OPIMIAN SUGGESTS

MANAGING DIRECTOR MICHAEL LUTZMANN

Michael has level 3 training from WSET. Before discovering more about wine through training, he only drank heavy reds. While those are still favourites, his palate pleasers now include the full spectrum with dessert/ fortified wines edging toward the top of the list.

DOMAINE BONNARDOT BEAUNE PREMIER CRU BELISSAND, AOP, 2015, MAGNUM WOOD CASE, LOT 2996, P47

OUR PICKS FOR THIS CELLAR

BERTON VINEYARD THE BONSAI, HIGH EDEN, 2019 LOT 2934, P11 HASTWELL & LIGHTFOOT SANDS OF TIME SHIRAZ, MCLAREN VALE, 2020, LOT 2945, P17

BEC HARDY WINES PINOT GRIS, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 2021, LOT 2947, P19 MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN, VIEILLES VIGNES, AOC, 2018, LOT 3018, P61 MASSEY DACTA PINOT NOIR, MARLBOROUGH, 2021 LOT 2931, P9

MANAGING DIRECTOR GREG RINEHART

Greg's wine style is at the opposite end of the spectrum and gravitates towards less serious styled rosés and whites. He believes that all events should start with a glass of bubbly! However, when done right, there is no better red grape for producing lighterbodied wines of elegance and complexity than Pinot Noir.

MASTER PIECE What in the World?

Jane Masters MW is Opimian’s Master of Wine

As Opimian Cellar Offerings start to feature 2021 wines and the wine harvest in Europe is getting into full swing, it’s a perfect time to look back at this year’s growing season.

Each year, the Southern Hemisphere wine grape harvest kicks off in late January through to April, depending on the region. If Australia was anything to go by, this year was looking good. A relief for Australian wine growers after the hot dry year which was 2020 with its wild fires and low yields. The 2021 vintage in Australia had near perfect growing and ripening conditions, producing the largest crop ever. A cooler summer has produced refreshing wines across all regions with fresh fruit flavours, moderate alcohol levels and naturally balanced acidity. There are plenty of delicious wines to choose from in C290. Sadly, New Zealand was not quite so lucky. The wines produced are high in quality, but they are very short in supply. The Marlborough region in the north of the South Island where Ben Glover is based saw an overall reduction in wine production of more than 20%. Losses were greater or lesser depending on the site and grape variety planted. Ben lost 90% of his Chardonnay, 70% of his Gewurztraminer and 25% of his Sauvignon Blanc. The reduced crop was essentially due to spring frost in September. The frost hit after warm winter temperatures and lower rainfall than usual had brought the vines into an early budbreak. Frost damages young shoots and buds and restricts yields. Earlier budding varieties are more susceptible. Inclement weather during flowering reduced the crop further. However from then on the season was perfect for ripening grapes and lead to harvest ten days earlier than the norm. In Ben’s words, “from a very challenging and small vintage – there are some exquisite gems. “ For many years, France and Italy vied for the number one position as the world’s largest wine producing country. For some years now that accolade has consistently gone to Italy, followed by France and Spain in third place, but with a significant gap. That’s all about to change, as the latest forecast shows that France will produce its lowest wine crop on record at -29% of 2020, taking it a peg below Spain. Similar to New Zealand, France experienced a nationwide frost in April, which the government declared a national emergency. In addition to the frost, regions with high humidity and rainfall have suffered attacks of downy mildew, while others have suffered from drought (irrigation is not permitted generally in France), both of which lead to further reductions in crop. Hail hit certain localised parts of Champagne with some fire damage in southern France. The overall trend is down, but the impact is heterogenous. The Burgundy region featured in C290 is