New products and releases, tasted and recommended by the Tasting Panel

THE REVIEW

FOUR STAND-OUT PRODUCTS THAT CROSSED OUR DESKS OVER THE PAST THREE MONTHS.

Reviewed by Ken Gargett and Ashley Pini.

HENSCHKE HILL OF GRACE 2015 Not even isolation and pandemics could prevent the annual release of Australia’s most famous singlevineyard wine, Henschke’s Hill of Grace, even if it was a little more low-key than usual. The 2015 (AUD$865) has hit the shelves, and with it, some welcome good news. For the first time in several vintages, there is a reasonable quantity of the wine available (all things being relative, of course, as HoG is always a very small production).

Hill of Grace was created by Stephen Henschke’s father, Cyril, with the first vintage being 1958. And yet, the vineyard had already been in existence for a century – the block within the vineyard, known as the Grandfathers, is around 160 years old, some of the oldest vines in the world. The vineyard is located in South Australia’s Eden Valley, opposite the picturesque Gnadenberg Lutheran Church, which sits on land donated initially by August Henschke. It always amazes me to think that no one made a designated wine from this vineyard for the first one hundred years of its existence. But they were very different times.

The 2015 is a wonderful wine, from a very fine vintage. Glorious now, it will rival those which have already passed the test of longevity.

Stephen’s thoughts? “We like to visualise the grace of the harvest moon underlying the luminosity of the 2015 Hill of Grace with its purity of aromas, depth of flavour and silky lustrous tannins – a majesty and a mystery that takes our breath away with its grandeur.”

For me, black fruits dominate, with smoked meats, tobacco leaf, blueberries, dark chocolate, aniseed, and florals. Oak is still evident, but it is well integrated. The wine has incredible length, and the balance is impeccable. The tannins are amazingly fine and silky; the texture is supple. A wine with decades ahead of it. A great Hill of Grace and a brilliant example of how good the best Australian wines can be. 99.

SEPPELTSFIELD ROAD DISTILLERS, SHIRAZ GIN A decade ago, a Shiraz Gin might have seemed like a magical concoction more likely to be served in one of those weird Star Wars bars than the household favourite it has become. Four Pillars from the Yarra Valley took the early steps when distiller, Cam MacKenzie, decided he wanted to do something like a sloe gin, but not a sloe gin as he was not a fan of that style. The colour and sweetness in Shiraz grapes gave him the perfect alternative. From a toe dipped in the water, production of their Bloody Shiraz Gin is now approaching 100,000 bottles.

Others have followed, which was inevitable. As Oscar Wilde said, ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ (he goes on to say ‘… that mediocrity can pay to greatness’ but here, this does not apply). Those who have also trod this path can claim to have made some superb, exciting spirits. For me, the more the merrier. Keep them coming.

The Barossa, seen by many as home to Australia’s best Shiraz, is an obvious place for distillers to source grapes for this style of Gin. The guys at Seppeltsfield Road Distillers are seventh-generation Barossans and, amongst an excellent array of Gins, have a delicious Shiraz Gin. Their latest is their 2020 ($80/50ml, 38.5%). Production has apparently skyrocketed from less than 1,000 bottles to almost 3,000, for this their 3rd release, so although perhaps not as ubiquitous as Four Pillars, fans should be able locate it. An ideal Gin for World Gin Day – 13th June.

The most obvious question asked is how does it compare to Four Pillars. This might be the power of suggestion, but to me, what is obvious is how both are true to their origins. The FP has an elegance about it, and the flavours are more refined. The Seppeltsfield is rich, ripe, bold, and oozing flavour. So pretty much along the lines one might expect from a bottle of wine from each region, as a generalisation.

The team at Seppeltsfield is delighted with their latest release, believing it their best. They used top-notch Shiraz from the Western Barossa, grown in accordance with organic principles.

Inky black/purple, this is plush and full of delicious mulberry and plum notes, black fruits, and a little bit of sweetness (which actually makes it a fine option to match with a good cigar – far more suitable than a red wine). Even with flavours to burn, this is nicely balanced. Soft texture and excellent length. A little different, but a joy to drink. Hard to imagine that this will not sell out quickly. Look to your favourite spirits retailer or www.seppeltsfieldroaddistillers. com.au/shop.

ZEMA ESTATE’ FAMILY SELECTION’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014 These turbulent times recently got just that little bit sadder with the news that the Zema family patriarch, Demetrio, passed away very recently, at the age of 87.

Zema Estate is located in Coonawarra, making a fine array of reds, although it always seems to me that it never quite gets the accolades it deserves. Not sure why.

I only met Demetrio a couple of times, and that was a while back, but he struck me as a lovely, hospitable man who tolerated no-nonsense. I remember someone asking for a spit bucket near the vines, only to receive a withering response, followed by a big smile.

The Zema family strike me as the quintessential blend of Italian immigrants and good Aussies. Any visit to their winery was always accompanied with seemingly endless plates of fabulous food. And naturally, the wine to wash it down. Followed by a discussion about the footy (if I recall, son Nick had some rather dubious allegiances).

Demetrio arrived in Coonawarra back in 1959 – it must have been a wild, desolate place then – from Calabria, but did not establish his own operation until 1982. The family suffered another tragic loss a few years ago when son Matt passed away. Matt’s brother Nick is responsible for the wines. The ‘Family Selection’ is the pick of their wines, and while this Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 has been available for a little while, it can still be found. At $48, it is cracking value. You can pay twice that and not drink so well. It is sourced from three selected vineyards with the intention to produce a wine that will age for at least a decade (it will do that standing on its head). It was made with partial barrel fermentation and then two years in French oak. The team at Zema has noted that they were aiming for a bigger and bolder, richer style with this ‘Family Selection’, and they have achieved that, but they have also maintained refinement and elegance. The wine is inky black. Aromas of cloves, black olives, mint, black cherry, and licorice flood from the glass. The oak is nicely integrated and one is left with a touch of the vanillin. On the palate, black fruits, tobacco leaf notes, and cassis characters emerge. This is a seamless style, with the finest of tannins. An extremely well structured wine with balance, length, and good acidity. Good complexity. Supple texture. This is a wine that has a very long future ahead of it. I’m sure Demetrio would have been very proud of it. Raise a glass of it to celebrate the life and contribution of Demetrio.

SPLASH VODKA The low and zero sugar drinks categories are set to be the rising stars of the coming twelve months, with some predicting seltzers may be the only drinks in growth. The international brands, such as White Claw (see page 30), have proved that the category works overseas. But will it be as popular in Australia? All the indicators around health and well-being suggest this will be the case, and a new entrant, Splash Vodka, is well-positioned to take advantage of also being Australian produced and owned.

Australian actress, model, and co-owner of Splash Vodka, Olympia Valance, is delighted to be launching the innovative brand.

“Everyone knows that I love to wind down at the end of a long work week with a cocktail, but this doesn’t mean I want to sacrifice my health in the process. No one wants to feel guilty about what they’re putting into their bodies when they should just be focusing on enjoying the present moment! We managed to create a formula which is incredibly clean, without skimping on the taste,” Valance says.

Splash Vodka’s CEO, Jeff Gobbels, said: “The inspiration of splash vodka is an easy one, it came from us looking for drinks like this for ourselves, and they didn’t exist. So we created them. We wanted an RTD which was sugar-free, all natural, preservative free and most importantly tasted great. We take great pride in the products we’ve created and can’t wait for people to try them.”

“We deliberately launched splash vodka online, to begin with, so we could get a feel of how they would be received in the market. It has worked well, with the orders far exceeding our expectations.”

Splash Vodka is available in two sparkling flavours – Lime and Raspberry. To become a stockist and get on board early, you can contact Splash at info@splashvodka.com.au.