Winemaker on an alternative pilgrimage
Media release
Grapes from vineyards in Victoria [©Winepros/VisitVineyards.com]
Ahead the 11th annual Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show (AAVWS) held on 3-6 November 2010 in Mildura, Victoria, winemaker Glenn James has described the AAVWS as 'a religious experience and one of the most important wine events in Australia'.
Glenn left Group winemaking at Foster's (now Treasury Wine Estates) in August this year to pursue his own independent winemaking venture, Ducks in a Row Winemakers, focusing entirely on alternative and sustainable grape varieties.
Glenn has just released the Ducks in a Row 2010 Vermentino and Fiano, from the oldest established vines of these Italian grape varieties in Australia from the Murray Darling region, first planted by alternative wine pioneer, Bruce Chalmers, one of the founding members of the AAVWS.
It was at the AAVWS in 2004, where Glenn was a first time judge that he initially came across Vermentino. That particular wine was the Chalmers Murray Cod. Then in 2007, on the first Chalmers Vineyard Walk at Euston in Southern New South Wales he tasted the Vermentino and Fiano grapes straight off the vine.
'It was hot, very hot. But the big bunches and berries looked so vibrant despite the intensely warm climate… and to taste a grape that tasted exactly like the wine – with an intense fruit hit, freshness and zinginess in a hot climate, I was overwhelmed. The flavours and aromas of fresh pear, citrus and scrubby herb translated directly into the wine.'
'It was clear to everyone there that day that these varieties had an obvious advantage over others in a warming climate. It is little wonder some wine experts have predicted these and other more heat tolerant and later-ripening grape varieties as the potential saviour of warmer grape going regions such as South Australia's Riverland.'
Glenn still has the grape juice-stained tasting note from that day.
'The Fiano had such an interesting berry texture, thick skinned and it looked a lot like Chardonnay. But Fiano carries alcohol better than Chardonnay, and makes a wine with these crazy pesto and nutty flavours. It is a very unique and intriguing variety.'
After the first AAVWS, Glenn, then Group White Winemaker for Foster's Wine followed the first Australian examples of Fiano – with the likes of Corrina Wright at Olivers Tarranga and Tash Mooney at Fox Gordon. He also visited Italy where he tasted as many Fianos and Vermentinos as possible.
'I suppose you could say I was stalking these varieties,' he said.
While still at Foster's, intrigued by the aromatic, full bodied Fiano, he grafted it over some poor performing Cabernet in the Barossa and planted it in the Northern Adelaide Hills.
'There was no marketing support or product destined for the grapes but I just had to get it done.'
Now independently making wine, Vermentino and Fiano were the obvious choice as the first two white wines for Ducks in a Row.
'Our Vermentino is a lovely, light, fresh and zesty wine and our Fiano to me smells just like a fresh Thai papaya salad along with pine nut and Asian herb characters. It is heady, perfumed, textured and incredibly long in the mouth.'
Both wines were made with indigenous yeasts, Glenn added.
'There was quite a lot of rainfall in the lead up to harvest, which meant a rich ecology of yeasts on the fruit, they fermented extremely well at a very low temperature,' he said.
Returning to the AAVWS this year as an independent winemaker, Glenn said the Show is so important for Australian wine. 'It is a place to share knowledge between growers, winemakers and marketers but also to benchmark these newer varieties to the Australian wine scene.'
Judging for The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show begins on Wednesday 3rd November in Mildura, Victoria. Public tasting of the wines is on Saturday 6th November - $10 entry. Tickets are still available for some AAVWS events including the legendary long lunch and the joint AAVWS and ASVO (Australian Society of Viticulture & Oenology) seminar 'Think Global, Plant Local'
For more information see AAVWS »
Regions
- Murray Darling (Wine) (VIC)
- North West Victoria (VIC)
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