WINE ... with David Bray
Tramillon. Remember it? Perhaps not, and you are forgiven because although it has been around for 30 years and for a time was quite famous, it seems to have slipped a bit from the list of drinks favoured by better-known tipplers.
Could it be they don’t like to admit to a fondness for something just a little bit sweet?
It’s a blend of Traminer and Semillon trademarked by Lillypilly Estate’s Robert Femora. He's been making it since 1982 at his winery at Leeton in the Riverina and reckons it is one of his trademark wines. It scored a gold medal and the trophy for best NSW white wine at the 1983 Royal Sydney Wine Show.
It still enjoys healthy sales both here and overseas, especially, he says, in the UK.
Bringing together the spiciness and fragrance of Gewurztraminer and the crisp, dry freshness of Semillon he's crafted a wine from the 2010 vintage that has a slightly sweet edge to it, rock melon flavours with subtle lime and a hint of sherbet. So the blurb says. I like it. Suggested as a good match for spicy Asian dishes. Around $13.50.
Also worth a look is the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc at $14.50 one of those easy-drinking, zippy dry whites that goes ideally with all kinds of casual dining from crab cakes to Mexican-style chicken and grilled seafoods.
With these two whites came a couple of really easy-to-drink, make that really good wines, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Shiraz, each $16.50. Both are from vines planted by Pasquale Fiumara and his family in 1972 _ rich and mellow.
Lillypilly is in most big bottleshops or from the winery at $13.50 (plus freight) on http://www.lillypilly.com/.
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FROM across the Tasman, there’s plenty of flavour in a couple of whites, newly to hand under the Waipara Hills label.
The Waipara Valley, in the South Island is one of the interesting emerging regions in NZ. It is not far north of Christchurch and is home to around 80 vineyards covering 1,200 hectares. Within this wine region are three identified sub regions, including the valley floor, hill slopes and river terraces. These areas are unique in their aspects and soil types, from the gravelly deposits on the terraces and the limestone derived clays moving to gravelly loams over alluvials on the valley floor and slopes.
The 2011 vintage Waipara Hills Riesling and Pinot Gris show the region’s strength in growing these aromatic varieties, being made from grapes grown on three vineyards owned by the winery _The Deans, The Mound and The Home Block.
The 2011 Waipara Hills Riesling, vibrant and crisp, is from The Mound Vineyard which winemaker Simon McGeorge says has very gravelly soil structure, and long autumn ripening, “perfectly suited to growing riesling”.
In 2010 the winery staged the ‘New Zealand Riesling Challenge where it delivered four tonnes of Riesling from the same block to 12 different New Zealand winemakers. McGeorge reports that the 12 wines were unique, but they all had the underlying regional distinction.
“We learnt a great deal from the 2010 New Zealand Riesling Challenge. With a dozen winemakers all effectively working with the same fruit, we were able to see the effects of different techniques used on the fruit. It was a very enlightening and invaluable experience.
“The Waipara Hills Riesling now includes the International Riesling Foundation scale for sweetness on its label. This continuum, from dry to sweet, ensures consumers are aware of the level of sweetness of the wine before they buy.”
The 2011 Waipara Hills Pinot Gris is predominantly from grapes grown in Home Block, whose vines are around 16 years old and deliver small, tight berries producing “wonderful concentration of flavours.
“We aim to produce dry and structured Pinot Gris, with lovely palate weight and mouth feel yet being tight and fresh.”
Each retails around $20.90, perhaps a touch more than we expect for these grapes, but worth a look. I say.
