Orange’s climate elevation and diurnal temperature range is perfect for a number of grape varieties It’s always struck me as a bit of an oddity, but the blossoming region called Orange in mid-western New South Wales doesn’t grow citrus, let alone oranges. In fact, the staple crop of the region has historically been apples –…
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The rise of Asian fusion style restaurants and our penchant for dishes with a hint of spice has seemingly caught Australian winemakers a little by surprise; is it just me, or is there a dearth of wine lists with a wide selection of whites with a hint of aromatic sweetness about them? And in fairness,…
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Rediscover a love for a style of wine that is often overlooked by the modern-day consumer I’ve never understood why riesling, as a style, isn’t more popular, but the fact remains that it accounts for only around 1.4% of the national grape crush. And to put that sad statistic in perspective, according to the 2018…
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Riesling is on the rise as versatility adds to her attraction. Move over Fonz, after years of being courted by sauvignon blanc, there’s a new cool kid in town and her name is Riesling! It seems that what started out as just a small group of friends and family lip-syncing the chorus, has become a…
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Chardonnay is the South African wine industry’s leading light, and those from Stellenbosch are the best. Much to the chagrin of my good south African “buddy” Nev, I love little more than watching the YouTube clip of British comedian Michael McIntyre take the mickey out of the South African accent. It’s not that the accent…
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It may not be a universally held view, but to my palate, there is no more noble white wine varietal than Chardonnay. It’s a style that generally combines attractive fruit characters at the front, luscious mouthfeel through the middle and a gentle acidity to tighten and harness the fruit through the finish. And depending on…
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Whether you think it’s marketing hoo-hah or just agronomist hocus-pocus, the rise of biodynamic and organic viticulture in winemaking has been as rapid as it is profound. Just scan the shelves of your local bottle shop and it will be difficult to miss the proud declarations of each club member winery to the biodynamic farming…
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The Central Otago district in New Zealand’s south island is quickly developing a reputation as a world-class producer of Pinot Noir and aromatic whites, despite being the world’s most southern wine producing region. Once seen as a foolhardy foray in to cool climate viticulture, the area has been ranked by some well regarded wine writers…
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Marsanne is a troublesome white wine varietal that originated in the Northern Rhone region of France and has challenged winemakers and their viticultural practices for centuries. Notoriously difficult to grow, it struggles in heat or freezing conditions and it is susceptible to a wide range of vineyard diseases. Depending on the conditions and terroir, it…
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Low Alcohol Wines It is a well-known industry deception, that the alcohol content of a wine as described on the bottle, is largely understated. The Food Standards Code in Australia allows a level of tolerance which generally means that wines are labelled as being lower in alcohol than they actually are. A recent study by…
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