Mornington Peninsula Day 2 13/12/10

I woke up in the morning after having slept for 10 hours. Yesterday's journey was just too exhausting but today I am feeling much better. Left the motel at 9.30 am and the first place I heading to was Paringa Estate.

Paringa Estate
They charge a tasting fee of $2 but it was well worth it for tasting the wines they make. Lindsay McCall is the winemaker and owner and he has been doing his wines for 25 years. I wished I could have met him but he was so busy with the vines that he hasn't shown up at the cellar door since the morning. Paringa produces 16 thousand cases a year and that is quite an achievement from a small boutique producer to what it has become today. The interesting thing about the estate is that the vines are being trained in the Lyre shape as well. And besides that they are sloping on a hill and the rows are planted E-W. Vine spacings are about 1.5m to 3m on rich red volcanic soil. There is a tendency for his wines, even his Pinot Gris and Rieslings to reach high alcohol levels of 14%. Still his Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are stunning.

His 2010 Riesling is 14.8% alcohol (that's high!) but retains youthfulness and exuberance in the acid. The fruit was whole bunch pressed and cool tank fermented.

I do find his Estate Chardonnay 2007 much richer than his 2008 Peninsula Chard. It is also more expensive! AUD35 vs AUD22

Strange enough, his Pinot Noir is so much heavier on the colour spectrum for Red Hill South area compared to the Merricks area. I wonder if this has anything to do with leaving the grapes longer on the vines and producing those darker colours on the skins just as higher sugar levels give rise to the higher alcohol in his wines. Again the Estate triumphs over the Peninsula range. $60 vs $27. Is that justified? Wait till you see his reserve which is priced at $90. One thing for sure is that it is a quality Pinot Noir comparable to what France is producing for a much higher price. Is it possible to get a cheaper Pinot at that sort of quality? I would be eager to say yes after tasting the Stonier yesterday but the truth is that the Stonier is not treated in the same way as the Paringa. Both have good quality fruit but in terms of style, both winemakers have different approaches.


(BTW, Stonier is owned by Lion Nathan).

T'Gallant
Next stop, T'Gallant vineyards which is owned by Fosters. This is the place to visit if you want to try Pinot Gris/Grigio (I have an interested story to tell as you read on about Pinot Gris/Grigio). This vineyard owns the oldest PG vines in the whole of Australia, which is 24 years old. Their range of PG they produce goes from steely, high acid and crisp to luscious and full of a heavy mid-palate.

Port Philip Estate/Kooyong
I managed to squeeze some time to stop by at Port Philip Estate/Kooyong which makes some fantastic wines in a different style by Sandro Moselo. I was told he was Italian but with a German last name. Tastings here are $10 per head but with the range tasted, I do feel that it is worth trying. I can see Sandro is influenced very much by his European heritage in terms of winemaking. He produces wines that range from $26-$65 but I do believe they fit the price range. I think in terms of export, it would have to be more competitive once retailers put a margin on it. The vines grown on soils which are iron schist & clay. Interesting to try would be the 2007 Kooyong Clonale Chardonnay which is very Chablis in style but not quite Chablis. It has all this mineral, peach and good acid structure. I was almost tempted to buy a bottle as the price is attractive - AUD28. I decided against it as I know it would start a buying spree and my bag can't take anymore weight. This is a wine I would like to benchmark against for that price for it display of elegance. His 2010 Quartier Arnies is what I consider the best I have tasted so far in Australia. It is wild-yeast fermented in whole bunch and some are done in tank and some in old french barriques. Flavours are melon and rose with a zing to it.


In his Pinot Noirs, you can find that grapefruit/ ruby red colour that Paringa doesn't have. The 2008 Kooyong Estate PN was delicious with lifted notes of fruit but it was the 2008 Port Phillip Estate Morillon that was it's complete opposite. Fermented in open vats for 21 days, 16 months spent in 30% new french oak, it was a much more earthier and mushroom style, but subtly. In a sense, it reminded me of a Pommard with less acid.

It is also worth trying his Shiraz which has that muskiness to it(I now figured out what that cool climate smell I have been getting since yesterday in the Shiraz is called and I call it musky) as well as his Barbera.

What is really worth visiting if you hit Mornington is the next two wineries that I am going to write about. I really love this two wineries, not just for the wines but for the people as well. As you know, when you like both the people and the wine, you get magic every time you drink their wines - a sort of delightedness that fills your heart; a feeling that someone cares about you.

Phaedrus Estate*

The vines of Phaedrus

Phaedrus Estate is owned by Ewan Campbell who is also the winemaker/owner. He has been making wine here for 13 years and is very knowledgeable of the region. He owns 10 acres of Pinot Noir with 6 clones: D5, D12, 114, 115, G5, G15 (G5 & G15 produces earthier flavours), MV6. He has also has Chardonnay is also Bernard clones of 95 and 96. His vine spacing is 2m x 3m spacing and are 10 years old. He does at really good Pinot Gris for just $17 as well as a Shiraz for $20. Very good value in my opinion.

Ewan's philosphy in treating the vines is to let it do its own thing. Don't cut itl don't trim it; don't thin it. The more you do that, the vines tend to grow lateral shoors and then it starts to grown longer to compensate for the loss of leaves. So far, he has only done 5-6 sprays on the vines,].

According to him, the Mornington is separated into 3 different soil areas. Mooronduc is more sandy loam over clay; Red Hill is more volcanic red clay and is very fertile; Merricks is more sandy at the edge of the coast. In Mooronduc, PNs there tend to be more plumy as it is a warmer and dry area that can ripen Shiraz better. Merricks and Red Hill tend to produce more cherries aroma in their PNs. Ewan believes that the region ripens PN fruit very well.

Berry set occurs in December and harvest is usually in late Feb to March. There was one day in 2009 which was 46 degrees but 30 is the max over here, according to Ewan. When temperatures get to high, the vine shuts down and the berries start to shrival adn fall off the rachis easily. The maritime climate helps to have cooler temperatures as well provide for consistent temperatures during the day and night. Temperatures are steady, maintaining at 22 degrees at night. This gives a good ripening period which last on the average of 50-70 days although 100 days can happen but is unusual. So far 5-6 sprays have been carried out the vineyard. Rainfall is 600mm in the region although 900mm does occurs in Redhill. There aren't a lot of frost issues in the region and it was in 2007 when frost last happened but that was a one in 40 years event.

Ewan was kind enough to open a bottle of PN 2010, which was bottled 4 weeks ago. It had flavours of oolong tea, good acid balance, rose water which I find predominant in the PNs of this region and a long peppery finish. Very good considering it has yet to recover from bottling.

The 2009 Chardonnay was also excellent. Fragrant with cashew in there. At 13.3% alc, and 15% new oak, it had citrusy aromas wiht lees. There was a slight MLF in there and had a savoury nuttiness to it.

His 2009 Shiraz is also worth looking at with a 14.6% alc, spices, earth, cloves and mushrooms

I also want to add that apart from the PN2010, the rest of his wines including the Pinot Gris were opened on Saturday. Yet it tasted so amazingly delicious after so many days. It didn't taste tired at all.

Quea!y*

These guys are another must see from the region. Kevin and Kathleen are the owners of this winery and they used to run T'Gallant before selling it to Fosters. Kevin himself is huge enthusiast about wine education and makes wine fun to learn. He is lively, invigorating to listen and speaks with a passion that makes you want to know more about his ideas and opinions. He is into what he calls "the acceleration of maturity of the consumer". He calls his PinotG "Remato" meaning copper as PinotG tends to impart a sort of copper colour to the wines because it has skin that is between black and white.

Accordinging Kevin, he palanted Pinot Gris in the Mornington in 1988 just to explore the different styles. PG was not understood by Australia back then. It was only 6 years later, that PG started breaking into the Australian palate. Kevin feels that that this varietal is very mich misunderstood. The Italians would call PG Grigio and the French would call it Gris; there was no simplicity. However in 2007, the Australian Wine Research Institute discovered a way of looking at PG objuectively. A man called Daniel Cozzolino was using Spectrometry to breakdown PG into its 230000 compounds . According to the reading, he could tell what style PG was from a scale of 0-10 and which country it came from. Interesting? I recommend you go and visit http://www.pinog.com.au/. Kevin is one of the founders of this site. To me, the spectrum of flavours and aromas in PG is not something new as Andrea Immer MS has also suggested this before. But the idea that Kevin shares is revolutionary in its own way. Imagine wineries around the world using the scale from crisp to luscious for thier PGs. The scale doesn't talk about wine quality or whether the higher the scale, the more the price. It talks about the style of the wine and gives people an indication of how to match thier wines with their food because the scale guarantees it through spectrometry. Different terriors will generate a sort of fingerprint for the wines.

To Kevin, Grigio is Gris. There isn't a difference. He explained to me that many flavours in Gris overlap with Grigio. When he was in Italy, the grigio he tasted ranged from crisp to in-your-face-power (he quoted the producer, Germann). In France, the PG was picked at 11 Baume and was tight and austere, crisp and not as rich. It tasted steely, minerally, and flinty. But when he tasted Zind Humbrecht's SGN, it was rich and like what he describes as "flying with the gods". Kevin feels that there is a spectrum, a sort of continuum of flavours for wines made around the world and people will understand much better what they are drinking by using this scale. It will also make them more confident to talk about the wine.

Kevin shares the same dream as I do - to set up a school/education experience one day for people to be confident and be able to talk about wine from experience. Like him, I believe that people crave knowledge and don't want ot look stupid.

I shall put up some tasting notes of his wines in the later part of the trip. For now, I do want to talk about an interesting wine that Kevin is doing which is Fruiliano, an italain grape from Fuili. He is trying to be a pioneer for this grape just as he did with PinotG years ago and he has generated some interesting results. His 2010 Fuiliano is pale green with aromas of pears, green apples, and white flowers. On the palate is pear drip, white flowers, high acid which gives the wine a good line of length. This is like a PinotG except that it has higher acid and that beautiful white flower aroma to it. I believe he is on to something here.

When I asked him where did he get the bud wood for Fruiliano, I was expecting him to tell me that he took in from some vineyard in Italy and brought it over here without telling the guys at the airport. According to him, the bud wood was found at mildura and a famous chap called Allan Ancliff at CSIRO had a giant collection of everything; form sangiovese to barbera to nebiolo ro picolit. So some bloke took the bud wood and planted a row of each and Kevin met the bloke by happenstance and was able to get some of the bud wood from him.

Arrange an appointment with Kevin and try his wines. You will definitely fall in love with his wines and his enthusiasm.

End of the Day

Day 2 and today it seems people in Victoria are much more friendlier. Maybe I was at the wrong place at the wrong time in Day 1. I get that a lot.

Additional Notes: The Mornington is the only wine region I have been to so far in Australia where vineyards are separated by lots of trees. It is a foresty region unlike Canberra and the Hunter. To find each winery, you have to go through roads full of trees just to get there.

Geelong & Mornington Peninsula Day 1 12/12/10

I touched down at 8.45 am in Victoria Avalon Airport. Then, I rented a car a drove straight to Geelong, which wasn't very far away, just around 40 minutes. Down there I tasted some wines around the area. I don't understand what it is with the region, but not many vignerons in Geelong are as welcoming as the vignerons in NSW to talk about their wines. Some even charge for tastings. I suppose times must be so bad that they have to cover their cost for opening the wines. It was a slightly rainy day. To most people, Geelong is a region but it seems that everyone has a different view. Geelong is split into three unofficial sub-regions: Moorabool Valley (Continental climate), Surf Coast & The Bellarine. There are about 43 different vineyards in the area. It is a cool climate region with an average temperature of 19 degree Celsius. In the summer, it can get up to 35 degrees at times. Moorabool has rich volcanic soils. The Bellarine has rich, loamy soils over a limestone base. Surf Coast has more of a basalt soil. The region is very much known for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz. Although the wines from the Bellarine make delicious wines, I find the prices not too attractive. Perhaps it is because the majority of producers in this region is small and economy of scale is not present.

Jack Rabbit

Places to visit are Jack Rabbit which produces the Kilgour Estate range. They make 400 cases a year and their Pinot Noirs are clean and are fruit forward. The noticeable thing about their Pinot Noirs is that the colour is not deep but very much has the colour of the flesh of the inside of a grapefruit. I find that fascinating when I compare them to the Pinot Noirs of Leura Park. Their sparkling Cabernet is a must try too. Full of blackcurrant characters and a slight off-dry touch.



Just imagine the sort of grapes that can be grown here in a climate like this that is just next to the ocean and is so cold.

Ballarine Estate
There is one place you have to go to and that is Ballarine Estate. I am very impressed by their wines. The treatment of their OMK 2008 Viognier is unique, full of custard and ginger flavours unlike any barrel fermented Viognier I have seen. Both their Portarlington Ridge range are very affordable and full of fruit characters. The grapes are sourced form the Alphine. I have never tasted a Chardonnay at that price that has blossoms in it. Their James Paddock Chardonnay is another cracker of a wine, with ginger flavours and cinnamon aromas, plus a long length. You have to really visit them!

Somehow, I don't seem to be getting the same quality of product information that I get from the vignerons in Geelong compared to those in NSW. I wasn't very enamoured by the region so I decided to take a ferry across the Bass Strait from Queenscliff to Portsea, making my way to Mornington Peninsula, one of the best places in Australia for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

It is such a shame that this place makes so little for export that the world doesn't acknowledge its rightful place in the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay greats. So far in my wine travels around Australia, I have never seen a region that plants it's vines so close to one another, almost 1 m between vines. The close plantings were so fascinating to see I suppose the fact that it is closely planted makes the vines struggle and have its root dig deeper into the soil to take up minerals. It also means that there is no choice but to handpick the grapes because the rows are too small to machine harvest. Again, this is another region that requires you to pay so that you can taste. I find some of the tasting price absurd. Though I can understand the need to recoup costs if you are a small producer, I think that there is also a need to identify people who are interested in promoting your product since they are from the industry. I just realised that many producers may know how to make good wine, but they certainly don't know how to generate goodwill among people who could potentially help them to push up their prices. It only goes to show that making wine and running a business are two different skills.


The lyre-trained system of growing grapes. This is the first region I have seen using such a system.


We are seeing berry set here

The Mornington harvest is in March and April. The biggest wineries in the region are Yabby Lake, T'Gallant which is owed by Fosters and Kooyong. The industry is only about 30 years old with Main Ridge being the oldest - 35. A fascinating sight to come across is the Lyre trained vines at Lindenderry vineyard. This is the first time I have seen Lyre trained in Australia. Before I could study the vines some more, something unexpected happened. All I can say is that people from Victoria are different from those from NSW. Both are Australians but both are a different species. So far, I like people from NSW and Canberra. I used to think people from Victoria are friendlier and I suppose it is too early to tell since I only been here for a day. The funny thing I am getting from Victorians is that they seem to be quite suspicious of people. I'm going to remain open to my perception of them after the end of my trip.

Really funny thing I notice about the Shiraz grown in Geelong and Mornington is how different they are from NSW and Canberra. They have this cool climate aromas of something musty, and farmy that I cannot lift a finger to but I find them in Shiraz from Goulburn as well.

Stonier
Now if you really want to try an excellent wine, you have to go to Stonier. I mean it! The quality that these guys are producing is outstanding. Even their entry-level wines have very high standards. They were the standouts of today because of a few reasons. The wines were very complex in terms of the balance and perfumy aromas that both their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were able to achieve. It is rich but not overpowering. It had a softness to it that wasn't girly but was more like the expression of a confident woman. Morever, both had very good line of acid and long length in the backpalate. Although their reserve wines are somewhat pricey, I do think they are a good buy if you are getting it in Austrlaia. Their top of the tier range which I do feel was excellent doesn't have the same bang for buck as their reserve range. However, it is normal in a wine that the quality over price gradient decreases.

I also recommend that you head over to Merricks General Wine store next door and taste their wines. They represent Elgee Park Estate which makes a different style of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; a somewhat more rustic style.

Picture will come once my internet is fully running again.

Additional Notes on 13/12/10:
I also want to add that I visited the Eldridge Estate which charges $4 a tasting. It is a James Halliday Five Star vineyard, which I couldn't agree any less (I didn't know it was until I checked it today). They make excellent Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. about 5-6 clones go into each wine and is carefully blended.

I also took a bottle of Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir with me for dinner and along with the Beef Wellington, it completed my day. The Pinot Noir was hand picked and fermented in small open 2-3 tonne fermenters with hand plunging. 5% of the final blend was whole bunch fermented and extended marceration lasted for 20 days. After that, ferments were transferred to 35% new French oak barriques for MLF and maturation for 9 months. Barrels were selected and transferred to older barrels for further maturation for 5 months. It has been in the bottle since July 2009.
In terms of colour, it was almost transparent ruby red. The nose was full of complex aromas that you could get from MLF and oak integration, generating spices of cloves and cinnamon. Moreover, the underlying fruit was there, dark cherries and light raspberries but not so apparent in such a way as a common Pinot. There were combinations of rose water, lifted flower aromas and lots of complexity in there. I cannot stress how complex it was. It was like watching a stage play with good actors and a good plot. Aromas later developed into a slight black pepper. About 3 hours since it opened and it was still going. On the palate was firm and rounded tannins coupled with good acid structure and fruit cake sweetness. Not the sweetness from sugar but from fruit. It had lovely weight in it. The length was more than 3 minutes in there and could go on forever. A pinot to die for! and did I mention that it retails for AUD50?

Wine Smells Frustrating

Describing the aromas of wines can be perplexing to most people who are learning to appreciate wines. In my sophomore years of wine appreciation, I was amused to read aroma descriptors such as lychee, rose water, cigar box, pencil shavings, straw and other descriptors which I had no clue about. I even thought wine producers were deliberately mixing lychee, pencils, erasers and maybe manure into wines to produce these aromas. Of course, they weren't but it was puzzling that what came from grapes did not smell like grapes. To some, the descriptors on the back label of the bottle can be an aid in finding the words to describe the wine. To others, it can also be discouraging if you cannot smell what you "should be" smelling.

The nose is a complex part of our body. Unlike the eyes and the ears, which rely on energy to trigger them, our noses rely on aroma molecules to trigger a response. The nose has its limits as our olfactory receptors can only capture so many molecules at a time. According to Dr. Charles Wysocki from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, "if individuals are constantly exposed over a lengthy session, they become less sensitive to odourants that repeat
themselves, such as oak." This is called olfactory fatigue and it is the body's way of adapting to new levels of stimuli. Some adaptations last only a few minutes before the sensitivity is restored. Constant exposure to the odour can result in adaptation that lasts for weeks even after the source of the odour has been removed.

If you ever wonder that some wine critics or wine label writers are making up the descriptors, there is scientific proof that some of these aromas do exist in wines. Many people are able identify lychee aromas in Gewürztraminer or butter in oaked Chardonnay. More than five hundred chemical components found in wine can also be found in vegetables, fruits and spices. For example, diacetyl, which is found in Chardonnay after malolactic fermentation, contributes to the butter aromas for that varietal. Methoxypyrazine in green beans can be found in Sauvignon Blanc.

This does not mean you can smell them all. The combination of these different
compounds can produce an entirely different smell from what you should be getting individually from each aroma molecule. The sum is greater than its parts. Do it with your eyes closed. The smell you get from sniffing strawberry jam and oranges together is not the same when smelling them apart. It is not as obvious as before that there are two distinct aromas.

There is hope for anyone thinking of giving up wine appreciation because of their inability to detect aromas the way the "pros" do. The answer is practice and more practice. Picking up new smells that we were initially unaware of can be learned through exposure to the odour. Many of us are sensitive to different types of aromas. This is due to many factors such as genetics, physiology, age, gender and psychology. Each person has a different threshold of detection to the different types of aroma molecules. This can lead to various interpretations of
the aroma intensity and why some smell it and some don't.

Being able to express what you smell in words allows one to make comparisons, engage in wine talk, and perhaps, even impress others that you have a nose of a blood hound. But you do not need to be a wine expert to enjoy a good bottle of wine. Wine is more than just what you are able to smell. It is also about your preferences, the ambience and the company whom you are with. Words can never do justice in describing the experience of drinking an elegant and complex wine. In the end, all people want is to have fun and to drink a quaffable wine.

As Len Evans puts it in his book, How to Taste Wine, "I challenge you to describe the smell of strawberries or bananas. We've eaten these fruit since our first memories and they smell like themselves. So it is with wine. The enthusiast has to train and work at these individual characters as hard as possible. As I've said, practice will never make perfect, but we'll have an awful lot of fun along the way."

New South Wales Wine Awards 2009@Sydney Showground 20/09/09 – 22/09/09

The NSW Wine Awards is held once every year where top winemakers and judges from NSW convene to choose the best NSW wines. The panel of judges consisted of twenty judges split into five panels. Each panel had four people – a senior judge, two judges and an associate whose score doesn't count.

Early in the morning

Much work to be done


The Judges

The Chairman of Judges this year was Lester Jesberg, editor of Winewise Magazine, a magazine that has been around since 1985. Some of the Panel judges were some of the best palates in NSW such as Mike De luliis of De luliis Wine and Liz Jackson, Chief Winemaker of First Creek Wineries and Bryan Currie, Chief Winemaker of West End Estate. Some of the judges were Alex McKay of Collector Wines, Drew Tuckwell of Printhie and Andrew Guard of Andrew Guard Wine Imports, an importer of fine and rare wines. Well-know Associates were Rebecca Sutton who runs Ultimo Wine Centre, a WSET holder and a 2008 Len Evans Scholar. Chris Tyrrell, director of Tyrell's Wines, one of the Australia's profitable wine companies, was slated to be there as an associate but he didn't show up.

The NSW Wine Awards is different from the Boutique Wine Awards and the Tri Nations. Although the judging system used it the same as BWA (go to my BWA write-up to see how the wines are judged), this is not a show where gold, silver or bronze medals are awarded. The NSW Wine Awards is all about selecting NSW's top 40 wines. Of course, only NSW wineries are allowed to participate.

The following award categories are:

• Sparkling (any vintage including NV)
  
• Young White Chardonnay (2007-09)
  
• Young Semillon (2007-09)
  
• Young Sauvignon Blanc (2007-09)
  
• Young Riesling (2007-09)
  
• Young Other White varieties (2007-09)
  
• Young White Blends (2007-09)
  
• Mature Dry White (2006 & Older)
  
• Light Red Including Rose (2007-09)
  
• Young Shiraz (2006-09)
  
• Young Cabernet (2006-09)
  
• Young Pinot Noir (2006-09)
  
• Young Other Red varieties (2006-09)
  
• Young Red Blends (2006-09)
  
• Mature Dry Red (2005 & Older)
  
• Sweet White (non-fortified)
  

NSW Wine of the Year is selected from the category winners and there will be a "Best Organic Wine Award" selected from the organic wines entered in the above categories.

A lot of administration and thought has been put into this competition. Firstly, all the wines submitted are split into 26 different flights and each flight is assigned to one of the five panels to judge. Each flight is labeled with an alphabet. They are:

A Sparkling
B Young Riesling
C Young Sauvignon Blanc
D Young Semillon 1
E Young Semillon 2
F Young Semillon 3
G Young White Other 1
H Young White Other 2
I young white blend
J Young Chardonnay 1
K Young Chardonnay 2
L Young Chardonnay 3
M Matured dry white 1
N Matured dry white 2
O Light red rose
P Young Pinot
Q Young Shiraz 1
R Young Shiraz 2
S Young Shiraz 3
T Young Cabernet
U Young Red Other 1
V Young Red Other 2
W Young red blend
X Matured Red
Y Sweet 1
Z Sweet 2

Each flight has about 28 to 35 wines. Some even have as little as 9 wines.

Before the event, it has been roughly decided what the ratio of the top 40 wines would consist of; maybe 1 Sauvignon Blanc, 3 Chardonnays, 5 Shirazs etc. This ratio is based on how many wines of each category are being submitted.

The selection of the Top 40 is done using the twenty-point judging system but through a two-phase elimination process. All the top 40 wines are not ranked in any order except the Wine of the Show being ranked the first. This year, 798 wines are being entered.

Judging takes place over a period of two days.

Day One

Unlike the last two wine shows I did, this was much simpler because there were more hands involved and the organizers employed someone to actually do all the washing of the glasses(a boring and tedious task) as well as bringing the wine boxes up. All the logistics were already taken care by the hired hand. The set-up was quite different from the last two shows since it is under a different management.

Tables were first being laid out and strips of tape were pasted on each table. On the tape, the alphabets and the number of wines in each flight were written down.

Labelling begins

There are three groups of people involved in the next step, which is like a factory line.

Wines assembled

The first group will assemble the unopened boxes of wines in the centre of the room. All the wines are to be taken out of their boxes. All wines of the same brand will be placed on a table. In this show, each wine entered usually has four similar bottles. Two things we had to ensure was that there were at least four of the same wines and that the brands were the exactly the same.

Accounting for the wines

The second group consisted of two people who will mark the wines present against their sheet of paper. After marking, they would call out the alphabet and number of the wine to signify that the wine has been accounted for and are ready to be taken away to its rightful place.

The third group would come to the table where the second group was and take the bottles of wine to their respective alphabet and number.

The wines in their rightful places

After all the wines have been placed on the tables, the next thing to do would be to check the wines against another list to see if the wines are in their correct order. If they are, labels will be pasted onto the bottles. Any mistakes and changes to the list will be corrected.

Glasses laid out

Finally, four glasses will be placed on each number.

Judging tables set

Simple treats for the judges

Other things that needed to be done were the setting up of the judging area. Numbers were drawn on the judging tables. Spittoons and stationary were being placed.

Day Two

Ready to go

This is the first phase of elimination. The five panels are each assigned a number of flights to be judged. The judges only know the grape and the vintage of the wines but not the producer or origin. All flights are to be completed in day one. Out of the 798 wines, only 119 wines made it through to the second stage. For more information on what wines were entered and which wines were eliminated at each stage, click here.

Wines laid out

Ready to be served

The wines were being opened and poured into the four glasses. Then, the glasses were being taken out one by one and placed on the judging tables.

Judges hard at work

Unlike the last two wine shows, all the pouring was done behind the judging area so that the judges won't catch a glimpse at the wine label. What we used to do in the last two wine shows was to cover the wine labels with chucks, walk into the judging area with the bottles in our hands, and pour the wine into the glasses that has already been set up on the judges' tables. In the last two shows, the judges would have cleared out of the judging area. I feel that both methods are just as effective in delivering the wines without the judges being able to see the label.

All wines that made it through are silver medal wines or better.

Once the judging is done, all glasses are being cleared and the wines dumped. Wines that made it through round one will be set aside for round two.

Day Three

Round 2

The second phase of elimination begins. This time, 40 wines will go through out of the 119 wines. The same judging system is used. The judging panel is also scaled back to only the Chairman and the senior judges – six judges in total split into two panels. The wines are separated into the sixteen categories and the eight flights are being assigned to each panel.

Packing up of wines that didn't make it through

Once the two panels have selected the top 40 wines, the best white, red, sparkling and dessert wines are being selected out of the forty. All the top 40 wines are separated into the four categories and all flights are being served to all six judges. Judging is not done by the twenty-point system but by ranking.

The survivors

For example, let's say seven white wines made it through. Each judge will rank each wine according to which wine they think is better than the other through benchmarking. For a wine that is considered the least favourite among the seven, it will be given zero. The wine which is considered the best out of the seven is given six. All scores are being submitted to the Chairman who will add it to his own score. The wine with the highest score is considered the best white wine.

Once the four wines out of the top forty have been chosen, the Wine of the Year is selected by another tasting. The four wines are being served to all the judges and the winner is picked.

This year's judging panel from left to right: Mike De luliis of De luliis wines, Stuart McGrath who organised this show, Lester Jesberg, Byran Currie from Westend, Len Sorbello, Mike De Garis, and Liz Jackson from First Creek Wines.

As you can see, selecting the top forty wines isn't an easy task. It goes to several tastings and stages.

All the wines that have been tasted are being packed up in boxes and brought down to the shipping area for transport.

The place is being cleared and tables are dismantled.

Stuart and his wife, Noni. Wonderful people.

I would like to thank Stuart McGrath-Kerr who runs the show under the NSW Wine Industry Association and his lovely wife, Noni for having me on board thier team. Stuart also does the Riverina Wine Show. It was also a pleasure to have met Charlene from Optimiste wines, Paul from Indigo Ridge, Susan, Mark Pollard from Cellarmasters (thanks for telling me more about the judging system), Micheal and Colin Moss.

For more info on NSW wine awards, check out their website here.

I leave you with an extract from their website as well as the winners. All this is available on their website.

Top 40 NSW Wines of 2009 (in alphabetical order) are:

• Allandale Winery 2003 Semillon (Hunter Valley) $26.00
  
• Angullong 2008 Fossil Hill Shiraz Viognier (Orange) $20.00
  
• Audrey Wilkinson 2006 Museum Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley) $50.00
  
• Audrey Wilkinson 2009 'The Ridge' Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35.00
  
• Bimbadgen Estate 2006 Botrytis Semillon (Riverina) $26.00
  
• Briar Ridge Vineyard 2008 Botrytis Semillon (Riverina) $25.00
  
• Briar Ridge Vineyard 2009 Early Harvest Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (Hunter/Orange) $21.00
  
• Briar Ridge Vineyard 2009 'Homestead' Verdelho (Hunter Valley) $21.00
  
• Brokenwood Wines 2007 'Forest Edge' Chardonnay (Orange) $30.00
  
• Chalkers Crossing 2006 Hilltops Shiraz (Hilltops) $30.00
  
• Charles Sturt University 2005 Limited Release Pinot Noir Chardonnay (Tumbarumba) $19.80
  
• De Iuliis Wines 2008 Show Reserve Chardonnay (Hunter Valley) $20.00
  
• Freeman Vineyards 2004 Rondinella Corvina (Hilltops) $30.00
  
• Gartelmann 2003 Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley) $30.00
  
• Glandore Estate 2006 'Elliott' Semillon (Hunter Valley) $30.00
  
• Grove Estate 2007 'Sommita' Nebbiolo (Hilltops) $30.00
  
• Helm Wines 2008 Premium Riesling (Canberra) $45.00
  
• Hungerford Hill 2008 'Higher Octave' Chardonnay (Tumbarumba) $35.00
  
• Hungerford Hill 2007 Semillon (Hunter Valley) $50.00
  
• Lerida Estate 2008 Botrytis Pinot Gris (Canberra) $24.50
  
• Lillypilly Wines 2002 Noble Blend (Riverina) $38.50
  
• Tempus Two 2007 'Copper Zenith' Semillon (Hunter Valley) $20.00
  
• Mcleish Estate 2009 2009 Semillon (Hunter Valley) $23.00
  
• Meerea Park 2004 'Alexander Munro' Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35.00
  
• Mistletoe 2005 Reserve Chardonnay (Hunter Valley) $35.00
  
• Moppity Vineyards 2008 Shiraz (Hilltops) $19.95
  
• Nick O'Leary Wines 2008 Shiraz (Canberra) $27.00
  
• Pepper Tree 2007 Reserve 'Coquun' Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $35.00
  
• Printhie 2009 'Mountain Range' Sauvignon Blanc (Orange) $17.00
  
• RidgeView 2006 'Generations' Reserve Shiraz (Hunter Valley) $40.00
  
• Swish Wines 2009 Warraroong Estate Semillon (Hunter Valley) $30.00
  
• Swish Wines 2009 Warraroong Estate Verdelho (Hunter Valley) $25.00
  
• Two Rivers 2009 'Stones Throw' Semillon (Hunter Valley) $14.00
  
• Tyrrell's Vineyards 2005 'Stevens' Semillon (Hunter Valley) $35.00
  
• Westend Estate 2007 '3 Bridges' Durif (Riverina) $21.00
  
• Westend Estate 2008 'Richland' Viognier (Riverina) $12.00
  
• Westend Estate 2008 'Richland' Merlot (Riverina/Hilltops) $12.00
  
• Westend Estate 2008 Viognier (Riverina) $15.00
  
• Westend Estate 2008 Cabernet Shiraz (Riverina) $15.00
  
• Yass Valley Wines 2009 Riesling (Canberra) $18.00
  

Facts about the 2009 NSW Top 40 Wines

The 2009 Top 40 demonstrates the diversity of NSW Wine in style, variety and region with the Top 40 hailing from 31 wineries, 6 NSW Wine regions and 17 varieties/blends.

The most exciting thing about the 2009 NSW Top 40 is the success of new, emerging wine regions. Tumbarumba, Hilltops and Canberra –which until recently were not known 'wine regions' – stand side by side with long established regions such as the Hunter Valley and Riverina. Six of NSW's 14 wine regions dominate the list, with the regional breakdown being Hunter Valley (18.5) – the 0.5 represents a blend containing that region – Riverina (7.5), Hilltops (4.5), Canberra (4), Orange (3.5) and Tumbarumba (2).

Whilst Hunter Valley Semillon continues to dominate with 13 wines, another stand-out feature of the Top 40 was that outside Semillon the wide diversity of varieties, with a total of 17 varieties / blends featuring in the Top 40 ranging from Viognier, Nebbiolo to Botrytis Pinot Gris with white wine dominating over red wine. Varietal breakdown: Semillon (13), Shiraz (5), Chardonnay (4), Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (2), Riesling (2), Viognier (2), Botrytis Pinot Gris (1), Botrytis Semillon (1), Cabernet Shiraz (1), Durif (1), Merlot (1) Nebbiolo (1), Noble Blend (1), Pinot Noir Chardonnay (1), Rondinella Corvina (1), Sauvignon Blanc (1), Shiraz Viognier (1), and Verdelho (1).

Successful wineries with more than one wine in the Top 40: last year's NSW Wine of the Year winner, Audrey Wilkinson (2); Briar Ridge (3); Hungerford Hill (2); Swish Wines (2) and Westend Estate which has a whopping five wines in the 2009 NSW Top 40. For a full listing of the 2009 Top 40 Wines see page 2 of this press releas

Rock Restaurant@Hunter Valley, NSW on 12/09/09

I went up to the Hunter Valley on a Saturday to visit First Creek Winery. If you are going to the Hunter, you definitely have to go to the best restaurant that the Hunter can offer, which is the Rock. On Saturdays, it serves an eight course degustation menu for $220 and every cent spent was worth it although I feel that you could get a better experience at Tetsuya's if you could fork out another $150 to 200 bucks. Nonetheless, I had a really great time at this restaurant and it will go down my memory for a long time. Indeed, it is worthy of the SMH Two Hats.

An empty table waiting to be filled

Rock Restaurant

Two things that were striking to me were firstly, the service and secondly, the pairings of the wines with the food was perfect. Service was not only smooth, but the staff was able to make the customers feel at ease.

I was seated at 6.30 pm. The first dish came about 10 minutes later. All the wines were presented before being poured.

Steamed spanner crab with truffle, crisp deep sea bug, and shellfish bisque paired w/

2007 Bernard Defaix Petit Chablis

Shellfish bisque with truffles and spanner crab is a simple yet elegant combination. Roe eggs were added to give the dish a slight complexity to the flavours. Chablis with crab is a classic pairing. I am pleased that the Chablis was served at the correct temperature, not too warm or chilled. The subsequent wines were also served at the right temperature. Having an unoaked Chardonnay was a good choice as oak has a tendency to clash with delicate food. Minerals that usually shows up in Chablis was a perfect choice with a seafood dish. Bernard Defaix produces a Chablis that has flavours of seashells and chalk sustained by a firm line of acidity that finishes its race all to way to the end, signing off with a lime sherbet finish.


Scallop tortellini with swiss brown mushroom, crisp pancetta and Riesling cream paired w/ 2006 Louis Sipp Riesling

The first dish was promptly cleared and the second glass of wine came before the second dish. An Alsace Riesling was served. On the nose, it gave a sweet and floral aroma with a touch of pungency. It was like a German Riesling but lacking the same pungent dimension. The character of Alsace shines through this wine with a fine acid structure. Slatey and clayish characters were apparent, and it tasted off-dry. The fruit came creeping in and then it finished with tastes like wet clay and plaster.

The scallop tortellini dish was quite textured with more of the flavours coming from the cream. Although the Riesling didn't quite cleanse the palate like the Chablis, it added a different flavor dimension to the dish. Overall, it was a well balanced wine that supported the structure of the dish.

By now, it is 7.07 pm. Service has been on par so far. It is good to see that the chef takes the time to talks to customers. The Sommelier carries himself with confidence. The experience is culminating into the night. In the kitchen, I could see a total of four chefs. There were four on the wait staff team plus the Sommelier and a lady captain.

Utensils for the third dish were laid out before the dish was served.

Smoked Petuna ocean trout with confit globe artichokes, fennel bavarois and mushroom broth paired w/ 2007 Pooles Rock Semillon

In this dish, the skin of salmon is being removed, salted and made into a crisp before being combined back to the dish, giving the dish a crunchiness. The broth is light and its flavours contrast with the ocean trout. A simple dish but yet perfectly executed. The Semillon cuts through the fatness of the trout and wipes out the saltiness replacing it with a more fruity taste. The trout is not overly cooked but soft to chew. Surprisingly, the Semillon is toasty being that it is only a 2007. I suppose the wine was chosen not only for its acid but to have the toastiness complement the smokiness of the trout. It was a refreshing wine that is pleasant to drink.


Venison with Jerusalem artichoke, broad beans, golden beetroot and horseradish cream, Madeira jus paired w/ 2007 Farr Rising Pinot

It is already 7.22 pm. Farr Rising is a winery that is located in the Mornington Peninsular. It makes some of the most delicious Pinot Noirs in the state of Victoria. The wine is served in a balloon shaped glass which is appropriate if you want to get aromas of the Pinot to be released. An intense ripe nose of strawberry, cherries and raspberries along with spices can be detected. So far all the wines served generated enough acid on the tongue to whet appetite. This wine finishes well with enough subtle oak to give a lasting aftertaste.

The wine is a perfect match with the venison. The Slight sweetness of the venison and horseradish matches the fruitiness of the Pinot. This is a juicy dish which is mouth filling. The beetroot matches perfectly with the fat of the venison.

I have been impressed by the attentiveness of the staff so far. Each time my glass of water is empty, it is being topped up.

I got a little mischievous by placing my fresh, empty wine glass in between my Pinot and my water glass to see if they would be able to pour my next wine without any spills. The lady pouring my wine wasn't quite able to pull it off and got some drips on the table. However, she was quick to apologise and divert my attention to the wine. It was good damage control.

Wagyu hanger steak with kidney pie, wilted spinach and bordelaise sauce paired w/ 2006 Tinklers Reserve 'U & I' Shiraz

The Shiraz was earthy and full of mud, spice, chocolate; typical of a Hunter Shiraz. It was Intense, full of fruit and black pepper, the power of liqourice and cloves is overwhelming. The tannins are fine and
dusty and the wine finishes warm.

This dish is kind of small. It's flavours are very true to kidney pie without the soupy texture in
the meat. The beef is cooked medium rare. It was delicious with Shiraz.

It's 7.59 pm. The table has been set up for desert.

Fleur du Maquis with rosemary mousse, cranberry paste and sourdough paired w/ 2007 Chateau de Sancerre

Unlike New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which is full of capsicum and bell peppers, this sancerre had it's usual characteristics of minerals. Chateau Sancerre is not the best producer from this region but it is satisfying with the food. This wine is a classic match with this uncomplicated cheese dish.

As I looked around me, I counted approximated thirty-three guest tonight. The place is fully booked out.

Crystalised ginger and mascarpone stuffed Paradise pear with clafoutis, gingerbread and sabayon paired w/ NV Firestick Liqueur Shiraz

This was served in a port glass. Though a fortified wine, the alcohol is quite balanced with the
flavours of dried fruit toffee, chocolate and prunes. Not hot on the palate. It reminded me of cherry liqueur with liqourice and dark herbs. It went amicably with gingerbread as the flavours complemented the dish. I loved how the colour of the wine matched the colour of this dish.

By this time, I could hear and see fireworks through the glass window in front of me. It was certainly timely. Nobody knew what the event was but I suspected it had something to do with the Blues music festival that was going on somewhere in the Hunter. This seemed like a pleasant way to end the whole experience.

Truffle crème brulee paired w/Grant Burge Liqueur Muscat 'Age Unknown'

Finally, we come to the eighth dish. The Grant Burge was pretty big on the nose with the alcohol. Aromas of tree bark and cold tea were present.

A creme brulee that has been perfected. It was creamy with caramilised sugar on the top that give rise to toffee aromas. Great texture and intense flavours that melded with the wine. The alcohol warmness of the GB was eliminated by the sweetness of the creme brulee

It's already 8.54 pm. I came back to the Tinklers' Shiraz that was still on my table but it didn't evolve as nicely as I liked it to be. The fruit became dead.

The staff quickly took away the glass of empty sparkling water and replaced it with tap water.

Petit fours

I ordered a tea infused with vanilla and red fruit. The aromas of the tea was therapeutic
followed by some petite fours. What a lovely dinner.

For more info, visit http://www.rockrestaurant.com.au/.

Tri Nation Wine Show@Four Seasons on 11/09/09

The Tri Nation Wine Show is followed after the Challenge and held at the Four Seasons. It is where the wines of each class are being tasted by the public and the trophy winner of each class is being presented their awards. This year's challenge shows South Africa as a serious wine producing nation, claiming the top three trophies for Wine of the Show and Red Wine of the Show. The Haskell Pillars Syrah 2007 is the first South African red wine to win the Red Wine of the Show at the Tri Nations. The winery itself is located in Stellenbosch. There to receive the award was the head winemaker of Haskell Vineyards, Rianie Strydom. I hope that I would be able to meet her personally one day and get to know more about how she makes her wines. I couldn't do so that day as she was getting swarmed by people around her after receiving the award.

Tri Nations Wine Challenge.

The entrance to the show.

Glasses laid out.

For more info on Haskell Vineyards, visit their main site or take a look at this interview.

For info about the Wine Show, visit here.

I have also uploaded the list of winners here.

Wines arrived in boxes.

It took about 3 hours or less to get the show running. Most of the logistics were already handled by the staff at Four Seasons. The wines were being transported up to the room. Only the sparkling wines were left in the kitchen cooler to be served chilled before the show.

Before the show.

Labels placed

Wines arranged.

Set up was relatively simple with the help of the staff.

Cabernet Class.

Things starting to come together.

All done.

Basically, we placed labels that indicated the class of wines on each table. Then, we unpacked all the bottles of wine and arranged them around the tables based on which class they belonged. This was easy as all the wines were already separated according to their class and all accounted for. After arranging all the wines in their respective class, we did a quick check against our list on whether the wines were there. Glasses were being set up and other items such as bread and cheeses that were handled by the staff.

Spittoons laid out.

Ready to roll.

Finally, the sparkling wines and Chardonnay classes were being set up. Champagne trays with ice were set on the table and the sparkling wines taken out of the cooler to be displayed nicely. All the wines were being uncorked or opened about half-an-hour before the show started. Everything was just fine and dandy.

Sparkling Wines area.

Within 30 minutes, the bottles were almost empty because it was a pour-it-yourself wine show. As expected, a crowd of sophisticated drinkers attended this show and they gunned straight for the good stuff like Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay and Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier. That's what happens when everybody helps themselves.

Let the games begin.

Thanks to Judith Kennedy for allowing me to help her for this event. It was also a pleasure to have met Kia and her husband at the show. Both of them are from the US and Kia is a wine writer herself. Remember me, Kia, if I ever visit Cali one day!

Updates #3

Yes. It has been quite quiet last month. I have been quite busy with some personal stuff and will be prolly be able to get my schedule back on track after the 20th of this month, but believe me when I say there are stuff already in the works. A lot of new material has been gathered. All I need is the time and internet bandwidth to get things moving. At the moment, I just exceeded my bandwidth limit and loading any pictures is just going to take forever. That should be fine in a week's time. Get ready for some new behind-the-scenes stuff, a restaurant review, and more stuff about wines.