Our regular tastings on Zoom and live at Richmond and Teddington continued in February and March with a look at New South Wales and the key areas of Hunter Valley, Orange and Riverina. The principal aims of the tasting were to get a deeper insight into high quality Semillon from Hunter Valley and contrast local Shiraz with areas such as the Barossa. Over the three tastings, we also covered Riverina – not a well known wine region but very significant in terms of volume. It accounts for 75% of NSW wine production and is Australia’s second biggest wine region. It is hugely important for low cost, bulk wines where irrigation is routine and conditions are ideal for viticulture.
From the family Berton estate we tasted some good value varietals. The Vermentino was crisp and fresh; the Viognier was pleasantly aromatic with just enough varietal character and the Durif was earthy and fruity with good structure.
Brokenwood was a key winery in our tastings. Created in 1970, they are relatively new kids on the block and have established a top-class reputation. Their Cricket Pitch white – a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon was crisp and textured with good mouthfeel added by the Semillon; while their Cricket Pitch red was a delicious blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot that over delivered on spicy fruit and balance. Both wines source some of the fruit from outside NSW so can’t use the Hunter Valley appellation. Their Semillon was young but really excellent. Vibrant, intense and with great length it belied the notion that Hunter Valley Semillon needs time. However, the Tyrells VAT 1 2014 Semillon was an absolute highlight of the tasting. The additional ageing really showed how well Semillon develops and these wines can age for 30+ years. Tyrells are an historic winery and their VAT 1 Semillon has won more awards than any other Australian wine.
We concluded the tasting with a Philip Shaw Orange Shiraz which was a spicy and lean – characterising the cool climate style of the area and enjoyed by all. This was followed by the small production Graveyard Shiraz from Brokenwood – their icon wine. Boy it was very good – though tasting the 2017 vintage was a bit early in its evolution and for most of us the £120 price tag made it a tough one to lay down in anticipation. The previous Shiraz at only £20 was an easier prospect!
All in all a fascinating event and a great opportunity to focus on an area that seems underrepresented in UK markets.
For details of the wines, and prices, see the wines we have tasted page.
