Out Of The Bottle
With David Ellis Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose NV & New England Wines
It
lays claim to being Australia’s newest wine region, but in fact grapes
were first grown in NSW’s New England by Wyndham’s as far back as the
1880s.
But its only in recent years that grape-growing and
winemaking have been taken seriously in New England, and today this
sprawling inland region about half-way between Sydney and Brisbane has
42 vineyards, five wineries, 20 cellar doors and 291ha under grapes.
And
it’s our only region to embrace both cool and warm climate viticulture,
with Chardonnay, Semillon, Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot and Gewurztraminer
currently its backbone, while Riesling and Pinot Noir are absolutely
thriving.
But it is it’s diverse terroir (it spreads 300km north
to south and 150km east to west) that could well prove itself the
region’s goldmine: some lesser-known, but growing in popularity,
European varieties like Barbera and Tempranillo are showing huge
promise – and buyer interest – with initial plantings.
Ask your
local bottle-shop about the many interesting wines from this newest
wine region, and be prepared for some nice surprises both in quality
and price; for more information have a look at
www.newenglandwines.org.au Taittinger Brut Prestige Rose NV & New England Wines
The
festive season may be behind us but we’ll all still have those special
occasions to celebrate in 2011, and a drop we were delighted to find
under our tree at Christmas was one we'll be investing in for our own
2011 very special occasion.
This French Champagne Taittinger
Brut Prestige Rose NV is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay
fruit, with a small portion of the Pinot Noir first made into red wine
and then added to the blend to give it its lovely pink hues. And while
delicate on the palate it’s got good raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant
flavours and a velvety finish. Pay $130 for your special occasion.
Need a drink?
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