Tag: Australia

Artisans of Barossa

Artisans of Barossa is a collective of six winemakers who share a tasting room on the corner of Magnolia Road and Light Pass Road just outside the town of Tanunda in the Barossa Valley. They share a common goal to produce handcrafted wines that typify the Barossa. Production methods may vary between the winemakers but the wines made are all representative of the styles of the region and are quintessentially Barossa.

Spinifex

Peter Schell and Magali Gely are the driving forces behind Spinifex. They began making wine in the Barossa in 2001 but have been involved in the industry for much longer. Peter had worked several vintages in French wine regions and Magali comes from a French wine making family. Together they source grapes from a number of growers in the Barossa to create some wonderful, handcrafted wines.

Spinifex Eden Valley Riesling 2017

A dry style of Riesling with fresh acidity and lime citrus with stone fruits and a mineral edge. A lovely clean, dry finish.

Spinifex Papillon Grenache 2017

Light, cherry red in appearance. There is bags of red fruits, cranberry, cherry, strawberry. A lighter style of Grenache which is delicate and perfumed. Absolutely delicious and very drinkable. A real star.

Sons of Eden

Cory Ryan and Simon Cowham are the driving forces behind Sons of Eden. Having learnt their trade in the vineyards and wineries of the Eden Valley they have become established in the Barossa where they are creating wines of real class.

Sons of Eden Freya Eden Valley Riesling 2017

Lemon yellow in. appearance. There aromas of lime, lemon sherbet and green apple. The palate is crisp citrus fruits and there is a lovely balance with a great long, lingering finish. A very drinkable wine – lovely.

Sons of Eden The Kennedy GSM 2016

Named in honour of the Kennedy family whose vineyard of old Grenache vines are used in this blend. Deep ruby in appearance with aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, plum and dried herbs. The palate is full with dark fruit and peppery spice. Tannins are dry and there is a finish of perfumed red fruits. Very nice.

Hobbs of Barossa Ranges

Greg And Alison Hobbs have been handcrafting wines made with minimum intervention since the late nineties. Production is small but high quality.

Hobbs Tin Lids Viognier 2017

Aromas of stone fruits – apricots and nectarine. Palate is medium with a nice balance and a refreshing, clean finish.

Hobbs Aria Secca Tin Lids Shiraz 2016

Grapes are handpicked and semi dried on racks prior to vinification in a style similar to the production of Amazon in Italy. The wine is medium red in colour. There are concentrated black fruits with smooth, silky mouthfeel. Savoury with a raisiny fruit. A lovely, easy drinking style of wine. Very nice.

Hobbs Gregor Shiraz 2016

Produced in the Amazon style with whole bunch drying in a shed until the grapes have lost 20% moisture. Deep and inky in appearance. Aromas of sweet fruit, complex and multidimensional. Silky smooth with raisins and white pepper. Lovely, lovely wine.

Schwarz Wine Company

Jason Schwarz bourses fruit from some of Barossa’s best old vines. His approach is one of minimum intervention to produce wines where terroir shines through.

Schwarz Thiele Road Grenache 2016

Produced from vines planted in the early nineteen forties the wine is red/garnet in colour with aromas of cherry. Palate has spice red fruit with a touch of dried herb.

Schwarz Nitschke Block Shiraz 2016

From fruit grown on the valley floor, hand picked and basket pressed. Aromas of red cherry, raspberry and coffee. Palate is deep and rich, spicy fruit with as hint of vanilla. Good length with a savoury, peppery finish.

Massena

Jaysen Collins makes his wines in small quantities from his own vineyards.He is known for crafting wines from grape varieties such as Primitive and Saperavi which are little grown in the Barossa.

Massena Dadds Block Primitivo 2017

Deep in colour and youthful. Dark brambly fruit with herb and leafy notes. Bags of fruit with some cooling mint. This is a very nice wine with real balance. tannins a littlr grippy. A great food wine,

Massena Caviste Blend 2017

 

 

A predominantly shiraz blend. Deep red and youthful. Bags of brambly fruit, lush and silky smooth. A sweet finish.

John Duvall Wines

John worked for Penfolds Wines for 28 years, including 16 years as chief winemaker, responsible for such iconic wines as Grange. John developed his own label, John Duvall Wines in2oo3 and has since been joined by his son. Along with wines from the Barossa John also makes wines in Chile, South America.

John Duvall Plexus SGM 2016

deep red and youthful in appearance. Concentrated black fruits, coffee and mint. Palate is full with spicy/peppery fruit., A serious wine the would benefit from a few years cellaring.

John Duvall Mataro Annexus 2016

The first vin tase of this wine and only 250 cases made. Production is likely to be only in the best years. Deep, inky, opaque with a youthful purple rim. Back fruits, leather,  chocolate and spice. A monster of a wine that needs to be kept for a few years.

As well as the excellent tasting room there is also the Harvest Kitchen which has a strong focus on the foods produced in The Barossa Valley

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is regarded as one of the great coastal drives in the world. At 150 miles in length it certainly affords some remarkable scenery and views

It was built between 1919 and 1932 by soldiers returning from the Great War.   It stretches from Torquay to Allansford

 

The seascape can change dramatically as the weather changes. Increasing cloud gives a much more brooding, atmospheric look.

A short detour from The Great Ocean Road takes you to secluded spots such as Blanket Bay. The bonus is less fellow travellers and the opportunity to see Koala in the trees on the road towards Cape Otway lighthouse.

The Gibson Steps give access from the cliff down to the beach from which you can view the following two limestone rock formations

Probably the most well known feature, and certainly the most photographed, on the Great Ocean Road are the Twelve Apostles found just outside the town of Port Campbell. Made of limestone and formed by erosion the power of the sea has reduced the number of apostles to eigh,t the ninth having collapsed in 2005. It is likely that the number will reduce further due to the relentless action of the sea.

The effects of coastal erosion can be seen at other places in the Port Campbell area. From Martyrs Beach, just a few miles west of the Apostles,  limestone sea stacks can be seen. While not as spectacular or high as the Apostles they are no less impressive. Plus you get to see them without the crowds. Coach tours had ensured there were hundreds of people viewing the Apostles, there were four other people at martyrs beach!

 

We drove the Ocean Road in two days with overnight stops in Lorne and Port Fairy, to the west of Warrnambool. You could easily spend longer if you wanted to explore the towns and regions along the way.

 

Otway Fly Treetop Adventures

The Great Otway National Park is in the state of Victoria and is approximately 160Km south west of the city of Melbourne. It is an incredibly diverse area, including part of the coastline of The Great Ocean Road, cool temperate rain forest and the Otway Ranges.

The Otway Fly is a visitor attraction that can be accessed as part of a trip down The Great Ocean Road by taking the Skenes Creek Road (C119) just east of the beachside town of Apollo Bay. The route is well signposted  and involves a left turn just after Tanybryn. It takes about an hour in total from The Great Ocean Road as it is a hilly, twisting, turning journey through sections off the most amazing rainforest.

There are two main activities once you arrive.

  1.  The Otway Fly treetop Walk
  2.   The Otway Fly Zip Line Tour – unfortunately this was closed on the day of our visit.

The tree top walk is 25AD and takes about an hour to complete. It includes 600m of elevated walkway through the forest and an opportunity to climb to the top of the tree canopy via a spiral tower which takes you to a giddy height of 47m.

Cool temperate rainforests are very old having been around for 140 million years. The rainforest in the Otway receives about 1.5m of rain a year and the cooler temperatures ensure that the forest doesn’t become as dry as many parts of coastal Australia.

One of the most significant trees in the rainforest is the Myrtle Beech. They can grow up to 35m tall and live for around 300 years. It is hard to believe that some of the trees growing in the forest today were saplings before Captain Cook discovered the south east of Australia. Despite its great ability to age it is an increasingly vulnerable species as it is highly susceptible to bush fires as its seeds are not fire resistant like those of other species such as eucalyptus whose seeds need fire to help them germinate. The trees themselves become heavily buttressed as they age with swollen bases.

Ground ferns and tree farms are found in abundance in the understory while the branches of trees are often festooned with mosses and lichens all adding to the biodiversity of this wonderful habitat.

The forest is a magical place and well worth the detour from the Great Ocean Road to visit it. There is a real sense of timelessness here despite the fragility of such areas in light of human activity. They should be protected and cherished, but don’t all go to see them at once as it might just spoil the peaceful tranquility of the place.