Early one spring morning we headed into the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales Australia to visit Tertini Cellars. It was October and we were staying on the coast in Shoalhaven. We arose early and headed inland up through the Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls. It was a rainy morning and the driving felt a little treacherous; winding roads into the mountains, with the rain and driving on the opposite side of the road and car than we were accustomed to.
This area is so lush and green. Spring was definitely in the air. It was so different than the Shoalhaven area we had just left.
We made it, arriving before the cellar door opened and Jonathan Holgate, the Tertini winemaker met us to tell us a bit about the wines, and show us the winery. He took us out to the Yarrandoo Vineyard which is closest to the winery before taking us through a tasting at the cellar door.
This is a high-altitude region with a moderating maritime influence. We had just driven up from the coast. This gives them a long growing season. When I say high-altitude, the vineyards here sit between 650 and 715 meters above sea level. That’s around 2100-2300 feet. The Yarrandoo Vineyard is the highest of their vineyards at 715 meters. Here they grow, Pinot Noir, Arneis, Riesling, and Chardonnay.
Tertini is sensitive to the needs of the wildlife locally and leaves 30% of their property undeveloped. They say doing this gives the animals shelter and places to forage, so they don’t bother the vines, so everybody wins.
The Tertini entrance sign, unpretentiously nestled in the trees
The Tertini Tasting Room in Australia’s Southern Highlands
The Patio at Tertini Wines
The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands NSW Australia
Spring Vines in Tertini’s Yaraandoo Vineyard in Southern Highlands
Tertini Wines Yaraandoo Vineyard in Australia’s Southern Highlands
Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis
This Arneis is from the Yarrandoo Vineyard that we visited with Jonathan on that drizzly spring morning. There were only 62 cases produced. This does a partial oak ferment. Yes, I said ferment. Jonathan said that at the time he did not know of another Arneis being made in this way in Australia.
13.5% abv SRP $42 AU
This Arneis was medium lemon in color, with notes of light smoke, dusty citrus, bruised herbs like tarragon, grilled peach, earth, and roasted nuts.
Medium in alcohol, body, and medium to high acidity, it had pronounced flavors of tart yellow apple, almond, vanilla, and under-ripe white peach, with a long finish.
This wine was not loud, but quietly confident. It swam around the food enveloping it beautifully. When you return to sip it on its own it is bolder and brighter. It’s like a brilliant friend who is a good listener.
This vintage is sold out, but the 2019 Vintage is now available.
We paired this with a grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad. If I could have found duck, I would have used duck, but…pandemic, ya know!
Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis
I sliced the roasted chicken and warmed it in a pan with olive oil and butter. After removing the chicken to a plate to keep warm, I added honey and more butter to the pan. When the butter melted I added lemon juice and salt, stirred this up, and removed it from the heat.
Sliced peaches and shallots are cooked on a grill pan, then the salad assembles with greens on the bottom. We used artisan salad greens, frisee, red leaf, and butter lettuce, but you can use whatever you have on hand. This gets topped with roasted chicken, grilled peaches, and shallots and drizzled with the honey dressing. Finish this off with fresh tarragon and sliced almonds.
I found that this barrel-fermented Arneis really made the tarragon pop.
Ingredients for roasted chicken, grilled peach and tarragon salad
Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with grilled peach, chicken and tarragon salad
Peach crisp
Dessert was a peach crisp made in two individual gratin dishes. We mixed fresh and frozen peaches with sugar and flour to coat and placed them in the buttered gratins. This was topped with a mixture of butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and rolled oats. We served this warm with vanilla ice cream.
This was warm and wonderful with the Arneis, much of that was due to the fresh peaches which cut the sweetness of the dish.
If you find yourself in Australia (I realize that is unlikely to happen soon unless you already live there). Head to Southern Highlands and visit Tertini. The region is beautiful especially in the spring and the wines at Tertini are a step above.
While they are sold out of this vintage, I spoke with Craig their Cellar Door Manager and he recommends the Tertini 2019 PCC (Private Cellar Collection) Arneis, which spends 10 months in oak and he says “Looks terrific”.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
This is such a simple recipe, it almost doesn’t need measurements. I whipped this up after lunch for Michael and me to enjoy as a dessert with a wine that really wanted peaches.
What to Pair?
Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis
This wine comes from Tertini Wines in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales Australia. It is Arneis which is a white Italian grape from the Piemonte region.
Time: 45 Minutes
Yield: 2 people
peach crisp ingredients, oh and the peaches of course
Ingredients
Peach crisp
For the topping
¼ cup of flour
6 tbs of light brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup of unsalted butter cut into cubes (keep this cold)
½ cup of rolled oats
Filling
2 cups of peaches (these can be fresh sliced or frozen or a combination, which is what I used)
2 tbs sugar
1 ½ tbs flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Butter 2 individual gratin dishes
In a large bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
Add the cold butter, mixing with a fork or pastry cutter. This should come together and be crumbly (I used my fingers a bit at the end, just be careful not to melt the butter)
Stir in the oats, then toss the bowl in the fridge while you get the fruit ready
Put the peaches in a large bowl, sprinkle with the flour and sugar. Stir until the peaches are covered.
Spoon the mixture into the 2 gratin dishes.
Cover with the topping
Bake for 30 minutes until they are bubbly and the top is lightly browned
Cool only slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Peach crisp
Watch our quick video for the highlights.
Peach crisp with Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis
This crisp was so easy and made the house smell terrific. Don’t forget to top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This was warm and wonderful with the Arneis, much of that was due to the fresh peaches which cut the sweetness of the dish. These were late-season peaches and were crisp and not as sweet as summer peaches.
This Arneis is from the Yarrandoo Vineyard that we visited with Jonathan on that drizzly spring morning. There were only 62 cases produced. This does a partial oak ferment. Yes, I said ferment. Jonathan said that at the time he did not know of another Arneis being made in this way in Australia.
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This recipe was developed to pair with wine for the January #WinePW event pairing wines with Asian dishes. The #WinePW (wine pairing weekend) crew will gather on Saturday, January 9th on Twitter to dive into the pairings we each came up with. You can join us! Just hop on to Twitter at 8 am (Pacific [...]
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Early one spring morning we headed into the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales Australia to visit Tertini Cellars. It was October and we were staying on the coast in Shoalhaven. We arose early and headed inland up through the Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls. It was a rainy morning and the driving felt [...]
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As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis
You can never go wrong with grilled peaches and this salad looks so lush and elegant. Grilled peach has those lucious fruit notes, with the texture made soft and the umami from those grill marks.
Find some good greens, I used frisee, red leaf and butter leaf, but you could incorporate herb greens, other lettuces or even beet greens or chard!
While I used roasted chicken, any poultry would be good here and you can choose your onion. I went with shallots, because I had them on hand and they are milder.
The tarragon and the dressing are the finishing touches that make this salad, utilizing the pan drippings with butter, honey and lemon juice.
Time: 25 Minutes
Yield: 2 people
Grilled Peach and Roasted chicken and Tarragon Salad Ingredients
What to Pair?
Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis
This Arneis is from the Yarrandoo Vineyard that we visited with Jonathan on that drizzly spring morning. There were only 62 cases produced. This does a partial oak ferment. Yes, I said ferment. Jonathan said that at the time he did not know of another Arneis being made in this way in Australia.
13.5% abv SRP $42 AU (the new 2019 vintage is now available)
Grilled peach Roasted Chicken and tarragon salad
Ingredients
½ roasted chicken (you can roast yours if you like, I bought mine at the store pre- roasted)
2 peaches
1 to 2 shallots cut into rings
2 tbs honey
3 tbs butter
1 lemon juiced
Fresh tarragon
Assorted greens (I used frisee, red leaf and butter lettuce)
¼ cup of slice almonds
Olive oil
Sea salt
Directions
I sliced the roasted chicken and warmed it in a pan with olive oil and butter. After removing the chicken to a plate to keep warm, I added honey and more butter to the pan. When the butter melted I added lemon juice and salt, stirred this up, and removed it from the heat.
Sliced peaches and shallots are cooked on a grill pan, then the salad assembles with greens on the bottom. We used artisan salad greens, frisee, red leaf, and butter lettuce, but you can use whatever you have on hand. This gets topped with roasted chicken, grilled peaches, and shallots and drizzled with the honey dressing. Finish this off with fresh tarragon and sliced almonds.
Slice the roasted chicken and warm in a pan with olive and 1 tbs of the butter
Remove this to a plate to keep warm
In the same pan add the honey and the remaining 2 tbs of butter.
When the butter is melted add the lemon juice and salt.
Stir this to combine and remove it from the heat. This is your dressing
Slice the peaches and shallots and cook on a grill pan. Make sure to get bar marks, they make this extra pretty.
Assemble in your serving bowl, placing the torn lettuce on the bottom
Top with the chicken, peaches and shallots
Drizzle with the honey dressing, making sure to dress all the chicken.
Top with torn fresh tarragon and sliced almonds.
Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad
Watch our quick video for the highlights.
Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis
This Tertini Arneis was rich, but with good acid and with the notes of tarragon in the wine, I knew this would pair well. It would also be really good with duck breast, but alas, I had no duck breasts.
I found that this barrel-fermented Arneis really made the tarragon pop, and the richness of the wine from the barrel aging worked well with the rich flavors and still had good acid to cut through. The grilled peach pulled up the fruit notes in the wine.
Alloro – Stunning Wines from Oregon’s New Laurelwood District AVA
“Alloro” It’s the Italian word for laurel. When David Nemarnik purchased this now 130-acre site, he named it after the Laurelwood soils found on the site. He grew up nearby in Portland, making homemade wine in his garage. He searched the area for the right site, testing soils to find the best for growing the [...]
An Affordable and Aromatic Gewürztraminer Paired with Thai Red Curry #WinePW
This month the #WinePW crew is looking to pair with Asian dishes, led by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. The premise is Saké or another wine with Asian dishes. I enjoy saké, but it is something that I enjoy the ceremony of, out at a sushi restaurant with friends. Oh great, now I’m nostalgic, [...]
This recipe was developed to pair with wine for the January #WinePW event pairing wines with Asian dishes. The #WinePW (wine pairing weekend) crew will gather on Saturday, January 9th on Twitter to dive into the pairings we each came up with. You can join us! Just hop on to Twitter at 8 am (Pacific [...]
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Nebbiolo is a wine that is versatile in pairing with food. Garlic, truffles, olives, capers, butternut squash, wild mushrooms, polenta, leeks, tomato-based sauces, pizza Parmigiana Reggiano or Pecorino Fatty foods, butter, vinegar-based sauces. This is a high tannin wine. Steak with fat. Think meats like bib eye, sausages, duck, or pork shank. So I had [...]
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It’s time to do a virtual visit to Spain. This next year, I’m looking forward to being a part of the new #WorldWineTravel group of writers. This first year we will be focusing on Spain. I thought I would get a little head start and make sure we included a Spanish wine in our 12 [...]
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Hungarian Nut Cake was my mother's favorite cake, as her hand-typed recipe below attests. I remember having it often at home growing up and it was her favorite to make for friends birthdays, potlucks, or other gatherings. I have a vision of her carrying this cake out to the picnic table in the yard for [...]
Today we dive into Meinklang a wine from Hungary. I went to pick up a wine a while back at GaragisteLV and decided to add a bottle while I was there. “What do you have that is interesting,” I asked Eric. He immediately suggested this wine. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized [...]
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We visited Rowlee a little over a year ago with a group from the Wine Media Conference This was a post-conference excursion to Orange Australia sponsored by Orange 360. We joined Nicole and James at their cellar door on the vineyard. We gathered on the porch to look out on the vineyard as the sun [...]
Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc – Day 6 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020
Bourboulenc. You may not have heard of this grape. It quite honestly doesn’t get out much. This is an ancient white grape found in Southern France in Provençe and the Southern Rhône. We find the first mention of this grape in literature from the early 16th century. It is perhaps most well known in Languedoc [...]
Co Dinn 2015 Syrah Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 – Day 5 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020
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Tertini 2018 Arneis – Day 4 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020
Early one spring morning we headed into the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales Australia to visit Tertini Cellars. It was October and we were staying on the coast in Shoalhaven. We arose early and headed inland up through the Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls. It was a rainy morning and the driving felt [...]
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As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Ahh…the best-laid plans. When we began sheltering in place in March, we ordered a selection of wines from around the world to do some pairings with! We had set up with Sun Basket to provide some meal kits that would allow us to have fresh vegetables to allow us to do some pantry pairings.
We did pretty well for a while! Getting out posts on our pairings. Then, life happened. Yes even while sheltering in place, we manage to find a way to become extremely busy! We are working on content from our in-depth visits with winemakers across the globe. Then came tastings and online events and I decided to add #WinePW and #ItalianFWT groups to my writing schedule. So…several pairings we enjoyed, but never shared with you! Today I will remedy that with a bit of our backlogged pantry pairings and travel in a bottle menus. Prepare for a bit of a photo montage!
Tertini 2018 Pinot Blanc and a one-pot linguini with spring vegetables – Pantry Pairings
We were able to get a bit of fresh air, back in early May, getting out to our local Gilcrease Farm to pick some vegetables. It’s a large property, outdoors, with plenty of space. We were socially distant and wore our facemasks. We actually met a couple of friends out there. People I have missed terribly. We cried as we stared at each other an could not hug, and took comfort in seeing each other eyes. I picked peas, Michael found zucchini and they had garlic scapes and asparagus at the checkout.
I made a one-pot pasta with linguini and everything I picked, adding lemon and topping it with finely grated cheese.
Travel in a bottle – back to Australia to the Southern Highlands
Then we did a bit of travel in a bottle to Tertini Wines in Australia. This winery is in New South Wales in the Southern Highlands wine region south of Sydney. We visited with Tertini Winemaker Jonathan Holgate last October and he took us out to the Yarrandoo Vineyard where they grow the grapes for this wine.
Mediterranean salmon with white bean-artichoke salad from Sun Basket
Tertini Pinot Blanc Pairing #2 with Mediterranean salmon & white bean artichoke salad from Sun Basket
We did not drink this all in one sitting. I think I was trying to stretch it to last as long as possible. We did another pairing the next evening with a Sun Basket dinner of Mediterranean salmon with white bean-artichoke salad. Both pairings were delicious and sadly at this point, we had finished off this bottle that I wished could have lasted forever.
Roasted togarashi salmon with miso-glazed eggplant & a Trimbach 2016 Gewurztraminer
This was a delicious earthy meal with miso and eggplant, lightened by a carrot edamame salad on the side. The salmon got seasoned with shichimi togarashi (a blend of mild chile, orange peel, and nori). Then the eggplant is sliced and glazed with a miso & maple glaze, adding umami and sweetness. These roast and then the carrot and edamame salad with a dressing of almond butter, sesame oil and apple cider vinegar, finishes the plate.
Travel in a bottle – to Alsace France
I chose the Gerwurtz initially to pair with the togarashi. The Trimbach is from Alsace. It was pale lemon in color, with a pronounced nose of Ginger, rose, honey, and leechee fruit. On the palate, it was dry with the alcohol sitting at 14% and medium across the board for body, acid, and intensity. I got tropical and citrus fruit on the palate. This wine did have a bit of viscosity. When I posted a photo on Instagram, I found that this is a popular and accessible wine, with lots of folks saying this was a go-to Gerwurz for them. (SRP $22.99)
Trimbach has been around for a while in Alsace. They were founded in 1626 and are run now by the 12th generation f Trimbachs. Maison Trimbach is located in Ribeauville which is in the northern section of the Haut-Rhin (which is the southern section of Alsace).
Steaks with Chimichurri & harissa-roasted sweet potatoes with a Carhartt Vineyards 2016 le f.p.
This is one of those pairings that just falls together and it’s just so pretty. Another where we sourced from Sun Basket. It really is a great way to cut down on needed trips to the supermarket and still keep the fresh veggies in the fridge and our diet! The sweet potatoes just needed to get roasted in the oven the stead gets cooked on the stove, the chard sauteed with garlic and olive oil and then the chimichurri sauce is drizzled on top. It is one of the simpler dishes, but it’s so tasty!
Travel in a bottle to California’s Los Olivos
We didn’t travel far for this one, just out to California to Los Olivos and Carhartt Vineyard. Their “le f.p.” was previously known as “four play” a play on words for this wine (as you can see by the label with the stork). This is their Bordeaux style blend with Merlot, Cab Sav, Cab Franc & Petit Verdot. It’s a fan favorite and was delicious with this dinner!
Were there more Pantry Pairings? Did we continue to Travel in a bottle?
Were there more dishes? Well if you have seen our Instagram feed, you will know that there were. Pantry pairings from nachos to full dinners, with wines from California, Oregon, South Africa, and oh so many more. Here is a small sampling.
Boschendal 2019 Rose from South Africa’s Western Cape with blackened sole and a corn & black bean salsa from Sun Basket
Nachos and Malvasia Bianca from Larner Vineyard in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon
Randall Grahm’s Riesling to Live, method Champenois Riesling with a frittata and salad
Tablas Creek 2019 Dianthus Rose with a curried chicken with dried fig and cashews
Carhartt 2019 Sav Blanc and a pasta salad
Gloira Ferrer Royal Cuvee 2009 with turkey lettuce cups
Carhartt 2016 Quello Grande
Pairing for that Quello Grande Seared steaks with roasted red pepper ajvar and cauliflower from Sun Basket
Tablas Creek Cote de Tablas Blanc 2017 with a grilled apricot salad
Roasted apricot from Gilcrease Farm with bacon, goat cheese and pecans on greens.
Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigar Blanc and Turmeric-mojo shrimp with roasted carrots and poblano from Sun Basket
Take Flight White from Girardet Vineyard and nachos. Nachos are a recurring theme.
Have you been making any pantry pairings or taking an evening to travel in a bottle? Share with us your adventures in the comments!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
First things first. Many of the wineries and vineyards in Australia have been severely affected by the drought and the bush fires. The best way to help? Get out and drink Australian wine. Some of these vineyards may not have a vintage this year, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have wine. Most have their cellar doors open. If you are in Australia, go see them! If you are not…well head to your local wine shop, where ever you are on the globe and ask for Australian wine. Search for smaller producers that could really use your help. Yes, it might be difficult to find. Keep asking, drive up the demand.
It was October and we found ourselves in Australia’s New South Wales for the Wine Media Conference, that was held in the Hunter Valley. At the time, this seasons bush fires had only recently begun. Most of these were happening north of where we were in Queensland and our friends who were touring the Granite Belt wine region brought us stories of the fires there. Small fires were popping up. You could see the worry when you spoke with people. But at this point, the concern was mostly about the drought.
Drought after drought
There was a significant drought from 2003 to 2012. After a few years, that were a bit more normal, drought hit again in 2017, this time the impact was more severe. We spoke with people who had family farms that were suffering as available water levels dropped to a point where they could no longer irrigate. We also spoke with winemakers who were concerned about the future of their vineyards.
The drive from Hunter Valley to Mudgee
We traveled through several regions in New South Wales, but our drive to and from Mudgee illustrated the difficulties of the drought most starkly.
We drove into Mudgee from the Hunter Valley. The Hunter, at this point in the spring, was pretty lush and green. From the Hunter we headed inland through the Goulburn National Forest. This is considered “the bush” in Australia. The “bush” is an area that is undeveloped and filled with indigenous flora and fauna. Think of it as backwoods or hinterland, it’s really just a mostly untouched natural region. These regions cover a large portion of Australia.
The drive to Mudgee from the Hunter Valley
As we drove the road became smaller. The population is lower in the inland regions. Most of Australia’s population forms a ring around the country on the coast. With smaller population come smaller roads and we went from 4 lane to 2 lane to a road with no center stripe, and even a section of gravel and dirt, as we crossed through the forest to Mudgee.
The impact of the drought on wildlife
We saw our fair share of kangaroos and wombats, sadly none were living. People asked when we returned if it was like dear on the East Coast of the US. No…it was a dead animal every 50 yards for a great portion of the trip. Much of this comes from the drought. We were told by a winemaker that the roos come to the green strip of grass on the sides of the road to feed, because there is so little for them to feed on otherwise. At dusk and dawn, drivers are hard pressed to miss them.
They do care deeply about their wildlife. We saw signs, like the one below, along all the roads with numbers to call if you hit or see injured animals.
WildLife Injuries Hotline in Australia
The fires increase
It was not long after our return to the states that the fires spread. In early December a friend was visiting Sydney and took a photo in the Royal Botanical Gardens. Standing in a spot close to where I had been just a month and a half prior, she took a photo of the Lewis Wolfe Levy fountain, a statue of the goddess Diana, with a background of a brown and orange glow of a sky filled with smoke. I had been following the fires as they encroached on Sydney, but this picture brought home the severity of the fires, showing me the stark contrast to the city I had visited.
photo credit Rebecca Zoltowski
The Gardens in October 2019
The 2020 Harvest
Wineries and vineyards now look to what to do this harvest. While, the wineries and vineyards we visited have not been directly impacted by the fires there are those indirect impacts, greater lack of available water, smoke taint, lack of access for visitors and impacts on their employees, many of whom may travel in from areas more affected by the fires.
We have seen wineries, like Tyrrell’s, one of the oldest and largest wineries in the Hunter Valley, publicly state that they will not pull in a harvest this year. Read more from the Guardian here They do not want to compromise the quality of their wine and do not feel comfortable with the amount of smoke taint that their vineyards may have encountered. Depending on the location of the vineyard and the winds, some may be impacted, while others are not.
2020 in the Mudgee Region
I reached out to Cara George with Mudgee Region Tourism to see how the Mudgee Region had been affected this year by the fires and the drought. Cara provided me with a statement from Mudgee Wine
The 2020 grape growing and wine making vintage has been a particularly tough one for growers throughout Australia including the Mudgee Wine Region.
We have all felt the effect of the prolonged drought, extreme heat and continued bush fires and subsequent smoke. Firstly we want to express our sympathy to those who have lost vineyards, wineries and stock in various wine regions in Australia. We also sympathize with those regions that may be dealing with the effects of smoke in grapes in the upcoming harvest.
Secondly, it is important that we acknowledge that 2020 is not the ideal vintage for everyone in the Mudgee Wine Region. As a region we pride ourselves on making top quality wines that consistently win awards across the country. With our commitment to the very high standard of wines that drinkers have come to expect from Mudgee, and the effects of the drought and smoke across the region we are expecting to see a much smaller than average harvest in 2020.
Mudgee Wine Association along with many individual members have been and continue to conduct testing with the Australian Wine Research Institute in relation to effects of smoke in the grapes. Given the results of these tests along with some small batch ferments conducted in wineries, it is likely that many brands will choose not to harvest in 2020. Those who do choose to harvest will be doing so with confidence that the quality of the wine will remain at the high standard expected of the Mudgee Wine Region.
Despite the harsh realities of the 2020 vintage, our region is full of beautiful vineyards, cellar doors, accommodation and restaurants that continue to be open for business and ready for visitors. Our various Mudgee wine brands currently have fantastic vintages available from 2016, through to 2019 for tasting and purchase. In fact, there couldn’t be a better time to visit and support these small growers and winemakers in our beautiful region.
Mudgee Wine Association January 28th, 2020
What is smoke taint
Smoke taint. Okay, I heard a bit about this issue with the fires in Sonoma in 2017. The difference was that those fires happened in October, and harvest was well underway. Many vineyards were not affected at all. In the case of Australia, the fires were beginning in the spring. Late January into March is harvest here in Australia, and the risk smoke taint increases after verasion (when the grapes change color).
The chemicals in smoke that cause smoke taint are volatile phenols and glycosides. These are found in fresh smoke and in lignin from burnt wood. They dissipate in 1 to 2 hours typically, so vineyards that are close to fresh smoke will be affected. At longer distances (and keep in mind smoke can travel long distances), you mostly just see suspended carbon particulates that are less likely to affect the grapes.
bushfire in grassland with trees in Australia
Affects of Smoke Taint
Smoke taint in wine is aromatic and tactile. In small quantities it can present like Brett, with dulled fruit and a strange dryness in the mouth that is similar to oak. In higher concentrations this becomes magnified and decidedly off putting (think burnt garbage).
So…how to determine if your grapes are at the level that they will have off putting smoke taint? Well, the compounds can be detected on grapes by gas chronography, but this is an expensive process. Keep in mind we are trying to detect in parts per million. For most winemakers, the solution is to do a sample pre-harvest and do a sample ferment. Volatile phenols release during fermentation. The levels in fermented grapes are 5 to 10 times higher in fermented grapes compared to fresh grapes. In fermented grapes these volatile phenols can be detected, by smell or taste.
The New South Wales Government is providing grape growers with funding for smoke test kits. Labs that do the detailed work are working overtime and expect to be busy into March. The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Australia is also pretty advanced with technology in vineyards and a piece by Wine Australia gives some details on new spectrometry techniques for diagnosing smoke taint.
A word from David Lowe in Mudgee
We spent time in Mudgee before the conference visiting for an afternoon with David Lowe of Lowe Wines where he is growing bio-dynamically and making some superb Zinfandel. Yes…I said Zinfandel, yes…in Australia. David was kind enough to send us a few words on how they were coping.
The drought has proved challenging and we know we will have about ½ normal yield.
Additional challenges re the dust storms and constant smoke, which we are working through on an ongoing basis.
It’s a national problem and the fires close to houses and vineyards like California means we are sharing experiences that are tough on everybody.
Fred Peterson made contact with me recently it seems the whole world knows about our problems and there is great camaraderie offers of help and sympathy. The wine industry is a close one.
Immediate impacts are tourism and visitation, which are such a part of the experience we are offering.
Our solution is to increase our range of hospitality experiences, increase local visitation and keep the farm watered and viable particularly so we can maintain our ecosystem.
David Lowe, Lowe Wines January 30th, 2020
From Mudgee back to the Hunter via the Golden Highway
On the return trip, we headed to the Golden Highway to the north of the region. Here roads were wider and the landscape went on forever over dry brown hills dotted with trees, that didn’t look so good. The dry brown grass, sometimes gave way to burned patches and often to dark brown expanses where there was not enough water for even the grass to grow. There were cattle farms here with cattle bunched together with little to eat. Mind you, this was spring, when you should see some green somewhere. It was desolate and eerily beautiful, in a post apocalyptic way. Some cattle were lying on their sides…as we weren’t close, I decided to believe that they were still breathing.
Cattle and sheep farmers are struggling. Deny climate change if you will, but these folks are witnessing it first hand.
Now come the rains
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service announced that the fires were contained on February 12th, 2020. We will hope that this continues. But now we are on to the rains. These rains assisted with putting out many of the fires. I’m sure there is gratitude for the rain, but being from California where we have our annual fire season, followed by our annual mudslide season, I am well aware of the devastation that torrential rains cause on areas already devastated by fire. The ground cover is gone and there is little to hold the soil down as creeks become rivers rushing downhill.
The region along the Golden Highway that were so dry? Well hopefully this rain will be helpful. For other regions like the Shoalhaven Coast, this could cause difficulties with roads for visitors to arrive and depending on where they are with harvest, they could have additional complications. We will continue to follow these regions.
The takeaway
Australians are nothing if not resilient. They will rebuild and find a better way to do things. For many this means the loss of a harvest. That is extremely difficult, watching an entire year of work disappear. The cellar doors are still open, they still have wine. Much of the reds from last years harvest are still waiting to be bottled and whites just bottled this spring are ready to be poured. Support the industry and these people. Visit if you are able and if not search out their wines.
For more…
You can read more on our visit to Australia and our #ouraussiewineadventure here on Crushed Grape Chronicles.
You can look forward to more in depth pieces on with winemakers we spoke with as well as our visit to the Orange & Hunter Valley Regions of New South Wales.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Years….they used to take forever! No longer. Now they often seem to speed by in a blur. The coming of the New Year makes me nostalgic. I sit warm, happy with a full belly and I remember that this is not to be taken for granted. Time for a little reflection and gratitude.
2019
I head to social media to reflect on the year. Remember the days when we had journals or diaries or a box of photos? Well, technology has allowed us to share those memorable moments, both big and small.
Instagram is my go to photo journal. So I’m sifting through to give you an idea of my year…holy crap there are alot of wine photos! LOL!
The Quiet Time
My photo essay of the beginning of my year…snow, studying, a Valentines Day on the ice, new Ramen places, hiking at Mount Charleston, beautiful sunsets, reading by the ocean in Carlsbad, high tea with friends, the super bloom in San Diego, a blind tasting event and of course, Loki. Okay…that gets us through the quiet months.
Double click on any of the photos for a larger picture and perhaps a bit more information.
The Scenic Route
We did our typical drive a million miles summer vacation. This year it was named “The Scenic Route”. It took us from Vegas to Tahoe, to Mount Shasta, to Southern Oregon, through the Columbia Gorge to the Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and then back through the Willamette, down to the Applegate Valley and finally to Yosemite before traveling home. We met incredible winemakers, saw beautiful scenery and vineyards and while we shared the overall story of our trip this year, you can look forward to many more in depth pieces on the places we visited this year.
Studying
Then we rested…that should be what I write next. But no. This was crunch time for me. I had been studying all year to take my test to become a Certified Specialist of Wine. After a 13 week course and then months of additional study I hoped I was ready. I was…
#OurAussieWineAdventure
Now was it time to rest? Nope. We were off to the Wine Media Conference in October. Social media got to see much of our trip…there are still interviews and articles to be written in the new year. Here is a glimpse of our travels through New South Wales Australia. We dubbed it #OurAussieWineAdventure.
So, exhausted and exhilarated, we returned. At this point the holiday’s approached and our 2nd Annual 12 Days of wine celebration was at hand.
12 Days of Wine
Here is a link to that page. 12 Days of Wine 2019. You’ll find fun video reveals and details about each of the wines there.
Now we’ve come to the end of the year. It was a full year. We have writing to do video’s to create and tons of content to share with you. And…there will be new adventures. For right now…I’m going to relax and then day dream about what the New Year might hold.
