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Experimental Grape Varieties in Australia

Introduction
The motivation behind Australian vignerons planting unusual grape varieties is at first perplexing. After all, "If I want Sangiovese why buy Australian when I can go to Italy". To which winemakers might reply, "Then, why not go to France for Shiraz?"

Our diverse soil types and climatic zones give Australian winemakers a genuine foundation from which to consider the potential upsides of still other varieties. These present a dual challenge - one which is first technical, that of identifying the optimal combination of terroir, clonal selection, viticultural management and winemaking technique, and another which seems to be founded in a tradition of innovation - the challenge of pioneering a 'new' and exciting Australian wine experience. Corporate wine companies have also been seduced by the desire to emulate the dramatic success certain varietals have experienced in their native lands and in overseas markets. Sangiovese and Nebbiolo wines from Italy are just two examples which are now ranked amongst the world's greatest red wines, frequently commanding stratospheric prices.

Regardless of one's motivations, it does seem that some grape varieties have achieved an almost over night success in Australia. Pinot Gris, for example has been enthusiastically received. Yet the common path of every new varietal is inevitably one of extended trial, error and disappointment, moderated by a dogged perseverance, as the cautiously optimistic tone of several pioneering winemakers in this chapter indicates.

Apart from the varieties listed below, others such as Aglianico, Albarino, Arneis, Cinsaut, Tannat and Vermentino have been planted in Australia but remain as 'works in progress'. Nicks Wine Merchants continue to taste thousands of wine's each year and we'll endeavor to develop profiles and flavour charts of unusual grape varieties as successful examples begin to emerge from around the country.

Barbera cuttings arrived in Australia via the University of California, Davis in the 1960's. It has been grown for around 25 years in the Mudgee region of New South Wales, with later plantings in a number of wine regions, including the King Valley in Victoria, and McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. It has since been trialed throughout Australia's major wine regions.

Typically, the wines offer raspberry / cherry-like flavours alongside varietal characteristics that many Australian wine lovers don't immediately warm to - a high level of acidity with low tannin. Zonte's Footstep, Vinea Marson, Primo Estate, Michael Unwin Wines, Dal Zotto Estate, Chalk Hill Winery and others continue efforts with the variety. The latter, based in McLaren Vale, have produced some award winning examples through careful site selection and by restricting the vigor and bunch size of this usually heavy cropping vine.

Carmenère [car-men-YEHR]
Carmenère is the sixth member of the Cabernet Sauvignon family (the others being Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot) and can be as explosive as the best Australian Shiraz, delivering enormous colour and flavour. Once common in Bordeaux, particularly in the Medoc (where it was known as 'Grande Vidure'), Carmenère is now rarely found in France; firstly because most plantings were wiped out in 1867 due to the vine disease, 'phylloxera'; secondly, because it is the last of the red grapes to ripen, and in Bordeaux often does not fully ripen resulting in green flavours. This combined with its erratic tendency to develop a condition called 'coulure', (poor fruit set after flowering) and its resultant low yields have contributed to the demise of Carmenère throughout Europe.

Long thought to be Merlot vines, Chilean cuttings have thrived for 150 years. It was only in 1993 when the renowned viticulturist Professor Jean-Michel Boursiquit of Ensa de Montpellier carried out a detailed scientific survey that winegrowers realized the two similar vines had been growing together for more than a century. (1) When Chilean winemakers witnessed the colour and taste of the pure Carmenere, they realized they had been ignoring a huge asset and Carmenere now represents the country's signature variety.

In Australia, three cuttings of Carmenère were imported from Chile by viticultural expert Dr Richard Smart in the late 1990s. After two years in quarantine, only one cutting survived the heat treatment to eliminate viruses and was micro-propagated (i.e.- segments of individual buds were grown on nutrient gel) and field-grown by Narromine Vine Nursery. The first vines from the nursery were planted in 2002 by Amietta Vineyard and Winery in the Moorabool Valley (Geelong, Victoria) who use a large proportion of Carmenère in their Angels' Share blend. (2) Olssens of Watervale in the Clare Valley, Red Earth Estate and Macquarie Grove Vineyards in the Western Plains Zone of NSW, and Brown Brothers in the King Valley, Victoria are all presently experimenting with the variety.

To Continue reading go to www.nicks.com.au > More Information > Vintage School > 2.4 Experimental Grape Varieties in Australia

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Top Wines Still Available...

2006 Antica Terra Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Region:Amity, Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
Rating: 97  Value:

A Powerful, Rich Pinot Noir Clearly Demonstrating the Outstanding Potential of the Oregon Terroir

The colour is impressive, black crimson purple colour with black purple hue. Superb nose of violet, black cherry, spice, anise and strawberry. Superb palate structure, with velvet tannins and strong flavours of liquorice, black pepper, spice and black cherry. Very long power wave and aftertaste.
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 14.4%

2002 Marguet Pere et Fils Grand Cru Brut Reserve Champagne

2006 Arboleda Carmenere
Region: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Rating: 97  Value:

A superb example of Carmenere.

Produced from a single vineyard site. Vintage was delayed for ten days in order to fully ripen the grapes, achieving a voluptuous flavour profile and soft tannin structure. The wine was matured for twelve months in 45% new oak casks of which 75% was American and 25% French. A saturate of black purple with black purple hue, showing excellent cling to the glass. Superb lifted nose of violet, followed by blackberry and spice with a cinnamon end note. Mouthfilling palate with generous flavours of fresh blackberry and black cherries. Fine, almost velvet like tannins. Aftertaste of blackberry, spice and black cherry.
Cellar 4 - 5 years (2012 - 2013)
Alc/Vol: 14.50%

2006 Three Brothers Reunited Shiraz
Region: South Australia
Rating: 94  Value:

We can confidently say that there is no other $10 wine on the market that matches the quality and flavour profile of this wine!

The 2002 was the first vintage and was heralded as an instant success. The challenge winemaker Ben Riggs has was to repeat the performance of 2002 and even to better it. Each vintage has seen a step up in quality with the 2006 expressing the best palate flavour profile to date.

Very deep crimson colour with deep crimson hue. Lifted nose but by no means showing its maximum potential, with top note of spice, followed by plum, vanilla and confectionary. The palate depth and complexity comes as an unexpected surprise - the flavour is voluptuous and delivers layers of ripe plum, vanilla, confectionary, spice and black pepper, very mouthfilling, supported by fine dryish but perfectly balanced tannins. At $20 or $30 a bottle you would expect consider that you have just experienced a very good value for money red - At $9.99, this wine offers fantastic vinous value!
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 14.5%

2007 Blicks Lane Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Value: 93 Value:

The 2007 vintage is an excellent follow up - a wonderful expression of what Marlborough does best at a price point that over delivers

A classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Brilliant, pale straw colour with water like hue. Top note of ripe gooseberry, spice and tropical fruit. The palate is full bodied and full flavoured. Gooseberry flavours are abundant, followed by tropical fruit over a grassy, herbaceous background. There is a touch of anise evident on the back palate and aftertaste. Clean finish. Aftertaste of anise, tropical fruit and gooseberry. A perfect wine for the long Summer days ahead.
Cellar: 1-2 years (2008-2009)
Alc/Vol: 13%

RATING:  98   VALUE: 
REGION: Barossa Valley, South Australia

Ben Glaetzer has emerged as one of the new generation of 'hot' winemakers producing wines of exceptional flavour and concentration. Together with father Colin, the Glaetzer wines were established in 1995 with fruit sourced from a select group of growers from the Ebenezer district of the Barossa. The Bishop is produced from 60 year old, dry grown vines which yield around 2 tonnes per acre. The vinification takes place in small open vats with regular plunging of the cap. The process is very traditional as the Glaetzers believe that great wines are made in the vineyard. The wine is matured in a combination of French and American oak hogsheads.

Since our initial tasting, twelve months bottle age has seen this wine blossom!

Wine lovers will note the use of Ancient symbols on the wines. The Bishop, being a tribute to the female side of the Glaetzer family, incorporates Venus and Mercury with female symbols - drinking the wine gives one a chance to brush up on some ancient myths and legends. Superb colour - black purple with purple hue. Delightful nose - violet, spice top note followed by freshly crushed blackberry and spice. The palate has excellent weight and mouthfeel - explosive palate flavours of vanilla, blackberry and spice. Fine grained tannins. Perfect balance. Aftertaste of liquorice, blackberry, plum and vanilla.
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 14.5%

Other Reviews.....
The 2006 Bishop was sourced from 60-year-old vines and aged for 14 months in used French and American oak. Purple/black in color, it has an expressive nose of cedar, smoke, game, bacon, and blueberry. On the palate this medium to full-bodied wine is tightly wound but has all the right stuff. There are tons of ripe fruit and silky tannin, excellent balance and a long finish, but the wine will need 8-10 years to fully display its personality. It will easily last through 2036. Hats off to Ben Glaetzer for producing an extraordinary portfolio! The renowned winemaker, Ben Glaetzer, sources all of his fruit for this label from the Ebenezer district in the northern Barossa. Many knowledgeable experts cite this sub-region as the finest in the Valley.
92-94 points
Jay Miller - The Wine Advocate

Rec. Retail

$36.54

Bottle Price

$29.99

Dozen  Price

$354.00

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Wine Spider Analysis:

2006 Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz

Clarendon Hills Wine Dinner
at Jacques Reymond

The wines of Clarendon Hills are regarded as amongst the worlds best. Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate writes "Roman Bratasiuk's Clarendon Hills is one of the worlds benchmark wineries. I can think of only two other cellars, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace and Domaine Leroy in Burgundy, where the entry level wines begin at such a superb level of quality, and the portfolio ascends from there to other worldly at the top of the hierarchy."

Jacques Reymond is arguably Australia's finest 3 star restaurant. Jacques has created a menu that promises to achieve a new culinary high, matching the wines of Clarendon Hills.

The Menu

Gougères
&
N/V Billecart Salmon Champagne

Salade Gourmande of duck and tuna sashimi, foie gras and parmesan;
a pâté chaud of duck and black prunes
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Blewitt Springs Grenache
2006 Clarendon Hills Onkaparinga Grenache
2006 Clarendon Hills Romas Grenache

Masterstock spatchcock, pork belly farce with mild Asian flavours,
curried organic lentils, pickled cucurbitaceans
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Liandra Syrah
2006 Clarendon Hills Moritz Syrah

Double lamb cutlet cooked on rock salt, fresh borlotti bean and truffle juice mash, our mint oil
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Brookman Syrah
2006 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Syrah

Sancho coated highland venison, cauliflower with horseradish dressing, beetroot glaze
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Astralis Syrah

Dry apricot millefeuilles and Woodside light goat cheese in vine leaves
&
2006 Clarendon Hills Sandown Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Clarendon Hills Brookman Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Cabernet Sauvignon

Gratin of new season berries, caramelised mango, lemon myrtle and
mountain pepper ice cream, coconut tuile
&
2005 Chateau Guiraud 1st Grand Cru Sauternes

Coffee and petits fours

Wednesday November 12^th
78 Williams Road
Prahran
7.00pm for 7.30pm Start
$199 per person all inclusive
Very Limited Numbers
Payment in full is required with reservations
RSVP by 29th October

To book call Hadyn on 03 9822 9100