Verdelho seems to be the punching bag of grape varieties in Australia at the moment, so here is a different slant on it...
Having taken much interest in the Amphora phenomenon gripping Australia, winemaker Peter McGlashan decided to give it a go. After consulting with industry colleagues including Mike Bennie, a wine style was devised using a combination of Verdelho and Viognier fruit. No rules. No percentages. Simply pure taste and feel put to work here.
The Verdelho component was destemmed and crushed and whole bunch Viognier (roughly 20%) was added. A five day ferment took place, but here is the point of difference. Most "orange" wines are plunged regularly to extract the colour from skin contact. Not the case here with McGlashan sealing up the Amphora and not plunging at all. Whilst the colour did resemble an "orangeness" it's not as dark as most on the market. Similar to mandarin juice perhaps.
An aroma similar to those candied orange lollies you can buy in tins takes centre stage. It's even a little peachy. The wine is not purely natural as minimal sulphur was added.
Quite textural and mouth filling, the finish is long which caught me off guard. A pleasant surprise.
Presented in a 500mL bottle, I could only drink a couple of glasses of it though. It's not the type of wine I could sip away at all afternoon but that could change with food in hand. But to be honest, with only a small bottle, a couple of glasses and it's nearly all gone!
This wine has been making noise in all the right places. Stockists include retailer Craft (Red Hill) and Aria Restaurant (both in Brisbane).
Seeking something different, this may be right up your alley.
Who: Ridgemill Estate
What: Verdelho and Viognier (13% alc)
Where: Granite Belt
When: 2013
How: $35 (500mL)
