Winestate Magazine

ONCE the biggest selling red wine by volume in the United Kingdom, Brown Brothers Tarrango is now lurking in the doldrums. The first Australian-born grape developed by the CSIRO is no longer sold domestically by the company that commercialised it, Br

THE New Zealand Winegrowers 2018 annual report has been released, with its usual array of fascinating facts and figures. There’s more good news in the form of wine exports, with US demand helping drive significant growth: value has grown by more than

IT’S official - it was a pearler. The 2017/18 growing season was characterised by long spells of dry weather across south-eastern Australia, which in turn gave rise to twin phenomena - lower yields and disease-free, high-quality fruit. While the over

SMALL, chef-owned businesses are still popping up around Melbourne, a hard slog but often the wish of many a chef to drive their own dream. And, there are the chefs who keep going from strength-to-strength, opening new dining rooms and building their

JAMES Street in Brisbane’s iconic Fortitude Valley has become a mecca for fashionistas, with national and global brands choosing the leafy locale to hang their shingles. There’s a mini David Jones, dedicated to women’s fashion, popular Brisbane-based

IN the middle of Sydney’s long run of wet weather in October, Matteo Downtown was packed for lunch on a dreary Tuesday. Once inside the dining room, after traversing the bar and outdoor area, the atmosphere was pure Rome, right down to the snappily d

WHISPER it but can it really be winter in Hong Kong? In a city which is famed for its heat and humidity for around nine months of the year, the idea of putting on a jacket and even gloves is a novel concept - so much so that people shop with great fe

JUDGES WELCOME to Winestate magazine’s “cream of the crop” judging for 2018. Here we invite wineries to resubmit those wines awarded four and a half and five stars from numerous judgings throughout the year held both in Australia and New Zealand. The

VILLA Maria has a special place in the New Zealand wine world. The brand is a household name; it’s the country’s largest, fully family-owned wine company; and its claim to be “New Zealand’s most awarded winery” is easy to justify. Regular readers of

WINEMAKER: Joanne Irvine & Judy & Glen Kelly COLOUR, BOUQUET, PALATE: Our Fiano has elegant floral aromas with a hint of spice leading to a delicious palate of subtle spice notes of honey and hazelnut. Fiano gains additional honey characterisitics as

WINEMAKER: Andrew Spinaze COLOUR, BOUQUET, PALATE: Green Gold in colour with lifted floral and mineral aromas. A big soft citrus palate with classic developed Semillon characters beginning to show. Good fruit length and a crisp lime acid finish. FOOD

WINEMAKER: Gordon Russell COLOUR, BOUQUET, PALATE: This is an elegant, complex and creamy textured Chardonnay which displays vineyard derived complexity and flavours of peach, grapefruit and cashew. Naturally made with a ‘hands-off’ approach it is bo

WINEMAKER: Hamish Clark, Kyle Thompson and Matt Thomson COLOUR, BOUQUET, PALATE: Dense ruby red. A Pinot Noir with rich aromas of a meadow of wild flowers, especially perfumed violets. This combines with a complex mix of blueberries, vanilla and dark

WINEMAKER: Nick Picone COLOUR, BOUQUET, PALATE: The Reserve Merlot reveals a saturated deep purple colour and perfumed aromatics of red and black plum, fruitcake and floral violet notes, interwoven with roasted coffee bean and complex herb nuances. T

WINEMAKER: Nick Picone COLOUR, BOUQUET, PALATE: This densely coloured wine shows lovely aromatics with layers of red and black plum, mingling with cassis, smoky roast coffee bean, dried thyme and complex cedary spice nuances. The palate is soft yet c

No.1 Family Estate Adele Cuvee Marlborough Sparkling 2013 ⋆⋆⋆⋆1/2 Broad creamy and complex nose with nice leesy/autolysis influence. Good structure and length to the palate. Some good fruit characters and high level of acidity. "Classy!" $200 Chateau

“BEING so connected to the land and weather, farmers measure time in seasons not calendar years. Extreme weather patterns create challenges that often define the year. Memories of these weather events are etched in their minds and tales of resilience

AFTER a failed attempt at stopping Australian winemakers from using the term prosecco, Italian winemakers this year positioned a new quarry in their sights - Australian-born nero d’avola. The Italians say it’s illegal because Aussie makers are employ

TOM Ward, of Swinging Bridge winery in Orange, thought for a minute. “I’d give the reds a nine out of 10 and the whites a solid eight,” he said. And guess what … it’s pretty much the same story across the state. The Hunter Valley winemakers are more

THE 2018 Swan Valley vintage in WA has been declared the best in 30 years. Reports say this is due to a mild summer and lower than average temperatures combining to produce near-perfect grape growing conditions. It is also a year of record wine expor

ABOUT five-million glasses - that’s how much New Zealand wine is consumed around the world every day. Reflecting Americans’ fast-growing thirst for Marlborough sauvignon blanc, wine is now NZ’s fifth most valuable export commodity and is on track to

Bannock Brae Pinot Noir 2015 ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ This is a bold highly aromatic wine; red liquorice and sweet spice sitting next to red and black berry fruits. Starting to show some attractive bottle developed characters of forest floor, mushroom and leather too.

SCANNING the shelves at BWS filled with cans of Elephant in the Room pinot noir and Crafters Union sauvignon blanc would lead most people to believe that canned wine is a new phenomenon. Let alone the breathless articles giving consumers “permission”