Wine Notes - May 2010

By Franz Scheurer

Magners Irish Pear Cider

This is a fabulous thirst quencher. Bottled in a 568ml glass bottle at 4.5% a/v it’s slightly effervescent and quite dry. Made in Tipperary, Ireland this is well worth seeking out and drinking instead of a beer. Made from 100% pears it has a faint musk and pear aroma and a definite pear flavour. It’s moreish and very easy to drink.

For more information go to: http://www.magners.com

Rimauresq Cru Classé 2008

This is a rosé made the way a rosé should be made. It’s absolutely gorgeous and not just a food wine (although that’s its strength) it works well as an aperitif. From the Côtes de Provence, it’s pink with a good wallop of orange, dry with mandarin skin and spice on the nose and an almost meaty palate. It really brings out the spicy characters as it warms up in the mouth and it’s the perfect wine to have with anything from a Salade Niçoise to a plate of fresh rag pasta with blue-swimmer crab. Highly recommended! Look out for it at your local bottle shop or on your favourite restaurant’s wine list.

Mr. Riggs Riesling VOR-GS 2009

It takes guts to make a ‘sweet’ Riesling in this country. VOR-GS is an ‘Old World’ style wine and it’s a prime example of sweetness matched by acidity. It’s fresh, it’s wonderful and it’s a wine I want to drink. Love it matched with spicy food as it easily stands up to chilli heat. It’s the perfect for the way we eat. Come on, what are you waiting for? Go and get some!

RRP $ 22

For more information go to: http://www.mrriggs.com.au

Farr Rising Pinot Noir Mornington 2008

Nick Farr has come a long way as a wine maker and he’s leaving his own mark on the Farr name. His Pinot Noir from Mornington has all the attributes of a good Pinot; it’s savoury, spicy and moreish. Quite dark in colour it promises concentration but it’s far from a heavy wine. Dark berries and cinnamon on the nose translate to spicy, earthy flavours on the palate with silken tannins and a good, long, dry finish. Excellent wine at its price point.

Petit Rimauresq 2007

This Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan blend is an earthy, substantial and eminently pleasant wine. From the Côtes de Provence it is bottled at 14% a/v and shows off both the terroir and the winemaker’s abilities. It’s integrated, together, tight yet aromatic with a fabulous texture. It’s the sort of wine that will complement Sweetbread like you find it at Guillaume at Bennelong, or Rabbit the way Justin North cooks it at Bécasse and it certainly works with Tetsuya’s Squab Pigeon on Barley Risotto; in other words it’s a food wine that benefits form earthy, full flavours.

Look for it; it’s well worth it!

White Rabbit Dark Ale

This fabulous ale hails from Healesville in Victoria and punches above its weight at 5.2% a/v. It’s quite dark and viscous, but it is not a Guinness-style beer; it’s much closer to an ‘old’. It’s an open ferment, no additives, no preservatives beer and on the nose you perceive malt and roasted hops with nuances of dried figs. On the palate it is refreshingly chewy with overtones of spice (mainly mace and cinnamon) and real depth of flavour with lots of yeasty notes. This is great quite cold and works fantastically with freshly shucked oysters and a few drops of Green Tabasco, but it also works with a dessert like Peanut Brittle or Brown Bread Ice Cream. Available at good bottle shops. Try it, you’ll love it.

Toohey’s Extra Dry 5 Sees Cider

This is a mass-volume cider produced to the Australian palate that has a habit of drinking everything ice cold. It’s, as advertised, clean and crisp and you don’t want it to warm up as it is only good when served, as they suggest, ‘bloody cold’. Does it have merit? I am not sure…

Farr Rising Chardonnay 2008

This wine is made by Nick Farr and is from Geelong. It weighs in at 13.5% a/v and is a clean, dry, terroir driven Chardonnay that shows very little oak and a lot of silky textures. This is not your typical Australian Chardonnay that can be heavy, overoaked and a challenge to drink young. This wine loves being poured right now. Pair it with some roasted almonds and olives for a simple aperitif or drink it with a pea + ham soup and some crusty bread.

Head Red Barossa Valley Shiraz Viognier 2009

Let me quote Alex Head, the winemaker: “Each year I declassify and blend a few barrels from current vintage ‘The Blonde’ and ‘The Brunette’ vineyards, resulting in a limited-edition wine called ‘Head Red’. This wine allows a neak preview of my later-released single vineyard wines and a chance for me to practice the old adage, ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’”. Well, if this wine is a glimpse into the future, then I want to be part of it. It’s a fantastically rounded, together red wine; something I want to drink. Not too heavy it nevertheless expresses ripe fruit and a vineyard-driven savouriness, which is enchanting. Love it!

For more information go to: http://www.headwines.com.au