In Australia, Syrah is called Shiraz. And in Australia, the quintessential Shiraz is the wine from the Barossa Valley in the state of South Australia. The wines from this valley are big and strong and are now considered an entire style all their own. The Barossa didn’t always enjoy international fame, however. The story of wine in Barossa is one of ubiquity, neglect and finally redemption.

Unlike the rest of Australia, the area of South Australia and the Barossa Valley was settled not by the British but by Germans. The immigrants found the land and climate best suited to grape growing, so, being German, they planted Riesling. The wine turned out very strong and the wines eventually became a source for brandy. This in turn created an opportunity to make fortified wine (of which brandy is a necessary component to stop the fermentation while the wine is still sweet), which Australians did with zeal until about the mid 20^th century.

At this point market demand shifted to dry table wines and the vineyards of the Barossa were largely ignored because they were planted with the common Shiraz. At the time, consumers were more interested in the stylish Cabernet Sauvignon. Eventually, the Barossa shifted its focus to fine wine production and the wine industry again embraced the region, and Shiraz, as a source of quality table wines.

Weather in the Barossa can be quite hot and dry, not always the best for quality wine grape production. Fortunately the Barossa has river valleys that provide cool microclimates and water for irrigation. Some producers now choose to dry farm their grapes, but most rely heavily on irrigation.

The best wines of the Barossa are from the valley’s signature grape: Shiraz. The style of Shiraz form the Barossa is big and full-bodied with aggressive notes of chocolate and spice. The wines are often given a shorter than normal maceration (time the grape juice spends soaking in the grape skins) in an effort to smooth out the big tannins and provide a rich, supple mouthfeel.

Many of Australia’s big producers have a stake in the Barossa, including: Penfolds, Peter Lehmann, Orlando Wines, Seppeltsfield, Wolf Blass and Yalumba. In addition to the Shiraz, the Valley is also home to Riesling planted in the cooler area of Eden Valley. These wines are gaining their own reputation for quality. Finally a style of Semillion is emerging from Barossa which is distinct from wines produced elsewhere in Australia as well as the world, the wines are generally low-acid, full bodied and golden in color.

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South Australia is home to the biggest names in Australian wine and the majority of the fine-wine production is found here. Vines are quite popular in this corner of Australia—a world-famous wine region lies just outside Adelaide, the provincial capital of the state of South Australia. Just past the suburbs of the capital—15 miles to the south—lies the region of McLaren Vale.

Vines were planted to the regions almost immediately after settlement in the 1840’s. A few farmers set up shop with cereal grains and grapes followed quickly thereafter. To this day, there are continuously functioning wineries from the 1850’s and 100 year old vines that still produce fruit for harvest. Many of the wineries are small operations producing high-quality wine from the regions major grape: Shiraz.

The Vale rests between the sea and a range of low mountains, in a pocket of Mediterranean climate, a rarity in much of Australia. The climate of McLaren Vale is ideal for Shiraz, warm but never too hot, with limited frost risk and generous (for Australian standards) winter and spring rainfall. The Shiraz of the region is a vine that produces smaller berries (compared to old world Syrah), which in turn lead to a higher ratio of skin-to-juice and create a wine with added structure and intensity. Shiraz from the Vale is classic Australian: deep purple color, ripe fruits that border on jammy but aren’t overbearing; a firm, rich structure of tannin and acid that maintain excellent balance and considerable complexity; the nose will often show a lot of chocolate, berry and spice.

Shiraz is the leader here, but not far behind is another French import: Cabernet Sauvignon. The king of Bordeaux here is usually made in an un-blended varietal style and enjoys the long, warm days and light precipitation. The Cab from McLaren shows the terrior of the region in its aromas of chocolate and spice, but also plays its own cards with vibrant blackcurrant aromas and tightly wound tannins that take years to develop in bottle.

Outside of the red grapes, McLaren does dabble in some white wine production, of which Chardonnay is the leading grape, followed by Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay is graced with deep peach aromas, ripe and jammy or white peach depending on the location of the vineyard, the wines are generally big, but elegant. Sav Blanc from the Vale shows the relative warmth of the area (compared to where Sav Blanc is normally grown) with higher alcohol content and a supple body that often shows clean, sharp acid and a nose of tropical fruits and savory vegetables.

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It’s rare for a new world area to have a significant history of grape cultivation and wine making. One exception is the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter not only has chronological history, it also has unique vineyard selection and has matched grape varieties to the area. These traits of a wine area are common in the old world but most places in the new world haven’t had the time to form such culture. The Hunter, with its iconic Semillon and rich history, is a special place in Australian wine.

The close proximity of the Hunter Valley, located just 100 miles away, the Hunter was first explored and populated very quickly in Australian history. Grape cultivation began in the 1820’s and was actually encouraged by the Australian government—wine was thought to be a less disruptive intoxicant than the hard alcohol favored by the settlers. The Hunter began producing quality wine in short time, even taking medals in international competition in the 1800’s. Sweet wine production reigned for quite a while, until dry table wines returned to prominence in the 1960’s. After that transition the Hunter really took off into quality production.

The Hunter can be thought of as a “Goldylocks” area of grape growing because it’s “just right.” Situated inland, but still close to the sea, it receives a perfect dose of cool ocean air. This breeze cools the vineyards to levels that vines thrive in, farther inland it gets very hot and closer to the sea the temperatures drop below ideal levels. The Hunter River gives the valley it’s name, but the most important feature is the Brokeback Mountains, a range that shelters the valley and provides hillsides on which to plant grapes

The grape that is most well recognized as being unique to the Hunter is Semillon. The Hunter is the most famous area for dry Semillon outside of its native Bordeaux. Though they share the grape, the style of Hunter Semillon is quite different from Bordeaux wines. Hunter Semillon is usually picked a little under ripe—to maximize the acid in the naturally low-acid grape. It is then fermented dry and usually not oaked or put through malo-lactic fermentation. The magic happens in the bottle, after about 10 years the wine starts to change and displays a rich body, full of mineral and toasted bread flavors.

The Hunter is also home to a significant planting of Chardonnay and Shiraz, much is bulk grapes for the big Australian wine companies, though some can be quite good. A final interesting grape of the Hunter is Verdelho, a native of Madiera, used there for its namesake wine. It was planted in the Hunter during the sweet fortified wine days and today is used to make some very interesting dry white wines.

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Wine Club Insider back, yet again!

I hope you all had a great weekend… I was out camping, but somehow :managed” to stow a bottle of Rombauer Zin and a bottle of Katherin Hills Cab in the pack for the trip… oh, the sacrifices I make for the team!

There’s something about drinking a nice wine along the bank of the river by a campfire that just increases the enjoyment, somehow.

I was doing a little wine buying from one of my favorite establishments, Dean and Deluca – www.deandeluca.com – and while chatting with their wine consultant, she mentioned that I should check out their new wine clubs… intrigued, I hopped on line, and lo and behold, not only do they have wine clubs, they have FIVE wine clubs. Now, so what, you’re probably thinking, but in the spirit of all things D & D, they haven’t gone the “normal” route…

The main thing that makes them different is that four of the clubs each have their own full-time wine steward (one of them does two), and they custom design the programs to your needs. Okay, but that’s not THAT cool, you say…

Ahhh, it gets better! Yes, they have the “regular” “Great Introductions” club at $60/month, and an “Artisan” club at $100 for those little known gems, oh, and the “Great Comparisons” club that looks at regional wines from around the world at $150… wait, you say… STILL not that impressed? Seen it before, you say?

Possibly, though not done this well, I would suggest, but from here they go into pretty uncharted territory.

Their 4th club is called the “Cult” club, and with the resources that only a shop like D&D could manage, they offer, for $1000/quarter, at least three of the world’s rarest wines, and I’m talking BIG names… they asked me not to mention them by name, as the makeup changes, but trust me, these are Big Names!

The 5th club is the “Cellar Rarities,” which takes it a step further… for the 50 lucky members, and only $300/month, they offer you the rarest of the rare, and again, though I’m only speaking, um, hypothetically, think Maya, Harlan, etc…

One of the advantages D&D has is their buying power and their reputation, and now, they have provided a chance for some of us to share it with them through their great wine clubs. Check them out!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

Australian Wine, Bordeaux, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Dean and Deluca, Della Valle Maya, great wines, Harlan, rare wines, wine clubs

Wine Club Insider back again…

Maybe spring is finally on it’s way, though the only real clue is that it’s raining a ton, instead of snowing…

One of the neat things about this time of year is that the “young” wine – the fresh whites and fruity wines from the ’08 vintage are starting to come out, and of course, you can always buy the futures in the Grand Crus for the next few years…

Another cool trend we’re starting to see is an – admittedly slight – shift toward being a greener industry…

For example, Boisset, the second-largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau, bottled its entire 2008 harvest in plastic bottles.

The lightweight PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles drastically cut shipping costs without affecting the young Gamay wine inside and created packaging that was “absolutely recyclable,” according to a company spokesman.

Now, there are certainly other (myself included) that don’t think the wine industry has developed more than a green tint yet, despite the rise in the number of biodynamic and organic wineries internationally.

PET bottles are only at the very leading edge, but there are huge hurdles still left to climb, including the wineries shipping their wines in wooden crates. The number of wooden crates that are opened at warehouses and stores is incredible. Some of them weigh nine pounds, just for the case!. If they were serious about the green trend, the wineries would forget the wood and ship in recycled corrugated cardboard.

This isn’t even touching the entire cork issue, which is going to come to a head soon as supply and disease (not to mention the improving effectiveness of synthetic cork and screw caps, which are making huge inroads, even in higher end Australian wines).

I’m optimistic that our indusrty will start developing a cure to the serious case of “traditionitis” they are suffering from (mind you, it is brought on by us, the consumers!) and get on the environmentally friendlier bandwagon…

Yes, we may have to get used to our favorite vino coming in a plastic bottle (I can deal with that easily) and using a screw cap (a tougher sell for many, despite the inevitable “corking” that is going to occur in your bottles), and know that we are doing our part… a great excuse to drink more wine, if you ask me!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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WCI here again!

How’d you like to have snagged “wine.com” when the whole Internet thing started? Yeah, me too.

Well, www.Wine.com is a pretty cool site, though I hope they do even more with it over the next while… with a name like that, you’ve got to be the best, right?

Anyway, one of the things they do as well as anyone is organize their wines in their online “store,” and then offer you a truly amazing selection!

They are big on “name” wines… wine’s you’ve probably heard of, which is always a help when you’re not able to spend a lot of time perusing and tasting many of the smaller (Many excellent, some not!) production houses.

They have an excellent “Collectibles” section, where you can get your Silver Oak, your Caymus, your Chateauneuf-du-Pape, your top Barolos and the equivalent. Their prices are very comparable, and they have some oft-changing specials which are great deals. For example, right now, they have the highly acclaimed 2005 Concha y Toro “Don Melchor” Cab from Chile for only $59 per bottle, and the awesome 1995 Charles Heidsieck “Blanc de Millenairres Brut” for only $99, and this is an awesome bubbly, let me tell you! I’m actually thinking of serving it for our Christmas dinner this year.

Wine.com also has a variety of wine clubs, and though they are based on the seemingly-obligatory three levels system, the thing they do better than most is offer you almost guaranteed “No Miss” wines… Everything they send out has been judged and awarded high scores by a number of “reputable” (or at least famous!) wine critics. Now, there are lots of arguments, pro and con, about this system, and we’ll get into them over the next few weeks, but for all of the potential problems, they provide at least a fairly common ground for conversation, and even if, like me, you have never detected “the essence of underbrush with a tar finish,” you know the big boys won’t give a good grade to “plonk.”

Wine.com’s “90+ rated” club really has the good stuff, including the Jim Barry 2004 McRae Wood Shiraz (95 pts James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion), Clos Pegase 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (92 pts, Wine Enthusiast), Valdisanti 2004 Toscana (91 pts, Wine Spectator) and Parson’s Flat 2004 Cabernet/Shiraz (93 pts, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate) as examples.

Also, if you act quick, they have “1 penny” shipping on orders over $99… a perfect combination for the wine lover on your list!

See you down the dusty wine roads!

Cheers,

WCI

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