Koonowla | Good news from the 2011 vintage...

At last … Good news from the 2011 Vintage!

Koonowla is pleased to announce the release of an exciting new wine in its range, the 2011 Ringmaster Clare Valley Riesling (RRP $15.99). Defying some of Australia's worst harvest weather conditions in recent history, Koonowla has "dodged the bullet" of the 2011 harvest conditions to release a terrific Clare Riesling.

Harvested in February and bottled in June 2011, this elegant Riesling is bursting with flavour and notable floral, lime and spice aromas; perfectly zesty and well structured. This latest addition to the Ringmaster range represents excellent value for money.

As experts bemoan the shortcomings of this year's harvest, Andrew Michael from Koonowla is pleased to see some good come out of the 2011 vintage "It has certainly been a challenging time, particularly for larger commercial producers. We were very lucky in that respect as being a small operation allowed us to have more 'hands on' time with the vines, and our micro-climate escaped the worst of the weather."

The Ringmaster series are magnificent wines made from premium Clare Valley fruit. The 2008 Ringmaster Clare Valley Shiraz (RRP $15.99) has an intense deep colour with rich red and black berry aromas. Thankfully the region avoided the worst of 2008's heatwave; harvesting at night ensured the fruit quality was not compromised.

The 2008 Ringmaster Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sure to impress when it is released in the very near future; a staple in the impressive Ringmaster range the Cabernet receives kudos for its outstanding value year after year.

Koonowla is set amongst the rolling broad acre hills of the Clare Valley, being the first commercial vineyard in the region of Auburn it is a truly iconic property encompassing 250 acres of vineyard and beautiful stone buildings. Thanks to the relentless practices of winemakers David O'Leary and Nick Walker, Koonowla consistently produces top quality Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

If you would like to receive samples or further information on any of these wines, please contact Camilla Barlow E: millbarlow@winestream.com.au

Distributors: Young & Rashleigh Wine Merchants, P: 02 9967 5900

E: wines@youngandrashleigh.com 

W: www.youngandrashleigh.com

NSW Wine | Time to Shine

2011 Citibank NSW Wine Awards

Next week the NSW Wine Industry Association will bring together some of the most experienced palates in the country to taste a vast range of wines from the 14 diverse wine regions in New South Wales and help select which wines will be crowned the finest of the year. And the new 2011 Citibank NSW Wine Awards (newly partnered with Citibank to offer greater access for consumers and even more support for NSW wineries) are set to unveil some of the best wines ever with many reds from the cracking 2009 vintage now reaching maturity and the new whites from the recent 2011 vintage offering some of the most exciting wines around.

Judging of the 2011 Citibank NSW Wine Awards takes place on the 19th  & 20th  September, with returning Chair of Judges Huon Hooke being joined by a host of internationally renowned wine writers, sommeliers and wine industry professionals, including the talented tastebuds of Philip Shaw, PJ Charteris, Mike De Garis, Cory Ryan and Nick Bulleid.

President of the NSW Wine Industry Association David Lowe comments, "This year promises to be the most hotly contested competition yet. Last year saw some delicious Chardonnay and Semillon highlighted by our panel of experts and we are looking forward to discovering some exciting emerging varieties this year."

For NSW winemakers, the Citibank NSW Wine Awards is the most serious and highly-regarded competition in their home State, with over 800 wines entered last year. However, it's not just for super-expensive wines with last year seeing 26 of the Top 40 positions being awarded to wines under $30, highlighting to wine-lovers the amazing value-for-money available in NSW.

Entries to the Awards will be critiqued in two stages. In the first stage, 5 panels of judges narrow down the 800 plus entries to approximately 120. These 120 are then re-assessed by the 6 most experienced judges to determine the Top 40 NSW Wines, Trophy Winners and the coveted NSW Wine of the Year. Wines entered into the Citibank NSW Wine Awards are also eligible to receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

And the Awards are just the start of an amazing series of wine events, promoted and supported by major sponsor Citibank, allowing everyone to discover and experience the finest NSW has to offer ~ the 2011 Citibank NSW Wine Awards Program:

·         Monday October 17:    2011 Citibank NSW Wine Awards Gala Presentation Dinner at Guillaume at Bennelong Point, Sydney Opera House

Tickets $220 pp including degustation menu & wines

·         Tuesday October 18:   Tetsuya's Citibank NSW Wine Awards  "Trophy Winners Hats Off" Dinner, hosted by Huon Hooke

Tetsuya's Restaurant, 529 Kent St, Sydney @ 7pm

Tickets $290pp including degustation menu & wines ~ bookings P:  02 9267 2900

·         Thursday October 20:  Citibank NSW Wine Awards "Best of the Best Top 40" Tasting at The Cargo Hall, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay

Trade Tasting                    2.00- 4.00pm    Pre-registration compulsory

Consumer Tasting           6.00- 9.00pm    $55pp including Wine, Canapés & Winemaker Guided Tour

Tickets can be purchased online at www.nswwine.com.au
                  

Fresh faces at Petaluma's Bridgewater Mill

Media Release

Petaluma's Bridgewater Mill ~ a heritage listed stone flour mill on the banks of the Cox Creek ~ has long been a popular destination in the Adelaide Hills, but an exciting young chef, Zac Ronayne is attracting a whole new audience to the cellar door and restaurant. The 30 year old has made the kitchen his own since he started earlier in year, whipping up stunning regional cuisine to serve with the latest Petaluma wines.

The Petaluma Bridgewater Mill range which showcases the best of this cool climate region also has a new face; with a stylish label design to reinforce the Petaluma pedigree.

One of the new wine releases showcasing the re-vamped label is the new Petaluma Bridgewater Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (RRP $22) - we think it is one of Australia's best Sauvignons!

This wine is a great example of Andrew's direction with the Petaluma Bridgewater Mill range; crisp, fresh and food friendly, with gentle winemaking allowing cool climate attributes to shine through in each variety.

Asked to recommend a match with a dish from the restaurant menu, Andrew says the lifted, vibrant style of the Sauvignon Blanc is delicious with Zac's Tuna Belly Sashimi with soy and wasabi.

Both winemaker and chef share a passion for their crafts and similarly a desire to allow the beauty of the regional produce to shine through in the final result; food or wine.

Andrew says, "We might be biased but we feel that the Adelaide Hills is Australia's best source of sauvignon blanc. Our low yielding and mature vineyards - the Deanery Vineyard near Balhannah and the Cobbs Hill Vineyard on the edge of Lenswood - give us the perfect fruit for the truest expression of this classic variety, with beautiful citrus and apple characters to the fore."

At the age of 30, Zac Ronayne is an exciting young chef with boundless energy. He grew up in the Adelaide Hills, spending 20 years there, including a stint at Petaluma's Bridgewater Mill as Sous Chef (2004-2007), before embarking on a journey to explore the best food, flavours and produce appearing on tables all around Australia.

Zac spent 2 years at Nu Nu in Palm Cove QLD becoming Head Chef of the 2008 Gourmet Traveller Regional Restaurant of the Year. There he learnt a huge amount, discovering his passion for regional produce – especially fresh reef fish and tropical fruit - his love of education and sense of fun with food.

The Asian influences he found in tropical Queensland tallied closely with his own background as his mother specialised in Japanese food and he has made numerous visits to Japan. He is excited to stamp his own mark on the Mill's Contemporary Australian with Asian highlights menu, emphasising his philosophy of clean flavours with a sophisticated blend of style and simplicity.

Fresh and pure are the ideal adjectives when it comes to describing Petaluma's Bridgewater Mill; food, wine and region!!

Petaluma's Bridgewater Mill, Mount Barker Road, Bridgewater, SA 5155

Restaurant Open: Lunch Thursday – Monday 12 – 2.30pm P: 08 8339 9200

Cellar Door: Daily 10am – 5pm P: 08 8339 9222

STOCKISTS: Fine Wine Partners on P: 1300 668 712 or Cellar Door www.petaluma.com.au

A bright future is set in Stonehaven...

It's set in Stone; a bright future for this Haven in Padthaway

The winery at the very heart of the Padthaway wine region has been given a new lease on life.

The Stonehaven Winery, built in 1998 at a cost of more than $33 million, has been acquired by a family consortium from Melbourne. Built by BRL Hardy, no expense was spared but just 12 years on under the ownership of Accolade, Stonehaven sold for a fraction of its cost.

The sale was finally completed last month and the new family owned company now possess a 12,500 tonne winery, 35.9ha of vineyards on prime Padthaway soil, the region's most visible cellar door and the famed Stonehaven and Stepping Stone wine brands which will soon adorn the shelves in exciting new livery.

The state-of-the-art facility in the heart of the Limestone Coast wine region has been operating under the management of its new owners since early 2011, and some 8,000 tonnes were produced in the 2011 vintage destined for sale in both Australia and China initially.

Well known local winemaker Grant Semmens has been appointed as chief winemaker, who alongside respected fellow locals Ulrich Grey-Smith and Leisha Slattery aims to breathe new life into the Stonehaven brands while at the same time producing some exciting new ciders and beverages. The enormity of the facility will also allow Stonehaven Wines to provide an exceptional contract winemaking service to the region.

"Our philosophy is to employ the best people from the industry to lead Stonehaven into a new era, and I think the pedigree of our winemaking team alone confirms that. Our plan is to produce great quality wines that are at the very least exciting and showcase the region, and at the same time develop other beverage products that are extremely innovative and engage a new consumer" says Nikki Gilhome, Marketing Manager, Stonehaven Wines.

So, the future is bright for this Australian icon who has just signed a long term supply deal with a major liquor producer and distributor in Australia to produce a new range of fruit flavoured ciders which will be widely available in Australia this summer.

In the meantime keep your eyes out for the new look Stonehaven, which will also hit the shelves this summer.

HOUGHTON BOTTLES-UP 175 YEARS – WHAT A CLASSIC

WHAT's in a name: many still think of
White Classic as Houghton's White  Burgundy.

Wc12Sep11

David Ellis

HOUGHTON'S White Classic is a virtual chapter in itself in the book of the Australian wine industry.

Originally created as Houghton's White Burgundy by the legendary Jack Mann in 1937, it was made by him for an amazing fifty-one consecutive vintages, can lay claim to being both one of our most popular white wines and Australia's oldest consecutive-vintage white, and this year the Houghton company celebrates its 175th Anniversary having been founded in Western Australia's Swan Valley way back in 1836.

The White Burgundy label had to be changed to White Classic in 2006 to comply with international wine regulations, and is today made under the guiding hand of Ross Pamment who has spent thirteen of his twenty-two winemaking years at Houghton's, and is now it's Chief Winemaker.

INTERESTING partner with
country-style rabbit casserole.

The 2011 is traditional White Classic – fresh and fruity with tropical grapefruit, passionfruit, lime and rockmelon flavours, and a nice hint of green apples; pay $13.99 and enjoy with roast chicken stuffed with green olives and prunes. (And we don't care if you DO, like us, still think of it as White Burgundy.)

ONE FOR LUNCH: WITH apple prices in free-fall in the early 1990s, long-time orchardist Borry Gartrell and his wife Gaye Stuart-Nairne decided something had to be done – and that something was to rip out their apple trees at Orange in NSW's Central West and replace them with wine grapes.

It was a good move: today there are just 40 of the once-400 apple orchardists left in the Orange region, and Borry and Gaye now enjoy the successes of a flourishing vineyard, a restaurant and tourist accommodation facilities, with their wines made under contract by local maker Christophe Derrez; their 2006 Borrodell Pinot Noir has beautiful cherry, raspberry and forest-floor flavours. Enjoy at $38 with a country-style rabbit casserole.

(NEED A FOOD/DRINK IDEA? Check out  http://www.vintnews.com )

  

Merlot, Medals, Moving Feasts and More...

Media release:
 
Shaw Vineyard Estate has much to celebrate this spring, kicking off with a Trophy win at the NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show for their 2009 Premium Merlot.

"This wine is shaping up to be the best Merlot we have ever made, having so far won two Gold medals, two Bronze and now this Trophy" says Graeme Shaw, owner of Shaw Vineyard Estate.

Although the wine is yet to be released, the wine will be previewed during the Murrumbateman Moving Feast on the October Long Weekend.

The Murrumbateman Moving Feast now in its 11th year, is just weeks away and is undoubtedly the best festival of the year in the district.  Held each year on the October long weekend, this year being the weekend of the 1st & 2nd October 2011, thirteen local wineries each offer a main meal and/or dessert, perfectly matched with one of their wines, and countless pilgrims make their way around the popular wine district tasting their wares and experiencing the vast range of entertainment on offer.

At Shaw Vineyard Estate the Moving Feast also signifies the kick-off to the HeadOn Photo Exhibition, which Shaw proudly sponsors each year in Sydney. This year's exhibition at Shaw Vineyard Estate includes the winners of the 2011 Portrait Prize and is well worth the visit to experience photography of this quality in the region from 10am-5pm daily from 1–31 October.

Then in November when the wineries and cellar doors in the Canberra region come alive with entertainment, food and of course wine during the Wine, Roses and all that Jazz Festival, Shaw are proud to announce that they have secured The Acca Daiquiris as their entertainment to top off the weekend. Well, nearly. They will also play host to Bromley Fine Arts & Collectables Exhibition on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November from 10am to 5pm in the Shearing Shed.

For further information contact:-

Tanya Olinder, Cellar Door Manager, Shaw Vineyard Estate

(02) 6227 5827 or email info@shawvineyards.com.au

 

Pink, Orange and Gold

On Saturday (3rd September) the team from Cumulus Estate Wines left the cool-climate of Orange NSW and travelled to the even cooler climate of Auckland, New Zealand to collect a Trophy at the 2011 New Zealand International Wine Show Awards Dinner for the new Rolling Rose.

2011 Rolling Rose ~ Best Rose 2011 New Zealand International Wine Show

This is a very big achievement for a wine which sells for around just $17, in a truly 'International' competition, with wines from any country and made from any variety entered.

The New Zealand International Wine Show is firmly established as the largest wine competition held in New Zealand each year, and hosts an impressive 24 senior wine judges, under the leadership of Bob Campbell MW, over 3 days of hotly-contested competition.

The judges picked up on what winemaker Debbie Lauritz has always loved about this wine, "The Rolling Pink is made using one of our greatest assets, stunning cool-climate shiraz. Shiraz from the Central Ranges wine region has that wonderful balance of bright, primary fruit and spiciness. By picking early and in cool conditions, it's ideal for crafting a vibrant, drier styled rosé, which still holds our regions distinctive character.

In particular the new 2011 vintage showcases the quality of our fruit as the slightly lower than average temperatures during the season gave us slow ripening emphasising the level and brightness of flavour and encouraging high levels of natural acidity right up to harvest."

 

Earlier ripening Shiraz from block 51 was chosen for the Pink. Low cropping and careful canopy management produced grapes that combine a lively acidity with desirable lifted berry characters. Whole berries were left on the skins for 16 hours and the grapes were then lightly pressed and the free run juice drained off, aiming for flavour with optimum colour levels but without too much tannin pick-up.

 

This trip to New Zealand is a well earned break for the Cumulus winemaking team, who have worked hard since the last grapes of the 2011 vintage were picked on 6th May to hand-craft wines true to Rolling's bright, fruit-driven style and created (according to the 2011 New Zealand International Wine Show judges) one of the best rosés on the market.

 

Only the 4th vintage of this wine, it has made a real impact already having collected a total of 3 Trophies and 28 medals since first release – giving Beatrice (the young lady on the Rolling label riding the bicycle and proudly wearing the scarf of the local Orange Emus football team) something else to smile about!

 

The 2011 Rolling Pink will be available for tasting over the next few weeks and released to the public this Summer. Perfect for Christmas BBQs or those forward planning for Valentine's Day.

If you would like to request a sample bottle please contact:

 

Alex Burgener, Palate PR, P: 0404 900 961  E: alexburgener@palatepr.com.au

 

 

Current Rolling wines:

Rolling Rosé 2011                    Rolling Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011

Rolling Chardonnay 2009         Rolling Cabernet Merlot 2009

Rolling Shiraz 2009                  Rolling Sparkling Pinot Grigio Chardonnay 2010

 

Stockists                                                                                            

Distributed by Cumulus Wines. Available nationally though independent liquor stores – RRP $17.95