Hazard Hill Virtual Tasting

Top Australian wine makers positive about vintage 2010

15 March 2010 | by Rosemary Ryan

The members of the recently formed Australia’s First Families of Wine are from many different parts of the country but they all agree that vintage 2010 could be the best in recent years.

Including twelve of the most celebrated family names in Australian wine the member of the group have put together an invaluable snapshot of the Australian 2010 vintage from each of their perspectives.

In the Hunter Region there has been the benefit of an early harvest season avoiding the challenging weather of February, said Scott McWilliam of McWilliams and Bruce Tyrell of Tyrell’s.

“Vintage 2010, with its dry start to the season and excellent growing conditions, is reminiscent of the 2003 and 2005 vintages in the Hunter Valley which produced some very exciting and notable wines,” McWilliam said.

“Semillons will be bigger and a little higher in alcohol than usual but most of the chardonnay will be between 12 per cent with great fruit and freshness,” said Tyrrell.

In South Australia the Adelaide Hills experience “trying weather conditions” this vintage but the outlook is still positive. “This was one of the wettest seasons for many years, said Stephen Henschke from Henschke Wines.

“Powdery mildew is more prevalent due to the very humid conditions experienced in the Hills this summer, a good test for the organic/biodynamic strategy.”

Meanwhile in the Barossa and Eden Valley the vintage period has started off exceptionally well with high quality Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernets are expected. However, yields of Chardonnay and Grenache are down.

“Unique to this season has been the evenness of ripening on premium reds which is typically indicative of a high quality year,” said Robert Hill Smith, from Yalumba.

In the Clare Valley a good winter, spring and early summer rainfall has resulted favourably for the region with great expectations for the 2010 vintage. Winemakers there say buyers should keep an eye out for some great whites including Gewurztraminer and Semillon.

“A cool vintage is predicted so we are excited that quality should be in the good to great spectrum for the Clare Valley……another ripper, “ said Mitchell Taylor of Taylors.

Peter Barry of Jim Barry Wines said he was expecting a top vintage. “It is still just a prediction, but with our 50 years of history, pre-vintage rain and with the vines looking healthy, there is a good chance it will be a top vintage with average yields,” he said.

In McLaren Vale some outstanding reds are expected. “While most crops have been looking good so far, unfortunately Grenache is looking well below average due to a heat wave during the flowering period, said Chester Osborn at d’Arenberg.

“Fingers crossed but 2010 vintage is looking terrific,” he said. “All the crops appear balanced. It is the reds that are hugely exciting. The skins are very thick and very dark with quite a lot of tannin.”

In Victoria’s King Valley, the Mediterranean varieties of Pinot Gris and Sangiovese are looking “outstanding” thanks to good rainfall in the spring followed warm weather.

“2010 vintage in Victoria is promising Goldilocks crops—not too heavy so that the quality suffers and the tanks overflow, but not so light that they ripen too quickly and we run short,” said Ross Brown of Brown Brothers. “All reports are that the crops are just right.”

At Nagambie Lakes fruit quality is looking great and harvest is on track to begin in early March.

“After significant fruit losses in 2007 and 2009 we are looking forward to a trouble free 2010 vintage,” said Alister Purbrick of Tahbilk.

And 2010 is looking to be an “excellent vintage” in Rutherglen across all varieties and in particular for reds and fortifieds. “The fortifieds are showing great potential this year to be something really special,” said Colin Campbell of Campbell’s Wines. “This is really exciting as it looks like it could be a year to put away some base material for higher classifications Grand and Rare if everything goes well … which pardon the pun would be both grand and rare.”

In the Yarra Valley 2010 is looking promising with a far better vintage expected than the horrendous heat and bushfires experienced in 2009. Some of the Yarra Valley’s best Chardonnay from 2010 is expected.

“After two dry years at last we have had some decent spring rain followed by regular rainfall during the growing season,” said Leanne DeBortoli of DeBortoli.

In WA Margaret River has had “perfect” growing conditions that point to an excellent 2010 vintage. Yields are average across all varieties with the exception of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay down 5-10%.

“Reds are looking great particularly our Cabernets. After a string of strong vintages looks like we have been blessed again,” said Jeff Burch of Howard Park.

Australia’s First Families of Wine are twelve of the most celebrated family names in Australian wine. wning more than 5,500 hectares of Australia’s finest vineyards and with over 1,200 years of winemaking experience under their belts as a collective, these custodians of the land are in a good place to provide a snapshot of the Australian 2010 vintage.

The inaugural members of the AFFW are Brown Brothers (Victoria), Campbells (Victoria), d’Arenberg (South Australia), De Bortoli (NSW), Henschke (South Australia), Howard Park (Western Australia), Jim Barry (South Australia), McWilliam’s (NSW), Tahbilk (Victoria) Taylors (South Australia) Tyrrell’s (NSW) and Yalumba (South Australia)As 12 of the nation’s most famous names in wine, the AFFW is working to engage consumers, retailers, restaurateurs and industry members across the globe about the real character and characters of Australian wine.

Whole Foods - A Wine Walkabout

by Our Wine Guys, March 11th, 2010

Join in the fun this spring as we celebrate quality, priced-to-please Australian wines. Defined by a vibrant mix of cultures and an unmatched diversity of land and climates, Australia produces wine styles as rich and varied as the soil from which each grape grows.

In the past few years, Australia has earned a solid reputation for producing some of the finest varietals in the world. We’re excited to offer eleven of Australia’s highest quality selections at affordable prices. From an organically grown Chardonnay and a spritzy, aromatic Verdelho-Viognier blend to a dark chocolate cherry Pinot Noir and the continent’s best Cabernet Sauvignon, we have styles for everyone. Throw some barramundi on the barbie and grab a bottle of one of these Aussie gems.

Here’s a sampling of three of these fabulous wines that are featured through May 5th at our stores that sell wine:

Innocent Bystander, Pinot Gris, Yarra Valley


•A thoughtful and refreshingly zingy wine from Victoria’s first wine-growing district.
•Its aromas of lime leaves, honeydew and tart apples end with cashew notes and a nice dry finish.
•Enjoy with Murray Bridge Australian Cheddar or light main courses such as sashimi or oysters.

Shoofly, Buzz Cut, Adelaide Hills


•This wildly aromatic white is a blend of Riesling, Viognier, Verdelho, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

•Spritzy, with an herbal edge, tropical flavors and citrusy crispness.

•Drink with spicy Thai or Vietnamese food, pork, whitefish or Cypress Grove Purple Haze goat cheese.

On our Aussie Wine page, you can find out about all of the featured wines, take a virtual tour of Australia’s diverse wine regions and download a “do it yourself” Aussie wine-tasting party with wine descriptions, cheese tray cards, recipes and more.

We’ve also partnered with Tourism Australia australia.com/now and Wine Australia wineaustralia.com who are offering a chance to win a trip Down Under through their Aussie Virtual Wine Challenge.

Enjoy this spring with a wine walkabout!

d’Arenberg Vintage Report #2

The pace has really picked up this week with a week of heavy grape intake. Fruit quality is looking great and the winemakers are already looking forward to tasting the wine in 12 months time.

We are just over a quarter of the way through the fruit intake with Shiraz coming in thick and fast and accounting for over half of the fruit picked so far. The mild weather continues which is fantastic for quality and is just as well because the winery is full with almost all fermenters filled to the brim!

Varieties harvested to date include; Chardonnay; Riesling; Viognier; Pinot Noir; Grenache; Riesling; Roussanne; Sauvignon Blanc; Sagrantino; Shiraz; Tempranillo and Petit Manseng.

Picking will continue next week, albeit at a steadier pace, but basket pressing of the reds will be in full swing and will keep the cellar boys busy!

d’Arenberg Vintage Diary

Vintage is the most exciting time of year in a winery and the buzz around the d’Arenberg cellars in 2010 is electric. Healthy winter and spring rains set up the vines well with good canopies. A heat spell in November prevented a lot of Grenache from setting, but did not harm any other varieties. There was some more heat during veraison which is not an issue, and most importantly conditions have been mild during ripening with cool nights.

Vintage started on February 2 with the arrival of hand-picked Riesling destined for The Dry Dam. McLaren Vale Sauvignon Blanc and a very small amount of Shiraz was also picked in the first week.

There are some Shiraz Roussanne co-ferments underway for the Wild Pixie and parcels of Viognier, Chardonnay and Grenache have been crushed. So far there have only been small amounts of fruit coming in steadily, however next week the grapes will come in thick and fast with little rest until the end of vintage.

Chester is very excited about the red varieties in particular as they have very dark, thick skins with a lot of tannin and flavours that are developing nicely.
There is not a vintage beard in sight on any of the winemakers, which is a sure sign that things are under control, when they stop shaving you know vintage is really under way.

Screwcap Research - d'Arenberg and the AWRI

Recently released research from the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) further cements d’Arenberg’s belief in the screwcap closure and supports our own trials conducted in the early 2000’s. The AWRI Closure Trial involved a 1999 Clare Semillon made by Kerri Thompson of which thousands of bottles were sealed with 14 different closures including multiple natural and synthetic corks as well as one sample under screwcap.

The bottled wines were systematically analysed over a 10 year period by sensory and analytical methods and photographed. The pictures below displays these revealing photos with the screwcap seal on the far left. The pictures certainly tell the story and leave little doubt as to which seal provides the most effective method of preserving a wine. The trial was closed after 10 years with sensory evaluation revealing that the wines sealed under screwcap were still drinkable and showing appealing secondary aged characters while retaining freshness.

UK wine Journalist Jamie Goode has followed the trial closely while remaining independent and was fortunate enough to taste the Semillon after being in bottle for 10 years and 8 months, saying “It’s a full yellow colour, with a minerally, flinty edge to the attractive honeysuckle and citrus fruit nose. The palate has a lovely focused fruit quality to it with pithy citrus fruit and a hint of grapefruit. There are also some subtle toasty notes. Very attractive and amazingly fresh for a 10 year old Clare Semillon.”

Read more of Jamie’s insights at http://www.wineanorak.com/blog/2010/01/very-important-wine-1999-awri-trial.html
Group Manager at the AWRI Peter Godden agrees with Jamie’s assessment of the 10 year old Semillon.

“The wine under screwcap was classic aged Semillon and was wonderful to drink.”

Peter also said that there was huge variation in the results for the synthetic and cork closures, which was of more concern than TCA taint.

“The biggest issue for any form of cork closure is variability, the wines sealed with screwcap were extremely consistent bottle to bottle and no other closure achieved results even similar.

“Most of the wine sealed with closures other than screwcap were completely undrinkable, some synthetic corks didn’t even last 28 months.

“The study was initially established to determine which would be the best performing cork and we didn’t expect screwcap to be much of a factor. It didn’t take long to work out that it was going to be the most reliable performer, and as it turns out the results are emphatic.”


28 months after bottling


63 months after bottling


125 months after bottling

Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato on View from the Bay