Sunday, November 05, 2006
The Grampians and the Great Ocean Road
Saddled with four bottles of wine from Barossa and McLaren Vale, I set off on a 3 day tour of Grampians National Park and the Great Ocean Road. This was my way of getting from Adelaide to Melbourne and being able to take in some more of Australia's amazing scenery.
Grampians National Park is in the process of recovering from a major forest fire in January 2006. From what I saw, very little of the forest was unscathed. Despite the damage done, the forest is making its comeback and it was amazing to see life emerging from the massive amount of damage done. Its... like... a phoenix, dude.
ANYWAY, midway through the second day we hit the Great Ocean Road, Australia's answer to Highway 1 in Cali. It is no wonder that this is some of the most heavily photographed area in Oz. The views are stunning. The most popular sight on the G.O.R is the Twelve Apostles which is now down to eleven as of last year when one of the pillars finally gave in to erosion. Erosion is chewing up a good amount of the coast, and has also claimed the bridge portion of London Bridge, reducing it to London Arch. There is a good story about a couple of lovers that was saved off London Bridge when the connection to the mainland went:
The couple was having a picnic, and their rescue was captured on national television. This was a problem for the man however. First, he had called in sick to work that day and second, his wife watched the news. Too much.
Wine Country!
Finally. I have been waiting for this for some time. Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley. Kaarina and Stan put me up for 5 days and were able to join me for me on half of the tour. For the bulk of my time in this region, I was hosted by Mark Cohen from Malesco Wine Brokers who went beyond the call and spoiled me rotten with insider tours and tastings. Here's the rundown:
Day 1 - Adelaide Hills
With Stan and Kaarina, saw Shaw & Smith and Nepenthe. Shaw & Smith had a fantastic pinot, only available through the cellar door which we bought and downed with dinner. Nepenthe was fine with their best being The Fugue and the Zin.
Day 2 - McLaren Vale
Region of the first wine that got be going ass over teakettle for wine - Pirramimma. Fabulous wines at reasonable prices, these folks do it right year in and year out, and the 04s are looking great.
Next up was Marius. This is a very small winery with no cellar door. Roger was a total sweetheart and gave us a tasting in his dining room. The Shiraz Mourvedre is a total beast, but still has good balance. If and when Marius gets into Ontario, it's a thumbs up. Roger joined us for a few more tastings.
Samuel's Gorge had the best range of standout wines I tried over the course of the two days of tastings. Justin McNamee is doing amazing things with Temperanillo. He also produces standout Grenache and Shiraz. Gold star.
Next was Coriole. They produce very classicly styled wines and have a huge portfolio. Their
Mary Kathleen was their best wine, done in a Bordeaux-style.
Last was d'Arenberg. We caught them at the end of the day and the tasting was a little rushed. Got to try the 04 Dead Arm which was still very rough around the edges, but has the goods to last.
Day 2 - Barossa Valley
Started off at Tait. They were well made wines and we did the tasting on a skid of bottles getting ready to be shipped to the LCBO. Sampled was the Cab and Basket Pressed Shiraz and Ballbuster, the latter not being available at the LCBO.
Second up was Langmeil. They make a lovely sparkling that reminded me a bit of Cremant de Loire, and a very good Valley Floor Shiraz.
On to Torbreck, one of my favourite wineries, and unfortunately one that I can rarely afford. We were the only ones in there for about 45 minutes, and we took our time tasting everything right up to the iconic Run Rig. Both Descendant and Run Rig are beyond description. The nose penetrated my sinuses. As Mark put it, you could pour a single glass of these wines and enjoy it over a whole night. Best wines for me within a non-stratospheric pricepoint were The Steading and The Struie. Stunning standouts also included The Celts and The Factor. It was great to try a such a spectacular lineup in a relaxed environment.
Next up was Kaesler. We tried some good quality wines for reasonable prices but nothing stood out for me.
Elderton follwed with a solid showing. Standouts were the CSM (now called Ode to Lorraine with a higher Cab content) from the Estate Range and of course the Command Shiraz and Ashmead Cab. Cam gave me a trade of the century - a bottle of 02 Command for a bottle of Ontario late harvest riesling. What a total sweetheart.
Next was Yalumba where I got to try a few mid-range wines. Standouts were the Eden Vally Viognier, Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier and Signature Cab Shiraz.
Last but not least was a visit with Domenic from Torzi Matthews just over the hill in the Eden Valley. Domenic is passionate about wine, and it shows in his product. He produces a range of Shiraz (single, multiple vineyards and a Cab blend) and also a Reisling and Grenache. Standouts from the tasting was the Frost Dodger Shiraz and the Longhop. This label is not yet available in Ontario, but keep an eye out as Domenic is working to get some cases in.
So, that was it, a totally decadent 3 days. A huge thanks goes out to Mark for showing me around. I would have only seen 20% of what he showed me had I gone with a bus tour. Spectacular, everything I had hoped for and more.
