Nathan’s 2015 vintage report: Days of light rain culminated in a heavy deluge over the Hunter Valley wine region on the last day of January, with automatic weather stations recording falls of up to 40mm. Most white grapes had been picked and were fantastic, but the reds weren’t quite ready. The rain couldn’t have come at a worse time so, at the end of a day, what is a grape vine trying to do? It's trying to put a seed back into the ground to grow another grape vine, that's it's path in life. When it gets wet like this it has all sorts of things to try and make that happen because it obviously wants to get the seed in the ground while the ground is wet. Some of the fruit was starting to split and get disease, this in turn put back our picking time. Then finally, after all the sweating and nervous excitement, the sun came through and we managed to get some high quality reds. Cheers.

Imbibe Easter 2015

FIRESIDE DINNER SERIES — Throughout the

2015 June Food & Wine Month, we will be hosting our “Fireside with the Winemaker” series Each Friday evening in June, we will have a different Hunter Valley Winemaker on hand so you can hear their stories and sample their latest releases as they discuss the amazing 2014 vintage – arguably the best the Hunter’s living memory…

5th June 2015 – Andrew Margan – Margan Family Wines

12th June 2015– Lisa McGuigan – Lisa McGuigan Wines

19th June 2015 – Andrew Thomas – Thomas Wines

26th June 2015– Matt Polin – Polin & Polin Wines

Each of the 4 courses will be perfectly matched to the Winemaker’s best. And with a maximum of only 20 guests, this will be indeed an intimate fireside experience…. Seats are $120 per person. And we have some very special stay packages too. To reserve your place, please contact Kylie by email on events@hunterresort.com.au or reserve your seat via the online form at www.hunterresort.com.au/fireside or by phone (02) 49987777 extension #232.

Hunter Valley Resort ABN 89 003 384 307 Hermitage Road Pokolbin NSW 2320 P: 02 49987777 ext 5 F: 02 49987787 wines@HunterResort.com.au www.HunterResort.com.au

Wh

ites

Lisa McGuigan Pinot Gris

Citrus, pear and stone fruit aromas. Delicious swirl of ginger on the back palate. Perfectly paired with fresh oysters, duck pate or relaxing on a warm

autumn day.

Andrew Thomas Semillon

Sauvignon Blanc

Yet another great blend from Andrew. Pale straw green in colour. The palate has a range of flavours from lemon through to passionfruit. Finishes with juicy acidity. 60% Hunter Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc from

Adelaide Hills

2014 Polin & Polin Convicts & Catholics Verdelho With colour of light straw, the wine has an elegant nose of citrus and melon backed with mineral characteristics. The palate is soft, crisp and fruity and is supported by seductive acidity. Great structure and length lead to a mouth watering finish. A great wine for a hot summer day sitting

on the deck. Drink now.

2014 Margan Semillon . Shows a light lime green colour and displays a lifted bouquet of lime and citrus with some sherbet undertones. The palate is crisp and zesty with a refreshing long finish thanks to the perfect fruit and acid balance. Enjoy now as a young, racy wine or cellar for another 5 years (and beyond)……. should one be able to wait this long the award will be a beautiful complex aged wine which is true to the classic Hunter Semillon

David Hook - De Novo Bianco A rich and complex style with an interesting blend of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling from the Central Ranges. This wine has fresh fruity (grapefruit / stone fruit) aromas with a long lingering and satisfying finish. Best drunk young while it's perfume is most heady and the palate fresh

2014 Hele Family Semillon Sauvignon Blanc A blend of 85% Hunter Semillon and 15% Orange Sauvignon Blanc made specially for Hele Family reserve. Although only 15% Sauvignon Blanc , the orange component of the wine generates a fruity, slightly textured wine with a truly satisfying mouth feel. The Semillon of course provides a lively citrus freshness to the finish. A staff favourite.

Red

s

Crisford 2009 Vintage Cabernet Franc Petite Verdot Merlot Like the 2008 the 2009 is a little lighter in style than our earlier vintages with alcohol of only 12.5%. It shows bright purple-red hues with a very varietal nose of raspberries, plum with a hint tobacco and even liquorice on the nose. Drink with it with spicy food this seems to balance it out.

2011 Hele Family Shiraz Deep Purple in colour A full throttle hunter style with potent black fruits and dark chocolate on the palate. This wine will benefit from mid term cellaring if you can resist. Get with a good piece of peppered beef.

Stormy Ridge Tempranillo Bright glossy red/pink colour - medium depth. Nose is very fresh, almost has Pinot Noir aromatics. There is some nice red berry/rose hip. The palate is medium bodied with fine tannins and again is reminiscent of Pinot. Lovely balance and finish with a good fruit/oak/tannin balance. a nice mix of spicy fruit . The palate with flavours of salami and pepper, firm tannins and an array of ripe fruits. A well balanced wine, fresh and varietal.

Lisa McGuigan Vanessa Shiraz

100% Barossa fruit dense colour with high alcohol from the Vanessa vale vineyard. Soft tannins and a persistent length will insure healthy cellaring. Only being the second vintage by this talented wine maker we can already tell it will be a firm favourite. Drink with roast beef

or bbq meats

Thomas Two of a Kind 2013

Shiraz The dominance of the McLaren Vale in this vintage shines through with fleshy, dark berry and plum like fruit, which is nicely supported by the vibrant red berry fruit, spice and savoury texture from the Hunter shiraz. This wine has the attributes to cellar well over the next five to ten years, yet its fruit intensity and supple tannin structure make it enjoyable in its youth,

particularly with food.

2013 Margan Cabernet Sauvignon Bright red/purple in colour with intense aromas of blackcurrant, spice and vanilla along with a cigar box type character brought about by the use of new American oak. The tannins are tight and firm as a young wine is but will develop into soft smooth silkiness as the wine ages. This is a full-bodied wine which makes it great with food. Patience will see it develop further complexities over the next 5-7 years

For reservations, please go to www.hunterresort.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

For reservations, please go to www.hunterresort.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

Bills Spankopita

This is my take on the Greek classic. This dish is magic with an aged moderately oaked

chardonnay. Two pies use up a whole packet of filo. In the past I used to put half a

packet of filo in the freezer every time I made this dish. Then I threw it away six

months later. So this recipe is for two pies. One pie lasts about a day and a half at my

place, and they freeze well. Serve straight from the oven and/or at room temperature.

1 packet of filo pastry (frozen is fine) 1.5 kg spinach (frozen is fine) 1 leek 2 cloves garlic 500 g Dodoni Greek Feta 250 g Persian Feta 375 g Full Cream Cottage Cheese 375 g Full Cream Ricotta Cheese 50 g Grana Padano or Pecorino 7 eggs ½ nut nutmeg Fresh ground black pepper 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Olive oil spray or melted butter

A half bunch of fresh dill

If frozen, let filo thaw for an hour at room temperature.

Steam spinach until it wilts; drain in colander until cool, pressing as much moisture out as possible.

Preheat oven to 180o.

Clean and chop leeks; crush garlic.

Heat olive oil in frying pan; sauté leeks and garlic until soft. Set aside.

Crumble feta into a large mixing bowl.

Add cottage and ricotta cheese, leeks and garlic, and lightly beaten eggs.

Finely grate and add Grana Padono or Pecorino.

Cut and add dill. Grate and add nutmeg and black pepper.

Mix gently, and then fold in spinach. Take care to not over-mix.

Coat two rectangular baking dishes with spray olive oil or melted butter.

Carefully unfold filo and cover with a damp tea towel. Working quickly, place three to four sheets of filo in the bottom of each of the two pans, spraying with olive oil or brushing with butter in between each sheet.

Spread half of the spinach-cheese mixture over the filo in each pan.

Place remaining sheets of filo over spinach-cheese mixture, spraying with olive oil or brushing with butter in between each sheet.

Tidy the edges of filo, and top with olive oil or butter.

Bake for 45-60 mins at 180o.

Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving

Reflections from a Label Queen about The World of Old and New Wines. By Lisa McGuigan (Winner of the 2000 Global Packaging award for wine label design).

You might say that the Australian Wine industry came of age when it developed it’s own system of wine labeling. Twenty-two years ago, the French successfully prevented wine producers outside of French regions from labeling wines in the naming tradition of the French appellation.

The French appellation dictates many standards, such as rules about alcohol content and maximum grape yield, which must be achieved before the appellation for that area can be used. Once the ruling came in, prohibiting the use of French appellation outside of France, it was no longer possible for Australian producers to label their wines as Burgundy or Hermitage or Champagne. So, Australian winemakers adopted a labeling convention that reflected the grape varietal and geographic region accompanied by the name of the winery or wine maker.

Our Australian labeling system has since grown to be descriptive and discernible. Our so called new world system, which has far fewer rules and regulations than the old world system, has encouraged creativity and quality in the development of wine labeling and wine varietals in Australia. In contrast to the French appellation system, our labeling conventions have inspired a new professionalism in the Australian Wine industry as wine makers strive to innovate and produce the best wine from the vineyards where each varietal is best grown.

The French appellation system has several tiers of classification which dictate the way the wine is labelled and marketed: Vin de France is essentially a table wine, Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) is the intermediate category and Appellation d'Origine Protégée is the highest category. Individual vineyards and chateaux can also be classified. Take Burgundy for example. This is the second most wine producing, classified region in France. Fortunately for Burgundy wine lovers, the classification is reasonably simple to understand because winemakers of Burgundy classify according to terroir.

Grand Cru is the top classified status in Burgundy. Only about 2% of vineyards are eligible for Grand Cru status. On the Grand Cru label, only the vineyard and classified status is listed. Grand Cru wines are produced from the lowest yields of all classified Burgundy wines. Premier Cru is the next highest level of classified status for Burgundy wines. Close to 12% of all Burgundy vineyards are classified with Premier Cru status. Premier Cru classified wines provide the name of the village first, and then the vineyard on the label. If the wine is produced from multiple vineyards from the same village, only the vineyard name will appear on the label. Champagne has its own, unique system of classification, which takes the level of quality of the grapes into consideration, along with the terroir and soil. In Champagne the best wines are classified as Grand Cru Champagne, followed by Premier Cru Champagne.

The Italian wine labeling system, which accommodates over 350 varietals in its classification system, is based on three main categories:DOCG (Denominazione di OrigineControllata e Garantita), DOC (Denominazione di OrigineControllata) and IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). The highest classified category is DOCG. It denotes controlled production methods and guaranteed wine quality. There are strict rules governing permitted grape varieties, yield limits, grape ripeness, winemaking procedures and barrel/bottle maturation. Every DOCG wine is subject to official tasting procedures.

It is interesting to contemplate the impact of the labeling conventions on the quality of old and new world wines. Australian wines, widely regarded as some of the best in the world, have the least restrictive labelling conventions. Yet, the old world wines offer consumers uniform systems for discerning quality and terroir. I guess that’s why I find it so intriguing to match old world wines with new world wines and compare the quality amongst a discerning bunch of friends around my dinner table. Perhaps I will see you around the dinner table sometime soon for a bit of sport: old against new!

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