Wine Australia Sommelier Immersion Program, Jan 16/13 - report

The Date and Time: Wednesday, January 16, 2013   9:30 AM to 4 PM

The Event: Day-long seminar for sommeliers on Australian wines, conducted by Mark Davidson, Wine Australia Global Education Director, illustrating the diversity of wine styles from Australia.

The Venue: Terroni Summerhill

The Target Audience: sommeliers plus invited wine writers

The Availability/Catalogue: most of the wines tasted are at the LCBO, consignment or private order.

The Quote/Background: The immersion program was designed to compare the regional expressions of the major grape varieties and to explore the less well-known wine areas of Australia. There were flights devoted to riesling, semillon, chardonnay, pinot noir, grenache, cabernet sauvignon, and shiraz.

The Wines: We did not taste these 48 wines blind.

 

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-J.C. Reeves Point Chardonnay 2007, +277848, $25.12

-Giant Steps Chardonnay Sexton Vineyard Yarra Valley 2008, +243154, $27.90

-Petaluma Chardonnay Adelaide Hills 2010, ~$35-40   Select

-Eileen Hardy Chardonnay Tas and Yarra 2010, $59.95  +500991

-Yering Station Pinot Noir Reserve Yarra Valley 2010, ~$90  Select

-Wynns Cabernet Coonawarra 2008, $24.95 +84996

-Mt. Langi Shiraz Kneebones Grampians 2007, $21.95  +295527

-St. Hallett Shiraz Blackwell Barossa Valley 2008, $29.95 +535104

 

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Tahbilk Marsanne Nagambie Lakes 2007, +276980, $18.85

-Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 2010, $21.95 Private B & W

-Kilikanoon Killerman's Run Shiraz Clare Valley 2011, +925453, $19.95.

-Peter Lehmann Riesling Wigan Eden Valley 2006, ~$30  Dionysus

-Brokenwood ILR Semillon Hunter Valley 2005, +227645, $44.95

-Peter Lehmann Semillon Margaret Barossa Valley 2006, ~30  Dionysus

-Stonier Chardonnay Mornington Peninsula 2010, +25353, $24.95

-Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Chardonnay Wild Ferment Strathbogie Victoria 2011, $35.95

-Stonier Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula 2010, $24.95  +25338

-Riorret Pinot Noir Merricks Grove Mornington Peninsula 2009, $34.95 +282657

-Schild GMS Bush Vine Barossa Valley 2010, $21.95 +108183

-Yalumba Grenache Single Site Moppa/Barossa 2006, $61.95  B & W

-Tahbilk Cabernet Nagambie Lakes 2008, $22.95 +138818

-Chapel Hill Cabernet NcLaren Vale 2010, $25.95 +965830

-Yalumba Cabernet Menzies Coonawarra 2008, $44.30, +473645

-Yalumba Signature Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Barossa Valley 2008, $51.95 +528356

-Tahbilk Shiraz Nagambie Lakes 2008, $20.95 +214742

-Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz Stratbogie Ranges 2010, $35.95 +243592

-Brokenwood Shiraz Hunter Valley 2010, $45.95  Lifford

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Shingleback Cabernet McLaren Vale 2010, +662957, $24.95

-D'Arenberg High Trellis Cabernet McLaren Vale 2010, +943456, $19.95

-Wakefield Riesling Clare Valley 2012, +301523, $14.95

-Mitchell Riesling Clare Valley 2011, $22.95 Consign Lifford

-Kilikanoon Riesling Mort's Block Clare Valley 2012, ~$25   Diamond

-Hardy's HRB Riesling D650 Clare and Tasmania 2011, ~$30 Accolade

-Brokenwood Semillon Hunter Valley 2012, $22.95 Consign Lifford

-Oakridge Chardonnay Over The Shoulder Yarra Valley 2011, $24.95 +285759

-Shaw & Smith Chardonnay M3 Adelaide Hills 2010, +995811, $44.95

-Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna 2009, $110  +558643

-Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir Yarra Valley 2011, ~$25   Terra Firma

-Oakridge Pinot Noir Yarra Valley 2010, $38.95 +284059

-Yalumba Grenache Bush Vine Barossa 2006, $19.95  B & W

-Wakefield Cabernet St. Andrews Clare Valley 2009, $64.95 Consign Profile

-Fraser Gallop Cabernet Margaret River 2009, $45.95 +283069

-D'Arenberg Galvo Garage McLaren Vale 2007, $24.90 +907584 [Bord blend]

-Tar & Roses Siraz Heathcote 2010, $21.95 +282731

-Yering Station Shiraz/Viognier Village Yarra Valley 2010, $21.95 +311431

-Shaw & Smith Shiraz Adelaide Hills 2009, $44.95 +686659

-Chapel Hill Shiraz McLaren Vale 2009, $26.95 +743989

-Wirra Wirra Shiraz Catapult McLaren Vale 2009, $19.95 +278564

 

The Food: Brioche and coffees for breakfast, followed by a buffet lunch with antipasti of meats and cheeses, chick pea pancakes and veggies, baked mushrooms, caprese salad, pizzas, rigatoni, and chocolate cake. With the lunch, we were served six other wines, which I have folded into the notes above.

The Downside: there was a lot of time spent on generalities, which I had assumed that everyone knew about -- since these were sommeliers and writers, not sommelier students.

The Upside: a chance to taste 48 wines in a sit-down venue.

The Contact Person: Erika.neudorf@wineaustralia.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 89.

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com