AceHighWine

For the rest of the week, I’ll be taking Polaroids of the wines I’ll be writing up. In addition to wine and cards, photography is another interest of mine with instant photography being responsible for a good chunk of my debt. If you’re wondering why the funny borders - you might remember the classic white borders of Polaroid 600 film - it’s actually cheaper to buy expired Polaroid film than fresh, new stuff and I recently picked up a stash of expired film that was a mixed bag of promotional Polaroid film odds and ends.

And while on the topic of things that are a little different, today’s recommendation is this little beauty from McLaren Vale in South Australia. Aromas of nougat, agar-agar jelly, rose petals and strawberries denote this as shamelessly Moscatic. The powerful palate is driven by currents of rose, citrus, vanilla and strawberry but with enough of an acid rip tugging away beneath the surface to drag the wine from “cloying, sweet and kiddy” to between the red and white flags of balanced and serious. This is great stuff and a wonderful debut moscato from the Wirra Wirra mob.

I’m looking forward to cracking open a bottle of this at the end of our next Indian dinner and seeing how it pairs with some gulab jamun (milk dumplings in rose syrup) but regardless of whether enjoyed with food or not, this is terrific stuff and the perfect picnic wine with a low enough alcohol content - 5.5 per cent at “sea level” according to the label - to be gluggable straight out the bottle (but don’t because in addition to making you look like a heathen, it’ll taste like pants) while looking pretty and dainty enough to go with the ladies’ summer frocks. It’s a shame the design is so feminine as I suspect many blokes will keep their distance from this which is a bit of a shame really. 500ml bottles. 17.5+ www.wirrawirra.com

A couple of great drops I’ve had the pleasure of imbibing over the Christmas break. Both well worth hunting down at your local bottle shop. Fingers crossed, this review should also buy me some time as I get the second half of my Christmas chardonnay reviews up. They weren’t kidding when they dubbed this time of year the silly season!

Yarra Burn Pinot Noir Chardonnay Rose 2003 ($17)
Attractive light salmon in colour injected with a very fine, barely-there mousse: you almost have to squint to see those tiny pockets of air bubbling away like express elevators. Subtle hints of strawberry and nougat on the nose. A deliciously creamy mouth feel acts as the perfect gift wrapping to the wine’s refreshing, clean palate. There’s some berry characteristics from the pinot plus some nice chardonnay crispness and appley-ness with a succulent burst of lemon on the juicy finish. Very elegant, fine, refined, classy. This is the kind of drink you could wollop by the magnum on a summer’s day before you even realised you were drunk. Picked up from Liquor Barons at the bargain price of $17 and will highly likely be the Australian sparkling that summer 2006/2007 will be remembered for.

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Cabernet Merlot 2004 ($TBC)
Given time to breathe, that typical dense blackcurrant and chocolate aroma associated with young Margaret River cabernet blossoms into a heady mix of liqueured cherries, cedar oak, forrest floor, marzipan and a dozen different scents that my nose is nowhere near good enough to isolate and identify. Suffice to say, it’s the kind of nose you could spend a good half hour smelling and second-guessing yourself over. Juicy, medium-bodied and very approachable. The tannins are fine with just a hint of grip to add some bite to the wine. Succulent red berry flavours, a hint of “rustic” characters including savoury tomato leaf characters and a handful of earthiness. The perfect Moss Wood release that sits between the drink-now Amy’s range and the patience-testing wonders of the “regular” top-shelf Moss Wood cab sav.

Please excuse the slight weekend deviation from Champagne and sparkling wines to chardonnay. I’m trying to structure reviews thematically but decided to wield my sceptre of editorial supremacy for two reasons: firstly, the Devil’s Lair was an exceptional, exceptional drop, and secondly, chardonnay is one of the three classic Champagne varieties and forms the backbone of many Australian sparklings. Regardless, on with the show…

Widely regarded as one of the nation’s finest aperitif styles, Croser from Petaluma is a style that is primarily fruit-driven in its youth but has the potential to age wonderfully and develop a slew of delicious secondary characters. For now: the aromas are very fruit-centric with peach, lemon and stone fruit coming to the fore. There’s a lovely burst of floral blossoms in the mouth layered over a bed of pristine apricot and nectarine flavours (there’s obviously some very, very good fruit in here) wrapped in streamers of fine, persistent beads. At two years of age, it’s a mouthwateringly long, succulent and fresh mouthful of cool-climate fruit with glimpses of nutty complexity that need time to develop. Great drop. www.petaluma.com.au

Together with Croser (review coming soon), this is one of Australia’s most revered names when it comes to sparkling wine. In the glass, this is a visually stimulating drop with a peachy blush courtesy of the pinor noir giving that gives this wine its distinctive hue interrupted only by streamers of fine, persistent bubbles. The chardonnay-dominant palate is powered by lemon and grapefruit while almond and yeast nuances hint at the wine’s age. Refined and complex, yet carrying itself with an air of elegance absent from most Australian sparklings, this was the perfect choice to help wash away a completely shithouse week at work. (the outdoor Jacuzzi and bullshit good raindance shower at Maragret River’s Losari Retreat certaily helped as well) In addition to some smart winemaking, each distinctively shaped bottle of the Grant Burge Methode Traditionelle also exhibits much thought spent on design and packaging - check the classy interplay between warm autumnal tones and gold on the label. www.grantburgewines.com.au

Drinking wine in Australia has never been the most blokey of things to do and advertising campaigns aimed squarely at the female demographic do little to help reassure male wine drinkers that they’re quaffing honourable stuff. The current Perle campaign is one such campaign, but behind the marketing spin and media spend lays a pretty smart vintage sparkling that shone in a masked tasting. Aromatically, the fresh and zesty chardonnay components of the wine combine with some delicious aged characters to produce a mouth watering lemon pastry aroma. As a drink, this is a very classy package with the soft, rounded mouthfeel acting as wrapping paper to winemaker Charles Hargrave’s gift of juicy, succulent citrus, grapefruit and lemon flavours. www.yellowglen.com.au

Wine can be pretentious, so it’s refreshing to taste wine that is pretension-free: unassuming drops that don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. Something like this very different wine. This isn’t the kind of drop that you’ll find sharing cellar space with first growth Burgundy or cases of Alsace riesling. Nor is it the kind of drink I thought I’d ever recommend on AceHighWine (I’ll have to scull half a bottle of good old fashioned Aussie claret to get the testosterone levels back up to acceptable levels after this), but in the right circumstances and with some creative food matching, the Killawarra Dusk Strawberry comes into its own. As I noted in my tasting note, this is “lolly water for grown ups”. The wine smells just like homemade strawberry jam bubbling away on the stove – little surprise considering there’s a subtle berry infusion to give this wine its flavour injection. And yes, it is a sweet wine and I doubt many guys would be seen drinking much of this as the brand’s marketing is aimed squarely at the fairer sex, particularly the funky chick-like website. So ladies, if you’re planning some kind of “pink” party, looking for a fun drink to share with friends or even looking for an alcoholic match for Devonshire tea, you won’t find too many candidates more suited to the job than this. www.killawarra.com.au

If your travels take you to the excting Swan Valley in Perth, Riverbank is one producer you need to check out. As well as producing some smart wine, Riverbank is also home to a great restaurant where head chef Louisa Iacoppeta is given space to stretch her legs and do something really special with the produce on offer. The Swan Valley winery is also a venue for the Wine Industry of WA’s winetasting eight-week primary wine tasting courses - if only all classrooms were this easy to show up to. Now, moving onto the wine, which is perhaps my favourite drop in the Riverbank portfolio. A testament to the virtues of DIY winemaking, the Riverbank Chardonnay Brut is made in the traditional methode champenoise by Robert Bond using estate-grown chardonnay and he riddles and disgorges all the wine himself. Phrenetic fizz and uber-bubbly bubbles make for a vibrant, refreshing sparkling driven by apple and yeast flavours. Perfect as an aperitif or accompaniment to Riverbank’s sumptuous tasting plate. Available only at cellar door and one of the many reasons why you should pay the property a visit. www.riverbankestate.com.au