10 strange but true wine descriptors

Having been named the Hunter’s Viticulturist of the Year in 2015, Andrew Margan is celebrating again! It’s 20 years since he and his wife, Lisa planted vines in Broke Fordwich and they’re going strong. To grow grapes and become a winemaker were childhood dreams of Andrew’s, who grew up among the Hunter vines. His father planted the DeBeyers vineyard in the 1960s and was one of the country’s first wine and food journalists. Andrew spent 20 vintages as a winemaker with Tyrrell’s under the tutelage of the great Murray Tyrrell, before establishing his own label with Lisa. A chef, Lisa has also been instrumental in the success of the brand, with their restaurant being one of the region’s must awarded. Wine Selectors is proud to have had a great relationship with Margan from their beginnings and our congratulations go to Andrew, Lisa and the whole Margan team on being one of the driving forces in making the Hunter Valley a truly great wine region.

“The Royal Queensland Wine Show is one of the first in the series for the year and it’s a real honour judging alongside some of our industry leaders,” says Nicole. Over 4 days, 26 judges, including new chief judge David Bicknell, tasted over 1,801 entries from 243 wineries from across Australia. “Yes, that is a lot of wine,” says Nicole. “With my fellow panellists I judged everything from Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Sparkling to Muscat, Cabernet and red blends, but I was especially impressed by the 2014 Shiraz, 2015 Semillon and 2015 Pinot Noir brackets.” “What is really exciting is that the House of Arras 2007 Grand Vintage from Tasmania made history by becoming the first Sparkling to take out Grand Champion Wine of Show,” says Nicole. “And to further reinforce its consistency and the excellence of Tasmanian Sparkling, the same wine was named Best Wine of Show at Sydney. And again, this was the first time a Sparking had won the major award since the show’s inception.” Royal Brisbane Wine Show 2016 Trophy winners include: Brokenwood Wines 2009 ILR Reserve Semillon – Best Semillon of Show, Best Mature White of Show, Best Single Vineyard White of Show and RNA Best White of Show. Yabby Lake 2015 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir – Best Pinot of Show, RNA best Red of Show, Best Single Vineyard Red of Show and Best Young Red of Show. Norfolk Rise Vineyard 2015 Shiraz – Best Shiraz of Show While the House of Arras took out the top prize at the 2016 KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show, the other big winner was the Chalkers Crossing CC2 Shiraz 2014 with Trophies for Best Shiraz, Best Value Red, Best Single Vineyard Wine, Best Red and Best Small Producer Wine. The Hunter Valley maintained its reputation as the nation’s top Semillon producer with Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2005 taking out the Trophy for Best NSW Wine. Brokenwood Wines 2009 ILR Reserve Semillon won Best Semillon and Best Mature White, while Best Value White was awarded to De Iuliis Wines for their 2016 Semillon. Nicole Gow and fellow Tasting Panellist Adam Walls attended the trade tasting, which allowed them the opportunity to taste the entire range of wines. “It’s always exciting to taste the entries of the Sydney Royal Wine Show and this year was no exception,” says Adam. “For me, the thing that really stood out, and was a common thread through all of the wines I tasted, was that they had great vibrancy and acidity that made them immensely drinkable. From the biggest, richest reds to the lightest whites, they were all mouth-watering, vibrant and full of energy.” “So many of the wines were a mid-weight style which really reflects the way people are enjoying their wines, “ Nicole says. “ There were some smart alternative and food-friendly whites, and a great diversity of elegant Chardonnays showing a lot more experimentation and refinement from all of the regions.” Enjoy exclusive access to some of the Gold medal winners from the KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show for just $17 a bottle.