Empty's Full Glass on Wine Australia

Rob and Shane give a post-mortem on Monday's wine Australia trade fair marking any notables from the day. Comments on the master classes, the Riesling table. We'll also be updating this in the near future with a podcast of the opinions of the guys. For now read way! Hope you enjoy, and as always comments and debate welcome!  

The Riesling Table  

Rob: Arriving in a casually late style that has come to mark the occasional warpath to tastings in Dublin, we wasted no time in rallying our troops and making on the Riesling table. While the guys were billing Riesling up to be the next big thing, I might have offered a point of contention along the lines of how many of us are actually out buying the stuff, but I had bigger fish to fry. I had 21 attempts on the noble grape to gargle to get myself into tasting mode. A task, I’ll not lie about loving. It can never hurt to wet the palate with a few goal setters before getting the ball fully rolling. 

Shane: We hit the Riesling table first, for two reasons, it would surely wake up the palate and it was to be a blind tasting, a nice challenge for the team and a varietal that is often overlooked in Australia, which is a pity as some of the nicest and affordable Rieslings I have tried to date have been from down under. The table turned out to be a bit of a roller coaster of quality and also provided for a good debate between the team later on. However we all agreed where it mattered, with our highest scores going to the same wines.

Ones to try

Rob: In terms of ones we think you ought to try there was some discord in the camp, as Shane has mentioned.  To give but one example I took to no.21 very swift as for Shane, the Riesling was average. And here it is, subjectivity, bear it in mind. Beyond the "S" word, what follows is my top 5 Rieslings, below this section is my top favourite, which to save on repeating myself, I'll leave out of here.

• Wirra Wirra, Lost Watch - Eden (PP >€20.00): Lemon flower, mineral streak and core to the wine. Long finish, very refreshing style. (Value: 3)

• Plantagenet, Riesling - Great Southern, WA (PP €15.00-17.99): Intense with lots going on too much for me to scribble everything down, sherbet tingle finish good lime qualities. (Value: 4)

• St. Hallett, Riesling - Eden (PP €12.00(!!)-14.99): Very faint petroleum/over-flinted smoke, lime, mineral qualities, floral, lemon flower, apricot, concentrated and persistent flavours yet very elegant and subtle. (Value: 5)    

• Leasingham, Bin 7 (Marked in booklet as Bin 2) - Clare Valley (PP €15.00-17.99): The up turner in the tasting, which dipped midway, restrained fruits good balance of apple and hints of wax turning on the fruits. Finish of great length with melons and a saltiness (Value: 3.5) 

• Petaluma - Clare Valley (PP €18.00-€19.99): This was the main contention. Whereas I found it full of well rounded, salty, almost nutty flavours, the counterpart saw more apple fruits to the wine, which I picked out as carrying a lick of wax. Creamy, orange peel, and apricot all there for me. However, pricey (Value 3.5)

Shane: My top Rieslings were all very close in score and some of exceptional value as they stack up against both myself and Rob's favourite of the day. One or two are a steal in terms of cost. Today proved that Australia can compete with the best in the world in producing the king of white grapes. Wheras Rob scored his out of five for value I chose a 1-10 system. 1 being awful, 10 being the best thing since sliced bread.

• Plantagenet - Great Southern (PP €15.00-17.99): Aromas of eucalyptus, apple, pear, peach, mango and a hint of coconut. Pineapple, grapefruit and lemon on the palate with a very long finish. (Score 9)

 

• Pewsley Vale - Eden Valley (PP €16.99): Aromas of lemon rind, honey suckle, pineapple and a floral element, with melon initially on the palate that is followed up by a delicious mix of grapefruit and lemon sherbet on the finish. (Score 9.5)

• St Hallett - Eden Valley (PP €12-€15.99): Aromas of petrol honey suckle, lemon, peach and flint. On the palate it was a delicious mix melon, peach, lemon rind, minerality and grapefruit with a hint of minerality on the finish. (Score 9.5)

• Jacobs Creek Steingarten - Eden Valley (PP >€20): This wine was tasted immediately after my favourite of the day, this was no easy task. On the nose, wax, honey, peach pear and a subtle floral element. The primary fruits followed through to the palate with a long finish of refreshing lime. (Score 9.5)

• Wakefield Estate - Clare Valley (PP €12-€14.99): This wine really showed the merits of a blind-tasting as I knew there was something familiar about this wine, but couldn't quite decide what. Turns out is a wine that I have tasted and adored quite a few times. On the nose orange rind, peach and intensely floral and awash with grapefruit and pineapple. Delicious, with a very long crisp finish. (Score 9.5)

The favourite? Peter Lehmann, The Wigan Reserve Riesling (PP >€20.00)

Rob: There was a clear winner, and no matter what mud I have thrown since the hand over of the Lemhann company, The Wigan Riesling was fantastic. Simple as. Elegantly occupying the glass with a Golden hue. Layered on the nose with a lot going on. The tasting manual notes this as a table for anyone stuck for time- that's a bit far from  the mark, anyone spending less than 5 minutes on this wines nose alone was committing blasphemy  of the highest order. A subtle marmalade-like fruit quality, subtle and luring perfumes shrouded gentle and soft honeyed fruits of apricot and lemon. Irrespective of price, this was fantastic, a must. Happily I will eat my words, quality has gone nowhere here in Lehmann's backyard. Truly one of the world's great wines.  (Value: 5)

Shane: I also scored the Wigan the highest in the blind tasting giving it a ten out of ten. The wine was complex and challenging, revealing layer after layer. Pale lemon in colour with a hint of gold. The nose was a complex mix of kerosene, honey suckle, lemon and apricot, but what tipped this wine into one of the greats was how when I closed my eyes, revelling in the delightful bouquet I got a hint of something very familiar. I was incredulous when the memory washed over me of smelling Riesling grapes on the vine on a hill overlooking Bad Durkheim in the Pfalz region several years ago. This is what wine should be all about, an experience of the mind, a journey. The palate was just as complex with all apricot and lemon dancing around each other with a finish of lemon rind and honey suckle that seemed to last forever. (Score 10)

The Master Classes 

Part One: Smell that, Aussie Semillion  

Rob: Semillion, one of many grape names I have to look at while pronouncing- curiously my love affair with this grape is barely a year old. A year old affair and now it has been fed with a master class chaired by food and wine magazines, Redmond Blake. My wine buds were of course tingling, eyeing up list my eyes would flint towards number five, vintage 2000, Tyrrell Vat 1 Semillion, Hunter Valley. Well if my jaw had be able to, it surely would have fallen off and left the room to get some air. 

Thankfully, it didn't. Better still than having my jaw intact, was the absolute joys I was about to taste. 

• Peter Lehmann, 2005 Classic Semillion - Barossa Valley (PP €10.00 **rough estimate**): What is a ten euro wine white wine with 7 years age on it doing in a master class you may ask. Well the answer is rather simple. A bloody lot for €10, my scribbled notes reveal just this, a toasted honey was taking hold some breaded notes, stewed apple hid within the smoke. For €10, one has to ask what has wrong with people for not trying this. (Value 4)  

• Peter Lehmann, 2001 Reserve Semillion - Barossa Valley (PP > €20.00): 11 years old. Just tips the €20 mark, not by much. Gold, intense to the eye. despite the yeasty, honeyed, perpheral of the wine, this was by no means too old, some beautiful acidity balancing out along a lemon backlash of a finish that lasts, and last, the third wine had to wait while I watched the finish last. (Value 4)

• McWilliams Elizabeth Semillion - Hunter Valley (PP €10.00 @ "half price"): Yes, it is a tesco half price wine, but no will I take a second to apologise for commending the wine buyers for getting this out at €10.00, I do wish they would not dub it half price all the same. The wine is fantastic, it is a grape personified within a single glass, everything Semillion can do, lean, fresh and austere youthfulness paradoxically meshes itself to the gentle smooth honey mellowed old age that subdues it eventually. These Vines date to 1967 and are offering a fabulous wine that we have to our cost ignored. (Value 4.5)

• McWilliams Lovedale Semillion, 2005 - Hunter Valley (PP >€20.00): We have chatted briefly about youthful Semillion, and while personally I love the effects of age upon this grape, I was charmed here, youthful aggressive, a little dire I say harsh and austere of the moment, yet crisp and fresh and could be asked for, this one is going to go quite a bit further. (Value 3.5) 

• Tyrrell Vat 1 Semillion 2000 - Hunter Valley (PP >€20.00): I shan't attempt to lay a carpet of words at the feet of this wine for one reason, it is astonishing. This is still steely, fresh and alive full of live, giddy and mischievous, tickling and tempting. The abundance of juice upon the wine seems endless, almost liquorish on the palate. Had scribbled a note of 9/9.5 beside the wine, and quite rightly so this is something rather special. (Value: 5) 

• Deen De Bortoli VAT 5 Botrytis Semillion 2007 - Riverina (PP €10.00-11.99): Dare we be accused of having no teeth, here they are. This was boring, badly structured, a really basic and flat line dessert wine, and while it was  perfectly drinkable, there is certainly no desire in me to waddle off and to find another one. Boring and Poor (Value: 2)

Despite the one let down, a fantastic master class. A grape that really deserves a tiny bit more spotlight, whether it will receive this is an altogether different story. I can't see a sudden rise of Semillion in to wine world. Yet, progress is definitely being made through the most unlikely of paths, the third wine tasted, McWilliam's Elizabeth Semillion is a Tesco "Half Price" wine. Now, it will be here that the grape could finally make some headway into the minds of people. Fingers crossed our local merchants report calls for more recommendations. 

Part Two: A Battle to the Last, Aussie Wine & Food.

Shane: Our second masterclass was a delectable food and wine tasting. The menu on offer looked fantastic, with some very interesting wines and food pairings. There were some interesting results and some lively debate at our table. Rob thinks for example that wine can't handle very spicy food, but I think Riesling or a decent Shiraz can be up to the task. This is a debate I feel that we may have to come back to in the future. In the meantime here are our thoughts on the pairings.

Rob: Wine Australia has provided a constant in recent times; last year- an old new world producer, this year - Aussie wine matches food. One would have to ponder very hard as to  whether the Aussies want to stick it to the old world or be the old world or more likely believe themselves the best in the game. A lovely anecdote from one of the Sommeliers leading this master class sums it all up "We'd the pleasure of meeting d'Arry Osborn, and his belief was not just that no one in Australia was up to making wines like McLaren Vale, but no one in the world was". Luckily for our Producer of 2011, we are rather fond of him and his big edjit son, and we'll very quietly acknowledge this in a altogether more humble form. Interestingly, Mr Osborn's McLaren Vale had a chance to prove itself, with two wines (Obsorn's Hermit Crab and Wirra Wirra's dead ringer Cabernet). Here's how it went.       

The Whites

• Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling, 2010 - Barossa (PP >€20.00) (Pairing, Smoked Salmon on Brown Bread): The Riesling was served at a temperature that would give you frost bite, yet even at this the salmon and wine worked fantastically- even the temperature of the wine couldn't hold back the fruits, would love to see this again but at a decent temperature. (Rob)

• Ferngrove Symbols Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 - Franklin River WA (PP €10.00-11.99) (Pairing, Goats cheese tart): Out right winner of the entire tasting for myself, SB and goats cheese work  brilliantly together normally and this was no different. An elegant dance on the palate between food and wine ensued, would have happily exited stage left at this point and sat out in the gorgeous sun on the day with this pairing. (Rob)

• d'Arenberg's The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2008 - McLaren Vale (PP €18.00-€18.99) (Pairing: Curry Chicken kebab): Well, Lady Irony, you out did yourself. Mr Osborn, may have to eat his words on this small front. Don't get me wrong- the wine was great, the pairing was wrong. The wine sat nicely alongside the previous pairing of goat's cheese brilliantly. A wine shown in its worst light. The Riesling just about pulled together a response to the pairing here and even at that it was only okay. Message is simple, overly spicy foods and wine are a disaster, please stop trying to make it work. Please. (Rob)   

The Reds

All Paired with Wicklow Lamb

• Wakefield Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 - Clare Valley/Coonawarra (PP €20.00): The Jaraman was a deep ruby in colour and was showing a nice level of maturity. On the nose there was intense blackcurrant and of course the calling card of Coonawarra, eucalyptus. This was complimented by a leafy, almost tobacco edge and a floral hint, all of which was wrapped in delicious oak adding coffee and dark chocolate. On the palate it was delicate and smooth, with lifted black-berried fruits and a combination of the herbs and spices that made the lamb almost melt in the mouth. The eucalyptus almost verged on mint on the palate marrying with the lamb, and the experience being greater than the sum of the parts, turning into something unique. The wine was neither too big nor too little for the lamb, but just right. (Shane)

• Thorn Clarke Shotfire Quartage, 2009 - Barossa (PP >€20.00): This tasting made me feel like Goldilocks as it went on. The first pairing was going to be hard to beat and it turns out the other pairings were either too big or too small. The Quartage being the latter. It was quite disappointing  as a wine to be honest. It still had a youthful colour, but was very closed on the nose, with only hints of varietal fruit such as blackcurrant and plum. The tannin and acidity were decent enough, but alas this wine was too little or perhaps too young to contend with the Jaraman or indeed the lamb. (Shane)

• Wirra Wirra The Dead Ringer, 2006 - McLaren Vale (PP >€20.00): The Dead Ringer was fantastic, Ruby red with a hint of purple with delicious black-berried fruit, wrapped up in warm spices. It was more full bodied than the Jaraman with rich and almost stewed fruits on the nose and palate. This was complimented by delicious mocha and cedar. The tannins were as big as the wine, alas a little too big for the lamb, but delicious nonetheless. We agreed at the table that the Dead Ringer would have been perfect with some sirloin steak. (Shane)

The Stickies

• Mount Horrock Cordon Cut Riesling, 2011 - Clare Valley (PP >€20.00) (Pairing, Goats Cheese); The Cordon Cut was delicious and rich with orange rind and lime the dominant aromas and flavours. The wine was very well balanced with racy acidity that will see it age well. However as nice as the wine was it was a little too much for the Goat's Cheese as it merely made the wine taste creamier than it already was rather than creating any new combinations or flavours. The wine was excellent, but too much for the humble cheese to deal with. (Shane)

• Grant Burge 10 year old Tawny, Barossa Valley (PP) (Paired with Blue Cheese); A typical tawny, with fig and date all over the shop with some wonderful sweet spice was perfectly matched with the flavoursome blue cheese that was beautifully mature with a hint of spice. The fruit of the tawny danced with the intense flavour of the cheese and combined to make a delicious combination of fruit and spice that lingered on the palate for what seemed an eternity. This pairing was definitely the pick of the bunch. (Shane)

• De Bertoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2008 - Riverina, (PP) (Paired with Crème Brûlée); The Bertoli was pleasant, but not as exciting as the hype surrounding it, with some orange rind, stone fruit and a hint of spice. The  Crème Brûlée was far more exciting on the palate and made served to make the wine more interesting rather than the flavours marrying the dessert propped the wine up. I experimented and tried some of the Mount Horrock Riesling with the Brûlée. The combination was sublime with the flavours dancing around each other, creating a symphony on the palate. (Shane)

Overview of the Day

Rob: I have come from being a Vino-Franco purist to an Aussie herald in the space of a year. Rather a sharp turn about you can imagine.

While some wines feel like a sharp punch to the face rather than a wine, this  has become the exception, not the rule. One the day, I had 3-5 wines that where this style. In a room with as many wines as this, I think the too big appraisal is unfair.

Let's go to the critics favourite mantra "With Australia, you have to spend over €20.00 to get anything worthwhile". Yalumba Y series, up-front and excellent wines, Wakefield Estate Range, complex, age-worthy and only the entry level, St. Hallett, merely look to how we rated the Riesling in the tasting, in everyone's top three. The €20.00 starting point for Australian quality is simply not true. 

All in all, what is true about Australia right now is that it is producing fine, powerful and elegant wines, something the world has not woken up to yet. But when it does the Old World ought to watch its back. 

Rob's Pick of the Day

• Balnaves Cabernet-Merlot, 2009 - Coonawarra (PP >€20.00): This was the favourite, the eye catcher, softer, more approachable than the Cabernet, but by no way a dumbed down version. Excellent dark chassis fruits, cedar box, frugal and truffled. The wine completely defies the Aussie stereotype of block buster. Is it big? Yes, but is it fat, bludgeoning? So far from it. Pronounced nose, and full bodied on the palate, with an excellent finish. This is a restrained power, an elegant display of how well the grapes have been tamed and yet remained proud. Even through all of this the wine was grippingly tannic, a child. This has a long way to travel yet until it sees maturity. I shall definitely be picking several of these, I advise you to do the same. (Value: 5) 

 Shane: I have always been a fan of Ozzie wines for many reasons, but the single constant is their ability to constantly surprise. Today was no exception as at the entry level there continuous to be wines of exceptional quality, even if they have risen in price slightly, they still define themselves as world leaders in their varietals. Wakefield, St. Hallet and Tim Adams were the wines of note that produce excellent wines in between the €10-€15 mark. For example the Wakefield and St. Hallett were two exceptionally high scoring wines across the board for all of the Empty Team at the Riesling blind-tasting, managing to stand up to wines three times the price.

Some of the pleasant surprises were as Rob has noted to Cab-Merlot from Balnaves, which was on my 'wow' list. As a Bordeaux blend this was as complex as the best I have tasted from the Médoc and will certainly age exceptionally well. I am sure that you may have noticed the gaping hole in this review of Australian Shiraz, while not deliberate it really illustrates the diversity of the land down under and the quality of the other varietals it is producing. Of course the Shiraz we tasted was phenomenal and I took a calculated approach to the last wine I would taste on the day, the Dead Arm Shiraz 2007, still only a baby, with monster tannin, quality and personality.

Today proved that Australia is about much more than one varietal. It can offer the complexity and range to rival the old world and in my opinion in some cases beat them hands down. From cool Riesling to complex and brooding Cabernet blends Oz is where it is at.

Shane's pick of the day

• Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 -Coonawarra (PP >€20):  It is no secret that I like Cabernet based wines, but for many reasons this wine was my stand out wine of the day. The wine embodied all that is good about Australian wines that most of the wine world has not woken up to yet. The wine had distinctive note about it, the note being terroir. What the wine said to me was I am from a cool-climate, offering restrained blackberry and cassis, followed up by coffee, dark chocolate and eucalyptus, the latter the calling card of the Terra Rosa Soils of Coonawarra. On the palate it was an intense mix of everything the nose offered with a delicious finish of coffee with firm youthful tannins and excellent acidity. Everything about the wine was balanced and will only get better with time. ( I have a 2004 that I will open soon for a review). If you are interested in investing in a wine that will age well and don't want to get involved in the madness that is En Primeur, but a few of these and try to keep your hands off them.