Most staff find that visiting any renowned wine country or region offers a great chance to explore and taste wine a little closer to home rather than tasting in the timber-framed Tanners HQ. Wine in Time Manager Rachel Armstrong reflects on her recent family trip to Australia.
Australia is such a vast and varied landscape that every wine-growing state and region produces hugely differing styles. Having travelled extensively in the country and visited many wineries and regions, I can confirm it most definitely has something to offer everyone from simple, everyday staples to fine wines which can rival Old World classics. The country often has the misconceived notion of having a year-round hot climate, whilst that might be true of some parts, in general, it varies greatly by season and location. The wine regions are typically clustered around the lower reaches of the southern states, with the coastal areas benefitting from milder nights and cooling afternoon sea breezes. Those wine regions further inland and on higher ground tend to be cooler still at night.
The state of Victoria, renowned for its distinct soils and astonishing diversity of microclimates, is home to some 21 wine regions. The warm days and cool nights make ideal growing conditions; the Yarra Valley, for example, is well suited to classic cool-climate grape varieties. Regionality and a keen understanding of terroir are evident across Victoria, ranging from the fine expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Mornington Peninsula (look out for the pioneering Paringa Estate wines) and the Yarra Valley (the wines of Yarra Yering are world-class) in the south, to sublime Shiraz (try Chapoutier’s Tournon Mathilda Shiraz) from the ancient Cambrian soils of Heathcote, to the fortified/sweet wines of Rutherglen in the north – with a plethora of other interesting plantings and wine styles in between.
Whilst on a family trip this August, we visited Rutherglen, stopping off at the town on our way to Thredbo from Melbourne for a few days skiing. Many outside Oz are still surprised to hear of the snow fields in the high country – the resorts on the Great Dividing Range of southeastern Australia are buzzing with skiers and snowboarders most winters.
Rutherglen, like many of Australia’s wine regions, has a long history of winemaking stemming from its European settlement in the mid-19th century. With a Mediterranean climate with warm summer days and cool nights, there are plenty of fabulous crisp whites and rich reds, along with the internationally acclaimed fortified Muscats and Muscadelles for which the region is particularly well known.
Established in 1875, Stanton & Killeen is one of the oldest and most respected wineries in the region, it is still family-owned with mother-daughter duo Wendy and Natasha at the helm and is famed for their sweet fortified Muscats. On our visit, winemaker Adriaan Foot took us around the historic winery and showed us the newer sections too, talking through the vinification process culminating in tasting a flight of wines. Their Rutherglen Muscat is like bottled Christmas – distilled essence of liquid raisins, with complex layers of spiced plum pudding, fig jam, ginger spice and orange peel. Its long and luscious with a lovely velvety mouthfeel. Delicious to drink on its own, or even better with a chocolate truffle. Back in Blighty and with Christmas coming this bottle will most definitely be on the shopping list!!
Australia
