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The Australian wine industry, as we all know is large and like any large volume of liquid its appearance is shaped by the factors of its environment. At times its surface can be becalmed, at other times tempestuous, marked by rolling swells with peaks and troughs dictated by fashion and market pressures.
Below the surface things can appear calmer but looks can be deceiving. There are thermoclines of sorts - grape varieties and wine styles that are hotter or cooler, fashionable or out of favour. There are also currents. One that flows beneath the surface of the industry at the moment is that of experimentation and innovation. Both of these are very important attributes which will continue to shape, invigorate and add to the tapestry of what is in essence, still a very young industry.
This undercurrent of innovation is driven by several factors. The vigneron's own travels to different wine regions overseas and subsequent exposure to different wines and winemaking brethren, the desire to diversify and experiment through collaboration and the rise in interesting imported wines making it into Australia.
The increase in the consumption of imported wines in Australia has been well documented and while a vast proportion of these wines would seemingly be Champagne and NZ Sauvignon Blanc, there are a small band of savvy importers bringing some of the world’s most sought after artisanal wines into the country. Importers such as Andrew Guard Fine Wines, Living Wines, Heart & Soil, 121BC, Addley-Clarke, Bibendum and Eurocentric to name a few have rich, diverse and interesting portfolios of wines that many of our local winemakers have recently tried sparking their collective imagination.
In McLaren Vale we are seeing producers such as Kangarilla Road and Gemtree Wines toying around with Jura-esque “sur voile” Savagnin - wine aged in ullaged barrels under a veil of yeast much like the flor in Sherry. Former Gourmet Traveller Sommelier of the Year, James Erskine produces his pure Grenache wines under his Jauma label from the region. Biodynamic fruit and minimal intervention in the cellar make all the difference in his striking range of wines.
Ex-New York sommelier Brad Hickey produces a stunning Nero D’Avola under his Brash Higgins label that goes through its gestation in large clay amphorae - a wine showing none of the usual bold swagger of the variety. In its place is a sense of airiness, space, detail and vitality resulting in a wine that is a joy to drink. Justin Lane at Alpha Box & Dice continues to innovate in the region with his use of alternative varieties, considered winemaking and funky packaging.
McLaren Vale has in its favour Gill Gordon-Smith’s Fall from Grace - the tiny wine store next to Blessed Cheese on the main street of McLaren Vale township that is chocoblock full of quirky and delicious small-batch imported wines. The regular tastings held here would be sure to fuel the fires of imagination for the local winemaking community.
The Domaine Lucci and Lucy Margaux wines from Anton Von Klopper in the Adelaide Hills are produced from fruit farmed biodynamically with no additions in the cellar and only minimal sulphur at bottling - wild-edged, idiosyncratic and full of life and interest.
In the Barossa we have the wines from Tom Shobbrook, whose two ranges, Shobbrook and Didi, provide a stunning example that “less is more” in the cellar, with minimal intervention providing wines of great purity and character. Under Tom’s Didi label, the Sauvignon Blancs are a world away from the norm, with extended skin contact and wild ferments resulting in wines that are heady and complex. Look for the Giallo and the hauntingly beautiful Il Fiore.
Fraser McKinley’s, Sami-Odi wines are the pacesetters for single-vineyard, minimal-intervention Barossa Shiraz. From the renowned Hoffman vineyard in Ebenezer with vines up to 100 years old, McKinley produces some of the purest most striking examples of the Shiraz you will see from a region that has built its reputation on the variety. The biodynamic calendar is utilised for all vineyard & cellar decisions, whole bunches in the ferment, wild yeasts, pigeage by foot, gravity feed for the wine in the cellar, minimal sulphur at bottling. Everything here is gentle, considered and intuitive resulting in a stunning wine in the glass.
Abel Gibson’s, Ruggabellus wines tread a similar path - with a pure Eden Valley Riesling and a set of Barossa Rhone-style blends utilising Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro in various proportions. Whole bunches, wild ferments, minimal additions and a considered hand result in wines with plenty of light, space and energy to burn.
In Margaret River, Ben and Daniel Gould’s range of wines under the Blind Corner label push the boundaries. Shiraz and Cabernet with minimal additions, a wild ferment Sauvignon Blanc with some skin contact and air drying of the grapes provides a wild ride. A“ Hyper-Ox” Pétillant Naturel sparkling Chenin Blanc show that innovation and experimentation in the West of our nation is alive and well.
I think we will see a few more Pétillant Naturel styles appear in the not so distant future - lower in alcohol and joyous drinking for their pure, heady fruit characters. Gilles Lapalus, the French-born winemaker at Sutton Grange in Bendigo produces his Fairbank Methode Ancestrale Sparkling in such a vein. A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier & Sangiovese it is a style where the partially fermented juice is bottled, along with the remaining yeast and sugar at a potential alcohol of around 10.5%. Six months down the track the wine is bottled under crown seal with 4 bar of pressure to produce a style of wine that is light, heady and blindingly pure in its intensity - dangerously addictive also, so tread carefully. In Gilles words “ It is simply grape juice fermented in the bottle - nothing added”.
In the Hunter Valley, Peppertree winemaker Jim Chatto has his “Random Acts of Winemaking” project - in his words “A collection of beautiful accidents, chance collaborations and inspired experiments”. The first release, the 01/10 is a collaboration with Dan Buckle, until recently the winemaker at Mt Langi in the Grampians. The pair swapped a barrel of their best Shiraz and two takes of a Hunter/Grampian Shiraz is the result. The 02/12 is currently a work in progress. The “ Ides of March” so named because it was picked on the 15th of March is a Chardonnay from Orange which has seen extended skin contact before being pressed to 2 y/o oak for its gestation - certainly a wine to keep an eye on in the future.
Also in the Hunter Valley you’ll find the Dandy in the Clos wines produced by Sam Hughes. Edgy and wild-eyed white blends such as “ Birds no Boundaries” with long maceration times on skins - a blend of Chardonnay, Verdelho, Semillon and Gewürztraminer, it is cloudy, crackling with energy and throws plenty of challenges at the drinker with their heady mix of aromas, textures and sweet tannin.
Sam is also part of the “Natural Selection Theory” project with the previously mentioned Tom Shobbrook, James Erskine and Anton Von Klopper. The NST put out several wines but perhaps the most striking is their series of three Hunter Valley Semillons. Each is from a different soil type and aged in ceramic eggs in the soil-type from which they sprang. Music is played to the eggs during their gestation and they are sold singularly in stunning ceramic eggs or as a set of three with a 12” ambient music LP. Esoteric yes, but the finished wines provide captivating drinking and a fascinating study of terroir.
While these are only a few examples it is plain to see that below the surface of the Australian wine industry there is an exciting and vibrant current of experimentation and innovation - and this is a very healthy thing as we move forward as a wine producing nation.
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