I've had a few tastings on my trips out over the weeks, but only a few, really, as you can't do many when you are driving. But here are a few bottles that sum them up.
Actually there are a couple of cheats there that need explaining...My first tasting was on my bus trip to The Dandenongs and Yarra Valley. Here we had lunch at Fergusson's Winery near Yarra Glen. I particularly enjoyed the Chardonnay, but remained unconvinced by the Forte Shiraz.
My next outing with wine tasting was also in the Yarra Valley on my Yarra Day Out. I visited two random vineyards here. I saw the sign to Long Gully and recognised the name, but I wasn't sure where. I visited it anyway and loved the vineyard along the narrow valley (hence the name, I suppose). I later remembered I'd bought a bottle of their wine in my first few days in Australia. So where's the bottle(s) in the photo? Ahem. I'm afraid I threw them out after emptying them, but I kept the bag (on the right). I quite liked both the 2004 Pinot Noir and, especially, the 2001 Irma's Cabernet.
Sticks, in Yarra Glen, was launched in 2001. Their wines are quite fruity and only very lightly oaked. Very easy drinking and I love the twiggy label.
Last weekend I visited two other wine regions. In the Mornington Peninsula I visited two vineyards. My first was The Cups estate near Fingal. This is only about 8 years old, so their first wines are from 2003. They do an interesting line in White and Rose Pinot Noir, but I preferred the fruity red. Then, late on in the day, I visited the bigger and better known T'Gallant, famous for its Pinot Grigio/Pinto Gris. I preferred the "Imogen" Pinot Gris of the several styles they do.
In the Macedon Ranges I visited two more wineries. I stumbled across Barcaldine House in the Spa region. It was still quite early in the day, so I tried only a couple of whites. It was here that I learnt from the owner that a lot of wines are made with grapes grown elsewhere than on the estate. Over the last 3 years the price of grapes has plummeted from $3000 to only $300 a tonne, which makes it pretty hard to earn a living. It also means that boutique wineries can shop around for good quality grapes to make wines that they can charge a premium for.
My last wine tasting was at the Big Shed Winery near Glenlyon, sporting (appropriately) a St Andrew's flag on the roof. Yes the owners are originally from Scotland and, again, they make wines with grapes from more than just their own vineyard. There were several other tasters there at the same time and Miranda kept us well entertained as we worked our way through their list. I took away some of the Reserve 2004 Shiraz, a recent medal winner. I eventually realised what the underlying pervasive taste in it is. Eucalyptus. I kid you not! It must be the effect of all those trees in the area. But quite tasty, nevertheless.
Oh, and as for the extraneous bottles in the picture....
I included the bottle of Hanging Rock 'The Prospect' Cabernet, Merlot and Mourvedre (quite southern French like) even though I never had a tasting at the winery because I went very close to it.
The last one, which I haven't tasted yet, it is a complete imposter. I saw it in the window of a wine shop in St Kilda and couldn't resist. It is a Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon from Tassell Park. So what is so special about that? Check out my email address for a clue.
And I've only really scratched the surface here. All the vineyards have been 'cool climate', unlike the majority of Australian vineyards. And, in Victoria alone, I've still not been to the Pyrenees, Grampians, Rutherglen, Nagambie Heathcote and Bendigo or Alpine districts, let alone done a proper sampling of the areas I have been to. Hmm. I think I can see a potential hobby coming on. If I come back to Australia, that is....
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