Point Leo Road Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, just a short trip south from Melbourne, is one of the few vineyards in Australia producing Lagrein. This red grape variety hales from the South Tyrol region of North East Italy.

Producers John and Ruth Law visited the Alto Adige province in 2007 where several hundred hectares of this variety are grown on the steep slopes, around the provincial capital Bolzano. They were surprised to find their hosts, the Kellerei Gries Co-operative, were knowledgeable of Point Leo Road’s small production.

Ruth describes their third vintage, the 2008 from still young vines, “as a rich, medium bodied, dry wine with blackberries, dark plums and a hint of fennel with subtle, toasted oak.”

We are constantly adding to the directory, and like to pull out of the pack wineries that take our fancy.

Leaning Church Vineyard is a place where wine and hospitality flow.

Named after St Albans Anglican Church of Pioneer which was moved to the vineyard in 1989, the church building is now leaning somewhat to the right; but don’t let that stop you – owners Sarah and Mark Hirst, have turned the building over to the more earthly pursuits of food, functions and fun, although lovers’ unions are still blessed here.

Australia’s Wine Industry Design Competition in partnership with the Keystone Group has launched the 2012 competition to find some of the best wine labels in the country.

Wine companies of all sizes, are invited to enter their bottles, and for the first time the competition is open to designers and design students to submit an entry, mocked up onto an appropriate bottle for a fictitious brand.

Founded in 1998 by the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers (AABW), and formerly titled

Misty Glen Wines in the Hunter Valley has taken the road less travelled and produced a Sparkling Chambourcin.  Owners, Vicci Lashmore-Smith and Eric Smith were looking for something different in a sparkling red.  The Chambourcin grape variety is well suited to the Hunter Valley’s high seasonal rainfall and with their vineyard producing excellent fruit they embarked on this sparkling enterprise.    Using the Charmat fermentation method (an Italian method similar to Méthode champenoise but fermented in a tank) and then given a second fermentation to mature, they produced a subtly sweet, fruity wine with a nose of dried plum and blackberry on the palate.

The French Parliament’s lower house has just voted in favour of banning gas fracturing (fracking) to extract gas from coal seams. This is not surprising. Fracking injects highly toxic chemicals using an explosive process to create fractures in the Earth’s crust and releases gas (the highly inflammable methane gas) which is then piped across the countryside. These dangerous chemicals seep their way into waterways, dams and underground water storages (aquifers). Thousands of people have protested all over France, determined to stop a mining process which is poisoning water, wine grapes and food. The French people’s passion for their food and wine has energised the stop the coal seam gas (CSG) movement. 

Like France, Australia has vast underground water storages that support the very essence of life: the agriculture and viticulture on which we depend. Viticulturalists and winemakers all over Australia from the Hunter Valley to the Margaret River have been calling for bans on coal seam gas mining to protect Australia’s wine regions. Australian wine is much loved all over the world and constitutes our second largest agricultural export. The movement to stop CSG in Australia is gaining momentum as citizens become aware of the dangers and see their precious water and land being destroyed for the short-term monetary gain of others.

How bad is it?

Hundreds of wells have already been sunk and thousands more are planned. Agricultural land in the vicinity of the wells is devastated and water supplies are permanently damaged. There is almost no regulation and there is no recourse for landowners who are forced to relinquish parts of their land to the miners. This is happening across the country.

The rise of coal seam gas mining points to a collapse in parliamentary government and civil government (the public service) in Australia. There is  nothing  more basic than the protection of water and there is nothing more fundamental in terms of the role of government and the public service than to secure the water supply. Because our governing institutions will not protect even the drinking water, we as citizens must take steps to secure the supply – and this is exactly what is happening right around Australia today.

How has the collapse of water security come about?

Historically, threats to the water supply have been tightly regulated to secure a safe water supply. The regulatory system has considered natural threats such as bush fires as well as threats from hostile forces such as the threat of invasion by the Japanese during World War II and more recently the threat of terrorism, which saw authorities focus on tightening security around key infrastructure such as dams because they were deemed vulnerable to attack.

Just because it’s getting a little brisk doesn’t mean you have to hibernate.

With the vineyards wrapped in winter hues and stillness it is quite a magical time to enjoy the rolling hills and back road scenes of the Yarra Valley.

Kellybrook Winery & Restaurant encourage people to explore the beauty of  winter’s landscape and pleasures of the winter table.

Get out and about this winter with friends and family and enjoy Kellybrook’s unique take on the season. 

Lunch Friday – Sunday
Dinner Friday – Saturday

www.kellybrookwinery.com.au

In 1861 the opening of The Cowra Steam Mill was celebrated by holding the Cowra Town Ball in the Mill itself, an event described by a correspondent for the Bathurst Free Press as "This brilliant affair … "

Today, 150 years later The Mill is again celebrating, starting with festivities over the Easter Weekend and running throughout the year culminating in the Party as part of the Windowrie Weekend 29-30 October.

The Mill was purchased by the O’Dea family of Windowrie Wines in 1995, and was lovingly restored by Stephen O’Dea, with a group of local builders, welders and stonemasons after more than 90 years of abandonment. 

The three storey Flour Mill was built of local granite and sandstone by the Walsh Brothers and some sixty men starting in 1859.

Small Acres Cyder of Orange NSW, is at the forefront of producing traditional alcoholic ciders, and has created a range of premium ciders that would rival any aromatic white wine at the dinner table. Using time honoured traditions and adding their own contemporary twist, Gail & James Kendell have managed to produce exciting, food friendly ciders.

The inspiration to set up Small Acres Cyder in 2004 came from Gail’s frustration at not being able to get a real cider here in Australia.  Now Gail and James have six different ciders in their range and a Perry.  Each is made with the juice of fresh handpicked apples with wonderful names such as Sweet Coppin, Yarlington Mill, Dabinet, Antoinette and Kingston Black.

Cider apples have a more complex structure than eating apples and like wine grapes, have a balance of tannin and acid. 

Cumulus have been expanding their creativity through the internet with the launch of their new website and debut in to social networking.

The new website not only looks great but contains all the information you’d ever need to know about their wines and who they are, alongside information on the region of Orange, upcoming events and activities, and a fantastic new online buying facility where you can purchase your favourite wines easily and directly!

This recent website development is complemented by their new Facebook page www.facebook.com/ cumulusestatewines, where you can talk to Senior Winemaker Debbie Lauritz and the team and keep up-to-date with the latest news from Orange.

Hahndorf Hill Winery in the Adelaide Hills is on a winning streak with its new-wave Austrian grape varieties.

This year the boutique winery became the first winery in South Australia (and the second in Australia) to produce a vintage from Grüner Veltliner, the trendy white grape from Austria which is reputed to make the world’s most food-friendly wine.

Hahndorf Hill’s debut 2010 GRU (Grüner Veltliner) was awarded 94 points in a review by Philip White of The Independent Weekly and 93 points by Tim White of The Australian Financial Review.

The Pyrenees wine region in Western Victoria, is a cool climate high elevation region turning heads in the wine world with a distinctive regional style of Cabernet Sauvignon.

At the recent Victorian Wine Show pioneer Pyrenees winery, Blue Pyrenees was a star performer in the Cabernet class. Their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon won Trophy for Best Cabernet in Show and a gold medal in its class. This is a repeat performance of the success of the 2008 vintage which also won gold at the show.  The 2009 also impressed the judges at this year’s Adelaide, Ballarat and National Cool Climate wine shows winning praise for its complexity and concentration.

Wine, poetry and food – three pleasures well-known to the ancients – still delight and move us deeply. Bluemetal Vineyard are hosting some very special poetry events, each featuring a well-known poet, and each a unique experience not to be missed. With poetry spoken in this Southern Highlands setting, we are reminded of the deeper truths of the state of the world and our own hearts. 

Renowned poet, Robert Gray will present the next event on 29 October.  It will be a special evening to celebrate the launch of poet Mark Tredinnick’s first book of poems  Fire Diary .

Beauty and passion are lived expressions here. Every care has been taken by Bluemetal Vineyard  The cafe; serves fresh food and beautiful wine for poetry evenings and other functions and throughout the day. 

Blue Pyrenees will be donning their silks in preparation for a Quinella event this October in their local region. They’ll be a major sponsor for Country Racing Victoria’s flagship event, The PJA Blue Pyrenees Avoca Cup for the second year running, and on the same weekend they’ll unharness their new Cellar Door in nearby Daylesford.

Last year Blue Pyrenees Estate signed a five year sponsorship deal with The Avoca Shire Turf Club to be a major sponsor of its signature events which is held every year to coincide with the Caulfield Cup.

People flock to Avoca to experience the food, wine and excitement of

Orange Wine Week is nearly upon us (starting Friday 22nd October 2010)  and Cumulus Estate Wines from Orange are bursting with excitement to announce this years opening weekend event, the “Cumulus Estate Wines Budburst Lunch” to be held at 12 noon on Saturday 23rd October.

The Cumulus Wine Week event is always a sell-out at the Orange Wine Week festivities, showcasing the region’s fine wines, excellent food and wonderful music, and this year the theme is “Budburst” – a  celebration of Spring and the beginning of the new vintage.

For the first time ever, Cumulus invites you into their private vineyards for the event with a wonderful alfresco lunch prepared by Chef Josie Chapman from the Old Convent Restaurant. Josie is renowned for creating a sensational food experience using fresh regional produce in a modern Australian style.

Seated at marquee covered communal tables on an elevated position amongst the spectacular Cumulus vines, the lunch will be a celebration of everything new, including the latest releases from the Rolling, Climbing and super-premium Cumulus ranges. This year’s event is not to be missed.

Congratulations to Kate McIntyre on being awarded her Masters of Wine from the Institute of Masters of Wine based in London. Kate undertook tasting and theory exams and wrote a 10,000 word dissertation on Chardonnay titled: “Australian Chardonnay in crisis – reality or industry perception”.

The qualification is very prestigious because the exams are extremely hard to pass. Currently there are only 289 Masters of Wine in the world. Speaking about the graduands, Dr. Josef Schuller MW, Chairman of the Institute, said: “The Institute is delighted to welcome these nine new Masters of Wine to its membership. They have demonstrated a unique set of skills in the art, science and business of wine.”

Kate’s life in wine started very early. At the age of 8, she picked grapes for the first time at Dr John Middleton’s Yarra Valley vineyard, Mount Mary and in the same year her father bought a piece of land on the Mornington Penninsula. For the next ten years she discovered first hand what was involved in planting a vineyard and starting a winery.

A graduate of Monash University, she spent six months of her Honours year studying in Lyon, researching a thesis on wine and food as an integral part of the French cultural identity. In 1996 she began her career in the wine industry proper, at Philip Murphy Wine and Spirits.

In 1998 Kate was the inaugural winner of the Negociants Working with Wine Fellowship and in 2001 was the Professional winner of the CIVC Vin de Champagne Award. In July 2003, Kate returned to Champagne as one of thirty Australians, (and past winners of the Vin de Champagne award), to be inducted in to the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, bestowing upon her the title of Dame Chevalier.

Kate is a freelance wine writer and educator. She has written extensively for newspapers and magazines as well as contributing to    Discover Australia: Wineries and Wine: A Globlal Encyclopaedia

Kate is also Marketing Manager for Moorooduc Estate, her family’s 12 acre vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula and is involved actively in the production of the wines. She maintains the wine list for the restaurant as well as running various wine education seminars and wine courses in house and for The Prince Wine Store.

-Editorial-

Encompassing family history, a passion for good wine and determination, the boutique wines from Mirabella Vineyards, are showing the wine industry just how good Riverland wines can be.

The emerging boutique wineries are the future of wine in the Riverland. As in other great wine areas in Australia, vineyard holdings are unique, with their own terroir and microclimates, and the wines produced reflect the particular characteristics of each parcel of land.  Individual personalities are allowed to shine through giving consistent unique quality, with most wines coming from single vineyards and harvests.

Riverland wines are varied and interesting, and in the case of Mirabella Vineyards, exceptional quality and value.

Mirabella Vineyards entered a new era when the first wines were produced in 2009. The label may be fresh and modern, and the wines young and vibrant but much of the fruit is sourced from 80 year old vines. Mirabella’s first year of winemaking produced an award winning Shiraz of great structure which won silver at the 2009 Riverland Wine Show. In 2009 they also made a Chardonnay and Semillon Chardonnay blend which are crisp wines full of citrus and stone fruit.

There has never been a better time to drink Riverland wine. Smaller doesn’t always mean better, but in the case of Mirabella Vineyards and the many other boutique wineries in the Riverland you should give them a go and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

-Advertorial-

Pindarie Wines has announced the opening of a gateway cellar door to the Barossa Valley.  Sitting high on the Valley’s Western Ridge with magnificent views to the Barossa Ranges, Pindarie’s is the first cellar door along the Gomersal Road to Tanunda, the central town of the valley.

Pindarie is welcoming, interesting and very beautiful. Owned and managed by Tony Brooks, a sixth generation South Australian on the land, and Wendy Allan, a New Zealander, the farm is very much a labour of love. Wendy uses sustainable practices in the vineyard and Tony has replanted native vegetation through the Trees for Life program. Historic stables and grain room have been restored to the original timbers, brick and stone to create an elegant relaxing space for wine tasting, seasonal lunches and lazy afternoons.

Morning light on Pindarie’s historic cellar door

The views from the wide verandahs are breathtaking and inside the cellar door are very comfortable chairs and an open hearth in winter – the perfect atmosphere to enjoy Pindarie wine.

Wendy, a former senior viticulturalist with Penfolds has focused on Shiraz, Sangiovese and Tempranillo. Winemaker Mark Jamieson crafts a generous Tempranillo-Sangiovese-Shiraz blend as well as a straight Shiraz. He also makes a Traminer Riesling from fruit sourced from the Adelaide Hills.

Pindarie’s first vineyard produced white, Savignan (what was once known as Albarino) will be released in July.

Their wines have had no shortage of medals and accolades since their first vintage in 2006.

Cellar door now open daily, 11am – 5pm. Take the Sturt Highway from Adelaide. The property also produces sheep, cereals and their own olive oil. Visitor facilities include children’s playground, gardens and disabled access.More information and map pindarie.com.au/

-Advertorial-

The inaugural Winewise Championships  announced Blue Pyrenees Sparkling Shiraz 2004  the first "Champion Sparkling Shiraz"  of the exciting new competition which salutes outstanding wines in a ‘best of the best’ competition format.

The best wines from Australia’s leading national show, the National Wine Show of Australia and the Winewise Small Vigneron Awards are judged against the best wines from other major regional wine shows during the previous year’s wine show circuit in order to select the Champion wines in each style category. Some wildcard entries from invited winemakers were also included to balance out the first year’s competition.

Unlike most Sparkling Shiraz made in Australia, the Blue Pyrenees wine is made in small batches and the still base wine is oak matured in small oak barrels for two years prior to blending.

The 2004 Sparkling Shiraz is the current release, having benefited from several years cellaring prior to release.

Blue Pyrenees has been 100% Australian owned since 2002 and entered a new quality winemaking phase under winemaker Andrew Koerner’s talented stewardship since he began in 2004.

Wins at Winewise and the Macquarie Group Sydney Royal Wine Show in February for the newly released 2008 Blue Pyrenees Cabernet Sauvignon  confirm this commitment to quality. "One of our aims when I joined Blue Pyrenees in 2004 was to improve wine standards right across the range and I think these results prove we have done just that. Winning a sparkling and still wine trophy in a matter of weeks is good confirmation that we are doing great things at Blue Pyrenees," says Andrew.

2004 Blue Pyrenees Sparkling Shiraz (RRP $25)

2008 Blue Pyrenees Cabernet Sauvignon (RRP $18)

Stockists: Available from:
Blue Pyrenees (03) 5465 1111 or www.bluepyrenees.com.au

For further information:
Damian Monahan, Blue Pyrenees. Email: [email protected] Kylie Teasdell, Winestream Communications
Phone (02) 9439 1633 Email: [email protected]