Next time I go wine tasting, could some please remind me to take a note pad with me! We tasted a ridiculous number of startlingly good wines, and there is no way I’m going to be able to remember everything now. I’m going to try and go in the order we visited but if I forget any …
Waverley Estate - Aged Wine Specialists
The gentleman (the only appropriate word for him - he was a class act) who served us joked that we ought not have visited Waverley first, as it would spoil the rest of the week for us, given that we were about to taste some extraordinary wines. He wasn’t far off. It’s not every day you get to taste a 15 year old Hermitage (yep, so old it was made and labelled before the French had prevented us from calling Shiraz ‘Hermitage’). Waverley, as a rule, do not offer wines that are younger than seven years old (the exceptions are a Verdhelo and a Sparkling Shiraz which are aimed at the Japanese market). To assist them in serving these carefully aged wines, Waverley Estate employs ‘Jack’, a dog with an incredible nose who has been trained to distiguish any wines that have gone bad; Jack’s training cost $25 000 and was conducted by the chap who trains sniffer dogs and Tasmanian truffle-seeking dogs.
Michelle’s picks: 1993 Hermitage, 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000 Chardonnay.
Calais Estate
Apparently, Calais Estate is quite famous for being a hospitable cellar door, and has even won awards to that effect. We must’ve been there on a bad day. I think most of us agreed we found the lady who served us quite brusque and pushy.
Michelle’s picks: Merlot and Petit Verdot - though I forget which vintage they were from. I didn’t actually enjoy the Merlot whilst at the Cellar Door, but it proved quite lovely with our eight-hour-roasted lamb.
Blueberry Hill Vineyard
I didn’t taste here; it was too early in the morning for my palate. However, the 2008 Rosé which Kelly procured was lovely. It had an unusual ‘blush peach’ colour, with lovely notes of sweet strawberry and cherry. Drew’s 2006 Shiraz was also lovely; classic earthy Hunter Shiraz, with tones of plum, ‘dark berries’ and dark chocolate.
Rothvale Vineyard and Winery
Still too early! And the place looks pretty scungy and rundown. The boys tasted but found nothing exceptional. They did learn about the differences between American and French Oak though.
Vinden Estate Wines
Vinden Estate is a small family run boutique vineyard, focused on producing smaller quantities of exceptional wines. Grapes are hand-picked, and they prefer to use traditional wine-making methods such as open fermentation, hand plunging and a basket press. We were able to go on a short tour of the winery which was incredibly interesting. They were also quite kid-friendly, and have a good selection of ‘distractions’ (toys, tea sets, puzzles etc).
Michelle’s picks: 2007 Alicante Boushet (a rare variety of light, dry, savoury rosé), 2005 Estate Reserve Merlot (I’m wishing I did buy this now!).
Moorebank Vineyard
I didn’t taste here, but it’s definitely worth a visit if only for the Spicy Grape Sauce and the Onion Condiment - yum! And the kids got to meet a sheep, which was fun.
Pokolbin Brothers’ Wines
These guys bought a vineyard as a place to locate their Bicycle Hire business. Apparently some locals went ballistic when they started ripping up the 30 year old unirrigated Shiraz vines, so they decided to go into making wine as well. They out-source; they just pick the grapes and the wines are produced over at Pepper Tree. They had two Chardonnays (2005 and 2007) and a Shiraz Merlot blend on offer. The 2005 Chardonnay wasn’t bad.
Arrowfield Estate
Another early morning visit on which I abstained from tasting. However, they do have a fantastic range of Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars which were quite delightful. The Cinnamon Spiced Balsamic Vinegar, and the Lime and Ginger Olive Oil were standouts for me.
Margan Cellar Door
Margan Family Winegrowers are located in Broke, but they also have a Cellar Door in Pokolbin. The lady who has been at the Cellar Door on both occassions that I have visited it is lovely; she knows a great deal about wine but is friendly and approachable. Margan are my favourite winemakers. Ever.
Michelle’s picks: 2001 Chardonnay, 2008 Shiraz Saignée (brimming with strawberries and cream, and a touch of vanilla in the aftertaste), 2006 Barbera (herbs, berries and earth), 2005 Cabernet Sauvingnon (forest fruits, lovely tannins, and simply the most superb structure).
Tamburlaine Wines
Given my organic-leanings, I was really keen to try some organically grown wines. Tamburlaine carry wines from both their Hunter Valley vineyard and their one in Orange; to give people warm and cool climate options. They also use only a quarter of the sulfates that are used conventionally.
Michelle’s picks: 2006 Hunter Cabernet/Merlot (liquid liquorice), 2004 Hunter Chambourcin.
My absolute highlight of the week: Margan’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Margan’s has the reputation for having the one of the best stickies in the Hunter Valley. I’ve had their 2004 bortrytis, and it’s exceptional.
If you’re keen on Hunter Semillon, Capercaille 2000 vintage is excellent, as is McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth 2001.
I also have a soft spot for Italian varietals. One of note is Tempus Two 2003 Mayday Hill Sangiovese. They had a bushfire near the time of harvest, and the wine picked up an astonishing smoky character…One of a kind.
Thanks to Adrian and Kel for the photos. They’re great shots. I tried to put captions on them but it didn’t seem to work.
Nunu - I’m not a huge fan of stickies, although I’ve only ever ‘tasted’ them, I’ve never had one in the right ‘context’ I suppose. However, the Margan Botrytis Semillon (and I’ve no recollection of which vintage we tasted), was the first time I’ve been able to discern any thing but sugar on the nose. It was still incredibly sweet, but managed to avoid being cloying. I have no idea how dessert wine pairing works though, so I don’t know what I’d match it with.
(Drew is saying sticky date pudding with toffee sauce and Barambah cream).
P.S. I forgot - whereabouts are you working now?
I’m working at the recently opened Steel Bar & Grill near Wynyard Station. The executive chef is Damian Heads from Garfish, Pony, and Ready, Steady, Cook.
For stickies, I tend to prefer late harvest over bortrytised or fortifieds. They’re still sweet, but much less viscous. I always have them with a cheese platter, instead of having table wine.