Friday Drinks 21 February on 4BC Radio - Riesling

Today I spoke about #QldWineWeek and Riesling.

Jump on the Qld Wine Week webpage to see how you can get involved in the numerous events on offer including tastings, dinners and even a bus trip to the Granite Belt!
Check out and Like the Facebook page here too.

The weather has been pretty hot in Brisbane lately so it's perfect Riesling weather.
My recommendations this week include:
Ridgemill Estate Riesling 2013 - $18 at the Craft Wine Store
O'Leary Walker Polish Hill 2013 - $20 and readily available
Stargazer Riesling 2013 - $30 at Cru Wine Store and Craft Wine Store

Click here to listen in on Brisbane's 4BC (only on PCs not mobile devices)

Qld Wine Week Tasting wrap up

An unofficial "Qld Wine Week" has been on the go 1-8 April, 2013. Wine lovers have been encouraged to grab a bottle of Qld wine and tweet it up.
As part of the celebration of Qld wine, a tasting was organised and held at Wine Experience, Rosalie in Brisbane last night. A selection from nine Qld wineries were on show for those in attendance to have a look at.

From all the wines presented, here are my top three:

Hidden Creek Tempranillo 2009 (13.5% alc) $22
Granite Belt fruit, winemaker Jim Barnes has spent much time working on his Tempranillo winemaking skills. He is on the mark here. Some smokey meat and black olive aromas. There is a little oak poking through the mouth filling fruit. Dusty tannins finish it off. The label is a bit out there, and once you get past that, you are on the right bus. For $22 this is top stuff. Perfect for tapas, ribs and will also accompany your barbecued meat.
www.hiddencreek.com.au

Clovely Estate Reserve Shiraz 2010 (14% alc) $28
Hello flavour country. Clovely Estate hails from the South Burnett Region, and if you love your wine big and juicy, give this a nudge.
Concentrated and loaded with plummy and chocolate goodness, the fruit is generous and juicy. A super soft finish which is moreish. Damn!
www.clovely.com.au


Ridgemill Estate Cabernet Malbec 2009 (13.5% alc) $30
Made with estate grown Cabernet (60%) and blended with Malbec (40%) grown fifteen minutes down the road in Ballandean on the Granite Belt, you can't help but to cuddle up to this drop.
The fruit is bang on target. Some mint and black olive aromas roll onto a palate delivering buckets of black fruits. Juicy and grippy tannins demand another sip. There was significant praise for this around the room on the night. Easy to see why.
A perfect match for a hearty casserole.
www.ridgemillestate.com

Ravens Croft The Waagee 2010

This is Mark Ravenscroft's Bordeaux blend. All the fruit is sourced from vineyards in the Granite Belt area with Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Petit Verdot (30%) and Merlot (10%) contributing to the wine.

Named in honour of his late father, Mark put the wine away for twenty months in new and old French oak.

Dangerously moreish, there are buckets of plums, cherries, black fruits and dried Mediterranean herbs in the mix with the oak playing its bit in the background. Grippy tannins and a long finish deliver a wine which will improve with age but still holds its own and drinks well now.

Have with lamb cutlets.

Who: Ravens Croft Wines
What: Cabernet Sauvignon, petit Verdot, Merlot (14% alc)

Where: Granite Belt, Queensland

When: 2010
How: $40

http://www.ravenscroftwines.com.au/

Barambah Rack Dried Semillon 2009

Deep golden and orange like appearance, there are plenty of kerosene, concentrated honey and dried apricot characters hitting the air. The honey and apricot flowed onto a rich palate with that dried apricot really kicking through the wine. Some acid added zip with the syrupy texture gliding down the hatch nicely.

A few years age has brought the wine together and the textural elements made the match with a bitter chocolate tart perfect.

But what is rack drying I hear you ask? Bunches are laid out on racks to dry out and concentrate the fruit flavours. As stated on the website: This wine - from an outstanding 2009 vintage was made from portions of rack and vine-dried semillon grapes. Using the Italian passito method, the grapes were re-fermented with dry semillon wine and aged in French barriques.

Winemaker Peter Scudamore-Smith informs me that the Barambah winemaking approach will change its focus in coming years. Currently a variety of table wines are made along with this Rack Dried Semillon, the focus in coming years to be Rack Dried Semillon and Rack Dried Shiraz (which has similarities to Amarone). The first release of the Rack Dried Shiraz to be the 2012 vintage and won't be available for a few years yet.

This 2009 Rack Dried Semillon is out of stock but I'm also reliably informed the 2010 is better again.

Who: Barambah Wines
What: Semillon
Where: South Burnett, Queensland
When: 2009
How: $29

http://www.barambah.com.au/

Golden Grove Vermentino 2012

This would have to be close to Australia's best Vermentino. Superbly balanced with excellent texture and length. It's the real deal.

Florally, lemony, limey, and a touch of lemon grass, the flavours are crisp with a slight creamy oak edge. This is a result of the wine being made with some partial barrel fermentation. There is plenty of textural interest and this style of wine leans itself towards richer foods.

I had this with baked salmon stuffed with fragrant coconut rice and the match was a winner. Sensational value for the $22 asking price, you won't be disappointed.

Who: Golden Grove Estate http://www.goldengroveestate.com.au/
What: Vermentino (13.5% alc)

Where: Granite Belt, Queensland

When: 2012
How: $22

Ravens Croft Pinotage 2011

Mark Ravenscroft moved to Australia from his native South Africa and settled on Queensland's Granite Belt. Pinotage is as popular in South Africa as Shiraz is in Australia and Mark brought his knowledge and passion of this grape which is a cross between the Pinot Noir and Cinsault varieties.

Mark says only three vineyards in Australia currently grow Pinotage. Those being Ravens Croft, Toppers Mountain just north of Armidale in NSW and a vineyard in Inverell on the northern tablelands of NSW.

The Ravens Croft vineyard only has Verdelho and Pinotage in the dirt with other varieties sourced from around the Granite Belt to complete his range. Planted in 2007, this 2011 vintage was only the second vintage produced and spent eight months in French oak.

Initial aromas of dry tea leaves, black olives, and some black fruit, there is very much a savoury element to this wine. There are some absolute similarities to a mix of Tempranillo and Pinot Noir going on here. Flavours are concentrated on the mid and back palate and deliver a lovely mouth warmth. Still a little tight, a few more years age will bring out the best, although this still drinks well. Super smooth with a silky finish.

I shared this with a self-confessed Pinotage freak, who after initially believing Pinotage was not made in Australia, he turned to me and nodded with approval, "Now this is good Pinotage."

The bad news is the 2011 is sold out, however, the 2012 ($40) has just been released in recent weeks with only 500 bottles still available.

Who: Ravens Croft Wines http://www.ravenscroftwines.com.au/
What: Pinotage (14% alc)

Where: Granite Belt, Queensland

When: 2011
How: $35 (sold out)