SMELL THE ROSÉS – IT’S BBQ TIME

ROSÉ is one of those great summer-time wines that come to the fore
with outdoors entertaining: stick it on the ice and it'll go equally
as well with lamb chops or seafood off the barbecue, as it will with
chicken or prawn salads.

Beelgara, one of our top twenty wine producers with enviable exports
to over fifteen countries, consistently produces a great Rosé from its
base in the NSW Riverina – which is probably little wonder considering
its 70-odd year's heritage in an area of such dominant Italian
influence.

The 2007 Winemakers Selection Rosé came from an unusual vintage for
Beelgara and others in the Riverina, because while crop size was well
down due to the drought, the harvested fruit was some of the best in
ten years.

This Rosé shines out of the bottle a brilliant rose petal pink in
colour with violet tinges, and has lovely aromas of strawberries and
cream and fresh raspberries, while the palate is loaded with
mouth-filling honeydew, raspberries and spice.

Well priced at just $14.99, it's one to enjoy with anything from BBQ'd
salmon or chicken to more adventurous char-seared lamb chops basted
with roasted-garlic juice infused with diced parsley – or simply with
tempura seafood salad.

OUT OF THE BOX: CHARDONNAY fans who enjoy this variety with a bit of
bottle age, should grab the recently-released Annie's Lane 2007
Chardonnay.

At $19.99 this is a nice crisp drop from the Clare Valley, with good
varietal peach and melon flavours, hints of fig, and oak characters
that give it great complexity. Excellent drinking now, it'll develop
up to three years in the cellar.

If you can't wait, team it with Mediterranean chicken cooked in olive
oil, white wine, onions, tomato, thyme and basil; sprinkle at the last
minute with diced kalamata olives and chopped parsley, and serve with
couscous salad.

(David Ellis' wine columns are archived on http://vintnews.com)

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PHOTO CAPTIONS: A ROSÉ for barbied chops or tempura seafood from

the Riverina's Beelgara.

ONE for the cellar, or enjoy
Annie's Lane 2007

Chardonnay now with Mediterranean Chicken.

SUMMER ENJOYMENT AT ITS BEST

YOU can always rely on the Riverina's Bill Calabria to come up with a
drop that's both a darn good wine, and easy on the wallet as well.

His 2007 Westend Estate Richland Viognier is just such a goodie, a
full-bodied white to serve chilled with barbecued seafood on a balmy
day or with lighter white-meat dishes – and truly Australian summer
drinking at its best.

And while wonderfully fruity and quite luscious, the varietal sweet
peach, apricot nectar and spice flavours that grab the palate aren't
cloying, while the apricot and orange blossom aromas simply explode
out of the glass on pouring.

Put it on the table for just $10.95 and enjoy with pan-fried whiting
and salad, chicken fillets with zucchini fritters, or with a platter
of creamy brie and camembert, summery fruits, crackers and some crispy
lavash.

Or, since Bill's just done a deal to sell this and others of his wines
to Vietnam's national air carrier and into Thailand as well, discover
how well this variety goes with Asian dishes influenced with ginger,
coriander and basil.

OUT OF THE BOX: A first from NSW South-western Slopes maker,
Bidgeebong Wines is their 2006 Verdelho – a drop that Director of
Winemaking, Andrew Birks likes to describe as "a Portuguese original
that's an Australian natural."

Verdelho from the NSW Hunter and Victorian Swan Valley has long had a
strong following amongst those who enjoy this crisp and zesty variety,
and for his first-ever under the Bidgeebong label, Andrew chose fruit
exclusively from the Ward family's vineyard at Canowindra.

The result is a wonderfully easy-drinking and quite dry wine with
melony flavours and a cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness that, just like in
its homeland, seems made for our own summer lifestyle: pay $23 and
quaff away with Portuguese-style char-grilled sardines, roasted
capsicum, and a salsa salad.

(David Ellis' wine columns are archived on http://vintnews.com)

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PHOTO CAPTIONS: JUST the drop with barbecued seafood, Westend's

Richland 2007 Viognier.

BIDGEEBONG's 2006 Verdelho: "a Portuguese

original, that's an Australian natural."

THE RIGHT WINE FOR YOUR FESTIVE TABLE

YOU know what you’re putting on the plate for Christmas, but do you know if what you’re putting in the glass is the right wine to enjoy with it?

Here’s some help with what matches most popular Christmas lunch offerings.

ANTIPASTO: If you’re heading towards seafood antipasto, for a bubbly try the citrusy 2002 Starvedog Lane Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier at $26, or Koonowla’s 2006 Riesling that’s fresh, crisp and limey ($22.)

CHEESE & FRUIT PLATE: Penna Lane 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – fruity and tannic to match hard cheeses ($24;) if you’re serving soft cheeses, Piromit 2005 Botrytis that’s sweet without being cloying, is a great match at $18 for 375ml.

BAKED TURKEY, HAM & VEGIES: BlackJack 2005 Shiraz that’s a seriously gutsy red at $35 for a serious main course; if you prefer white, go for the $20 Bidgeebong 2004 Tumbarumba Chardonnay that’s robust with lots of flavour.

ROAST PORK: Red – what else but Jim Barry 2004 Three Little Pigs (a smooth blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec) at $18; for a white, Lillypilly generously flavoured yet soft and more-ish 2005 Chardonnay ($15.)

SEAFOOD SALAD: Seafood & Semillon go hand in glove so Tim Adams lemony 2006 Semillon; or the lemon/limey Chateau Tanunda 2007 Riesling ($18.)

HAM, TURKEY AND CHICKEN SALAD: Penna Lane 2007 Rambling Rosé, a seductively flavoursome pink to serve chilled ($18,) or try a touch of Spain with Bidgeebong’s slightly sweetish 2004 Tempranillo ($24,) or a taste of Italy with the Piromit 2005 Pinot Grigio – and upfront white loaded with flavour ($15.)

CHRISTMAS PUDDING: Lillypilly NV Fratelli Seven that’s a sweet, gently fortified wine at ($19 for 375ml,) or Tim Adams 20 Year Old Tawny Port ($35.)

FRUIT SALAD & ICE CREAM: DeBortoli’s Deen Vat 5 Botrytis, a delicious lighter-style “sticky” that’s ideal with fruity deserts; $12.99 for 375ml.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Rosemount Show Reserve 2006 Chardonnay

ONE FOR LUNCH: The 2006 vintage in the Hunter Valley got off to a good enough start with cool and dry conditions, but a burst of heat in December and January reduced crop sizes… which in fact resulted in high quality fruit for makers like Rosemount, whose Show Reserve 2006 Chardonnay is loaded with stonefruit flavours, creamy complexity, oak and touches of minerality.

Pay $20.99 and put it on the table with a seafood salad or roast chicken.

ON THE TRAIL OF A FLAGSHIP SHIRAZ

CAROLINE Dunn has once again melded the very best of Clare Valley fruit and her own unique skills to create the 2002 Copper Trail Shiraz, the flagship wine of the Annie’s Lane label.

She first selected small parcels of fruit from individual vineyards, and then used small-batch open fermenters to keep these parcels separate, so that each vineyard’s unique characteristics could be brought to the fore. The wines then had 22-months in a combination of new and seasoned French and American oak barrels.

All this resulted in beautifully rich blackberry, violet and dark chocolate aromas, and well-balanced ground coffee, mineral and berry characters, velvety tannins and a silky texture on the palate.

This a deservedly flagship wine that’s a delight to enjoy now, or think about tucking it away in the cellar to further develop over the next six to eight years.

The $53.99 price is not cheap, but for such a rewarding wine is well worth it for that special occasion lunch or dinner; share it with friends over a good char-grilled steak with garlic and herb butter or peppercorn sauce.

(If you’re wondering about the Copper Trail name, it goes back to a route forged by prospectors following the discovery of copper at Burra in the late 1840s; the Trail passed through what are today the Annie’s Lane vineyards.)

WINE OF THE WEEK: Beelgara’s 2007 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

ONE FOR LUNCH: SEMILLON Sauvignon Blanc has really taken off in this country in recent years, and when you can grab an award-winning bottle such as Beelgara’s 2007 at just $7.99 it’s little wonder. This wine’s got lively citrus flavours, touches of capsicum, and tropical-fruit freshness; at the price and quality it’s just the drop with summery seafoods, salads and crispy warm rolls.

AWARD-winning Beelgara 2007 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: great value at $7.99 to go with seafood or oriental stir-fries.

A GOOD NOSE & GREAT LEGS…

WE always digress a little at this time of year to bring you our pick of some Christmas-stocking reading for a special someone into the enjoyment of wine.

And if you’ve family or friends fit that category, don’t look past giving them The Art of Wine from the Vine to the Table – sub-titled “a good nose & great legs.”

Written by wine educator, broadcaster and marketer, Robert Geddes it’s 300+ easy-to-read pages are jam-packed with the story of wine from the importance of where the grapes are grown (“soils ain’t soils,”) to their month-by-month life-cycle, the difference between making table, sparkling and fortified wines, and wine varieties including some we bet you’ve never heard of.

Rob, who was only Australia’s third Master of Wine, also talks about what to look for in terms of bouquet and nuances of flavours on the tongue and through the nose, the importance – with examples – of matching food and wine, “glass rules,” and the difference between “great” and “boring” wine lists.

This is a most enjoyable book for those who already know something about wine, but want to know more: and you’ll enjoy his lively writing style that ranges from the racy to the delightfully droll and quirky.

At $39.95 in time for Christmas, the wine buff will find themselves referring to this gem time and again – and we loved the many quotable quotes scattered liberally through its pages, from W.C. Fields’ “Who took the cork out of my lunch?” to the white-collar crim who told his captors on his way to prison: “I’m not worried about the reds, they’ll keep. But I am worried about the whites.”