By Justin Persons
Special to the Turnagain Times
Hi folks, just your friendly neighborhood wine guy here, reporting from a recent journey to Australia. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Australian wines and their incredible value. We have all seen Yellow Tail, Jacob's Creek, and Penfolds from the Southern hemisphere. These wines are all affordable and certainly delicious, but I feel the need to investigate Australian wines at all levels and price points.
Admittedly, I didn't mind feeling the hot, Aussie sun on my face either. So as any research minded individual, I had to go see (taste) for myself.
The Australian wine industry is the fourth-largest exporter in the world. Considered a new world wine producing country, they export over 400 million liters a year, not to mention they drink about the same amount domestically. Wine is a big part of the culture, economy and tourism. Making it a magical combination of sun, sea, desert, kangaroos and most importantly, wine.
The woman of my dreams and I arrived at the Sydney airport, 18 hours later with only backpacks. Conveniently, there are world-class vineyards just ninety minutes outside of Sydney. We rented a Wicked Camper van, which is basically a VW van that is painted with creative artwork. (We wanted to blend in with the locals, naturally).
First stop was the oldest wine region in the country: the Hunter Valley, established in 1830. This place is a bit of an anomaly. It has poor soil quality and is almost too hot and humid for delicate grapes. But somehow it manages to produce the finest Chardonnay's and Semillion's in the country. Semillion (sim-ee-on), is a delicious white wine that is rather unexciting when young, but after five to ten years of age in the bottle it turns into an extraordinary wine full of aromas and flavors of honeyed, nutty, and buttery fruit. You need to try one of these beauties. Good producers that are available up here are Wynn's, Lindemans, and Two Hands.
Shiraz reigns supreme down under. Everywhere else in the world it is called Syrah. This thick-skinned grape loves the heat and sun. When we toured the vineyard it was 105 degrees and the vines looked to be thriving. Pinot Noir grapes would die immediately. But not the hearty Shiraz grapes, these need the sun and heat to coax out all of it's aromas and flavors of pepper, leather, dark chocolate, black olive, and black berry fruit. At the Musky we have the Bin 28 and Bin 128 Shiraz and also multiple vintages of Grange. These delicious wines pair beautifully with the Pepper Steak. Hint, hint.
Wine research had to be mixed up a bit, so we got our scuba diving certification on the Great Barrier Reef, stayed in a tree house during a hurricane, and came within an inches of hitting a kangaroo at 60 m.p.h.
When our trip brought us to the South Central part of the continent, also conveniently a huge and famous wine region, they're were no complaints. The beautiful city of Adelaide is surrounded by my favorite wine regions, such as: McClaren Vale, the Barossa Valley, and Coonawarra. The Barossa is home to Penfold's, perhaps Australia's most famous winery. Each wine at every level and price point has its strong points. Much of what we think of Penfolds is merely a fraction of what they produce. We went to spy at their Magille Estates restaurant and had a 1982 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon that was just now peaking at its “drinkability”! Just reaching it's prime 28 years later! The Penfolds label make wines at every price point and has a huge distribution worldwide. Penfold's top Shiraz, Grange, is Australia's most iconic and expensive wine. They poured it for $125 a glass, not to mention a barrel costs a mere $250,000, but price is a tricky indicator of good wine. Especially, in a region known for its value.
The Barossa is also home to, believe it or not, excellent Riesling. We're talking bone dry with intense acidity and flavors of lime, wet stones, and lemon custard. There are little pockets of cool-climate zones, such as Clare Valley, in the Barossa that are perfect for Riesling. Try Wynn's and Jacob's Creek which run about $10 a bottle. Tremendous value.
Just South of Adelaide is the McClaren Vale wine region, which is just like Napa Valley with its consumer friendly tasting rooms and easy access off the main highway. The Shiraz is great, but I had to dig for lesser-known varieties and found that the Grenache is phenomenal. Grenache (Grin-ahhsh) thrives in the heat like Shiraz and it is an absolute joy to drink. Aromas of raspberry confection, chocolate, ground espresso, and cloves are present in these Australian Grenaches. Not too dry and it packs a high alcohol punch much like a California red Zinfandel.
Shiraz and Grenache also make excellent blends together as they compliment each other so well. Try Two Hands, D'Arenberg, or Clarendon Hills Grenache and prepare to be blown away. As a side note, try the GSM varieties as well. Grenache, Shiraz, and Mouvedre blended together is a mouth watering combination. GSM is famous from the Southern Rhone Valley in France and makes its mark in Australia.
Last, but not least, the Coonawarra region, home of the best Cabernet Sauvignon. The Coonawarra region is identified by a strip of Terra Rosa soil (rich red topsoil over limestone), which lies beneath the vines and gives them an incredible intensity. These Cabs have great structure and elegance. The complex flavors are a swirl of black currants, menthol, earth, and exotic spices. Yalumba, Penfold's, and Thomas Hardy were my favorite Cabernet's that are available here in the frozen north.
What an amazing country. The food was world-class and the people were so friendly and laid-back, much like Alaskans. The wine wasn't half bad either. Wine is very much apart of the Australian culture and is considered one of the most powerful influences on the wine world today. Here's what you need to know about Australian wines, like any region there are the good and the bad, but Australia has an excellent reputation for quality and value. It's a part of their history, a part of their work force and culture and if you love wine, it should be a part of your cellar.
Justin Persons co-owns the Double Musky Inn restaurant in Girdwood.
