Top honours for young Clare Valley winemaker
Louise Johnson
Taylors Wines Winemaker - Helen McCarthy [©Taylors Wines]
It's been an amazing year for Taylors Wine's senior winemaker Helen McCarthy. Not only has she just completed the Len Evans tutorial, she's also taken two of Australia's biggest prizes for young winemakers – Australian Gourmet Traveller's Kemeny Medal and The Wine Society's Members Choice award at the Young Winemaker of the Year awards.
Helen was born in England and moved to Australia in the late 1980s. Her interest in wine started in year 12 during work experience on a winery, leading to a science degree at the University of Adelaide specialising in Oenology.
“I was looking for a science degree with a future ... to cut a long story short my hubbie asked one of his lecturers (Tony Spawton) at Uni SA to call me - he called me from Paris and infected me with the wine industry passion,” she says.
“I worked in a retail wine shop while going through uni, then as a cellar hand for Barossa Valley Estate,” she says.
She completed her degree with first class honours in 2000 and started working with Southcorp, responsible for different wine products and quality levels. Helen joined Taylors in December 2002 and since then has been an important member of the senior management winemaking team.
What do you love most about the role you're in now?
Being able to create wines that both journos and consumers appreciate!
How do you think awards such as the Kemeny Medal and Young Winemaker of the Year affect your winemaking?
They don't really. They just recognise the hard work that we (the winemaking team) at Taylors put into our wines.
How has the 2008 Taylor's vintage shaped up in terms of quality?
The 2008 vintage was a fast one. Vintage started in early February, which is normal, but we had pretty much finished intake by the end of March - which is a full month early. The whites are stunning (especially Riesling) and the reds are coming together nicely.
Which are you most excited about in your current release?
The new Jaraman releases - Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Shiraz 2006, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and Riesling 2008. They continue in the footsteps of the wines we have done so well with over the past 12 months. I'm excited to see if they do as well. Quietly, I think they will.
What's the best wine you’ve ever made?
2008 Taylors Gewurztraminer - it has really strong varietal characters and great balance. It was a pleasure to make. We didn't need to do much other than watch! The judges at Perth Royal Wine Show agreed and awarded the wine the 08 Dry White Varietal trophy.
What's the biggest challenge in winemaking?
The weather and our lack of control of it. Climate change is affecting the industry as a whole. By climate change I am referring to both the change in climate patterns and rain patterns. In terms of Clare drought is posing a huge issue for both our vineyard and growers.
Lack of water is one of the biggest issues facing Clare producers. We are addressing this issue by recycling all water we use in the winery; we can then get at least two uses out of every litre of water. In terms of industry standards Taylors uses a very small amount of water per litre of wine produced. We are always aiming however to reduce this further.
With the possibility of the growing season temperature increasing over the next decade or two, we are investigating alternative varieties that may be more suited to a warmer Clare Valley. This work is in its early stages with a few small blocks of Tempranillo, Carminere and Albarino either planted or planned to be planted in the next year or so.
Environmental sustainability is also going to be a challenge for the Australian wine industry going forward. Water is just one part of this. Carbon emissions are also going to become a challenge. If retailers in other parts of the world want lower carbon input wine we as an industry must find ways to become a low carbon utiliser or carbon neutral. We (Taylors) have identified our carbon footprint and are using several tools to identify how we can further reduce our footprint.
Helen's Clare Valley recommendations:
Eating
- Skillogalee Vineyards - the restaurant is amazing for lunch.
Drinking
- 2005 St Andrews Riesling from Taylors Wines
- 2008 Grossets Watervale Riesling from Grosset Wines
- and, any red from Wendouree Cellars
One perfect day in the Clare Valley
- To stay in one of the beautiful B&B's (especially Ethel's Cottage - I love that place!);
- Get up before sunrise and get to a high point to watch the sun rise over the vineyards, then back to the B&B for a cooked brekkie;
- Ride a bike from Clare to Auburn on the Riesling trail stopping at cellar doors along the way;
- Lunch at Skillogalee;
- Get someone to pick me (and my bike) up from Taylors at the end of the day;
- Finally, dinner at the Sevenhill Hotel.
Regions
- Clare Valley (SA)
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