b'The Great Eastern Mail JUNE 2020 13food & wineFrom the Chardonnay. cellar doorstand-out By Phil Walkom Iagain, The clearH OWDYme,trust readers. you,likeareall lookingforwardtosome warmerdaysandbalmy nightsinthenextfew By Ian Hollick Beechworth, Margaret River,if any oak is used in eithertool kit, along with the usemonths to enable us to enjoy Coonawarra, fermentation or maturation.or otherwise of malolactic I T is often said thatAdelaide Hills, MorningtonIn the more complex whitefermentation, to soften harshertheoutdoorsagainwithout the winter woolies.Cabernet Sauvignon isPeninsula and Yarra Valleyburgundy and cool climateacids in the wine.However,winterdoes the King of red grapein Australia, where yields ofnew world examples, oakAs the productionenable the drinking of some varieties. If this is the case,7 to 10 tons per Ha, producemay play an important parttechniques vary in degree ofquality reds, so it isnt all that then Chardonnay can surelycomplex quite full bodiedin both facets of production,difficulty, so too unfortunatelybad.claim to be Queen of the whitewhite wines. This variety isand in fact in times past,does the price of the wines.ThismonthIthoughtI varieties. extremely versatile.was overused, especiallyThe other price determinant iswouldreviewoneofmy It makes fantastic wineAdd to the naturally varietalin California, and in thethe yield and therefore cost offavourite red wines, Tyrrells when grown in a range ofversatility, the differingearly years of production inproduction of the variety. RufusStoneShirazfrom climatic conditions and is thetechniques involved in makingAustralia.Two contrasting stylesHeathcote.most widely planted whitewines from Chardonnay, weToday, winemakers haveavailable in Australia wouldTheyusedtomaketwo grape variety in the world.can see why it is so widelylearned to use oak sparingly,be the magnificent Giacondaversionsofthiswine,one From yields of up to 25 tonsplanted and so aptly namedwhere it does not become theChardonnay from Beechworthcoming from McLaren Vale per Ha in warmer climatesQueen of the Whites. dominant character of the($120very hard to find rightgrapesandtheotherfrom such as the San Joaquin ValleyThe first variable inwine, and the oak charactersnow, unfortunately), I wasgrapessourcedfromtheir of California, and the Murrayproduction is the use of oak inare well integrated in the winelucky enough to have tried theHeathcote vines.Valley in Australia wherematuration as well as a flavourto become part of the overall2006 vintage.Bothversionsarevery abundantly flavoured (if a littleand structure additive duringtaste and aroma sensations.For a value for moneydrinkableandareaterrific simple), wines are made, tofermentation.Yeast selection or lack of itChardonnay, try a Madfishexampleofqualityshiraz, the revered wines of ChablisIn the more simple forms ofaltogether (wild yeast), is todayGold Turtle Chardonnay frombeingextremelydrinkable and Burgundy in France, andwine from Chardonnay, littlealso part of the winemakersMargaret River ($16). both now and over five years.Itsnotaheavywine, withsomelovelysmoothsittingaroundabonfire, $55 $120 $60 berryflavourswhichgolooking over the rolling hills wonderfullywithroasts,of the Clare Valley in South barbequesandspicyduckAustralia.dishes (if you are lucky). Iguessweshouldhave Coldstream Hills ReserveGiaconda Chardonnay Bannockburn The last time I had one ofbeendrinkingRieslingin 2018 Chardonnay Within seconds of pouring,2018 Chardonnay thesewasatamatesBBQthisregion,butthiswine Tightly-knit, nutty andthe sumptuous, powerfulA proven cellar style withwhere he was experimentingwentdownverywellwith strongly influenced inand perfectly balanceddepth and complexity, thiswithhisWeber,cookingthe BBQed pork ribs and a its youth by its barrelbottle of 1993 Giacondarichly textured, sumptuousporkspareribsthatwerefew top-up lamb cutlets to fermentation, its sophisticatedChardonnay more thanchardonnay wine has finallybraised in a bourbon baste .follow.savoury and chalky finish.atoned for a slight flatnessbecome more sought afterbewdiful. Thiswineshouldbe Nobody disputed this winesin the bottle opened of thethan its stablemate pinotWhen I say, one, it may ineasilysourcedfromlocal place amongst the Top Ten.1995 vintage. Its the Ferrarinoir, another of Australiasfacthavebeenmorethanwine shops in the are. Enjoy Its track record is very realof Australian chardonnay. benchmark wines.one,giventheambience,and bon apptit.and very well deserved.THEOnly 3km off Princes BARRELHighwayROOM Cellar Door open 10am to 4pm every dayRESTAURANTOPEN 12.002.00PMWEEKENDS &WED, THUR, FRI DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYSPLEASE RING TO BOOK www.nicholsonriverwinery.com.auNicholson River Winery20 Cabernet Close, Nicholson, VIC. Ph: 0409 568 241( preferred) Find usBookings'