Out Of The Bottle
With David Ellis Henkell Trocken Sekt, Germany & 2007 Brand’s Laira Two Row Merlot
Germany's
most famous sparkling wine, Henkell Trocken Sekt goes back 155-years to
1856 when Adam Henkell began making a bubbly little drop that whilst
popular, took three generations of the family to really hit its straps.
And
it was a 20-year-old, Otto Henkell who went to the USA to learn about
marketing and trading, who finally put the wine on the world map: on
his return home he recommended that the family discontinue its range of
many differently-labelled sparkling wines, and produce just one Sekt
(it means dry) bubbly of unmistakable flavour and quality.
And in a standard-labelled bottle, that could be recognised instantly wherever it was sold – in Germany or internationally.
It
was revolutionary, and it worked. Today the company uses Chardonnay,
Sauvignon Blanc, Blanc de Noir and Chenin from Rhine Valley vineyards
to make a non-vintage fizz that’s German-precision consistent, with a
palate of smooth and creamy citrus-like fruit flavours and a lingering
finish.
It sells 16-million bottles a year and claims title to
being “Europe’s favourite sparkling wine.” It is also exports to 100
countries internationally, making Henkell Trocken a party-time
favourite world-wide; enjoy at just $18.99. One For Lunch
Brand's
Laira were the first to plant Merlot in Coonawarra, and two rows of the
original vines amid its-now 300ha vineyards were basically the genesis
of most of Coonawarra’s current Merlot plantings.
Fruit from
those two original rows was hand-selected and used to create small
quantities of the unique 2007 Brand’s Laira Two Row Merlot, a big wine
with varietal plum and blackberry flavours complemented by notes of
cinnamon, chocolate and cedar. A great drop worth searching out – yet
just $27.99. Share it with a rosemary-infused roast leg of lamb and
baked vegies.
Need a drink?
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