The Australian Wine Regions

June 21, 2009

On the blog of Geoff Bilbrough I found a most useful tool: the Australian Wine Region Map. If you are planning a trip to Australian and you want to visit some wine country, this map is exactly what you always wanted.

On Geoff’s link, the “Wine Wine Wine” (which by the way is a wonderful informative site) the map looks like the sketch below in the left corner:

Snapshot wine regions web

I played a little around with the Google based map, and found it amazing, especially the Yarra Valley part. Unfortunately, our wine region, the Upper Goulburn Wine Region is not (yet) on the list of Australian wine regions.

Australian wine regions map web

The interactive map allows you to select a wine region and/or a winery so that you can plan your winery tour. It prints out the map as well, if you like. Precondition is of course that the wine region and the vineyard/winery you intend to visit are somehow included in the system.

I will try to use the tool soon when we all go to Australian for the winter break. I’ll report back to you.

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Two Hills Wine arrived in Germany

June 15, 2009

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Winearrived2

Winearrived4

My friend Uli sent me the above pictures of a 15 t truck delivering two pallets of Two Hills Merlot to his residence in Ramsdorf, Muensterland. It was not an easy manoeuvre. But they got the bottles safely into place.

The shipment consist of the last Merlot bottles from our 2001 and 2004 vintages. We also had some 2004 Merlot, which was somehow left behind, re-bottled so that the two pallets could be fully filled. Only the next shipment will contain the Two Hills 2006 vintage which is officially not yet released in Germany.

The sale is on. If you are interested in our wine, please contact Uli and make an appointment to pick up your bottles. In case that you need it to be sent to you directly, I will try to arrange it myself through a mail service in Trier.

Cheers everybody and thank you Uli for doing this for us again.

Address:
Dr. Ulrich Hillejan
Holthausener Strasse 19,
46342 Velen
Tel.: +49-2863-6802 (p)
+49-2863-95135 (w)
Mobil:+49-1732755342
Fax: +49-2863-6807
E-mail: ulrich.hillejan@s-h-r.de

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The “good” Lehmann and not the Lehmann brothers

May 23, 2009

While we were working on Thursday, May 21st. in Bangkok, our German colleagues were celebrating Ascension Day, also known as “Fathers Day” in my native Germany. “Father’s Day” is usually celebrated in the following way: young fathers, some older ones among them, and many other men, usually the ones who have not fathered any child they are aware of but eager to celebrate whatever comes their way, gather in the morning around a handcart loaded with all kinds of drinks and food. Then they set out and walk into the surrounding countryside to drink with their mates and have a jolly good, all-male time. Sometime they have a specific destination or they walk around a circuit. I will refrain from describing the usual end of these walks.

In short, the occasion warrants a special treat.

On this Father’s Day in Bangkok, I had the great pleasure of enjoying some hearty Italian meals, delicious pastas and insalata caprese and other delicacies. The rather colder nights in Bangkok, due to the beginning of the rainy season somehow incited in me the desire for some good reds; Australian was the natural choice.

Swirling College Wine

Peter Lehmann and his Shiraz wines seemed to be just the right stuff. Since wine prices are dear in Thailand we have to be careful with our choices.

Peter Lehmann is one of the few Australian vintners who became a legend in his own lifetime. Today, Peter Lehmann Wines in the Barossa Valley, South Australia is part of the Hess Family Estates with wineries in the Napa Valley, South Africa and Argentina.

Peter Lehmann Wines was established in 1979 as a response to the serious grape overproduction at the time (sounds terribly familiar in 2009 too). Most of the grapes come from about 185 contract growers. Only about 3% of the total wine output is derived from the self-owned vineyard (73 ha which is not small for a boutique vintner like me).

The Shiraz wines are the flagships of Peter Lehmann which assured me that nothing could go wrong.

We bought the following wines:

1. A ‘2006 Peter Lehmann Weighbridge Shiraz’
Peter Lehmann 2006 web

2. A ‘2005 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz’
Peter Lehmann 2005 web

Both were “reasonably” priced for Thai conditions. The price for the bottle of Weighbridge Shiraz was about 700 Thai Bath (US$ 20 or € 14.6) and for the Barossa Shiraz about 1,000 Thai Bath (US$ 29 or € 20.8). Retail prices in Europe range from € 8-12 resp. € 15-17 or £ 6.50 and £ 7.50 in the UK. Interesting these price differentials. That’s the price of protectionism. Long live free trade.

Both wines went well with the Italian food. They had a beautiful dark red colour, were spicy and full of black fruit, plum in the case of the Weighbridge Shiraz. The 2005 Barossa Shiraz was “heavier” with lots of chalky tannins, a wine to be chewed so to say. We started with the 2006er bottle and went on to the older, in my view better, wine, which was absolutely the right choice.

I have not visited the Peter Lehmann winery in South Australia myself. The website is beautiful, informative and very enticing. I conclude: one should visit the place.

It takes about one to one and a half hours to drive to the winery from Adelaide Airport.

Address:
Peter Lehmann Wines LTD
off Para Road
Tanunda SA 5352
South Australia

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On the road again

May 21, 2009

Huns2

It was a gorgeous day when I drove from my home town Trier at the Mosel to the airport in Frankfurt. I passed through the hilly country called the “Hunsrueck”, a large plateau with deep forests and not-to-infertile plains where grains, maize and rape seed are grown. After a couple of kilometres clouds appeared and it started to rain.

Huns3

The yellow of the rape seed fields contrasted beautifully with the surrounding green of the grains, the grass and the trees. From the moving car I took a couple of shots to capture the contrast. Reality is almost always more beautiful than those quick digital camera shots.

Huns1

I had about two hours for contemplating about life, death and the universe. I love these rare occasions of introspection. I love the short life between the worlds, leaving Germany for the tropics of Thailand. Having left a world behind but not reached the desired destination, leaves me in a kind of vacuum, an emptiness full with feelings.

Huns4

The last leg of my journey led me through parts of the Nahe and the Rheingau wine regions. At this time of the year the vines appear tender and soft, near the flowering stage maybe, but the green of the leaves is still a light green.

The rainy season would wait for me on the other side of the world. Only the long hours in the narrow plane would be between “me in Germany” and “me in Thailand”, the past and the future, the wines of Germany and the wines of Australia and Thailand of course.

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Upper Goulburn Vintage Celebration 2009 – A Day on High and Long Lunch

April 24, 2009

ugwavintagecelebration2009web

This coming weekend I would love to be in Mansfield, Victoria. That weekend, our association, the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association (UGWA) is going to host its 2009 vintage celebrations. What a treat, I tell you, the best of our wines are going to be on display, what a wonderful tasting out there in the High Country. On Saturday, 25 April (11:30-17:00) a day of wine and food tasting is going to be held, titled: “A Day on High”.

ugwa2009festivalweb

And on Sunday it is followed by the so called “Long lunch” at Orchard Farm Cottage where various chefs present their food combined with Upper Goulburn wines. The menu sounds delicious, though for a conservative European like me, Australian food is often too rich. I explain this in my postscript, no offence.

The following wineries are presenting their wines:
– Buller View
– Buxton Ridge
– Delatite
– Gioielle Estate
– Growlers Gully
– Kinloch Wines
– Mt Samaria
– Murrindindi
– Nillahcootie Estate
– Penbro Estate
– Sedona Estate
– Snobs Creek
– St Winifred’s

Apart from the wines, one can also taste local food produce and buy a whole lot of other things. There is music and a program for children, in short it should be a fun day out there.

At the “Long Lunch” on Sunday, things are more structured. The dishes on offer are appropriately paired with the various wines from the region. I leave out the food so that there is something left for you to be discovered by yourself.

First, there will be canapés served (prepared by Café 41 and the Mansfield Regional Produce Store) with the following wines:

– Buller View Sparkling Merlot
– Buller View “Scarlet” Rosé
– Buxton Ridge “Molly Jean” Sparkling
– Delatite Riesling
– Kinloch “Don” Sparkling
– Murrindindi Shiraz
– St Winifred Pinot Noir

Entrée is by Christian Bergmoser (twice cooked goats cheese soufflé with a lot of other stuff) and paired with:

– ‘2008 Buxton Ridge Sauvignon Blanc’
– ‘2005 Murrindindi Riesling’

The main course is by Dave Livingstone of Crawford Kitchens (roasted quail on another assortment of various items). The wines are:

– ‘2007 Growlers Gully Pinot Noir’
– ‘2008 Kinloch Pinot Meunier’

The dessert is by Michael Nelson from The Deck on High in Mansfield to which a ‘2008 Delatite “Catherine” Gewürztraminer’ will be served. Goodness me that sounds all so nice. We have never participated in the vintage celebration ourselves, but the time will come, I am sure. In the meantime I will further explore Thai and other wines and train my palate. If anyone who reads this is in the vicinity of the High Country, I suggest you better check it out.

Cheers to all the good wines, the producers and presenters and: have fun.

PS: Australians like to not just use one or two main ingredients for a dish but many, many. I give you an example to illustrate that: a typical pizza margherita, with only tomatoes and cheese with some basil leaves, is considered by most Australians a kind of rip-off. There needs to be more on a pizza, at least 3 to 4 toppings and heaps of it (a little mountain on top of the dough). If you read the above menu, you see what I mean.

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Restaurant Review: Giant Steps in Healesville, Victoria

February 5, 2009

A place which I love to visit whenever I can is Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander, a winery cum restaurant, bakery, cheese maker, coffee and sweats sellers as well as a fun offering place in the heart of Healesville, the picturesque little town in Victoria about an hours drive northeast of Melbourne.

Despite the huge hall with the public dining facilities, the wine tasting and other desks (to sell bread, sweats and so on), the place is quite cosy somehow. It’s a place for large family and other groups as well as for having a coffee or glass of wine by oneself. They have a German “kicker” game and other entertainment facilities. In the mornings you see many young mothers with their kids. Free wireless internet access is another bonus the place has to offer.

giant-steps0

The “hall” with tables and counters

It was of course packed with people in the pre-Christmas period when we came in. We went for lunch before heading home to the vineyard and decided on pizza. Ever since we have lived in Rome, Italy, we love thin pizza of the Roman type. My favourite pizza is the simplest one, a pizza margherita (that is it’s usual name) with just tomatoes and mozarella cheese and basilico.

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Pizza Margerita

The pizza served in Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander is quite nice, though not as thin as a Roman one.

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Tomatoes to be dried

giant-steps3

The pizza oven

Pairing pizza with wine is a tricky thing. The recent controversy of my fellow blogger Do Bianci with Dr. Vino is a case in point. I think Jeremy Parzen is mostly right. When we lived in Rome we had never pizza with wine. Beer was the usual drink. However, as with any food one can have wine with it. That applies also to pizza.

Frankly speaking, I drink whatever wine is offered with the pizza if in a friends home. In a restaurant my choice of wine depends on my mood. My mood told me wine, local wine.

giant-steps2

A sniff and a mouthful

I decided on a ‘2008 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir’ which is not a complicated wine but rather young and fresh. As regards the pizza margherita there is a lot of cheese on it which might not go well with the high acidity of the Pinot since it destroys the “harmony”. However, the earthy character of the Pinot is what I think makes it somehow acceptable, at least to me.

On www.theworldwidewine.com there is a list which shows which grapes go with which pizza.

pizza-wine-pairings

The pizza-wine pairing suggestions

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Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir

The four of us we had a great time at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander. I highly recommend to visit the place to any casual tourist. If in Healesville do as the Healesviller do!

Address:
Giant Steps Vignerons – Innocent Bystander Winery
336 Maroondah Hwy.
Healesville, Victoria 3777
Australia
Tel.: +61-(0)3-59626111

healesville-map1

A map

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Jean-Paul’s Vineyard, Yea

January 30, 2009

Recently I had the opportunity to taste wines from Jean-Paul’s Vineyard in Yea, Victoria, a boutique vineyard owned and operated by Will de Castella. The de Castella philosophy is, “it’s all about the fruit”. The vineyard is organic/biodynamic certified. Will produces hand crafted, award winning wines of excellent quality. Jean-Paul’s Vineyard also recently joined our association, the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association.

jean-pauls12

‘2006 Jean-Paul’s Vineyard Shiraz’

I bought a bottle of ‘2006 Jean-Paul’s Shiraz’ and a bottle of ‘2004 Jean-Paul’s Bold Colonial Red’ from the Yea super market. Recently the ‘2005 vintage Shiraz’ was awarded 94 and the ‘2005 Bold Colonial Red’ 88 points by James Halliday. I guess that the different vintages might not have been significant as regards the quality of the wine. Who can taste a one or two point difference anyway.

Both wines were consumed together with friends over hearty Australian country meals. To say it from the outset, I loved both wines; they were delicious. Since I am more of a Shiraz than a CabSav drinker, I personally prefer the Shiraz.

If you are in the vicinity of Yea, grab some bottles of these wines, it’s a bargain. I also recommend to visit the Jean-Paul’s Vineyard website and order from there directly.

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‘2004 Jean-Paul’s Vineyard Bold Colonial Red’

By the way: Will de Castella’s great grandfather was Hubert de Castella, the pioneer of the wine industry in the Yarra Valley establishing vineyards such as St Hubert’s near Yarra Glen.

Will and his wife Heather live since 1988 near Yea and produce small quantities of fruit from which distinct wines are made which won accolades for their outstanding quality.

Address:
Jean-Paul’s Vineyard
Post: RMB 6173
YEA VICTORIA 3717
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 03 57972235
Email: william@jeanpaulsvineyard.com.au
http://www.jeanpaulsvineyard.com.au

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Jewels of the Upper Goulburn Wine Region Part I

October 25, 2008

Today, I want to start a new series and introduce to you some wine and grape producers from our wine growers association, the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association. I plan to feature three to four wineries and vineyards at the time. The selection is random. I will start with the wineries with open cellar doors. Of the 30 odd members of our association, about 9 belong to this category. Another 12 are vineyards which also produce some wine under their labels but conduct wine tastings only by appointment. All the others are fruit producers only and do not sell wines commercially.

The first cohort of wineries to be presented consists of Kinloch Wines, Rees Miller Estate and, a small boutique winery, called Rocky Passes Estate. I want to be honest with you. I have tasted wines made by Malcolm Kinloch (Kinloch Wines) and David Miller (Rees Miller Estate) but not the ones made by Victor Oles (Rocky Passes Estate). I have visited the two former wineries (and I know Malcolm and David) but not the latter.

But this is no impediment to write about all three of them. Anyway, we are going to visit Australia for Christmas and we might take this opportunity to get to know the Rocky Passes people.

I am starting with Kinloch Wines. Malcolm and Susan Kinloch have established a wonderful wine business. The vineyard is located in the Booroolite Valley, about 15 minutes by car from Mansfield (almost next to another famous winery of our region: Delatite Winery).

This year at the Federation Sq Showcase Series the Kinlochs were rewarded two gold medals, one for their “2004 Mary Friend Cabernets-Merlot Blend” and another for their “2006 Don Kinloch Sparkling white”. Moreover, the “Mary Friend” red was judged the Overall Best Red Blend in its class at the Award presentation for the Victorian Wine Awards.

2008 was a most unusual year in the Upper Goulburn. Kinloch Wines harvested a record 34 tons of fruit of outstanding quality. From the 2008 vintage three wines have been released so far (cellar door prices in brackets):
-Unwooded Chardonnay (A$ 18)
-Sauvignon Blanc, and (A$ 22)
-a first rosè (A$ 18) made from Pinot Meunier grapes.

I have tasted earlier vintages of the two white wines and they are delicious. When we visited Kinloch Wines in winter, one could see Mount Buller in a not so distant distance, all in white with a beautiful snow cap.

How to find them:
Kinloch Wines
In the Booroolite Valley, the cellar door is warm and friendly and offers gourmet luncheon platters on weekends and public holidays.
Address: 221 Wairere Rd, Boorolite – 15 minutes from Mansfield
Open: 10.00 am to 4.00 pm daily
Tel: 5777 3447
Email: info@kinlochwines.com.au
Web: www.kinlochwines.com.au
Contact: Susan and Malcolm Kinloch

Rees Miller Estate is the next winery in my cohort. Located near Yea – about 15 minutes drive on the highway to Alexandra/Mansfield – Sylke Rees and David Miller own and operate a fully certified biodynamic vineyard and winery. Today about 7 ha are under vines, the farm has a total of about 64 ha. Sylke and David are both very much committed to the protection of the environment, and the organic production of food. They intend to produce pure products for consumption in a way that supports the land and its people.

We got to know Sylke and David when our wine stall was just adjacent to theirs at the 2007 Alexandra Food and Wine Expo. David conducted a very interesting wine tasting, actually my first wine tasting at such an event, and Sylke sold the wines. When we visited their cellar door some time later, they were both on Christmas holidays. To my great surprise Rees Miller wines were available at our duty free wine store in Jakarta, and we did not have to suffer any shortages of their beautiful reds.

How to find them:
Rees Miller Estate
Fully certified biodynamic vineyard situated on the Goulburn Valley Highway, just east of Yea.
Address: 5355 Goulburn Valley Highway, Yea
Open: 10.00 am to 4.00 pm daily
Tel: 5797 2101
Email: info@reesmiller.com
Web: www.reesmiller.com
Contact: David Miller or Sylke Rees

The last vineyard in this first cohort of Upper Goulburn wineries with cellar doors is Rocky Passes Estate, a small boutique vineyard of about 6 acres (5 acres Shiraz and 1 acre Viognier) located in Whiteheads Creek, near Seymour. I only know their one-page website and their listing in our membership directory. Rocky Passes Estate is another vineyard dedicated to organic grape growing and wine making (there are quite a few in our region). Cropping levels are kept low (about 2 tonnes per acre). The cellar door was opened in 2006. The wines can be ordered by mail, phone or e-mail.

How to find them:
Rocky Passes Estate
Situated at the southern end of the Strathbogie Ranges, the wines are made using organic practices and biodynamic preparations.
Address: 1590 Highlands Rd,
Whiteheads Creek, Seymour
Open: Sundays 11.00 am to 4.00pm or by appointment
Tel: 5796 9366
Email: rockypasses@activ8.net.au
Web: www.rockypassesestate.com.au
Contact: Victor Oles or Candy Westney

I hope I could stimulate your curiosity. The Upper Goulburn Wine Region is a rural place with real people who love what they are doing, have passion for their wines and commitment to the environment.

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As the river….

October 24, 2008

Most German wine regions (not all) take their name from the river which runs through the territory planted with grape vines. This is true for the Mosel, Saar, Ruwer, Rhine, and Nahe to name but a few. Vine growing in my native Germany is intrinsically linked to rivers and river systems which is partly due to the availability of steep slopes catching the last beams of sun.

The village of Schoden at the Saar river, in the background, the location Ayler Kupp (photo taken from the location “Herrenberg”)

Recently my writing style has been characterized as “meandering” (by David Harden, thanks David) and meandering I do. In fact the purpose of my whole blog is meandering. Meandering between the old and the new world and its wines, meandering between my actual live in a big Asian metropolitan city and my desired live in a rural place in Victoria, Australia, meandering between the many identities I have acquired over the years working in Asia and my future as an Australian vintner and wine maker.

Wuerzburg at the Main river and its vineyards

The second part of the title sentence goes as follows: “…so the wine”. This is certainly true for Germany. I have to find a similar “alliteration” for Glenburn and the Upper Goulburn Wine Region.

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Wine and Food Expo 2008 – UGWA

August 9, 2008

Our Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association is holding their annual wine and food expo2008. Please come and visit if you are around.

WINE & FOOD EXPO
UPPER GOULBURN, VICTORIA
MARYLANDS COUNTRY HOUSE, MARYSVILLE

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2008
EXPO from 11.00 AM TO 5.00 PM – COST $15 per head includes wine taster
ROVING Food & Wine Experience – Marysville & District – Saturday and Sunday

The Upper Goulburn Winegrowers’ Association invites you to their annual Expo. Come and meet the faces behind the Upper Goulburn Wine Region – talk to the vignerons, taste their wine, sample local food products – trout, cheese, olives, bread, jams and preserves.

Participate in the free tutored wine tasting sessions presented by Rob Hicks, enjoy the “catch a trout cook a trout” cooking demonstration, and take advantage of the Expo Voucher for your roving experience around Marysville. Don’t forget to take home some fantastic Expo specials.

UPPER GOULBURN WINE REGION
Alexandra Buxton Eildon Glenburn Jamieson Mansfield Merton Tallarook Yea
www.uppergoulburnwine.org.au

Susan Kinloch – Event Coordinator – 5777 3447 or 0418 595 878
Sponsorship Information – contact Alex Gillon on 9596-3043 or 0419 363 794

Wine labels from the region

Barwite Buller View Buxton Ridge Delatite Growlers Gully Kinloch
Larnoo Mt Samaria Murrindindi Nillahcootie Penbro Rees Miller
Rocky Passes Scrubby Creek Snobs Creek St Winifred’s Tallarook
Traawool Two Hills

Have good fun with great Australian wines.
Yours from Portugal
Rainer

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