagen.

Ihr Michael Brecht

Cool climate vineyard

Internationally known are the classic wine regions such as the Barossa and Yarra Valley or McLaren Vale. Our aim here at downunderwines is to introduce to you a number of smaller and mostly newer regions over the coming months. Let us start with a region that was officially established on 23 January 2008 – the New England Wine Region.

This region is an inland district in northern New South Wales, situated at the top of the Great Dividing Range. It has a mild alpine climate and four distinct seasons. The winemakers are still trying to find out, which varieties will be most successful, however, the typical cool climate varieties seem to be doing well, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Noir as well as Riesling.

Although officially only a bit more than a year old, the area is in fact a re-emerging wine region as early settlers planted their own wine already in the 1850s. Between 1870 and 1920 wines from New England won quite a few awards at wine shows in Sydney, London, the US and France.

What is fascinating is the climate of this large region, obviously strongly influenced by its elevation. It ranges from 404m in and around Tamworth to the New England Plateau where vineyards grow at 900m around Glenn Innes in the Great Dividing Range. High altitude, cooler nights, snow in winter and still only two hours inland from the sub-tropical north coast of NSW.

It will be interesting to see, how winemakers in these new areas will try to distinguish themselves from the bigger and better known regions. One of the suggested differentiators will be the use of new, almost unique varieties such as Arneis, Gewurztraminer or Tempranillo.

This week we have tried a wine from Topper’s Mountain Wines – a winery with first plantings from 2000 and 2002. They are trying out quite a few new varieties and we opted for the 2005 topper’s Mountain Traminer – a Gewurztraminer following a truly traditional German style. Typical for this style is the toastal floral aroma of Jasmine. The scent of Turkish Delight makes Michael think of his home country Germany, the wine itself lacks a bit in length which shows that this is a wine that will need a few more years of work.

Gewurztraminer is a difficult variety but has the potential to be outstanding in a few years time and therefore become a good differentiation for Topper Mountain Wines. And this is what wine from Australia is also about: having a go at new varieties in new regions.

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Downunderwines bringt ihnen in den kommenden Monaten Berichte zu den weniger bekannten Weinregionen Australiens. Wir beginnen mit der Region New England, die erst seit Januar 2008 eine der 62 offiziell anerkannten Weinregionen hier Down Under ist. Wichtiges Differenzierungskriterium fuer die neuen Weingegenden ist die Verwendung unbekannterer Weinreben, wir haben in dieser Woche einen Gewurztraminer aus dem Jahr 2005 getestet.

We tried the 2005 and 2006 Riesling, the 2005 and 2008 Arneis – a highly difficult variety from the North-West of Italy, two Pinot Noirs and the Tertini Cabernet Sauvignon on the night.

The crowd was also volunteered to taste a selection of Italian cheeses, picking out the ones that tasted well with the various wines. All in all it was a great event, Tertini’s Sales Manager Robert Kay guided us through the evening and gave insights into the wine making techniques of this young winery from the Southern Highlands. Tertini has won 89 medals in the last three years at various wine shows across the country, not bad for a small Boutique Winery.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wine tasting and met some great new business people from the area.

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Das australische Business Netzwerk ZaaBiz hatte gestern zu seinem event in den Southern Highlands geladen. Neben diversen networking sessions gab es ausreichend Gelegenheit, die Weine von Tertini Wines zu testen. Mein Favorit: der 2008er Tertini Arneis, eine Traube aus dem Nordwesten Italiens die hier in Down Under von lediglich 15 Winzern bearbeitet wird. Mehr zu diesem Wein in einem gesonderten Bericht.

Ihr Michael Brecht

Fred Howard from DogRidge with Michael Brecht

downunderwines: Thanks Fred for your time. So tell us, how did the Grenache vine find its way here to South Australia?
Fred Howard (FH): Originally South Australia produced lots of fortified wines, which were sent back to England mainly for medical purposes. Grenache quickly became a favourite variety as it was growing so strong, it didn’t need a lot of work and you got lots of grapes out of the vines. Additionally the grapes contained very high sugar levels and were drought resistant, by nature.

DogRidge Cadenzia Grenache 2005

downunderwines: So these Grenache wines made it into the fortified wines helping doctors cure in the UK, but comes that it is today one of the finest variety here in the McLaren Vale?
FH: To tell you the truth: we have been working hard, to make our Grenache what it is today. The growth of the wines means that you have to prune heavily, it is almost as if you are manipulating the growth of the vines. The lack of water naturally helps as the growth slows down. Also we cut the tips so that the energy stops within the leaves, I guess all in all our crop thinning results in only getting 50% of the berries.

downunderwines: And these 50% are magic, almost comparable to the dead arm treatment, that D’Arenberg is so famous for?
FH: yes exactly. While thinning the crop to such an extent, we achieve results of berries that are simply wonderful to work with, once they are coming into the winery. Our Grenache vines have been planted in the 1940s, the character and complexity of its fruit is simply stunning.

I have then tried a few of DogRidge’s Grenache wines, now marketed under the Cadenzia label. Both the 2005 and 2006 are 100% Grenache, displaying a highly juicy sweet-fruit palate and the flavours were absolutely stunning. I preferred the 2005 as it had this extra year in the bottle which made it sensational. These wines a great for cellaring, give it a few years and drink it on a cold winter night, in front of a fire, sounds like heaven to me.

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Meine juengste Reise nach McLaren Vale brachte mich mit Fred Howard zusammen, der gemeinsam mit seinem Bruder David die DogRidge Winery sein eigen nennt. Hier werden seit vielen Jahrzehnten die klassischen Shiraz und Cab Savs angebaut, seit mehr als 65 Jahren wachsen zusaetzlich Grenache Trauben heran. Hiervon handelt mein Interview mt Fred, das McLaren Vale arbeitet derzeit sehr daran, diese Grenache Traube zu ‘ihrem’ Markenzeichen zu machen.

Gemeinsam mit Fred habe ich dann die Jahrgaenge 2005 und 2006 getestet, das Ergebnis: grossartig – ich bin ein Grenache Fan – allerdings nicht Fan der spanischen sondern ausschliesslich der australischen Variante.

Ihr Michael Brecht