I believe we have mentioned before that #winechat is hosted on Twitter by Life of Vines on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm Pacific. This Wednesday the subject was Australian White Wines and the guest was Susan Barros of Wine Australia.
We had the time to participate this week so I collected three white wines from Australia. They were all inexpensive, under $12 and two were unusual (for us) blends.
The first wine we tasted was a 2007 Jacobs Creek Reserve Riesling (13.5 alc.). This wine is from South Australia in the Barossa Valley. This is a little south of Clare Valley which arguably produces the best Australian Riesling. It has a Mediterranean climate which should help give it good acidity. The color was straw yellow and the nose was petrol and mineral with a little roundness to it, maybe a little fruit, too. Lots of petrol in the mouth along with some grassiness like a Sauvignon Blanc. Great acidity, really crisp and a long finish.
Our second wine was the 2009 St. Hallett Poacher’s, a blend of 61% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon Blanc and 14% Riesling (11 % alc.). This wine is also from the Barossa Valley except for the Riesling which is from the Eden Valley to the east of the Barossa Valley. This area is not really a valley, it takes it’s name from a town there and is higher and cooler than the Barossa Valley. This wine had a light yellow color, the nose had a little petrol from the Riesling and maybe a little citrus. The flavor is light with a hint of petrol, some fruit and something I can’t quite pick out. This is a fairly light wine with moderate acidity. I wouldn’t pair it up against anything too big. It might be best sitting in the backyard on a hot day enjoying a nice chilled glass. I think the acidity just seemed a little light since it followed the Jacobs Creek, now that I tasted it again there is plenty of acid.
Third and last is the 2009 Pillar Box White, a blend of 52% Sauvignon Blanc, 43% Verdelho and 5% Chardonnay from Padthaway, Australia (12% alc.). Padthaway is next door to Coonawarra and one of the five regions of the Limestone Coast. At one time it was under the sea, hence the limestone, and as late as the mid 1800s’ it was under freshwater most of the year. This wine had a very light yellow color, the nose has a little fruit. Plenty of acid, some citrus, grassiness and other fruit in the mouth. A fairly complex white wine. I rate this “interesting”, I want to try this later with some food, also this summer just sitting out in the backyard.
It’s nice to have some lower alcohol wines. I really like the acidity in these wines, they will make for some nice drinking this summer in the backyard with chips and guacamole. To take a virtual tour of Southern Australia, check out this interesting travel guide.
During #winechat I noted how the Aussie’s aren’t afraid to blend anything with anything else. @SMCBarros replied – They are a fearless bunch! I think that pretty well sums it up.
