Wine Review: Sittella Dr Martin Buck

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Review by Dr Martin Buck

Sittella Shines in the Valley

Sittella Wines has been a Swan Valley success story having been established by Simon and Maaike Berns in 1993 with plantings of Verdelho, Chardonnay and Shiraz, and later expanded to become one of the premier destinations in the Valley. They have consistently helped to lift the profile of the Swan Valley and their current wines reflect great fruit selection and some clever winemaking. Make sure you drop past on your next visit to the Swan Valley.

NV Sittella Sparkling Chenin Blanc $21.50 (cellar door)

Sparkling wines are in the Sittella blood and the Chenin Blanc Brut is made using Methode Traditionelle with 15 months on lees and giving the wine some delicate yeast flavours. In the glass there is a fine bead with bready aromas and some citrus. A well-balanced offdry palate with soft acid and lively Chenin flavours. A great example of the flexibility of the Chenin Blanc variety.

2017 Sittella Reserve Cabernet Malbec $26.10 (cellar door) 2018 Sittella Frankland River Reserve Shiraz $26.10 (cellar door)

Sitella has sourced some Wilyabrup fruit for this Reserve Cabernet Malbec and it is a Bordeaux blend with a difference. A cooler vintage, picked later than usual, has produced more intense flavours. A deep purple in the glass with aromas of ripe blueberries, plums and spice. By using more mature French oak, the fruit structure shines through some soft tannins. A great wine with exceptional fruit and balance that will cellar very well. Frankland River is becoming the go-to region for big-bodied Shiraz and the 2018 Frankland River Reserve Shiraz ticks all the boxes. Once again, the clever use of mature oak has let the Shiraz express more fruit characters and the cool characters of pepper and plum. A dark purple wine overflowing with big berry aromas and fruit flavours with a soft tannin influence. If you love cool climate Shiraz, then look no further. Plenty of cellaring potential.

2012 Sittella Museum Release Silk $28.80 (cellar door) Aged Swan Valley white wines have a special place in West Australian wine history with the iconic Houghton’s whites showing great ageing potential. The 2012 Sittella Museum Release Silk is a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Verdelho that were all hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed with a minimum cellar age of seven years. An amazing example of what the Valley can produce with aromas of balanced older fruit with a smooth, mature palate. Crisp acid, a silky, vibrant palate that still has freshness. Limited to 60 dozen and will continue to excite. REVIEWER 'S PICK

A large dose of theatrical magic transforms cane, leather and metal into War Horse. Ara Jansen reports

Theatre turns truly magical when it convinces you to suspend your disbelief. Nowhere is that more obvious than War Horse, which starts at Crown Theatre on March 24. When horses prance and gallop across the stage we know they aren’t real horses, yet the puppets have been so cleverly handled we simply believe.

Based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 book of the same name, War Horse is the story of courage, loyalty and friendship between a young boy named Albert and his horse, Joey.

At the outbreak of World War I, Joey is sold and shipped to France to help with the war effort. Caught in enemy fire, fate takes the beloved horse on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in No Man’s Land. Albert cannot forget Joey and he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

The stage adaptation has created a powerfully moving and imaginative drama which features groundbreaking puppetry created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company.

52 | FEBRUARY 2020 seen by more than seven million people worldwide in almost 100 cities and a dozen countries.

The job of making sure War Horse’s puppets make us believe they are real falls to Resident Puppetry Director Gareth Aled.

“If our puppeteers focus on the puppet directly, the audience are encouraged to look at the puppet,” says Gareth. “Somehow it’s simple and yet incredibly powerful.”

The second aspect which brings the puppets to life is breath. “Our puppets breathe. So, if something is breathing it conveys life and the rhythm of that breath will suggest thought and emotion, which is what we want the puppets to do.”

Thirdly, the way the puppeteers convey the muscularity and weight of the puppets helps bring them to life. Convincing audiences the puppets are the weight of a real adult horse is an ongoing challenge.

The horse puppets are made of cane, mesh, leather, aluminium and steel. Each section of the horse – the head, heart and hind – works independently and each has a technical task to achieve, like the twitch of an ear or the bend of a leg. Gareth started working as a puppeteer with War Horse seven years ago and was then made Resident Puppetry Director to travel with the show. Having worked on the inside of the horses, he has intimate knowledge of how to make those three sections work in harmony. Now on the other side, part of his work is to make sure that the audience is totally convinced by the horses. “War Horse is an incredible alchemy of the individual parts,” says Gareth. “When everyone is present in the moment, anything this physical demands that you listen, trust and respond. The puppets in this show respond to what’s going on in the story but how they move is up for grabs each time they are on stage.”

Win...

War Horse is at Crown Theatre from March 24. For you chance to win a double ticket, go to www.mforum.com.au and click the 'Competitions' link.

Out & about

Each month Medical Forum review what's on in Perth. If you want to win tickets to our features, simply visit mforum.com.au and click the 'Competitions' link

Movies: Alliance Francaise French Film Festival

Presented by the Alliance Francaise de Perth, the festival showcases the best in contemporary and classic French Cinema at Palace Cinemas Paradiso (Northbridge) and Luna Palace Cinemas (Windsor in Nedlands and Luna on SX Fremantle). Find out more at www.affrenchfilmfestival.org

Movie: Bloodshot

Vin Diesel leads a cast including Outlander’s Sam Heughan and Guy Pearce in the movie adaptation of the comic book of the same name. Diesel is Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation. With an army of nanotechnology in his veins, he’s an unstoppable force.

Various cinemas, March 11 – April 13 In cinemas, March 5

Sculpture by the Sea

Next month’s Sculpture by the Sea festival at Cottesloe Beach is the 16th year WA has hosted this celebration of sea, sand and sculpture. It is always fun and often surprising. This year, the work of more than 70 artists form 20 countries will be showcased.

The curatorial panel for the 2020 exhibition is artist Olga Cironis, Dr Michael Hill, Head of Art History and Theory, National Art School, Sydney, Professor Ted Snell, Chief Cultural Officer, Cultural Precinct, University of Western Australia and Gemma Weston, Curator, Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA, and program associate for the Perth Festival.

Movie: Peter Rabbit 2 In the new film, Bea (Rose Byrne), Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson), and the rabbits have formed a makeshift and loving family – but when Peter (voiced by James Corden) and his love for mischief spreads beyond the garden and his family is at risk, he must decide what kind of rabbit he wants to be.

In cinemas, March 19

Movie: I Still Believe From the makers of I Can Only Imagine comes this biopic of Christian country music star Jeremy Camp. Jeremy's first wife died at the age of 21 of ovarian cancer and he embarks on a journey that tests his faith in all things.

In cinemas, March 12

November Winners

Movie: Jumanji Next Level Dr William Tee, Dr Brendan Connor, Dr Chong Kwah Movie: Like A Boss Dr Jarrad Paul, Dr Christine Lee-Baw, Dr Dian Harun Movie: Playing With Fire Dr Michelle Rooke, Dr Yim Kong Wong, Dr Julie Copeman Movie: Mrs Lowry & Son Dr John Van Bockxmeer, Dr Michael Hart, Dr Fred Faigenbaum, Dr Monica Keel Choral: Handel’s Messiah Dr Ben McGettigan Doctors Dozen: Millbrook Winery Dr Annette Finn