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The Cape Bernier podcast

cape bernier whites.mp3 (14.3 mb,  15:43 minutes) Cape Bernier reds.mp3 ( 21.9 mb,  23:58 minutes )

Alistair talks about the 2008 Pinot Gris which, unfortunately has sold out and then goes on to the 2008 Chardonnay which is still available. Along the way we get surprised about Britney Spears and hear about wines from a proper cool climate. Cape Bernier make a pinot and a cabernet merlot and we try them both. Alistair explains how he gets the pinot so balanced and the secret behind perfecting merlot on a 'very difficult site'. Alistair finishes off by detailing where punters can purchase Cape Bernier wines

Alistair Christie - failed former control freak?

If you've ever had a job that involved a lot of travelling then you'll know that it can be exhausting. Worse, the disruption to your routine finds you discovering the joys of insomnia. Alistair Christie had one of these jobs. Travelling extensively between Canberra, Sydney and New Zealand as a management consultant and policy advisor played merry hell with his sleep patterns.

Alistair

Enduring another sleepless night in yet another forgettable hotel he decided there had to be more to life. The next day he bought what he described as a book on viticulture, but judging by the distance between his fingers as he was speaking it was more like a pamphlet. This scant level of research was enough to put him on the path to buying some sheep paddocks in south east Tasmania that in time become Cape Bernier vineyard.

Armed with his pamphlet and very little else Alistair planted his vineyard some 12 years ago. The site he chose, despite being beautiful, was labelled by Fred Peacock as a "very difficult site". "At the time I didn't know why he said that" Alistair said "but I think I now understand, it's a bit below the ambient temperature that the vines are happy with". As a result he doesn't get the growth and yield of warmer sites.

Along with the challenges of the site Alistair has had to make personal adjustments. He admits to being a 'failed former' control freak. It has taken the vagaries of viticulture and Tasmania's climate to make him realise that one and one often gives you three and a half rather than the expected two. For a trained scientist, adjusting to this reality hasn't always been easy.

Alistair pouring

His efforts haven't been in vain. Cape Bernier won vineyard of the year for 2010. Quite an achievement for someone who jokingly refers to himself as "not even a gardener!". Alistair regards this award as a real honour since it is bestowed by people who he admires and whose efforts he strives to emulate.

Aside from the 'feel good' aspect this award presents opportunities for Cape Bernier wine. Alistair mentioned that it has given the label credibility within the wider industry making it easier to sell to major customers. The only problem with winning an award is the temptation to rest on your laurels.

This is unlikely given Alistair's attitude. "It is a risk" he said "right at the moment there are things I want to change ... it's very much a question of continuous improvement". In particular he believes focussing on the feeding of his vines will take the vineyard to the next level.

Let the sign lead you in!

Given how hard it has been to turn this 'difficult site' into an award winning vineyard producing excellent wines we had two questions.

Firstly, why do it? "I wanted something to do in my twilight years" laughed Alistair. This begs the question, is running a vineyard a good retirement activity? After all most retirees seem to favour golf or gambling. "I'd definately recommend golf and gambling" insisted Alistair. "Running a vineyard, or developing one from scratch like I have, is an extremely arduous and demanding thing ... you need deep pockets what's more!"

Secondly, how do you do it? The answer involved taking all the steps you would expect and one we didn't. Leaf plucking, particularly early on the development of the grapes has gone a long way to compensating for the coolness of the Cape Bernier site. Alistair maintains that good wine comes from grapes that have the right temperature profile throughout their life.

This means that as soon as the bunches start to appear any leaves shadowing those bunches must be removed. "We started out removing them all ... but now we are not so extreme". Alistair believes that leaf plucking has enabled his grapes to develop their full flavours. "You can taste the difference" he insists.

Cape Bernier wines

So there you have it. Our advice is don't create your own vineyard. Leave it to dedicated over achievers like Alistair. But what you can do is take advantage of his efforts by drinking his wines. They are for sale both in Tassie and on the mainland. If you are in the vicinity of Bream Creek you can visit the cellar door. It's by appointment only, for the details go to the Cape Bernier website, but watch out for cows on the roads and the 'exciting' driving by the locals.

See more photos in the gallery

The current Cape Bernier Range

2009 Cape Bernier Pinot Gris

Unfortunately it is sold out but Alistair brought out a bottle from his private stash. This wine is big. Big nose, deep colour and rich spicy taste. It reminded us of homemade apple pies. The usual complaint that gris is tasteless simply doesn't apply here. Alistair puts this down to his site. "Pinot gris just loves it here. On a cold rainy day they put their rain coats on, chardonnay doesn't get out of bed and pinot has a grizzle".

"But this is what gives the wine it's intense fruit flavours. The berries start out lemony but once they are fully ripe they add honey". Alistair believes a lot of Australian pinot gris is grown in sites that are too warm which results in flat flavours. The benefits of the site are reinforced by leaving the juice on skins for longer than is the norm.

Having tried a fair bit of 'tasteless' pinot gris over the years it was very surprising to experience the Cape Bernier. It was as surprising as hearing that Britney Spears had explained algebra to someone who then turned around and said "that's the best explanation I have ever heard!".

2008 Cape Bernier Chardonnay

This is the first 'pure' Cape Bernier chardonnay. In the past the chardonnay was blended with pinot gris.

The initial impression is of a wine that's very clean and silky. Alistair believes this wine is a very good example of a cool climate chardonnay. It has intense citrus flavours ranging from grapefruit to lemon. The high acid levels make it a very good food wine giving it what Alistair calls "a steely backbone".

Since we've labelled it a food wine try it with roast pork, baked salmon pasta, grilled whiting or cheese.

2008 Cape Bernier Pinot

We tasted this wine sitting outside on a nice but cool afternoon. The wine was therefore more chilled than would usually be the case. Despite this it still had a very big nose. There was also a spiky fruity intensity to the taste. The finish is savoury and clean.

The word 'balanced' is overused in tasting notes but this wine is a perfect example of what that term is trying to convey. It's the result of combining the leaf plucking technique we mentioned earlier with what happens in the winery "Our winemakers are very keen on the idea of balancing the tannins to the fruit. In practical terms this means using the right combination of new and older oak barrels".

Despite being an excellent wine now, Alistair believes the 2008 will become more complex if left in the bottle for up to a year. So if you have the space and the patience then by all means.

2008 Cape Bernier Cabernet Merlot

Alistair led us to believe that merlot grapes don't work on his site so we were a little perplexed when we tried this wine. Frankly if this is a wine that doesn't work we want to see more wines not working. "Ah" he replied "this is a wine that does work but we don't get the grapes from this site".

It is an extraordinary wine. The 'smoky bacon' nose leads on to a big flavour with no stem (grassy) taste or heavy alcohol. Think of it as a bigger minty version of the Cape Bernier pinot. This means it is a 'drink now' kind of wine. "We deliberately make it for early release".

The wine can vary slightly from year to year because Alistair alters the amount of merlot depending on the quality of the fruit. The 2008 is 25% merlot.

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