Wine road tests - 2010

The following wines can be purchased now in all good wine retailers and we thought we should put them through a winepunter road test. It's not a review it's a proper full on workout. Heres the lot for 2010.

2008 Derwent Estate Wines Chardonnay

This wine is made by Andrew Hanigan and Julian Alcorso (Wine Making Tasmania) from fruit grown by Andrew at the family vineyard (Derwent Estate) in Granton.

It cost $29.50 and has 13% alcohol. This makes 7.7 standard drinks in the 750ml bottle.

What's it like straight from the fridge?

Despite the fact that our fridge is set to the warmest setting possible it still makes a white wine too cold. The Derwent Chardonnay, like most whites, has little flavour in this situation. You do smell some citrus but the taste is thin and acidic. The acid hangs on for quite a while. It's not terrible but it's more like a sauvignon blanc than a chardonnay.

What about once it's warmed up?

08 Derwent Estate
Chardonnay

Half an hour in the glass works wonders. You can smell pear along with the citrus. It actually starts to taste of something rather than acid. There is a nice level of oak and the acid has moved to the background. It's still strong but the roughest edges have come off. The mouthfeel has also improved. It is noticeably thicker.

As the wine reaches room temperature it continues to improve. There is now a oaky acid highlight that is pretty pleasant. The fact that the wine retains its flavour and structure throughout tells you this is a quality wine. 

What's it like with food?

We drank the chardonnay with a baked salmon pasta. It's a strong tasting dish with a creamy leek, chilli, garlic and dill sauce. The acid in the wine really helped to ensure that you could taste both the food and wine cleanly. While not planned it was a very good food and wine match. Overall this is better with food than being drunk on its own.

What's it like the next day

Out of the fridge there was no change. But as the wine warmed up there was a definite softening to the acid and an slight flattening of the taste. This time we had it with a chicken and pumpkin lasagne which again turned out to be a good match.

In summary then ....

We are big fans of the Derwent Estate Rose and Pinots and it was interesting to try our first white from this label. Overall this is a good food wine but a bit young to be drunk on its own. It would be very interesting to try the chardonnay again in a couple of years. Buy it if you are going to have it with food or put it in the cellar for a few years.

2008 Observatory Hill Pinot

This wine is made by Alain Rousseau and Nick Glaetzer (Frogmore Creek) from fruit grown by Glenn and Chris Richardson at the Observatory Hill Vineyard near Mt Rumney.

It cost $29.50 and has 13% alcohol. This makes 7.7 standard drinks in the 750ml bottle.

What's it like straight from the fridge?

Since this is a pinot we didn't put it in the fridge but because we know people who do chill reds, particularly in summer, we should have. Next time we will.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

08 Observatory hill
Pinot

Decanting a red (ie pouring it into a carafe or some other container) is a good idea but since most people don't do this we didn't bother either.

Our initial impression was positive, very positive. This wine has a John Elliot nose - big, very big. This is a big cherry pinot with a oaky tannin backend. The fruit flavour is there but doesn't linger. We also liked the very smooth mouthfeel.

What's it like with food?

We drank the pinot with a roast beef. Potato bake and vegetables from the winepunters patch rounded out the dish. As is usual with a roast the wine had to contend with a rich gravy full of meat juices. The pinot has the acid and tannin to match such a rich dish. If anything the food softened the tanins a bit and made the wine even more enjoyable.

What's it like the next day

We liked it so much the first time there wasn't a lot left over for day 2. However it tasted just as good. There was a reduction in the effect of the tanins which made the fruit seem more pronounced.

In summary then ....

This is our first exposure to Observatory Hill but we were impressed. This pinot is a wine that can be drunk on its own now as well as going with food. The winemaker suggests cellaring over the 'medium term' which we take to mean at least 5 years. Sounds like excellent advice but we're not sure we could wait that long.

2006 Morningside Cabernets

This wine is made by Peter Bosworth from fruit grown by Peter and his wife Brenda at the Morningside vineyard in Tea Tree.

It cost $27.00 at the cellar door. If you want to order direct go to their website. You can also purchase it from The Wursthaus, Hill Street Grocer and specialty wine retailers like Just Add Wine and Trio Wines. Prices will range from $27 to $36. It has 13.5% alcohol. This makes 8.0 standard drinks in the 750ml bottle.

Be aware this wine is under cork.

What's it like straight from the bottle?

Some wines take a while to open up, not this one. It comes 'ready to drink'. Big fresh pointy nose of minty pepper. It has a mouth feel that somehow manages to be both lively and relaxed. The finish was impressive and long, very very long.

It certainly knows how to create a favourable first impression. Frankly if your daughter brought home a bloke like this you wouldn't be reaching for the shotgun ... well at least not straight away.

What about once it's been in the glass?

06 Morningside
Cabernets

Time in the glass did make a slight difference. The oaky highlight became quite intense.  Following up a good first impression with another. That bloke your daughter brought home has a bank balance and knows a bit about footy ... could this one be a keeper?

What's it like with food?

We rolled out the big guns on this one. The Morningside had to contend with a slow cooked Beef (Boeuf in French) Bourguignonne. Rich French style cooking with the trademark oodles of heart palpitating butter, mushroom and bacon. It is quite simply the best fun you can have while handling sharp implements. To say this was an inspired food and wine match is an understatement. 

If anything the food made this wine even smoother and richer. It also seemed to tease out a rush of mint from the cabernet. 

What's it like the next day

The wine was still bright and flavoursome the next day. But it hadn't finished impressing us. We had a glass with a baked red salmon pasta ... and it was fantastic. It wasn't supposed to be, but it was. That bloke your daughter brought home has a Porsche and has just said you can drive it anytime you like ... by now you're thinking 'don't stuff this up girlie'.

In summary then ....

Cabernets can be monsters or they can be light but punchy wines that match a wider range of food than you expect. Peter and Brenda Bosworth have elected to go with the latter. We were just a little bit impressed ... could you tell?

2007 Temple Bruer Grenache Shiraz Viognier

David and Michael Bruer recently delivered a seminar on organic approaches to vineyard management. As part of that seminar they provided tastings of their current range and to put it mildly we were a little amazed at the overall quality. We probably shouldn't have been. After all Michael had been telling us organic wines can match the quality of more conventionally produced ones.

David kindly gave us a couple of bottles to road test and, given our love of 'the blend', it's fitting that we talk about the 07 Grenache Shriaz Viognier.

It has 14% alcohol. This makes 8.3 standard drinks in the 750ml bottle. To check current prices and to find out more go to their website.

Interestingly this blend is 'Vegan friendly'. Now there's a phrase you don't hear very often. Or is that friendly vegan? Unfortunately we don't know any vegans so our exposure to them is limited to the ones that appear on the television. They all seem to be from the 'meat is murder' or 'I am your moral superior because I don't eat meat' variety.

They are, we assume, in the minority so their antics must make the reasonable ones quite cross. Like everyone else. In any case there is now a wine they can drink and if they are miserable gits maybe this will cheer them up. This wine certainly made us chirpy.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

07 Temple Bruer
Grenache Shiraz
Viognier

By 'straight' we do mean into a glass first.

The rich, full and very smooth smell hits you immediately. Actually it's a bit of a rush. Unlike some other reds this wine has a good solid taste right from the start. As it sits in the glass it does open up a little bit more but people who like to 'slam it down fast' aren't missing out too much in their haste.

What's it like with food?

The Grenache blend was poured on a night where we made a parmesan crusted lamb rack with roasted Mediterranean vegetables. We can't say we planned it but it was a very good food match as it turned out. This wine is an excellent food wine. It marrys a light texture with some serious flavour.

What's it like the next day

When we test a wine we match it with what ever we happen to be eating. We had a great match with the lamb rack but matching this wine with a chilli dish was, as we expected, a mistake of almost biblical proportions. The chilli completely overpowered the fruit. All that was left was the tannin. The more we ate the worse it got. This is not the fault of the wine.

Happily we had a glass after the meal and it came back with a vengeance. A bit like John Howard in the early nineties. Much to our relief all the flavour, body and finish returned quickly as the burning sensation subsided. While many of the food and wine matching 'rules' are unnecessary, keeping a red away from chilli is one that should be followed.

In summary then ....

If this vegan friendly wine can make vegans friendly then it will deserve the Nobel Peace prize. In the meantime it is a fantastic food wine for those people who like their reds with a bit of oomph but don't want the alcohol 'head butt' that can come with wines that are the pride of South Australia.

Those of you with an environmentally aware bent can buy this wine secure in the knowledge that you aren't sacrificing anything in order to do your bit for the planet. Drink it on it's own of have it with food. Value for money as well as improving your green credentials. Win - win we say.

2008 Sharmans Pinot

Mike Sharman gave us this wine to roadtest at the recent Red Wine weekend and we were pretty keen to try it.  

We liked his 06 pinot so much we went and bought a heap of it. Unfortunately it's all gone now ... but no more tears we have the 08 to try!.

It has 13.9% alcohol. This makes 7.9 standard drinks in the 750ml bottle. The wine contains sulphites.

To check current prices and to find out more go to their website.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

08 Sharmans
Pinot

The bottle had been sitting in our cellar and was, as a result, a little too cool.

On opening the nose was pretty subtle and a bit dusty. The thing that struck most on the first taste was the tannins. Not unpleasant but very vocal.

Leaving it a half hour saw the nose change markedly. The dusty smell had gone and was replaced with bright fruit. It tasted more rounded as well. Although the tannins were still intense this was balanced with an impressive long finish.

What's it like with food?

The food for the roadtest was Mongolian meatballs with stir fried vegetables. This meal has spicy and intense flavours and a wine needs structure and punch in order to cope. Fortunately the Sharmans has both those in spades. In fact you'd think the wine was made with just this sort of meal in mind. The tannins softened and the mouthfeel smoothed out. Munch, munch .... good food .... slurp, slurp ..... great wine.

What's it like the next day

A day opened is a day improved as far as the Sharmans was concerned. The nose was intense from the get go with none of the dusty overtones from the day before. No problems with the taste either.

Given how impressive the pinot was as a food wine with meat we decided to push it a bit further. This time it was teamed with a creamy smoked salmon pasta with capers, spinach and mushroom. The response? Like a car winning a race against a bloke on his sister's pushbike.  No surprises. This wine will probably go with nearly anything and we should have known that so it wasn't much of a test.

In summary then ....

The back label refers to the wine's light tannins. If by 'light' they mean intense and a bit grippy we couldn't agree more. If you like solid and in your face structure then you will enjoy this wine now.

But we like the velvety and complete wine a Sharmans pinot becomes after a couple of years in the bottle. This wine will be even better than the 06 in a couple more years. Patience grasshopper!

According to the movie and various internet based nut jobs the world will end in 2012. Since we think this wine will be damn near perfect by then it will be just the thing to be drinking as the four horsemen of the apocalypse ride over the horizon. We can't think of a better way to go.

2007 Winstead Pinot

Neil Snare has a long and successful track record of producing brilliant pinots. His 05 reserve is one of the best we have tried and incredibly is still available. His 06 was also very tidy so it's only right that the 07 be subject to a roadtest. So let's kick on shall we .... Vroom vroom.

This wine has 13.2% alcohol. This means there are 7.8 standard drinks in the 750ml bottle. The wine contains preservative 224.

It's got a new label, one that isn't impossible to photograph properly! Unfortunately while photographers the world over rejoice the mainland punters hate it so it's going to be changed again. Let's hope that reflective silver has gone the way of purple flairs.

To check current prices and to find out more go to the website.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

07 Winstead
Pinot back label

The initial impression is of a wine that is tight and subdued. "Ok who stole my winstead?" you ask yourself. The light cherry nose, slight acidy front end and very short finish are good but not what you expect from a quintessential winstead pinot.

But after half an hour in the glass your thinking " oh there it is!" The tannins are poking their heads up and the bright clean fruit flavour announces it's arrival. Bit of a relief really. As time goes by you get more fruit and more tannin punch. "That's what we're talkin' about!".

Think of this period being like finding out your favourite attractive person actually has a brain and personality as well.

What's it like with food?

Pinot and lamb are made for each other. Just like Eamon Sullivan and second place. Knowing this we paired the Winstead with a roast lamb marinated in honey and mustard. Of course the obligatory Heart Foundation frowned upon gravy was there to keep the wine honest.

This Winstead pinot is a very good food wine. It's lively and muscular enough to hold it's own in the endless battle for supremacy between food and wine. Imagine a nil all draw but one that's actually interesting rather the usual ones you get from soccer.

What's it like the next day

The following day saw the Winstead matched with snack food. In this case some cheddar and caraway scones. There was also butter. Only some sort of freak would have scones without butter.  Don't use margarine ..... ever!

Any who the 07 pinot showed it's versatility. The slightly salty and very savory scones were a nice counter to the increasingly solid fruit flavour coming from the pinot. The wine was definately more intense than the previous day. Maybe it's like pasta or curry, better the next day.

In summary then ....

The 07 pinot is a quality drop. It won't displace the 05 Reserve in our affections but it does a very good job nonetheless.  This is not a wine to rush so make sure you open it at least half an hour before you want to drink it. You may even want to leave it longer.  Next time we're going to decant it and leave it over night.

Overall this wine leaves Neil Snare's reputation in the pinot caper very much intact.
 

2009 Joseph Chromy Pinot Gris

Joseph Chromy is one of the legends of Tasmanian wine. He has a very large and impressive cellar door, restaurant and picnic complex at Relbia just outside Launceston. We decided that it was about time we roadtested a couple of his more interesting current offerings. The pinot gris is the first cab off the rank.

This wine has % alcohol which translates into std drinks. Preservative 224 has been added and the bottle is sealed using a Stelvin screw cap.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

09 Joseph Chromy
Pinot Gris back label

We decided to skip the refrigerator. By now we're hoping you've got the hint. Don't drink white wines straight from the fridge unless you like them very cold and don't care that they will be a little tasteless. It's enough to get the wine cool, rather than cold.

The tasting team couldn't agree, which is becoming a bit of a habit, on whether the pinot gris smelt of pear or nectarine. After some arm waving we compromised on stone fruit. We did agree that the nose was subtle so you had to concentrate during the ritual sniff.

The taste, however, managed to be big, rich but light. It reminded us of creaming soda without the sickening sweetness or fizz.  Along with a flavour that took us back to our childhood came soft acid and a tapering finish. All up very, very satisfying.

What's it like with food?

The pinot gris was up against a creamy salmon cottage pie with roast vegies. Not much of a challenge we know. More like doing your driving test in a country town in the 70's. You'd be surprised if anything went wrong, and it didn't. The pinot gris' solid flavour and acid kept everything humming along just as you would expect. A drink alone and a food wine, just how we like it.

What's it like the next day

We have to say that this wine doesn't last as well as some others we've tested. Drinking the pinot gris on the second day we experienced a slightly sour after taste but the nose and flavour hadn't changed.

In summary then ....

This wine is, as you would expect from Josef Chromy, very good. It really is one in the eye for those who argue that pinot gris is tasteless and/ or pointless. If you're one of those types try the Chromy. We think it will help you let go of all that prejudice. Go on, no one likes a wine bigot.

For the rest of you, if you like white wine you're going to like this one. Our only suggestion would be don't leave it open over night. Well not unless you have one of those fancy vacuum seals, or people coming for dinner who you may not like quite so much.

2009 Joseph Chromy 'Pepik' Pinot Noir

We tried this pinot at the recent Red Wine Weekend and it sparked our interest so much that we thought it was ripe for a roadtest.

This wine has 12.5 % alcohol which translates into 7.4 std drinks. Preservative 224 has been added and the bottle is sealed using a Stelvin screw cap.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

09 Joseph Chromy
Pepik Pinot back label

This is a 'put your nose as far into the glass as you can if you want to smell anything' kind of wine but this slightly uncomfortable and 'amusing to others' posture is worth the effort. There is bright fruit to be found. At this point the flavour is similarly subtle.

Letting the wine sit for a while increases the nose and the taste. The tannins start to come out and add a bit of back bone. We also noticed a slight thickening of the mouthfeel. Again patience pays off.

What's it like with food?

We decided it was time to see how a pinot handles an aromatic curry. So the Pepik pinot was paired with a slow cooked spicy coconut lamb casserole and the result was pretty amazing. The wine ended up displaying some depth that we didn't think it had. It was like that feeling you get when you realise that your favourite model might actually be able to act. 

The surprise didn't end there. Not only did the flavour come through more strongly but the wine took on a smooth almost creamy consistency.

What's it like the next day

This wine obviously enjoys being open. The tannins were more noticeable which gave the Pepik pinot just a bit more oomph. Yep this model can definately act and may even be able to hold a tune!

The next, next day

Due to an appalling oversight a small amount of the Pepik pinot remained after day 2. Don't worry people have been disciplined over this fiasco. However it did allow us to guage the wine's longevity. The pinot had lost a little of the fruit flavour but overall it was still very drinkable. This is handy for those of you who have been hit with the 'I mustn't drink too much ... it is a school night' stick.

In summary then ....

This wine is a bit like Baby Spice. Bright, cheerful and kind of sexy in a slightly wrong way. But just like a 'serious person's' reaction to Baby Spice, 'serious wine lovers' will say they don't like this wine. They'll probably call it frivolous or 'just a fruit bomb' in that pompous voice that they like to use but really, deep down we all know they'll like it.

This light but very enjoyable wine is the perfect guilty pleasure for people who take themselves too seriously.

Punters, on the other hand, will probably end up buying this good to go pinot in droves.
 

2009 Holm Oak Riesling

This wine is made by the dynamic duo Rebecca Wilson (winemaker) and Tim Duffy (viticulturalist) from fruit out of their Tamar Valley vineyard.

12.3% alc 7.3 std drinks in the 750ml bottle. Preservative 220 added. Fined with milk and fish product and the bottle is sealed using a Stelvin screw cap.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

09 Holm Oak
Riesling

This wine says 'allo' with it's spicy nose rushing into the nasal passages in a 'jeez I'm going to miss the last train' kind of way. Not unpleasant just a bit of a surprise for a wine that looks as it does.

It has a light appearance but this gives no indication of what comes through in the initial taste. Some wines need to be opened for a while to deliver everything they have but the Holm Oak gets down to business straight away.

You get a noticeable but not intense rush of citrus that peaks just below the 'will you kids turn that bloody racket down' level along with a solid acid backbone. To cap it all off the wine ends with a very tidy dry finish.

What's it like with food?

Roadtesting the Holm Oak gave us the perfect opportunity to cook our perennial favourite baked salmon pasta. Hmmm a clean crisp acidic riesling with salmon, how would that go? As good as you would expect as it turned out. The burst nature of this wine is made for this type of dish.  The riesling was like a jet hose on the taste buds, talk about cleaning everything out ready for the next mouthful of pasta goodness!

What's it like the next day

Life is about learning and we learnt that a post training run powerade should be consumed more than a couple of minutes before trying a wine.  Again patience would have paid off.  Oh when will rushing in heedless of the consequences be the winning formula we all know it should be?

Ignoring the initial bitter aftertaste that the interaction of powerade and riesling gives this wine retained everything we liked from the day before.

Dinner on day 2 was an aromatic chicken and pumpkin curry. Not only did the riesling hold it's ground but it 'stepped up' and if anything became even more enjoyable. Talk about your favourite footy player kicking 5 goals in the last quarter!

In summary then ....

This wine looks deceptively light but it packs a lot of punch. Fortunately this punch is delivered in a very well directed manner. Think of it as the Kung Fu Monks of Tassie wine. They don't look much but they smash concrete blocks without raising a sweat.

If it wanted, this Holm Oak Riesling could smash a hole in the wall of your house and then entrance you with some exotic religious ceremony but instead it just delivers like the quality wine it is. Now that's impressive.
 

2009 Goaty Hill Pinot

This wine is made by Fran Austin from fruit out of the Goaty Hill Rowella vineyard and has preservative 224 added. The 750ml bottle has 8.3 standard drinks and 14% alcohol.

Goaty Hill have developed quite a reputation for delivering consistently good pinots so it was with a great deal of expectation that we started to roadtest their latest version. Tony did warn us that he thought it was still a little young but we still had high hopes.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

2009 Goaty Hill Pinot

The wine certainly leaped out of the blocks. It is dark and has an earthy nose. Sort of like the cellar in a haunted house but without the cobwebs and rats.

Despite being newly opened it delivered a full taste. You are presented with a big but smooth savoury flavour surrounded by a silky mouthfeel. It finished with an ashy but very dry backend.

It might be psychological but the wine feels like it's using every one of those 14 percentages of alcohol. If it were a car you'd say all the power hits the road. 

Leaving the wine sitting in the glass for half an hour or so didn't result in major changes but there was a noticeable softening of the earthy edges.

What's it like with food?

The pinot was matched with an old favourite Mongolian (lamb) meatballs. As you would expect it was a tearful but passionate reunion as lamb and pinot got together once more. "Get a room!" we yelled. Calming down we did notice a change in the mouthfeel from silky to a deeper velvet.

What's it like the next day

The mellowing trend we noticed the day before continued over night so now you have an even more relaxed pinot but the flavour still retained it's brightness and highlights. Think of a middle aged superman. He doesn't rush in and save you, it's more of an amble in and save you.

The wine was travelling so well we decided to drink it on it's own but save some for another day.

The next, next day

The wine was still enjoyable but the backend had started to sharpen and become more prominent. Despite this it still went well with our garlic prawn stir fry (the sauce was made with ginger, soy and sweet chilli).

In summary then ....

Well Goaty Hill haven't dropped the pinot ball yet which is impressive. This is a reasonably big but delicious pinot that has the ability to stay at or near it's peak over at least a couple of days. We recommend you drink as much as you want on the first night. If there's any left over give that to your partner or friends and open a fresh one for yourself. 

Our main complaint is that Goaty Hill should put this pinot in bigger bottles, you go through the 750ml too quickly (a two litre cask? ... no that's stupid ... or is it!?- Ed).
 

2007 Grey Sands Pinot

This wine has a cork so if you've thrown out the corkscrew ....

The pinot has preservative 220 added. The 750ml bottle has 8.1 standard drinks and 13.8% alcohol.

Grey Sands is a small family owned vineyard located near Exeter in the Tamar Valley. Look out for a longer profile on the site in the near future.

What's it like straight out of the bottle?

2007 Grey Sands Pinot

Thanks to a bit of a cold snap the wine was probably a little too cold to be at its best but despite this it smelt pretty good. The nose was subtle strawberries and very pleasant.

Tasting it we found a very balanced and smooth wine. You get quite a bit of the cherry fruit you expect and like a lot of Tassie pinots a very full mouthfeel.

After a half hour in the glass the tannins tended to push their way to the front without being annoying. We also noticed a lengthening of the finish. Room temperature does this wine a real favour, kind of like those flattering mirrors they have in clothes shops.

What's it like with food?

We feel sorry for vegetarians because they miss out on the sheer joy that is pinot with red meat. That combination reminds you just how fantastic it is to be alive. Add a spicy sauce to that meat and then plug in a quality pinot like this Grey Sands. It's as spiritual as you can get with your clothes on.

This 2007 pinot is an excellent food wine. It reacted well with the spicy meat with the mouthfeel going all soft and silky. Oo er!

What's it like the next day

The saying 'what a difference a day makes' doesn't apply to this wine. We didn't notice any change to the freshness, flavour or intensity. This time we decided to match the pinot with some stronger flavoured food. If you are going to eat a spinach and feta pie but are worried you won't like it then have it with this pinot. It is an amazing food and wine match.

The next, next day

Rita Richter from Grey Sands told us that their wines are long lived so we saved some for an extra day. She was right to say that time is kind on the Grey Sands pinot. We did notice an increase in the intensity of the tannins and a distinct drying in the finish. If you are a tannin lover you are going to want to make this wine last that extra day. But fruit lovers shouldn't panic, there is still enough there for you but our advice is to drink it in the first couple of days.

In summary then ....

Grey Sands is carving out a very enviable reputation and we can see why. Like an expensive car this wine is very well built and will give you a smooth ride. We've christened it the Pixar Pinot. Just as Pixar animation films have something for both kids and their parents the Grey Sands pinot looks after the fruit and tannin lovers..

What do you think? Send us a comment