The first we tried was the Yarra Yering 1997 Chardonnay – well past its peak. Gold hues, appley, slightly oxidised nose. Soft on the palate, faint fino flavours along with dried pear. Lacked acid balance.

Next was the Yarra Yering 1998 Dry White No. 1. – a semillon and sauvignon blanc blend. Almost water pale in colour. Lifted nose of dried grasses, with a hint of lemon zest. Light, elegant, steely dry palate. Beautifully structured, fruit starting to develop secondary vinous characters. Lip-smacking finish of almost perfect acid balance. If I had tasted it blind my first guess would have been “Fine French dry style.” Curious to drink one of the best whites I’ve had in a year with such a simple meal.

Penfolds Kalimna

After years of writing about wine I recently visited the Barossa and Clare Valleys for the first time.

Just three days in the Barossa and one in Clare was far too short a time to do the area justice but we popped around the vineyards in a disorganised fashion and tasted a fair number of fine wines.

As I discovered, the Barossa is a series of small towns spread out over mostly flat plains, the populated areas separated by numerous historic (and new) wineries and gnarled vineyards.

The Clare Valley is more linear, with the wineries somewhat hidden among rolling, wooded hills to either side of the main roads.

Wineries in the region range in style from historic buildings that are part of Australia’s historic oenological fabric, to ultra-modern facilities worthy of designer magazines. Some are a mix of both. Wine prices were mostly brilliant value for money, though occasionally we came upon a list that required a quick call to our mortgage broker to see if we could borrow against the house for a dozen.

And no, it wasn’t a junket. I was asked somewhat disparagingly by one Clare winemaker (not mentioned here) whether I was yet another wine writer on a junket. (I assume there is a constant stream.) Nope, I told him, I paid for all travel and accommodation.

A few of the highlights.

Penfolds – Nuriootpa. As it happens, the first ‘serious’ wine I ever bought was a mixed dozen of Penfolds bin reds, most of them sourced from the Barossa. So it was illuminating to see at last the winery and the vineyards mentioned on the labels I’ve become so familiar with since.

Not far out of Nuriootpa, visitors can drive past the Kalimna vineyards, including the 100 and something year-old vines of the renowned Block 42. Kalimna (a local Aboriginal word meaning “Pleasant View”) provides fruit for, amongst other wines, Grange, RWT, Bin 707 and rarely released Special Bin wines.

1860s vines at Kalimna

In Nuriootpa (where we stayed) Penfolds have a massive winery complex where visitors can sample a variety of commercial release and cellar door wines, and for a fee, taste the super premiums and even blend their own.

When you do visit look out for the glass-staining, 2007 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Barossa Valley Sangiovese – dry, powerful, with persistent tannins and a complexity driven by wild yeast fermentation.

Sevenhill – Clare. I first tasted Sevenhill wine as an 11 year old altar boy, trying a sip before mass. Back in those days only priests and sneaky altar boys got to try the slightly sweet fortified wine. Can’t say I enjoyed it, but my palate was immature and maybe my tasting was coloured by fear of eternal hellfire.

Ancient wine press - Sevenhill

At the Jesuits’ Sevenhill winery, general manager Neville Rowe (who bears a spooky resemblance to Jesuit founder Saint Ignatius of Loyola) showed us around. He told us that the winery began its long tradition of making sacramental (altar) wine in 1851 and to this day a third of its production is used in churches across Australia. Profits from wine sales, he said, go towards the Jesuits’ community services.

Sevenhill stained glass window

A wander round the property will take you to a broken down cottage where Mary MacKillop once stayed after her archbishop threatened her with excommunication. On 17 October 2010, Mary MacKillop will be canonised and to mark the occasion, Sevenhill will release two St Mary MacKillop wines, a shiraz and a semillon / sauvignon blanc blend.

As well as sacramental wines I tasted a wide range of Sevenhill’s dry whites and reds and fortifieds – all, I should add, sold at relatively modest prices. Check out their chocolatey 2006 Inigo Barbera and the perfumed 2009 Inigo Verdelho.

Maggie Beer – For an interlude we enjoyed a morning coffee overlooking the lake at Maggie Beer’s Farmshop just outside of Nuriootpa. There was a peacock wandering around, ducks on the water, pheasants in their sheds and Maggie herself fluttering round with a couple of journos in tow, like a fussy mother hen with her chicks. All her products, I was happy to see, were available to taste before you buy.

Maggie Beer's Peacock

Lou Miranda Estate – Rowland Flat (Pop.80 said a sign). A family run winery and restaurant complex situated amid 100 year old vines. The reception here is warm and hospitable, the style is more Rustique than Vogue and the wines are solid and earthy.

Check out their Leone Old Vine Sparkling Shiraz 2007 and the gutsy 2007 Lou Miranda Estate Old Vine Shiraz. 

Yalumba – is billed as Australia’s oldest family owned wine company and it’s a label I grew up on – in a wine drinking sense.

A trail of empty Yalumba bottles stretches behind me over the years and numbered among them are Pewsey Vale rieslings; Signature Blend reds – the 1967 Rudi Kronberger comes to mind as a great example; special bottlings like the 1974 Christobel’s (alias FDR1A) cab/shiraz; Galway Pipe Port; and in recent years, the classic Virgilius Viognier and the classy, value for money, ‘Y’ Series reds and whites.

Yalumba Clocktower Building

It’s easy to get lost trekking around Yalumba’s halls, byways and grand old structures. Worth a good look are the working cooperage and the large cellars, where not only archival Yalumba bottles are stored but also priceless European treasures – such as an 1889 Chateau d’Yquem.

1889 d'Yquem - Yalumba Cellars

After our daytime tour of Yalumba, we ended up as ring-in guests at their Negociants annual dinner. Among the wine luminaries and winemakers we sat with was the charming actor/vigneron, Sam Neill. Sam proudly pointed us to his Two Paddocks Pinot Noir on the table – Lucy asked him if it was a BYO function. His wine, as my old man used to say, wasn’t ‘alf bad.

Sam Neill with Two Paddocks Pinot Noir

De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Grigio 2009 – $14 – ** – Very pale with a green apple, sherbet-like nose. Clean, fresh, grapey flavours are enhanced by soft citric undertones and a mildly acidic finish.

Delatite Riesling 2009 – $23 – ***  – Upper Goulburn, Victoria. Light gold. A nose of lime blossom and lemon zest. A fuller flavoured riesling style showing citric fruit reminiscent of lemon meringue pie but without the sweetness. Finishes dry.

Angove Long Row Chardonnay 2009 – $10 – ** – New season apricots, fresh cream and a hint of oak on the nose. Softer style showing ripe stone fruits supported by well-seasoned barrel toastiness. Great value.

Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2008 – $45 – *** Translucent rosy hue. Nose shows raspberry, cherry and floral notes. Light-bodied and elegant in the mouth with nicely weighted, juicy summer pudding flavours that lead to a dryish, fruit-filled finish.

Hamiltons Bluff Sangiovese 2007 – $25 – **** – Canowindra, New South Wales. Blended with ‘a touch of merlot.’ Mid-red with dark cherry edges. Dry leaves and warm spiciness dominate the bouquet. Dry in the mouth, showing tight yet non-aggressive tannic astringency. Palate offers firm, savoury and secondary winey flavours and finishes with well-honed acidity. A class act.

Kopparossa Cabernet Merlot 2006 – $23-ish – *** – Coonawarra, South Australia. Mid-crimson. Plummy blueberry nose. Rich and mouth-filling – a hint of blackcurrant conserve over a background of sweet vanillin oak.

Fox Creek McLaren Vale Reserve Merlot 2008 – up to $41 – **** – Red to purple hues. Blackberry and chocolate gateau nose. A solid red, packed with ripe berries and typical McLaren Vale mocha enrichment. Initially seems soft and velvety in the mouth and then structural, lasting tannins creep up on you as you reach for another glass.

Ratings

***** - outstanding

****  - classy

*** - first-rate

** - good drinking

* - commercial

Prices in Australian Dollars.

In late March, early April, we sailed on the Legend of the Seas from Shanghai to the Japanese ports of Miyazaki, Kobe and Fukuoka and to the South Korean port of Busan, before returning to Shanghai.

The Legend’s restaurant wine list was typical of cruise lines – a fair range of wines with over the top prices. To give but one example, a bottle of Wolf Blass Yellow Label Merlot cost a whacking $46.50 (Australian dollars, including an obligatory 15% gratuity, at the then current ship exchange rate). This wine is easy to find in Australia for less than $10.00.

Bring Your Own? Nope, passengers are warned in the small print that liquor brought on board will be confiscated. Cynics would see it as a way to increase positive cash flow. What’s the point though, I asked myself, of trying to gouge large profits if hardly anyone is buying?

Strangely, travel writers in Australia’s mainstream press never mention this downside of cruising. Could it be because they’re usually non-paying guests of cruise lines?

Yellowglen Bella Bianco 2009 – up to $20 – ** – Low (8%) alcohol bubbly. A blend of white frontignac and riesling. Bouquet of ripe pears and apricots. Notably sweet palate continues the fruity pear theme with maybe a hint of oranges and lemons at the finish. Pleasant luncheon or picnic style.

Patina Sticky Tea Riesling 2009 – 375ml – up to $22 – ** – Orange New South Wales. Low (7.6%) alcohol. Yes, it does have a pleasant fragrance not unlike a cup of iced lemon tea. Medium sweet at the front of the palate but dries off nicely at the finish with some citrus undertones.

Kreglinger Estate Brut de Blancs 2003 – up to $65 – **** – Tasmania. Chardonnay, disgorged mid-2009. Vigorous bead, pale straw hues. Lime blossoms and toasted cashews on the nose. Seven years since vintage yet still fresh and youthful on the palate. Dry and steely style with flavours of Granny Smith tarte tatin and zested lime peel acidity to finish.

Baritone Maxim Cabernet Shiraz 2008 – 1 litre – up to $13 – ** – Limestone Coast, South Australia. Solid, juicy red, packed with ripe fruit. Palate is warm (14.5% alcohol) and generous with medium tannins and a firm food-suiting finish. Excellent value for money.

James Oatley Tic Tok Shiraz 2008 – up to $18 – *** – Shiraz from Frankland River, Western Australia; Mudgee, New South Wales; McLaren Vale, South Australia. Vibrant purple edge in the glass. Upfront nose of blackberries and lightly toasted oak. Soft and rich in the mouth showing blackberry tart and a sub-structure of mocha.

Barwang Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 – up to $20 – *** – Hilltops region, New South Wales. Dense purple hues. Inviting, lifted bouquet, reminiscent of cassis and blackcurrant conserve. Dry, tightly structured, cool climate, berry-packed palate supported by assertive tannins. Intense and lasting finish. Cellar to 2015.

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2006 – up to $90 – ***** – Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Limestone Coast, South Australia. Shiraz 89%, cabernet sauvignon 11%. The product notes remind us that unlike other premium reds, St Henri does not use any new oak and maturation is in old 1460 litre vats. Near opaque, deep crimson. The complex nose is savoury rather than sweet and shows notes of summer berries, mint, just raked autumn leaves and leather. The palate displays hints of blood plums, mulberries and espresso coffee. Well-integrated tannins are chewy and sinewy while the finish is long, dry and firm, with lingering notes of almost bitter dark chocolate. Cellar to 2025.

Ratings

***** - outstanding 

**** – classy

*** - first-rate

** - good stuff

* - commercial

Prices in Australian dollars.

Nothing wrong with the stuff, occasionally – but every day? Like watching endless re-runs of Frasier – monotonous.

The river of NZSB flowing into Australia has turned into a torrent. And especially at the cheap end there tends to be a certain sameness of style: underdone, lightweight, green grassy, acidic and thin.

At least Australian SBs exhibit a wide range of styles – from tropical to cool climate, but to this palate NZSB has become a cold-climate, one–dimensional trip. I mean, how many hits of hyper-methoxypyrazine can a wine drinker handle in a year? It’s almost enough to drive one back to Australian over-oaked chardonnay.

Two kinds of Tofu

Gary Hounsell, owner of Toolangi Vineyards in the Yarra Valley recently hosted a lunch at Urbane in Brisbane to celebrate Toolangi’s 10th anniversary; your itinerant reporter was there.

Gary showed guests a selection of his estate and reserve chardonnays and pinots dating back to the 2001 vintage. In an unusual approach to winemaking he explained that in its short existence, Toolangi wines were made by different winemakers at a number of wineries, among them Giaconda, Shadowfax and Yering Station.

Standout wines included the ‘o6 Estate Chardonnay – clean and edgy with understated oak - at a blind tasting I would have picked this one as French. The ‘06 Reserve Chardonnay was rich and full-flavoured with superbly integrated oak and lengthy acidity. And the three pinots – the ‘01, the ‘02 and the ‘06, were surprisingly youthful, showing generous fruit and none of the tawny colour or age development often associated with older Australian pinot noir.

The 2006 Reserve Shiraz showed highly-perfumed raspberry-like fragrance. Medium-bodied, it displayed vibrant summer berries on the palate, combined with light, elegant tannins.

Confit duck egg

The food

As usual, I had requested an alternative, meat-free menu and Urbane chef Kym Machin came up with the goods. The Japanese inspired ‘Two kinds of tofu’ (pictured at top) came served, picturesquely, on a black slate. Both tofus, one almond and one soy, slid silkily along the tongue and were presented on a smear of shallot puree, along with edamame beans, crunchy sesame ‘pebbles’, and froths of jalapeno and apple ‘air’.

A smoked La Luna goat cheese on a little round of brioche was served in its own cloud of hickory/rosemary/juniper berry/thyme smoke captured under a glass dome.

Then there was the confit organic duck egg (pictured). The soft, unctuously textured egg sat in a smooth potato and leek veloute, the whole decorated with shavings of fresh black truffle.

I knew the wine would be classy but didn’t know what to expect from the much talked about Urbane. This grumpy old critic was impressed.

Urbane Restaurant, 181 Mary St. Brisbane, Queensland. Phone: (07) 3229 2271.

iS is fully licensed but allows patrons to bring their own wine ($4 corkage fee per bottle) and we took along a 2003 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling. Despite its rather warm cellaring in our house it was in excellent condition – sprightly and lemony with just an occasional hint of that aged riesling character that we all know and love yet find hard to describe without annoying winemakers.

From the longish menu we chose Chili mushrooms – in a light sauce/marinade of butter, lemon juice, chili, garlic and finely chopped herebs; Parmesan crumbed artichokes – these were served with the stems (quite edible) attached and looked a little like chicken drumsticks – served with a truffle and lime mayonnaise; Manchego cheese croquettes – crumbed, about the size of pool balls – with a quince paste sauce, and Tempura vegetables on skewers -tiny morsels of crisp veg in the lightest of batter.

The food presentaion was attractive, the waiter was hip and we really enjoyed each dish. The bill for two, including corkage, totalled $42.

Highly recommended.

If ever there was a food and wine magazine with high production values this is it. Even the ad photos look good enough to eat.

Among the classy articles about Spanish food, wine and travel, you will find recipes reflecting Spain as a world leader in avant garde cuisine. I’ve fiddled successfully with recipes in the latest issue: the dessert, ‘Mango, papaya, citrus fruits and orange blossom honey jelly’ was stunning.

Spain Gourmetour is published three times a year. Best of all, it’s free to professionals in the wine and food industry.

To request a subscription, simply email your details and postal address with the subject line ‘Spain Gourmetour’ to the Economic and Commercial Offices of the Spanish Embassy in your country. For email addresses see Spain Gourmetour site.