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moorabool valley • Bellarine Peninsula • surf coast
geelong’s ultimate wine festival • november 2-3 •
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黑皮诺 黑皮諾 ピノ 轰趴 狂歡節 パルーザ P•08
What’s in the Glass? The difference organic farming makes to wine. Campbell Burton P•10
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National People’s Choice 2018 Top 10 & Winner. Anna Webster
東京 Tokyo Where to eat and drink? Anna Webster P•35
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Pinot Globally Pinot Noir: It's a global thing. Melanie Brown, Suzie Chung, Samantha Payne, Alvin Gho, Ian Lim, Andy Fenner & Stephen Wong P•45
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North Canterbury Nadia Bailey
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Oregon A road trip through the Willamette Valley.
German Pinot Noir Mike Bennie
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May Chow Profile Anna Webster
Revel Hall of Fame & Events
Welcome To Pinot Palooza - Global Edition A lot can happen in a year. As I sit here writing this, I'm reflecting on the past twelve months and where we were this time last year, it seems fitting that we are about to embark on our biggest Pinot Palooza tour yet. Thirteen cities and six countries, which now includes Osaka in Japan and, for the first time in the USA, Los Angeles. Epic. In your hand you hold the second edition of Pinot Palooza Magazine and I wholeheartedly welcome you to it. Within these pages are a range of stories, insights, guides, discoveries and more from our year with pinot noir. One of the best parts of our yearly global tour is travelling to amazing cities and destinations and Tokyo is right up there with our favourites. You’ll find our humble guide of that city within. In anticipation of our USA debut, we head to the Willamette Valley in Oregon where we very quickly fell in love with not only the wines, but the people and place. You’ll also read about another region close to our hearts, North Canterbury in New Zealand, an area where resilience and determination are not just embedded but a prerequisite. Speaking of NZ, we interview this year’s People’s Choice winner Andrew Donaldson of Akitu (Central Otago) about his amazingly delicious wine and massive Pinot Palooza debut. Mike Bennie then talks all things German pinot noir plus we hear from good mate Andy Fenner on what is happening in South Africa before Suzie Chung tells us how South Korea is fast becoming a wine hub (who’s up for Pinot Palooza Seoul?). Melanie Brown talks London. Stephen Wong chats NZ. The Wine RVLT boys talk Singapore. We check in with Samantha Payne about all things Australia and chat to May Chow about her Hong Kong experience. Campbell Burton reminds us how looking after soil makes a massive difference to the flavour of wine. A natural topic we should all care and ask about. So again, welcome to not just this humble magazine, but a global community of like-minded wine souls. Welcome to the club. Make sure you try the wine. Dan Sims Founder / CEO Revel
W H O I S R E V E L ? You know us. We’re the artists formerly known as Bottle Shop Concepts – the team behind epic wine and food events including Pinot Palooza, Game of Rhones, MOULD – A Cheese Festival and Gauchito Gil’s Malbec Day. We’re hell-bent on creating fun, unique event experiences – especially around wine. But as this magazine will attest to, that’s not all we will do. Make sure you check us out, either via our website revel.global or Instagram @revel.global
Nadia Bailey, Mike Bennie, Melanie Brown, Campbell Burton, Suzie Chung, Andy Fenner, David Knight, Dan Sims, Anna Webster, Stephen Wong. R E V E L : 26 Sackville Street, Collingwood 3066 VIC / cheers@revel.global C O V E R : 2018 People's Choice Winner • Akitu, Central Otago, NZ P U B L I S H E R : Super Assembly • superassembly.com.au S A L E S & A D V E R T I S I N G : Steph Berndt, Nikki Friedli & Max McHenry P A P E R S T O C K : Grange Offset by Ball & Doggett D E S I G N : OK-OK • ok-ok.net pinotpalooza.com.au CONTRIBUTORS:
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What's in the Glass?
One of my favourite things in life is learning and talking about organic farming and soil and how these translate into delicious wine. My first real wine education came while working at Tiffany’s Restaurant in Christchurch in 2003 and since then I’ve had an extraordinarily enjoyable journey working in restaurants and wineries in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Spain and France. It was in 2008, while working in Melbourne, that I began to appreciate and acknowledge the difference that organic farming
and sensitive winemaking could have on what was in the glass. My appetite for tasting new things was insatiable (it still is) and there were a few key moments and bottles that year that irreversibly piqued my interest in the relationship between organic farming and great tasting wine. In 2013, my wife Charlotte and I found ourselves working with legendary farmer Claude Courtois in the Loire Valley. Claude showed us that the best way to make delicious wine is to start with delicious, balanced grapes and that the best way to grow delicious grapes is to have
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healthy soil, healthy vines and a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem in the vineyard. We realised that the most delicious, digestible and downright drinkable wines were the ones that contained organic grapes and nothing else. I can’t stress enough the joy I get when I taste wines from vineyards that have been farmed very well and without chemicals for several decades. The level of depth, intrigue and class is enough to take your breath away. The flavours are so brilliant and transfixing that I know I want to do this job for at least another 50 years.
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As much as technology has aided us in many ways there’s nothing that can replace or better organic produce and natural fermentation, particularly with respect to available nutrients and deliciousness.
FOR US TO HARVEST A VERY BEAUTIFUL & DELICIOUS GRAPE WE NEED A FEW THINGS: HEALTHY SOIL 01
This means organic farming, soil that is full of life, nutrients and microbes. This is VERY important. No synthetic herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. It also means minimising soil compaction. Why? Synthetic chemicals used in modern agriculture end up in your food (and wine) . They shorten the life cycle of the soil and they negatively affect fauna. They also make it very difficult for products like wine to ferment naturally and make the vines and fruit more susceptible to disease. The flip side is that when the soil is healthy, the sky is basically the limit – and this relates to all produce. Healthy, living soils allow for the proper uptake of nutrient to the plant. This makes the fruit taste better, have a better pH and thus more stability for the wine, and the plant is more disease resistant.
I’ve realised that I preferred the flavour, digestibility and vibrancy of wines that are unfiltered and preservative-free – wines that behave like food and that in turn are just so compatible with meals. I’ve begun to notice extra energy and matter in wines that have been grown organically and I’ve also learnt that to do this well takes a lot of work, a lot of belief and a lot of passion. It’s seriously
I’ll never forget the tomatoes we ate for lunch every day during vintage with Claude Courtois . They weren’t just great; they were unforgettable. I didn’t even know tomatoes could taste that good and I’m still talking about them nearly six years later. I’d also never seen wines ferment so well. Claude’s farm was such a wonderful example of what can happen when a farm is well run.
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challenging to make wine in this way and I have soaring admiration for the people that can do it well. It was through wines like these that I went from enjoying wine to being spellbound by wine. More than ever before, we should seek out and celebrate the farmers who are working like this. Whether we’re talking about a vigneron in Australia,
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This needs to start with organic farming. There are a number of environmental factors that can affect the grape harvest like powdery and downy mildew but chemicals aren’t the answer. There are a whole host of applications that can mitigate mildew like nettle teas, seaweed spray, silica or quartz. Plant-based treatments can strengthen cell walls, aid fermentation and allow the plant better balance. This all helps make great tasting grapes and the avoidance of chemical fungicides is immediately better for the environment. Most importantly, organic farming makes for much healthier produce. I realised some time ago that farmers who focussed on promoting life and working with nature as opposed to the other way around were the ones growing the best produce.
(or maybe the Languedoc in France) a vegetable grower in Sunbury or a dairy farmer in Far North Queensland, it’s these organic and biodynamic producers who are generally working on a smaller scale and with greater risk. The rewards are an immediate benefit for the environment, and significantly healthier and tastier food for the consumer.
I’d put it to you to really explore the world of organically-farmed wine. Take the time to record, remember and, most importantly, celebrate the bottles that stop you in your tracks. Speak to the producer, find out how it was farmed, find out exactly how it was made, find out what was added to the wine (if anything) and then tell that organic farmer how much you enjoyed the produce and wine that they spent all year growing. Believe me, for every bottle of organic wine and every biodynamic apple or grapefruit, there was a farmer who decided to take a risk for the consumer and for the environment – it’s seriously challenging for the small scale organic farmer and, as beneficiaries of their work, we need to shout from the rooftops how much we appreciate it.
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National People's Choice AKITU // CHARTERIS & SHAW + SMITH // MOONDARRA // GOLDEN CHILD // VINTELOPER // GIANT STEPS // JOSEF CHROMY // STEFANO LUBIANA // ASHTON HILLS // BECKER WINES
At every Pinot Palooza event since our inception in 2012, we’ve asked people to vote for their favourite wine on the day. With 14,000 attendees across 11 cities in 5 countries voting for their Top 10, it’s a wonderful way to celebrate all the different styles and regions we champion and respect. It’s a great representation of Pinot Palooza: what we stand for and why we do it. We are proud to present the Top 10 for 2018. PP–02
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AKITU Central Otago
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Andrew Donaldson found the pinot siren song so strong that he threw in a successful career in financial engineering and returned to his hometown of Wanaka in order to make his own. Turns out it was a smart move – Donaldson took out the National People’s Choice competition for 2018; his first ever Pinot Palooza tour. A phenomenal effort from the whole Akitu team!
akitu.wine
CHARTERIS Central Otago
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SHAW + SMITH Adelaide Hills AUSTRALIA
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Second place was a draw between Central Otago’s Charteris and the Adelaide Hills’ Shaw + Smith. Charteris, by PJ and Chrissi Charteris (our favourite pinot power couple) came in at number 9 on the list in 2017, and we’re stoked to see them climb even higher in 2018. We’re equally stoked to see such a good result for Shaw + Smith – another Pinot Palooza veteran.
charteriswines.com.au
shawandsmith.com
MOONDARRA Gippsland
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Our reigning champion from 2017 is still making some of the best pinot noir around as far as we’re concerned. If you can’t place his name, Moondarra winemaker Neil Prentice is all big smiles and floppy hats and is just as likely to be found shoeless on the dancefloor cutting a move to New Order’s Blue Monday as he is behind his stand pouring wine.
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moondarra.com.au
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GOLDEN CHILD Adelaide Hills
VINTELOPER Adelaide Hills
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James Hamilton from Golden Child came in 10th in 2017 – his first year at Pinot Palooza – flying up the ranks to 4th place in 2018. This is down to more than just beginner’s luck; there’s some real talent here. We see bright things in this young gun’s winemaking future, perhaps starting with a People’s Choice victory in 2020? It’s on you to make it happen!
David Bowley is no stranger to the People’s Choice Top 10, coming in at second place in 2017 and 2015 – and first place in 2016. He consistently performs well in the individual city competitions too – particularly in his hometown of Adelaide – proving that you all love his wine just as much as we do.
goldenchildwines.com.au
GIANT STEPS Yarra Valley
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vinteloper.com.au
JOSEF CHROMY Relbia
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This Yarra Valley winery is the result of Phil Sexton, originally a pioneer of the Australian craft beer industry, and Steve Flamsteed, originally a chef, who came together in 2003 to create beautiful wines. While we’d never admit to having favourites, we do find ourselves drinking Giant Steps wines at Pinot Palooza HQ quite often. You obviously agree – otherwise it wouldn’t be number six on the national list!
Josef Chromy’s upbringing was very different to most Australian winemakers, having emigrated to Tasmania from his war-torn Czech village as a penniless 19-year-old in 1950. He was instrumental in the growth of the Tasmanian wine industry where he owned and developed Bay of Fires , Jansz and Tamar Ridge wineries. Today, his eponymous winery remains in good hands, helmed by winemaker Jeremy Dineen.
giantstepswine.com.au
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josefchromy.com.au
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STEFANO LUBIANA Granton
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ASHTON HILLS Adelaide Hills
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Stefano “Steve” Lubiana and his wife Monique own and run their biodynamic vineyard in Granton, about 20 minutes north of Hobart. The wines they produce are truly delicious, absolutely speaking of their little patch of dirt on Australia’s island state. If you haven’t tried their wines before then do yourself a favour and seek them out.
We knew there was something special about the Adelaide Hills – and four winemakers in the Top 10 proves it. It’s great to see Ashton Hills at number 9, with wines grown from a site in the Piccadilly Valley originally planted and tended by Stephen George, now run by Wirra Wirra with George still overseeing operations.
slw.com.au
BECKER WINES Hunter Valley
In 2018 we broke Pinot Palooza records – with our biggest events in Melbourne, Auckland, Perth, Brisbane and Wellington. We also visited Asia for the first time hosting events in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Every city we visited had its own personality, vibe and experience and even though 2018 will be hard to top, the 2019 tour is set to be our biggest yet! We are visiting 13 cities across 6 countries so keep an eye on the Pinot Palooza website and social media for updates.
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Husband and wife team James and Meagan Becker make wine in both the Hunter Valley and in California. Based in New South Wales, they make the journey to the USA every year to play around with interesting fruit and be inspired. Becker is definitely one of the most interesting producers at Pinot Palooza – it’s great to see them make the Top 10 in 2018.
beckerwines.com.au
ashtonhills.com.au
pinotpalooza.com.au INSTAGRAM @PinotPalooza FACEBOOK
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/PinotPalooza
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Geelong From the Moorabool Valley to the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast, good things are happening in the wild country of Melbourne’s west.
If you stand in a certain spot in the grounds of Scotchmans Hill and look in one direction, you can see the gentle blue lilt of Port Phillip Bay. Look in the other, and you can see the familiar skyline of Melbourne: the distant shapes of high-rise buildings, the twinkling lights of the MCG. Viewed at sunset, with a glass of something savoury and red in hand — well, it’s pretty hard to beat.
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approach means that things are much more personalised. “In a lot of places around here, it’s the actual winemakers who serve you at the cellar door, so you’re going to get a different experience.”
It’s this view that Robin Brockett, chief winemaker at Scotchmans Hill, has been enjoying for almost three decades. Quietly spoken and charismatic, Brockett is something of a legend around these parts. “Up until 1990, there were only four or five vineyards on the Peninsula and there were only two employed winemakers in the whole of Geelong,” he recalls. “Now, there’d probably be 40.” You don’t have to look very far for evidence. Within a breezy three minute drive of Scotchmans Hill, there are four other wineries — Terindah Estate, Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Bennetts and Bellarine Estate — plus a whiskery at the bottom of the hill. Venture a little further and you’ll find Oakdene Vineyards, a slightly madcap estate where the cellar door is styled as an upside-down house and eccentricity goes hand-in-hand with luxury accommodation and an assured fine dining restaurant. “There’s a lot more individuality in the winemaking here than what you find in other areas,” explains Brockett. “There’s not a single corporate winemaker here. It’s not rustic exactly — it’s a more salt of the earth, dirt-under-the -nails mentality.” This hands-on
winegeelong.com.au
The Bellarine Peninsula — where both Scotchmans Hill & Oakdene are located — is characterised by fertile, loamy soils, a relatively temperate climate, ocean breezes. The pinot that comes out of the area tends towards a sweetness and generosity of fruit with fine tannins. These are big, juicy wines. Drive an hour west and everything changes. The scenery transforms from coastal vistas to sweeping views of hillside vineyards and stately gums. In Geelong’s Moorabool Valley, the environment is drier, the soil rockier, the landscape more rugged. In other words, it’s ideal pinot country. “We’re lucky to have this beautiful interaction of cool sites and really mean soils,” says Ray Nadeson of Lethbridge, a small, gung-ho winery that’s producing some of the most fascinating pinots in the region. According to Nadeson, it’s the combination of low vine vigour and limestone and basaltrich soils that deliver the Moorabool signature: dark, tannic wines that feel much more savoury and structural than many pinots you’ll come across. “We don’t have fruity wines here. If you want fruit, drink fruit juice,” he laughs.
offering panoramic views of the Moorabool Valley, it’s the kind of place that invites the idea of a leisurely lunch over a few glasses of extraordinarily good singleestate pinot noir — something that Terry Jongebloed is rightly proud of. “We were probably the first out here to do tucker, sit down and talk to people and do more than just wine tasting,” he explains. In the 40 odd years that he’s been in the wine business, he’s seen pinot go from underdog to overlord. “Australian pinot is getting recognised on the international stage — the strength of what the Yarra has done, what Mornington’s done and what Geelong’s doing is really superb,” he says. “Ten years ago, you wouldn’t find a Geelong pinot on a wine list in Melbourne. Today, most good wine lists have all got a Geelong pinot. The region understands its varieties — it knows that pinot noir is king.”
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A little further down the road, Provenance Wines is also making its mark on the region. A year after opening, the historic bluestone paper mill turned light-filled cellar door has become one of the region’s buzziest hot spots — with a view overlooking the cascading Buckley waterfalls of the Barwon River, it’s easy to see why. No visit to the region is complete without a stop at Clyde Park. With both cellar door and bistro
INSTAGRAM @winegeelong
Maree Collis & Ray Nadeson LETHBRIDGE
FACEBOOK /winegeelong
Don't DRINK wine...
SAVOUR IT.
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People’s Choice Winner
2018
Andrew Donaldson CENTRAL OTAGO
NEW ZEALAND
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Few grape varieties match the irresistible lure of pinot noir. Pinot is the siren song that causes men and women stronger than you or I to throw in successful careers, plant a vineyard and forge a life devoted to wine. For Andrew Donaldson from Central Otago's Akitu, it was a job in finance (financial engineering to be precise) that was discarded, and many bottles of Burgundy were the reason.
fairly natural product, can actually perform as dynamically as that after sitting in sealed glass for quite a few years. I still find that really quite a mythical and marvelous gift and I guess that's why I became much more interested in pinots than the other varieties. I was completely seduced.”
Donaldson’s initiation into wine came via hospitality jobs he held while at university, where he developed a taste for red wine. His initiation into pinot happened later. While living and working in London, he accepted an invitation from an older colleague to join him in the grandstand at the first test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. “He only had one rule,” says Donaldson, “and that was that he drank Burgundy before lunch and Bordeaux after lunch.” The man – who would ultimately become a great friend of Donaldson – would bring hampers packed with delicious bottles of French wine and other delicacies to the cricket, and together they’d watch the match while they ate and drank. This continued for eight years and over that time Donaldson was exposed to some of the great Burgundies, including Dujac , Rousseau and Romanée-Conti. It was while drinking a bottle of great Burgundy that Donaldson had his first “magical moment”. “We were drinking a bottle and watching the cricket and all of a sudden the taste seemed to
change. I asked my friend if he’d opened a different bottle,” says Donaldson. “He laughed and said, No – that’s what a great pinot noir can do!” “And that really intrigued me,” he continues, “I was like how can this wine, this fermented grape juice, physiologically change so much that over the course of an hour of cracking it that it’s going to show to you two or three different sides of itself?” “I find it an absolutely magical gift that this very simply made,
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But it wasn’t just the Dujac. Donaldson was born in Wanaka, Central Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island, so perhaps a career in wine was inevitable. “I always wanted to end up back in Wanaka, one way or another,” says Donaldson, “and in a funny coincidence, my absolute favourite place in the world was becoming the most exciting region in the world to produce my favourite wine variety. I had to do it.” In 1999, Donaldson sold the land he owned in Wanaka and bought a larger block about a kilometre away from it. He set up a company, Hawkesbury Estates (named after his grandfather’s house in Wanaka which was named after Australia’s Hawkesbury River) to own the land, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the Akitu label was born.
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Akitu is a Maori word meaning ‘the summit, the apex, the highest point’ – a reference to Wanaka’s altitude of 380m above sea level. It also refers to the marginality of the site – the best fruit is usually the last picked, which Donaldson says is terrifying but yields results.
The only varietal Donaldson grows is pinot noir – which for him is like growing multiple varietals “because it’s crazy and different every single, solitary year”. With no real winemaking background or training, he relies on Dr David Jordan, who wrote the original assessment of the site in 2001, viticulturist Steve Blackmore who has helped him run the vineyard since 2004 and fellow Central Otagian PJ Charteris (from Charteris Wines) to help him make the wine. Although he’s not completely organic (yet) due to the quality of the fruit in Central Otago,
Donaldson rarely has to employ non-organic practices and believes that the best wines are made with as little intervention as possible. “Those great vintages that you read about in books… the winemakers always sort of shrug their shoulders when they’re asked about the wine and they say ‘I didn't really have to do anything.’ And that’s because they’re working with pristine, immaculate fruit,” says Donaldson. He believes that Wanaka and his connection to it is the reason he’s making wine at all. “I was in love with pinot, but nothing
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would have happened if Wanaka hadn’t become such an incredibly interesting place to grow fantastic fruit, that could then go on to make fantastic pinot noir,” he says. “Wanaka got me into this rather than pinot brought me to Wanaka; it wasn't the other way around.”
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Next-Gen pinots from a traditional family winery. The Henschkes, who ran through vineyards, helped to pick grapes and sank their feet into ferments as children proudly lead this South Australian stalwart. The fifth and sixth generations of Henschke winemakers hold extensive viticultural qualifications, have travelled throughout world-renowned winemaking regions and carry wide-ranging sommelier and wine-judging experience, as well as knowledge of innovative environmental technologies that make for sustainable growing practices. Fifth-generation Stephen and Prue Henschke planted their Lenswood vineyard in 1981, trialing coolclimate varieties that were better suited to the steep slopes of the Adelaide Hills than their home in the Eden Valley. While much has evolved in the Henschke’s 150 years, the family still rely on – and proudly use – many of the traditional approaches, such as open-top fermentation used since 1868, in their winey today.
Henschke Cellar Door 1428 Keyneton Road, Keyneton, South Australia henschke.com.au
Henschke Johanne Ida Selma Blanc de Noir MD
Henschke Giles Pinot Noir 2017
Henschke The Alan Pinot Noir 2015
This complex, uplifting multivintage, mature disgorged blanc de noir is crafted from handselected pinot noir at Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills. Carrying a pale-gold colour and the aromas of the surrounding orchards and blossoms, it finishes with longlasting flavours of ginger spice with bright, red currant acidity.
Vibrant, fresh and refined this pure pinot noir stands sassy and assertive among its peers. Packing concentrated flavours of wild berries with the lifted, spicy aromas of cinnamon and dried herbs, the underlying fennel nuances carry through to a long, savoury finish of silky and fine tannins.
This hand-selection from the Henschke Lenswood vineyard is rich, deep and brooding, with spicy black cherry, red currant and wild forest fruits balanced by complex herbal notes and a hint of anise. Rich and textural, this wine oozes style with incredible length and velvety tannins.
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In a state known more for its traditional, warmer-region robust reds like shiraz and cabernet, wine writer Tony Love delves into the variety with a genuine affinity for cooler climate conditions As you criss-cross the region you see all the hints that the Adelaide Hills are the right place: fresh air and vibrant seasons; multiple aspects on slopes facing north, south, east and west; cherry, apple and pear orchards, and the global success of its chardonnays, which go hand in hand with fine pinot noir. Tucked into those gullies, or clinging to side of those slopes, scores of cellar doors reveal the broad spectrum of vineyard variation and winemaking styles that excite pinot noir fans.
Pinot Noir has found a natural home in the Adelaide Hills. Ashton Hills embodies this philosophy and the history and essence of Adelaide Hills pinot in its tiny corrugated iron shedlike cellar door that is a must do if you’re keen on the variety. This is where one of the region’s pioneering pinot winemakers Stephen George creates his magic from five main clones and countless small batches right next to where visitors perch themselves with glass in hand to gaze over the entrancing view of Mount Lofty in the distance.
@adelhillswine /adelaidehillswine /adelaidehillswine adelaidehillswine.com.au/immerse
Murdoch Hill is one of the newest cellar doors to open, a stylish and intimate tasting room and deck set in a painterly biggum landscape outside Oakbank. Multiple awarded Young Gun winemaker Michael Downer and cellar door manager, brother Andrew, create a highly focused – and unique - pinot exploration that includes pinot gris, pinot meunier and pinot noir in a master flight offering – there’s even a blend of all three for a brighter up-front fruitier style.
Sidewood Estate’s cellar door at Maximillian’s Restaurant complex in Verdun also offers a more structured mini-masterclass flight of five wines starting with their pinot dominant Isabella sparkling, followed by three very limited release single-clone wines, the rare and ethereal Abel clone, the inaugural release of the Oberlin clone and the more robust 777 clone, finishing up with an estate blend. All are served with matching and seasonal canapes – which make for a great start to lunch as well. Perhaps best known for highlighting pinot in the region’s most lauded bubbles, Deviation Road’s annual pinot table wine adds a little red to their tasting line-up. A strong focus on wine education at their newly refurbished cellar door is a perfect gateway to the region, tucked into a beautiful amphitheatre of vines in the outskirts of Stirling. Shaw + Smith is a top-shelf attraction for wine lovers, their
timelessly elegant cellar door tasting rooms offer an elite experience across two structured flights matched with a regional cheese selection or a more expansive Hills produce plate. The winery’s two high country, Lenswood sub-regional pinots are placed in deliberate context with its other famous Hills sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and shiraz offerings, the limited release being an excitingly perfumed block selection that is a style and regional highlight. Pike & Joyce leaves you in no doubt you are close to the clouds in the Lenswood district, with its cellar door, restaurant and outdoor courtyard perched to take in extreme sloping vineyards and a never-ending landscape. Those vineyards provide the pinot on their wine list, from a quirky sparkling rose blend, their regular Vue du Nord and more broadshouldered WJJ Reserve. On the other side of this hilltop sits Anderson Hill, this
time facing to the northwest where you can see as far as the Barossa – a clear reminder of how the Hills’ wide-ranging vineyard aspects can change within cooee of each other. The secret here is not only their stylistically varied pinot, but its location right at the top entrance to globally renowned Fox Creek Mountain Bike Park, making it a great spot to unwind, have a weekend woodoven pizza, and taste away. The Hills is undoubtedly an outdoors attraction all year round, celebrated at Golding Wines with their extraordinary Nido Experience, a private group tasting, with shared meal, a total wine and vine immersion and personal valet at a designer “nest” seating 4-6, high on their Lobethal vineyard. Feel like taking yourself outside the normal cellar door experience? Book in for a Wine Safari tour stopping off at various platforms through the vineyard. There are six wideranging flight choices as well, including “For the Love of
Pinot”, a past, present and future look across several vintages and styles. On the other hand, the latest beverage venue in the Hills is Lot 100, situated near the town of Nairne. This is a huge party-like destination that brings together a bunch of beverage types, and is the newly adopted home for Vinteloper wines and their Pinot Palooza winning styles. After a long day tasting across the region, finish here for a flight and a bite. There’s a fun vibe across the whole venue and a fitting Adelaide Hills finishing touch.
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TO K YO
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どこで食べたり飲んだりする W H E R E TO E AT A N D D R I N K
Tokyo is widely considered to be the best city to eat in by chefs, restaurateurs and industry-types across the world and for us it’s no exception. So, when we took Pinot Palooza to Tokyo for the first time in May 2018, we made sure to leave plenty of space in our itinerary to visit the city’s culinary hotspots. While this list is by no means definitive, here’s where we ate and drank and would happily recommend. 20 –19
TON K ATSU とんかつ 01.
一
MAISEN
02.
MaiSen is one of the best known of Tokyo’s tonkatsu joints and certainly has the biggest range. Choose your cut (loin, fillet, etc.) from six different breeds of pork (from prime Okita-Kurobuta to MaiSen’s own Amai-Yuwaku) and it’ll arrive crumbed and deep-fried with a side of shaved cabbage. Tonkatsu and other sauces are already on your table for dipping.
K AT S U K U R A
二
Food writer Dani Valent was taken to Katsukura by a friend who’d made it her mission to find the best tonkatsu in Tokyo – and passed on this recommendation to us. Located on the 14th floor of the Takashimaya department store, there are less options for deepfried pork than at MaiSen but the crumb is lighter, the meat juicier, and the condiments plentiful.
TO TRY
03.
三
The tonkatsu here is less refined than the others we tried, but for flavour and atmosphere, Tonki wins hands down. The only thing served here is tonkatsu, and there are just two options – the rosu-katsu (fatty) and the hire-katsu (lean). Both are delicious, both are the same price and both come with the same sides – like tonjiru (pork and miso soup), shaved cabbage, a wedge of tomato and a blob of fiery mustard.
試してみてください。
Butagumi for high-end tonkatsu.
PP–02
TON KI
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R AM EN 04.
ICHIRAN
四
The ramen at Ichiran is delicious, but what this joint is best known for is its booths. The story goes that when owner Mr. Yoshitomi was a student, he noticed that many of his female friends were ashamed to be seen eating ramen and would hide their mouths while doing so. When Yoshitomo set up Ichiran, he in-stalled individual booths so that his customers could eat in private. Whether or not it adds to your enjoyment of the ramen itself, eating here remains an interesting experience.
05.
AFURI
五
It was almost 15 years ago that the original Afuri opened, bringing its trademark yuzu-infused ramen to the streets of Ebisu. And although multiple locations have spawned since, it remains one of the city’s most popular bowls. Choose either the shio (salt) or shōyu (soy sauce) base to your yuzu ramen and enjoy it topped with half an egg, a thick slice of grilled chāshū pork and a smattering of yuzu peel. 20 –19
ラ ー メ ン
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PIZZ A ピザ 06.
SEIRINKAN
六
Japan does everything better – and that includes pizza. Two pies are available at Seirinkan, margherita and marinara, and although there are sides and antipasto available, the pizza is so good that it’s all you’re going to want. David Chang agrees… Seirinkan features in his pizza episode of Ugly Delicious.
テンプラ
T E M P U R A
07.
YA M A N O U E T E M P U R A
七
The original opened in 1954 in Kanda-Tokyo, but we ate at the brand new outlet high up in the Tokyo Midtown complex. Sitting around the bar, the chef dipped thick white asparagus, eggplant crescents, baby onion halves and chunks of lotus root into a light tempura batter, frying it to crisp perfection before placing each piece, one at a time, on a metal grate in front of us, ready for dipping into a mixture of dashi, mirin and soy sauce and a sprinkling of salt. Yamanoue isn’t cheap, but there are few meals as luxurious. Do it. Order the champagne. PP–02
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CONVEN I ENC E STOR ES Convenience stores (or conbini as they’re known in Japan) are located on literally every block in Tokyo. There are three major players – Lawson, FamilyMart and 7-Eleven – and while they are (at least superficially) similarly stocked with onigiri, lollies and sweets, instant noodles, canned coffee, whiskies, beer and sake and so on, each chain has different specialties.
08.
八
LAWSON
In Australia, you’ve got to be pretty desperate to buy fried chicken from a convenience store. But at Lawson, where it’s cooked on-site and served as either honetsuki (fried bone-in chicken), honenashi (fried boneless chicken) or kara-age (deep-fried chicken nuggets), it’s something you’ll seek out with purpose. Grab an Asahi Style Free beer to drink with it.
09.
F A M I LY M A R T
九
All of Tokyo’s conbinis do sandos (sandwiches) well, but the best (in our opinion) can be found at FamilyMart. The egg sando – rich, creamy egg cushioned between pillowy triangles of white, crustless bread – is essential; but they also do a mean katsu (deepfried pork) sando too.
20 –19
10.
十
コ ン ビ ニ
7- E L E V E N
With over 20,000 locations across Tokyo, 7-Eleven is the largest of the convenience store chains. As it’s generally considered to have the best food overall, it’s the best place for conbini staples like onigiri (if you can’t read Japanese choosing onigiri is a fun, delicious lucky dip), Ippudo instant ramen, bento boxes, sweets and ice cream.
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W I N E BAR & B ISTRO
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13.
OUT R E S TA U R A N T
十 三
This tiny 10-seater only serves fresh pasta with truffles, red wine and only plays Led Zeppelin on the stereo. It’s by Australian restaurateurs David Mackintosh, Sarah Crago, and Tom Crago; who, inspired by one of their own dinner parties, decided such a niche concept could only work in Tokyo. It does.
11.
十 一
LE CABARET
This wine bar and bistro in Shibuya is a key player in Tokyo’s natural wine scene. There’s no wine list; instead the sommelier will ask you what you want to drink, and once your glass has been poured the bottle will be left on the table. The menu is filled with French bistro classics: think rillettes with cornichons, bowls of mussels or pipis, fresh oysters and grilled sardines.
12.
PAT H
十 二
Path is a very cool, all-day café-cum-diner; renowned for brunch up until about 2pm before it transforms into an Italian-leaning bistro dishing up pastas and fried gizzards alongside natural wines and craft beer. Seating is limited, with just a few tables up the back and along the bar – although there’s standing room near the front. 20 –19
ワ イ ン バ ー と ビ ス ト ロ
14.
AH IRU STORE
十 四
Another star in Tokyo’s natural wine scene is Ahiru Store, but if you want to go you’ll need to go early or be seriously prepared to queue. Once you’re in, it’s mostly standing room at this tiny, neighbourhood bar – unless you’re lucky enough to nab a spot around one of the two wine barrels. A blackboard displays the day’s food menu, and empty bottles displaying the available wines are lined up on shelves. Absolutely worth a visit, but you must go early.
15.
LONGR AIN
十 五
Another Australian export, Longrain is the second restaurant that owner Sam Christie has opened in Tokyo (he also owns the Apollo; which he opened in Ginza in 2016). If you’re a fan of Longrain, you’ll be pleased to see the same Australian take on Thai cuisine at the Ebisu iteration as you will at the Melbourne location, but this time it’s delivered 39 floors up with stunning views over Tokyo. We know what we prefer.
飲食 16.
十 六
W I N E S TA N D W A LT Z
This wine bar is even smaller than Ahiru Store, with standing room only for about eight patrons. Its owner is Yasuhiro Ooyama, known locally as the wine professor, who serves an eclectic mix of Japanese and European natural wines from his Ebisu bar. A great, pre-dinner spot.
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ÂN DI
17.
十 七
18.
Owner Motohiro Okoshi has worked as a sommelier at some of Tokyo’s best, so it follows that the wine at his restaurant, Ân Di, is pretty spectacular. Like lots of eateries in Japan, the space is small and industrial in vibe. The food is Vietnamese but with Japanese influence, seen in dishes like horse meat bánh xèo with fermented garlic, citrus and kaffir lime.
試 し て み て く だ さ い
I Z A K AYA V I N
十 八
This gem sits smack-bang in Shibuya, right near the station, and is the sort of place you’d walk by without a thought unless you knew what it was. But, stop, inside you’ll find one of the city’s best old world wine lists – think Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny and Champagne de Sousa. The food is French, ranging from smaller dishes like pâté on cognac-infused figs to larger dishes like duck confit, but served in very Japanese setting.
TO TRY 'Bill’s' and 'Fratelli Paradiso' are also by Australian restaurateurs... we definitely recommend you hit them up if you’re in need of a taste of home while you’re away.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGR APH ERS Jonathan van der Knaap → jonathanvdk.com
Josie Withers josiewithers.com ←
20 –19
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P • 35
Pinot Globally Pinot Noir: It's a global thing. Here is the part of the pinot noir story where we refer to Burgundy, pay homage, and recognise that it’s the spiritual home of the grape we know and love. So there, we’ve done it. Let’s move on. Yes, we love Burgundy (of course we do!) but pinot noir has travelled far and wide, made new homes and explored an array of cultures, cities and towns across the globe. Burgundy is indeed a major pinot destination, but as we all know, the adventure lies within the journey. Within these pages, you’re going to read about pinot noir from a global perspective: a check in of sorts from our writer, sommelier and wine-lover mates about regions we think you should know more about, destinations to explore and cities that are on the wish list. So, the question is: where will you pinot? Dan Sims Founder / CEO Revel
20 –19
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England
Pinot Globally
London’s ‘state of Pinot Noir’! Written by Melanie Brown
specialistcellars.co.uk
At a time where Old World examples are becoming increasingly unattainable, our enthusiastic wine bunch are turning to fresh and enticing examples from the New World. We’re seeing an inquisitive new wave of wine drinkers in the UK: a generation of Millennials and Gen Xers who love to splash their cash on wine experiences over what was once the necessity of ‘en primeur’.
Pinot sales dominate our red wine sales by a country mile and it certainly helps that pinot is a grape that’s relatively easy to understand, process and taste – as fickle as it may be in the vineyard. New World pinot noir gives consumers an intuitive, bright and approachable experience whilst simultaneously acting as a gateway to the world of red wine.
New Zealand and Australia manage to inadvertently captivate consumers with their ability to extend conversations far beyond the likes of scores and medals to connect directly with consumers. This advantageous attitude gives them personality and relatability and our little corner of the pinot world continues to flourish in their honour.
PP–02
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South Korea
Pinot Globally
A Love of Pinot Noir South Korean wine culture has been developing since just before the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 when the Korean government opened the gates to the international wine industry. Prior to that, only 11 importers and distributors had a license to deal with wines and less than US $20,000 worth of wine was imported into Korea. Today around 250 wine importers are active in South Korea, bringing in US $237 million worth.
South Korea is a red wine dominant market and like other wine drinking countries, (and thanks to the movie Sideways) Koreans love pinot noir. The only problem is that pinot noir is too seductive and expensive to drink as often as we wish!
Korean cuisine has very complex flavours and a particularly distinctive umami. Pinot noir has softer tannins than cabernet sauvignon (which is the most popular red grape in Korea) making it easier for neophytes to drink. In autumn, when forests give us full-flavored wild mushrooms such as pine mushrooms and shiitake, there’s nothing better than drinking pinot noir – especially when the mushrooms have been grilled with Korean beef. We love to eat grilled pork belly and chicken, and also eat various spicy and hot foods to release daily stress. All these foods pair well with pinot noir. It gives us eternal joy with its complex flavours developed with age. Koreans who love pinot noir drink it from all over the world – France, Germany, Austria, USA, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and so on. However, the favourite for most is Burgundy - from village to cru. The power of GevreyChambertin and the elegance of Chambolle-Musigny are hard to resist. There is a Korean wine grower who makes Lou Dumont wines in Burgundy and the wines sell well here. There are a few Burgundy-focused importers and distributors in Korea too, who, because of price rises, are also looking for lesser known villages and districts such as Dijon.
Pinot noir from the USA represents great value and many labels are best sellers as everyday wine. There are also many New Zealand pinot noir wines which are very popular, including Clos Henri, Sileni, Seresin, Felton Road, Cloudy Bay, Ata Rangi, Dog Point and Saint Clair. Australian pinot noir, especially from Western Australia and Tasmania, is growing in popularity too. Chilean pinot noir has become more precise and sophisticated than before. Serious Korean wine lovers also indulge in premium pinot noir from Austria, Germany and South Africa. Natural wines are also becoming more widely consumed. Korean nature is itself a little spicy! We love to eat and drink together, and typical Korean cuisine requires a refreshing and versatile wine like pinot noir. That’s why pinot noir wines have become so loved in South Korea.
Written by Suzie Chung wine21.com 20 –19
P • 38
South Africa
Pinot Globally
Drinking differently in South Africa Something has been happening in South Africa over the recent years. A wind of change. Much like the winds that blow through the vineyards we’ll be talking about below, it cannot be ignored. People are drinking differently. Let’s back up a bit. The wine landscape in South Africa has a rich history but a boring one. Big reds. Old school reds. Reds full of tannins that conjure up images of the farms they were made on. Colonial buildings with high gables. Thick carpets, massive fireplaces. Leather. A ridgeback. Two ridgebacks. A box of cigars, somewhere. Written by Andy Fenner ffmm.co.za
That’s changing though. The new age South African wine drinker is being introduced to much lighter styles and varietals like cinsault, grenache, gamay and pinot noir. There’s a fresh bunch of young-gun winemakers on the scene focused on channeling the real character of a vineyard into the end wine. You’re more likely to catch them surfing or building smokers in their backyard than perched in a cane chair on their porch. One man responsible for this new wave is David Cope. Not content with just producing his own wine (the hugely popular Alphabetical; a red blend which has now spun off into a white and a rosé), Cope also runs Publik Wine Bar. From branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Publik sells wines that are interesting and delicious. This intersection is the holy grail for any serious wine drinker and Cope has nailed it. “That’s the sweet spot for us,” he confirms. “Either side of it and you’re left with something rather boring or something that is cool but compromised in terms of drinkability.” Unearthing these wines and introducing people to them is Publik’s greatest strength. Cope has a growing distribution business too, which has allowed open-minded restaurateurs to showcase a much larger range of wines. PP–02
That’s an important point because food is changing too. Those big reds from years gone by suited a type of food. Big plates of meat essentially; smeared with rich, reduced sauces. Cabernet sauvignon. Merlot. Shiraz. Pinotage. These wines were all very comfortable sitting alongside these plates. Probably on a white tablecloth.
P • 39
But just like the new winemakers, there’s a new generation of chefs. Young bloods with no egos. These guys share suppliers, recipes and ideas. They are steering South African food in a new direction and wine – through Publik and places like it – is playing a part in that. The restaurant scene is tough in Cape Town right now and standards are as high as they ever have been. “An easy way to differentiate your offering is a well-considered wine list, with things that stand out from the norm,” explains Cope. A simple policy that makes total sense.
At The Commissary, for example, Wesley Randles is slinging small plates with clean, fresh flavours and high acidity. The wine reflects this. Cope agrees and also points to Eike and Spek+Bone (both by Bertus Basson) as well as Marble (in Jo’burg, now being curated by Wikus Human) as other good lists to watch out for.
It was unheard of a few years ago that a bunch of South African men would be standing around the braai, drinking red wine. But that’s what’s happening. Don’t get me wrong – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a boerewors roll and a cold beer. But pinot noir, and other newer varieties, opens up all kinds of food pairings due to its versatility. Slow roast a pork shoulder, tear it into chunks and dress it with fish sauce and guess what? A glass of pinot works just fine. So does a slightly weightier pinot with a classic steak and frites. This exciting new world has been brought in with that gentle wind of change. And the wind is picking up. 20 –19
There is still room for the traditionalists and if you are looking for the best execution of pinot noir in South Africa it’s still, for the time being, a straight shoot-out between the Hemel-En-Aarde Valley and Elgin. The latter is represented by powerhouses like Oak Valley, Paul Cluver and slightly smaller producers like Catherine Marshall. All are fantastic and deserve credit. Most locals still agree however, that Crystallum is king. With brothers Andrew and Peter-Allan Finlayson at the helm, these third-generation producers and are just absolutely crushing it. Cope describes their Mabalel as “intriguing but beautiful”, with the Cuvée Cinema being slightly weightier; a bit more classic.
P • 40
Australia
Pinot Globally
Pinot state of mind Widely considered to be the world’s most expressive grape, pinot noir is unforgiving when things are out of balance – it’s like an orchestra, every instrument needs to be playing in harmony to make beautiful music, writes Samantha Payne. Australian pinot noir today is better than ever. Winemakers and growers are embracing what makes Australian wine regions unique; balancing influences of terroir, clones and winemaking processes to produce a wide range of light-bodied and mediumbodied styles. Expression is key when it comes to pinot noir, so we here at Pinot Palooza like to characterise each state’s style in music genres - from rock’n’roll to classical (and everything in between). VIC Victoria is the classic rock of wine regions. You know the songs and you love to sing along to them. Loudly. It’s got the heartfelt ballads of the Mornington Peninsula, the sexy slow jams of the Yarra Valley and the funky, almost ‘too cool for school’ tunes that TAS Drinking Tassie pinot you find in Macedon, Ballarat, is like listening to your favourite Gippsland and Geelong. Victorian hip hop playlist that you’ve been Pinot is always on high rotation compiling for over a decade; fun, on our playlist (or cellar) because full of soul and, at times, thought we know it’s always going to be provoking. Pinots from the Apple a crowd pleaser. Isle have great structure like the backbeat of a DJ Shadow song SA South Australian pinot noir is the pop princess of the wine and great flavour like a Wu-Tang world. Most of the time, the wines are fun, bright and dance across record. Get your glasses ready your palate. Then there are pockets within the region (I’m looking and start scratching those vinyls, at you Basket Range) where the wines have decided to get a little because there’s a new kid on the down and dirty, a bit funky, while pushing the barriers of winemaking pinot block and they’re bringing norms. They don’t always get it right, but experimentation is at the all the deliciousness. heart of the region’s charm, and WA Pinot noir from Western Australia just screams classical why pop music (like it or not) will music. Long drawn out notes with depth of fruit and a distinct always reign supreme. style that is timeless. There’s a hidden complexity to these wines (much like Beethoven), the subtle aromas in the glass and the soft flavours on the palate always build to a vibrant crescendo.
Written by Samantha Payne @sl_payne
NSW New South Wales Pinot Noir is a bit of an enigma - the dark horse of Australian pinot regions, the wines are intricate, flavoursome with great balance and energy. Watch this space because pinot from NSW is about to make a comeback (much like the Backstreet Boys).
With plantings increasing across the country and cool-climate regions producing more consistent and ever-improving styles, the future is bright in Australia for the musical darling we call pinot noir. PP–02
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Singapore
Pinot Globally
Wine Revolution An interview with Alvin Gho & Ian Lim winervlt.sg
With their natural wine bar Wine RVLT, Alvin Gho and Ian Lim shook up the Singapore drinks scene, but there is a still a long way to go, as they explain to Pinot Palooza.
“The wine scene hasn’t quite evolved as many wine drinkers are still very much the earlier generation who are Francophiles,” they say. “The classic Bordeaux and Burgundy wines are still their preferred tipple. Aussie and Kiwi wines are generally popular due to their value for money, easier to understand labels and proximity to Singapore (many Singaporeans have lived or travelled there). There is also a consistent interest in the main regions of Italy and Spain, which remains the same.” But there is a change on the horizon. “[There] is a growing interest of millennial drinkers interested in esoteric wines who aren't attached to countries, grapes, brands nor style.” Alvin and Ian, whose Wine RVLT serves minimal intervention wines and food that is light and fresh, believe this conservative attitude could be attributed to some Singapore sommeliers who need to bring in money. “To go far left or far right may be too large a risk to take,” they say. “With regards to the millennials [changing tastes], it would be because: ➀ the image of wines (being drunk by their parents) [is seen as] boring; ➁ the opportunity to travel and live abroad.”
The duo believes there is a growing interest in minimal “This is great for the much larger cause of intervention wine as there are creating awareness about what goes into a bottle a number of new establishments of wine for consumers,” they explain. “If you care in Singapore with a focus on so much about what goes into food, why not wine? so-called natural wine. Our opinion remains the same as before, there is no such thing as a ‘natural’ wine as until today there is no definition of what a natural wine is. Some of our producers have been producing wines with minimal intervention since the beginning of time. The term ‘natural’ is, in our opinion, created by marketers trying to hype a certain style of wine. We would prefer the terms, if we really needed to, ‘raw’ or ‘living’ wines, wines with less human intervention and more nature.” 20 –19
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New Zealand
Pinot Globally
Where is New Zealand Pinot going? New Zealand pinot noir, although not blessed with the centuries-old history of some of the great wines of the world, is one of the country’s most well-established varieties. Marked for decades by great wines from many still-respected estates like Ata Rangi, Dry River, Pegasus Bay and Neudorf, it changed little until the late 90s and early 2000s when blockbuster fruit-driven and powerful styles emerged from the Central Otago region. New Zealand wine has continued to evolve over the past decade and a half and even bastions of the classic styles like Martinborough and North Canterbury have seen a shift towards a more ‘current’ style of pinot noir. What has changed, and what has contributed to this evolution? New clones? At one stage, clonal material was considered the great new hope but as vines have matured and settled into their environs, this has proven to be less significant than had previously been assumed. Some vignerons, like Wilco and Dry River and the team at Pyramid Valley, believe that the rootstock vines potentially play an even more important part, as New Zealand does not yet have the right rootstock vines to suit limestone soils and low-yielding terroirs. At 20-30 years of age, our vineyards are approaching adolescence and the resulting wines are also changing. The fruit is tempered with complexity and subtlety – not just from the vineyard but in the winery. Confidence in winemaking and a better understanding of their grapes have allowed winemakers to exert a lighter hand with less new oak. These are generally less extracted wines with lower alcohol and more elegant, complex structure due to improved viticulture and the influence of organics. PP–02
Written by Stephen Wong
winesentience.com
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Generally, maceration times have come down: where the standard winemaking practice in NZ was to destem the fruit and have extended cuvaison of 25-28 days, it’s now more often 21-28 days with rising use of whole-bunch (though it is not for everyone!) This has resulted in more transparent, delicate, effusive and gentle wines rather than the intense blockbusters of yesteryear.
The limestone-influenced regions of Waikari, Waitaki and Central Hawke’s Bay have been strong contributors to the pinot noir story and have forced winemakers to reconsider the balance of the grape variety and how it can display on the palate. Once regarded as the source of sparkling wine and fruity, slightly simple pinot noir, Marlborough now boasts fantastic pockets of the varietal in the Southern Valleys which have inspired producers like Churton, Folium, Te Whare Ra, Fromm, Giesen and Corofin to explore the possibility of a Cru and climate system. In the manner of the Côte d’Or, many of these producers are making wines from these vines alongside each other and this is being reflected on their labels. Will the day come when we understand the character of a Clayvin in the same way as we do a Ruchottes-Chambertin, the vineyard taking centre-stage regardless of which producer has farmed the fruit and made the wine?
Lastly, winemakers are also navigating what it means to be a pinot noir from Waipara, Martinborough or indeed Wanaka. At one stage, emulating the great wines of France was the inspiration. About a decade ago, a movement began to emerge that rejected emulation declaring that NZ pinot noir shouldn’t taste like Burgundy – embrace the fruit, embrace the exuberance of the New World, they cried! Like all things that swing and sway, styles are now re-turning towards a more Burgundian elegance with a lightness of flavour yet more confident structure. Freshness, complexity and poise are appearing in the wines, just as the wine from Burgundy itself is changing subtly – influenced as it is by the New World. 20 –19
We live in interesting times for pinot noir. Where will we go next?
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Written By: NADIA BAILEY
NORTH CANTERBURY: Words From: PENELOPE NAISH & VIC TUTTON
THE CALL OF THE VALLEY
P • 46
Translation: Maori → RAKI-WAITAHA
If you want to get a sense of North Canterbury, an area located toward the top end of New Zealand’s South Island and neighbouring Christchurch city, just ask Black Estate’s Penelope Naish. “The early pioneers in the region have all been great characters,” she says. You get the feeling that since those early days, things have only gotten more singular.
Naish grew up in Christchurch and now, along with her partner Nicholas Brown, calls the three-vineyard estate in the Waipara Valley her home. “People who grow wine in North Canterbury are truly passionate — the marginal climate means it’s not a place where you just start planting a whole lot of grapes for mass production, like in Marlborough.” Instead, the region attracts small, passionate growers who are looking to do things their own way. “It’s such a great community. We don’t have huge, big, industrial producers out here so that never rubs off on anyone.” She pauses for a second. “I mean, there are a couple of corporates, but we don’t really see them.”
• • • • • • • • • •
That sense of independence, of tightknit small town community, is baked into the region. Partly it’s because winegrowers tend to be, as Naish puts it, great characters. Partly it’s because in the face of tragedy, you have no choice but to come together. Naish was in Christchurch the day the earthquake hit in 2011. She saw both the immediate devastation and the aftermath — the way that the community rallied to support each other, the great resilience which emerged as a result of the disaster. “Everyone just got on with it,” says Naish. “You just have to. To be honest, I felt so privileged to have been through it. I know that sounds really weird, but a lot of good did come out of it.” She thinks the way in which the community came together in 2011 has a direct correlation with how they have responded to the recent tragedy of the Christchurch shooting. “It’s been devastating — but I think Christchurch will be okay,” she says. “The amazing thing is the love that has flowed out of it. We have a patience and are able to give love rather than being reactionary.”
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On a long, thin block of land on the south bank of the Waipara River, Vic Tutton and her partner Lindsay Hill have been growing vines for over 30 years. She too emphasises that North Canterbury is a place that attracts winemakers of an independent bent. “There’s no rules, no expectations,” she says. “Everyone’s working on very different pieces of land, with different soil structures, different aspects of hillside and terrain, different gravels or clays or limestones, and bringing different winemaking philosophies to what they’re doing — it’s exciting because there’s so much going on in what’s really quite a small region.”
Tutton has seen the area transform from fledgling viticulture region to a thriving community of passionate, small-scale producers. “The call of the valley is in the smaller, independent, often family-run organisations where you grow and you make, and it’s all done inhouse,” she says.
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“This place is a bit of a sleeping giant. We’ve been here since ’89 and we’re really just starting to hit our stride now. I feel very humble about what we’ve been able to achieve and in awe of what a lot of other people are doing.” These days, the area boasts more than 90 vineyards and an industry that revolves around the joys of slow travel. “It’s not going to be a place where you go bungy jumping or mad with all the bars,” says Naish. “It’s relaxed, it’s very genuine. It’s the South Island, so there’s not much razzmatazz — but it’s incredibly restorative.”
Location: 43.6°S 172.0°E
Pinot noir — as well as chardonnay and riesling — do well here. “Our pinots really do reflect and express New Zealand,” says Naish. “We grow our pinot noir in a cool climate at the bottom of the earth, where the soils are really different to the Northern Hemisphere, where a lot of other pinot noir grows. We make our wines in quite a natural, low-intervention way, with no inputs apart from a tiny amount of sulphur at bottling. We want to try to retain the flavour of that fruit on the day we picked it, so that wine will be true to the soil it grew in and the eco-systems around it. Pinot noir is so transparent, so for us, it’s incredibly rewarding to focus on that and be really true to the season and the place.”
For Tutton, it feels as though the journey is just beginning. “One lifetime will never finish what there is to be done here, or what can be found out about this place,” she says. “We’ve got nothing to prove; we’ve got no ego involvement. All we’ve got to do is see what this place can do. All we can do is not fuck it up, hopefully.” 20 –19
THE GREAT PINOT ESCAPE Photography: DAVID WALL
Written By: BOB CAMPBELL MW
Location: RIPPON, LAKE WANAKA
Looking for the ultimate Pinot Noir adventure? Head to New Zealand; seven dazzling regions of the fickle but delicious grapes complete with breath-taking scenery, gourmet eateries and boutique accommodation. Read on for Pinot Palooza’s guide to exploring Pinot Noir Country (aka New Zealand).
WELLINGTON WINE COUNTRY & HAWKE’S BAY
REGIONS 01 / 02
There is only one place to start your Pinot Noir adventure: Martinborough. The wine village put New Zealand Pinot Noir on the map after the region’s winemaking pioneers were lured by conditions similar to those found in the world’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay capital, Burgundy.
AUCKLAND HAWKE'S BAY WELLINGTON WINE COUNTRY
HAWKE'S BAY
NAPIER
WELLINGTON WINE COUNTRY
WELLINGTON
Martinborough (and its satellite Te Muna) is the vinous sweet spot of Wellington Wine Country. A scenic onehour drive from the city of Wellington, Martinborough is the city’s weekend playground and source of fine wine. It is where you can enjoy complete vineyard experiences and eat, drink and stay amongst the vines at delights such as Tirohana Estate and Margrain. ↓ The jewel in Wellington Wine Country’s crown is Ata Rangi. But make sure you book ahead to experience the 90 minutes of tastings and wise words from the team behind one of this country’s top Pinot Noir producers. ↓ Enjoy a three-hour countryside drive from Martinborough to Lime Rock Wines at Waipawa in Central Hawke’s Bay, the region's Pinot Noir capital. Learn about the importance of limestone-rich soils and a long, cool ripening period from Lime Rock's owners Rodger and Rosie as you taste their uber-elegant Pinot. ↓ It then takes less than an hour to reach the outskirts of Hawke’s Bay (the country’s second largest wine region). While Hawke’s Bay is best known for robust blended reds and Syrah, Trinity Hill and Sileni proudly produce Pinot Noir from home-grown grapes. ↗
Te Awa , in the famous Gimblett Gravels wine district, is a one-stop shop for Pinot Noir lovers. Here you can taste and buy a stunning range of Pinot Noir from A-list winemakers such as Villa Maria, Vidal, Esk Valley and Left Field. ↓ Craggy Range, at the base of Te Mata Peak, gets full marks for its stunning Martinborough Pinot Noir, sophisticated restaurant, vineyard accommodation and great cellar door experience. Within a 15 minute drive you can taste Elephant Hill’s stylish Central Otago Pinot Noir and dine at one of the best winery restaurants in New Zealand, or stay at their seriously luxurious accommodation. ↓ If you prefer to chill with pizza, platters and cruisy music, Te Awanga Estate provides live music at their monthly Sunday Sessions by the sea. Sip their Martinborough Pinot Noir as you picnic among the vines and toast the world’s greatest red grape variety. → → → → →
REGIONS 03 – 05
NORTH CANTERBURY, NELSON & MARLBOROUGH
At first glance, these three South Island regions don’t appear to have too much in common: Marlborough is the engine room that drives New Zealand wine, Nelson features small family producers, while North Canterbury is a collection of satellite sub-regions. What they do share is a passion for Pinot Noir.
MARLBOROUGH
AUCKLAND
NELSON NORTH CANTERBURY
NELSON (City) MARLBOROUGH
NORTH CANTERBURY
CHRISTCHURCH
Christchurch, the gateway to the South Island, is located in the North Canterbury wine region, which stretches from Point Bush Estates at Waimate to the evocatively named Mt. Beautiful , where you can enjoy lunch or coffee before tasting their wines, and, come October 2019, stay at their new six-bedroom lodge. ↓ Waipara, an hour’s drive north of Christchurch airport, is the beating heart of North Canterbury, as 10 out of 12 bottles of the region’s wine started life in a Waipara vineyard. ↓ Pegasus Bay, one of the region’s oldest wineries, has a stylish restaurant with dishes designed to flatter their award-winning Pinot Noir. In the heart of Waipara Valley sits Greystone Wines where you can literally sleep under the stars in the glass oasis that is the Greystone PurePod . Set high above the Greystone vineyard, and, with 360 degree views, the PurePod is the perfect setting to take in the beauty of the Waipara Valley and New Zealand while sipping a glass of Greystone Pinot Noir or two. ↓ Waipara Hills , another dining option, has seasonal foods to match their wines. It’s a three-and-ahalf hour journey by car from Waipara to Blenheim, most of it up the rugged east coast. Break the journey at Kaikoura to admire the seals and enjoy a meal of freshly-caught crayfish. ↗
Marlborough is home to more than two-thirds of the country’s vineyard area and is the largest producer of Pinot Noir. The Marlborough wine trail offers an Aladdin’s cave of goodies for Pinot pursuers. Eighteen wineries offer meals, which can be as simple as Forrest Estate's vineyard platter, as sophisticated as Herzog’s fine-dining restaurant or as scenic as Brancott Estate Cellar Door and Restaurant. Pinot lovers should jump at the chance of a tour and tasting hosted by Fromm Winery, one of the region’s finest Pinot makers. You can compare Pinot Noir from Marlborough and Central Otago, both by iconic producer Cloudy Bay, or book up a winery tour with premium Pinot maker, Nautilus. ↓ The next stop is Nelson, which is famous for its artists and artisans, as well as its Pinot Noir. You can choose to taste delicate, aromatic Pinot Noir from the stony soils of the Waimea Plains or go for something richer and more robust from the gravel-threaded clay soils of the Moutere Hills. I suggest you start with the Plains and taste the wines of two organic producers, Te Mania Wines and Richmond Plains. Brightwater Vineyards is another serious Pinot producer with vineyards on the Plains. ↓ No trip to Nelson is complete without a trip to Neudorf where you can enjoy a casual vineyard lunch and taste their two Pinot Noirs while you sip the afternoon away. ↗
CENTRAL OTAGO & WAITAKI VALLEY REGIONS 06 / 07
Practically every vineyard in Central Otago and the Waitaki Valley has a jaw-droppingly spectacular view. In fact, the only thing that rivals the view is the wine - this is top Pinot Noir country.
From Queenstown, head east on the Gibbston Highway to Lake Hayes and pause at Amisfield to taste a range of first-class Pinot Noir labels and enjoy one of the best vineyard lunches in New Zealand. Or take a quick detour to Arrowtown to enjoy a more casual, but no less tasty, meal at Akarua Wines & Kitchen by Artisan. ↙
CENTRAL OTAGO WAITAKI VALLEY
CHRISTCHURCH
CENTRAL OTAGO
WAITAKI VALLEY
QUEENSTOWN
Returning to the Gibbston Highway, continue your journey for a few minutes until you reach the Crown Range Highway, a shortcut to Wanaka, on your left. Turn left for access to ski fields, stunning alpine and lake views and, when you reach Wanaka, Rippon Pinot Noir, from the world’s most scenic Pinot vineyard. Or, continue straight ahead for stunning alpine views, wineries with scary access roads and, ultimately, the Cromwell/ Lowburn/Pisa area, which is Pinot Noir Central. ↓ Gibbston Valley Wines, one of the region’s earliest wineries, has an inviting restaurant and offers a wine cave tour with tastings of their extensive wine list. Make sure you visit after December as the winery will launch its luxurious Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa at the end of the year. It’s then worth taking a risk to taste good Pinot, and you’ll need a glass of the good stuff after negotiating Chard Farm’s driveway. ↓ The town of Cromwell is home to a number of wine producers including Misha’s Vineyard, which is a good starting point to embark on the ‘4 Barrels Walking Wine Tour ’, an 8km loop trail where you’ll have the chance to taste 11 different Pinots from four sub-regions. ↓ Bannockburn is Central Otago’s Pinot Noir focal point thanks to the award-winning efforts of a handful of wineries including Felton Road, Mt Difficulty, Domain Road and Terra Sancta . ↗
From Cromwell, continue east on Gibbston Highway to Alexandra, where you can taste seven vintages of their elegant and age-worthy Pinot. Sample Shaky Bridge wines when you dine at Alexandra Bistro, or meet the winemaker at Weaver Estate and enjoy a winery tour after tasting their Alexandra wines. ↓ It’s a two-hour drive to Waitaki Valley to visit the country’s newest wine region, which has already shown hints of greatness with Pinot Noir as well as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling. It’s a mix of continental and coastal climates with limestone-rich soils and great vineyard views of Waitaki River and rugged hills. ↓ Pop into the Vintners Drop in the main street of Kurow to taste the wines of star producer Ostler. To taste one of the last vineyards to harvest in New Zealand, visit River-T Wines Cellar Door , where you can taste the largest selection of Waitaki Valley Wines in the world from 10 local wineries. Once you’ve finished your Pinot Noir adventure, there will be only one decision left to make: when to return? Find these and many more suggestions at nzwine.com/visit
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"I have tried some German Pinot Noirs and some of them were really very good. What is great about Pinot is that it is married to the Bourgogne, but it can also sleep in other beds." Aubert de Villaine, DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI
Photography: ANDRE CASTELLUCCI
GERMAN PINOT NOIR
DID YOU KNOW THAT GERMANY IS THE 3RD LARGEST PRODUCER OF PINOT NOIR IN THE WORLD?
A bastion of beer and bratwurst it may be, but Deutschland has almost 30,000 acres planted to pinot across the country. What a thing! More importantly, pinot noir produced in Germany is on the rise and rise in the cool stakes: The fancy-haired, wine-pouring glitterati have started to shift their gaze from Burgundy to look to a coterie of emerging pinot noir wine producing regions and the svelte, vibrant styles found in a variety of German winegrowing regions are increasingly sexy and appealing. Yes, you’ll have to work towards some of the more dedicated, artisan producers but seeking out best wines is always a fun quarry. Identifying best German pinot noirs is, as with most rising wine trends, not without landmines, so let’s work through some of the identifiers to get you on your way.
If you’ve ever seen the word ‘Spätburgunder’ on a wine bottle, then your nose is already pointing in the right direction. Spät translates from German to something akin to ‘late-ripening’, while the word burgunder translates to mean ‘pinot’. That being said, German producers have modernised to often include ‘pinot noir’ on labels. The personal approach of the winemaker is inherent in using the traditional local word or the appropriated French version. The growth of German pinot noir comes off the back of its low key reputation up until around a decade or so ago. Sure, you could forage for the purists and loyalists who have toiled at the variety for generations, but generally speaking most pinot noir from Germany was seen as lean, crudely produced and riddled with ‘green characters’ described by science as pyrazines. The last decade’s turn around includes the use of better clones of pinot noir in vineyards alongside improved winemaking practices, particularly less extraction of flavour from grapes during the winemaking process and better use of higher quality barrels and other vessels.
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Coupled to this improved viticulture and oenology comes the emergence of a younger generation of producers who are reimagining the world of German pinot noir through a pioneer, avant-garde approach to the
style. Earlier harvesting, more inclusion of whole bunch in fermentation, better quality, less overt oak overlay and a looser interpretation of pinot noir’s direction, have all conspired in better and more interesting wines.
So, what else to look for in the myriad of pinot produced on German soils? Well, regions are important things: climates vary wildly, soil profiles are diverse, regional identity for pinot noir is a work in progress, though there are some generalisations coming about. Famed wine regions that produce landmark riesling
Written By: MIKE BENNIE
wines, like Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Mosel, are sidelined for less-revered winegrowing areas when it comes to pinot noir. Ahr (which is where half the plantings of all pinot noir in Germany are) and the vineyards of Baden, Franken and Württemberg take centre stage. The former regions typically produce pinot noirs of more skeletal and linear nature while the Ahr, Franken and Baden seem to elicit fuller flavour and a sense of greater power, though best wines of course manage inward concentration and restraint over robustness.
While many seek wines that ape the great wines of Burgundy or chase down that expectation of quality, benchmark wines from Germany producers are typically more expressive, less lavished with oak and sinewy tannin and are beacons Ultimately, the success of German pinot noir is multifaceted. Diversity, personality and drinkability are for their understatement. increasingly on its side and the presentation of a varie-
gated pinot noir offering is exciting. German pinot noir’s major strength is in its delicacy, ability to translate a sense of ‘purity’, and, when produced with a gentle hand, high drinkability.
➀ BERNHARD HUBER (Baden) Perhaps the benchmark for ‘high quality’ with elegance, precision, understated power on their side, with many cuvées rivals to great Burgundies or wines of NZ, Australia and west coast USA. ➁ ZIERIESEN (Baden) A charismatic, organic, natural wine producer straddling the Swiss border and employing a variety of unique approaches, including the use of amphorae. ➂ ÖKNOMIERAT REBHOLZ (Pfalz) Fine, bony, pretty pinot noirs of brisk acidity, amaro-like tang and vivaciousness from this organic/ natural wine vigneron.
T RY T H E S E ➃ HEYMANN-LOWENSTEIN PINOT NOIR VOM SCHIEFER (with Zieriesen) A collaboration between landmark riesling producer Heymann-Lowenstein and friend, Zieriesen. This one-off wine is eccentric and very delicious. ➄ TROSSEN (Mosel) [ pinot noir & dornfelder blend ] Out of the box producer from Mosel with a focus on expressive, wild-edged riesling but here with a bright, crunchy, charismatic red blend (across a few iterations) . 20 –19
➅ KELLER (Rheinhessen) Riesling may be the focus but seek out the rare cuvées of pinot noir. There’s always a sense of ‘mineral presence’ in these wines and they start off their lives quite tight. ➆ MARKUS MOLITOR (Mosel) Upmarket pinot noirs of depth and generosity but a good deal of control despite the comparative extra heft. An exciting producer for benchmark pinot noir of Germany. ➇ KOEHLER-RUPRECHT (Pfalz) Succulent, silky, long-lived and very fine pinot noirs from this organic, low-intervention wine producer. Sleek, satiny expressions emerge.
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Rolling hills, laidback locals and killer pinot: we took a trip through Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley and found plenty to love. Located about an hour’s drive from Portland in the iconic Pacific Northwest region, the Willamette Valley is the beating heart of Oregon’s wine country.
O R E G O N : A road trip through the Willamette Valley When we visited the region for the first time earlier this year, on the tail end of a hectic trip through California, the valley and its people instantly put us at ease. Maybe it was fresh air, maybe it was the slow pace, maybe it was all those hugs we got from winemakers. Whatever it was, our arrival in the Willamette Valley came with an unspoken but profoundly compelling invitation: to let go and just breathe. Now considered one of the leading regions for pinot noir in the US (and the world for that matter), the Willamette Valley's first pinot vines were planted by a breed of long-haired city-dodging rookies in the mid1960s after the region’s micro-climate was pegged as a close match for Burgundy’s.
region still lives true to its pioneering spirit and hippy roots. In fact, you’ll find the highest concentration of biodynamic and organic producers here than you will in any other region in the USA; which makes for great wine and a strong community of like-minded winemakers committed to keeping things clean and simple with laser-like vision for future generations. Unlike some other regions, where high-tech machinery and big-ticket restaurants dominate the cellar door experience, here you’re more likely to be greeted by a rugged, gnarly-handed winemaker wearing a flannelette shirt, with dirt on their boots and a dog by their side.
And those free-spirited early pioneers of the sixties weren’t wrong: Willamette's hilly topography, Mediterranean-like summers and abundant rainfall, together with the cool maritime breezes of the Van Duzer Corridor have rendered it a haven for the grape variety we know and love so much.
We saw some beautiful scenery, drank some next-level wines and met some excellent humans on our five days in Oregon and we’re keen to share some of our highlights with our Pinot Palooza friends. Whether you’ve got a day, a weekend or an entire week to devote to the region, we implore you to do one thing: take it slow.
Just over 50 years in, more than 500 of Oregon’s wineries now call the valley home, and despite big-name French counterparts recognising the early potential, the
Written by The Pinot Palooza Team
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OUR OR E GON TOP 1 2 0 1.
BECKHAM ESTATE VINEYARD
02.
JOHAN VINEYARDS
→ beckhamestatevineyard.com
→ johanvineyards.com
If anywhere embodies the spirit and taste of Oregon, it’s this place. In 2005, ceramic teacher Andrew Beckham and his wife Kathleen realised their dream of building a house in the woods with a pottery studio, but then “wine happened.” They now grow pinot noir, riesling, trousseau noir and sauvignon blanc. Expect roaming goats and chickens, candlelit tastings, a soundtrack of West Coast gangster rap and some incredibly textural wines aged in Andrew’s collection of over 70 amphoras (which he makes himself). We especially love their rosé.
Established in 2005 and now certified biodynamic, Johan Vineyards is located in Oregon’s newly established Van Duzer Corridor AVA region. From chardonnay and pét nat to barrel-fermented grüner and earthy, dark fruit-driven pinot, winemaker Morgan Beck’s wines show restraint and elegance. Morgan says that her biodynamic approach, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, is key to creating well-balanced wines with as little intervention as possible that are a true expression of Johan’s unique, maritime-influenced site.
0 3.
DAVID HILL VINEYARD & WINERY
davidhillwinery.com
←
Vines were first planted here in the late 1800s, but during the prohibition era they got ripped out in favour of crops such as berries and potatoes. Today, the older (second) plantings of self-rooted pinot noir, pinot blanc, chasselas, muscat, sylvaner, sémillon, riesling and gewürztraminer are nearing their fiftieth year. Mike Kuenz believes in protecting these historic old vines, an important of piece of Oregon’s modern wine history, through organic farming practices. Recent changes here will now see wine being made by our mate Chad Stock (ex-Minimus) – an insanely talented winemaker who knows the region intimately. Wines are already solid but with Chad on board the future is looking extra bright.
04.
KEELER ESTATE
→ keelerestatevineyard.com Winemaker Kevin Healy is one of those blokes. You know the type: reserved at first, but quick as a whip and dry as all get out. We love that. He’s also pals with our good mate Mike Bennie, who heads to Oregon with Peter Dredge each year for their Brian label (and Dr Edge). Situated in the gorgeous Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Gabriele and Craig Keeler’s 40-acre vineyard is 100 per cent organic and biodynamic, and produces some damn fine chardonnay, riesling and pinot gris along with the kind of dark fruited pinot noir that might make you cry a little bit.
05.
STOLLER FAMILY ESTATE
→ stollerfamilyestate.com When Bill Stoller acquired the family property in 1993, it was considered “marginal farmland, at best”. But Bill was smart and understood that the site’s elevation, well-drained soil and south-facing slope were all great news for something even better: growing wine grapes. Now, it has over 220 acres under vine (mostly pinot noir) and three (yes, three) winemakers taking care of business. One of them, Kate Payne Brown, studied winemaking in Australia and approaches her craft with the ethics and sensibility of a small-scale operator. PS: Kate loves sparkling and hers was amazing.
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0 6.
GOODFELLOW FAMILY CELLARS
goodfellowfamilycellars.com
←
Winemaker Marcus Goodfellow with his partner Megan Joy consider themselves custodians of the organic vineyard here in the Ribbon Ridge AVA. Its hard-working owner (who lied about his age to fight in WW2 before moving out here for a change of pace) is still active around the property, and along with his wife, likes to keep an eye on things for Marcus and Megan. Of his wines, Marcus says: “We don’t want to obscure real magic with fantasy,” and thanks to the climate and long growing season he’s producing wonderfully contemplative wines that invite you to take your time, sit and ponder.
07.
CRISTOM VINEYARDS
→ cristomvineyards.com Located in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills, Cristom is one of the region’s most impressive sites. Visiting this place was big on our founder Dan’s todo list; their pinot was one of the first Oregon wines he ever tasted, and our visit did not disappoint. There’s no denying the pristine gravitas of the wines: one of the first big names to come from the region, Cristom produces wines that command your attention – showing both house style and vineyard personality. Just go.
08.
BROOKS
→ brookswine.com Love The Big Lebowski? Then you’re gonna love Chris Williams, who is basically the wine world’s version of ‘The Dude.’ Along with making some excellent wines, Chris is philosophical, super chill and loves a good hug. Inspired by the life of Brooks founder, Jimi Brooks – a visionary Portland native who devoted his life to holistic farming and winemaking before passing away suddenly in 2004 – Chris is the kind of guy we could talk to all day. Overlooking the valley at the top of the Eola Amity Hills, the old homestead here is homely, full of character and does a great pizza.
0 9.
LINGUA FRANCA
linguafranca.wine
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Lingua Franca was co-founded by internationally renowned US master sommelier, Larry Stone and legendary French winemaker Dominque Lafon. The Eola-Amity Hills area has long had strong links to Burgundy, and this place is a balanced blend of both worlds: French in influence, Oregon in intent. We were thrilled to meet Larry and taste some wines with him on our visit (yes, we were geeking out a little). We really liked the wines. Young winemaker Thomas Savre has worked at a little winery call Domaine de la RomanéeConti (heard of it?) and conjures loads of flavour at lower alcohol. They’re just getting started but you’ll be seeing more from these guys.
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10.
WALTER SCOTT WINE
walterscottwine.com
←
This humble little winery with incredible views was set up in 2008 as the passion project of husbandand-wife team Ken Pahlow and Erica Landon – both ex-wine industry nerds with big dreams. They started small and have built a great reputation, slowly increasing their volume over time. Fruit comes from a mix of (mostly biodynamic) Eola-Amity Hills vineyards and thanks to the cooling effects of the strong ocean breezes in the valley, the wines develop awesome acidity and concentrati on. Yes, their pinot noir is great, but heck – the chardonnay is something else.
11.
FLÂNEUR
12.
→ flaneurwines.com
CONSTANT CRUSH
→ @winediviner
chardonnay and pinot from Flâneur’s two rather disparate vineyards. The first, Flanerie vineyard (Ribbon Ridge AVA), produces a wonderfully savoury pinot noir, while the rocky, elevated La Belle Promenade vineyard (Chehalem Mountains AVA) - which was once home to a cherry orchard, produces a pinot with dark fruit forwardness and soft tannins. Look out for their new tasting area and hospitality centre housed in the site’s redeveloped 120-year-old grain elevator. Opening in September, it’s going to be awesome.
Australian-born Bree Stock is a former jetsetting sommelier turned Master of Wine now based in Oregon who has worked with wineries from the Yarra Valley to Austria, Georgia and Portugal. Bree’s married to boundary-pushing Oregonian winemaker Chad Stock (see 03) who works with Willamette Valley farmers to plant alternative varieties like trousseau, godello and zweigelt. Together, they have created Constant Crush, a passion project that sees them produce some very cool wines from pinot, blends and varieties beyond the Willamette Valley’s current status quo. Bree’s next dream? To make wines in both hemispheres. Get it, girl.
MIXTAPE: OUR RANDOM ROAD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS…
➂ Convertible wind hair → C’mon guys, you’re in America. Hire that Mustang, roll that top down and let your hair be free.
Award-winning winemaker Grant Coulter
(ex-Beaux Frères) produces some mightily impressive
➀
Scottie’s Burgers → We grabbed some dirty burgers at Scottie’s Drive-In, Forest Grove on our way back from visiting David Hill and they were brilliant. Yes, it’s a detour you need to do.
➁ Beer the size of your head → Forget the craft stuff for a moment and embrace the heartland and get stuck into the Bud and Coors Lite.
➃ Pok Pok → Portland has one of the best Thai food scenes in the US and Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok is the king of it. Don't miss it. ➄
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Powell’s Books → Serving Portland since 1971, Powell’s is the world’s largest independent bookstore. Go for the over two million titles, stay for the deep nerd chats with staff.
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• PROFILE •
C H Y O W A M FROM:
LITTLE BAO / HAPPY PARADISE • H O N G KO N G •
Chef May Chow became an instant success when she opened her first restaurant, Little Bao, in Hong Kong in 2013. Now with two Little Bao locations, Chow draws on her American upbringing and her Chinese heritage, dishing up Chinese burgers – steamed bao with fillings like Szechuan fried chicken and tempura fish. In 2016, she added to her empire with the opening of gastropub Second Draft and again in 2017 with neo-Cantonese diner Happy Paradise. She was awarded Asia’s Best Female Chef, she’s fed the likes of Anthony Bourdain and we thought there was no one better to chat to about the burgeoning Hong Kong food and wine scene. WRITTEN BY — ANNA WEBSTER PP–02
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Tell us about the Hong Kong food and wine scene?
How have you seen it change in the last five years?
The food scene has been evolving exponentially. I think it's a combination of social media, ease of travel, locals who have been educated abroad returning home to Hong Kong and awards like Asia's 50 Best, Michelin and local media. I see amazing collaborations and connectivity between local Chinese and international chefs. Restaurants are now globally competitive so you really see the jump in creativity, authenticity and overall quality as guests’ expectations are high. The international chefs have also really made Hong Kong their home and I see local French or Italian restaurants easily rivalling the best in France and Italy.
Tell us about your cooking style?
What was it like to be awarded Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2017?
My cooking style is constantly evolving but I can’t take credit for all the cooking. I feel like a curator. I have great chefs I work with and I have a vision for Chinese food and I study the culture, the cooking methods and monitor creative processes to create food.
It definitely drew a lot of attention and it exposed me to another culinary world. I am thankful because I feel so connected to the international chef community and have also created more drive to do even more for not just women but for the local community as much as I can.
What’s next for you? We continue to explore and showcase Chinese cuisine through my own perspective. We’ve been lucky to be finally recognised for our culinary efforts at Happy Paradise. We are excited for all the exciting projects ahead which involve exploring China and pushing the creativity level of Happy Paradise while sharing our Chinese culinary history and progression.
Where are your favourite places to eat in HK?
Where are your favourite places to drink?
Xinrongji, The Chairman, Juxing Home, Belon, VEA (especially when chef Vicky Cheng cooks for me late at night).
The Old Man — not bad that the number one bar in Asia is right across from my restaurant. My favourite is their clarified Bloody Mary with an oyster leaf. It’s so delicious. 20 –19
MOULDCHEESEFESTIVAL .COM. AU
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Hall of Fame
Australia
→→ →→ →→ →→
Victoria →→
Over 350 wineries have joined the Pinot Palooza tour since the festival’s conception in 2012. Naturally the bulk of these are from Australia and New Zealand, but since our expansion into Asia and beyond, the number of wineries from beyond our backyard is growing. Here’s our ever-growing Hall of Fame...
Avoca →→ Blue Pyrenees Estate
→→ →→ →→
Ballarat →→ Eastern Peake Beechworth →→ Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown
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→→ →→ →→
→→
Geelong →→ Austins & Co. →→ Banks Road →→ Bannockburn →→ Bellbrae →→ By Farr →→ Clyde Park →→ Curlewis →→ Jack Rabbit →→ Lethbridge →→ Livewire →→ Leura Park →→ Oakdene →→ Terindah →→ Provenance →→ Yes Said the Seal Gippsland →→ Bass River →→ Caledonia Australis →→ Cannibal Creek →→ Dirty Three →→ Fleet →→ Lightfoot & Sons →→ Moondarra →→ Onannon →→ Patrick Sullivan →→ Rob Hall →→ William Downie Macedon Ranges →→ Bindi →→ Cobaw Ridge →→ Curly Flat →→ North →→ Passing Clouds Milawa →→ Brown Brothers Mornington Peninsula →→ Allies →→ Circe →→ Crittenden →→ Darling Park Winery PP–02
→→
→→ →→ →→ →→
→→
→→ →→
→→ →→ →→ →→
Dexter Wines Dromana Estate Eldridge Estate Even Keel Wines Foxey's Hangout Garagiste Kooyong Main Divide Montalto Moorooduc Estate Ocean Eight Paradigm Hill Paringa Estate Polperro Port Phillip Estate Portsea Estate Pt. Leo Estate Quealy Rahono Valley Red Hill Estate Stonier Ten Minutes by Tractor Trofeo Tuck's Ridge Willow Creek Yabby Lake
Sunbury →→ Noisy Ritual →→ Ray-Monde Deux Werribee →→ Shadowfax Yarra Valley →→ Arfion →→ Chandon →→ Coldstream Hills →→ De Bortoli →→ Denton →→ Duck Sauce →→ Giant Steps →→ Goodman →→ Greenstone →→ Handpicked →→ Helen & Joey Estate →→ Hoddles Creek Estate →→ Innocent Bystander →→ Jamsheed →→ Journey Wines →→ Levantine Hill →→ Medhurst →→ Nikkal Wines →→ Oakridge →→ Punt Road →→ Rising Vineyard →→ Rob Dolan
→→ →→ →→
→→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→
Santolin Six Acres Soumah of Yarra Valley St Huberts Sticks Tarrawarra The Better Half The Don Timo Mayer Toolangi Yarra Yering Yering Station Yeringberg South Australia
Adelaide Hills →→ Ashton Hills →→ BK Wines →→ Cake →→ Caught Redhanded →→ Catlin →→ Deviation Road →→ Gestalt →→ Golden Child →→ Golding →→ Grounded Cru →→ Guthrie Wines →→ Henschke →→ Main & Cherry →→ Murdoch Hill →→ New Era →→ Ngeringa →→ Ochota Barrels →→ Shaw + Smith →→ Sidewood Estate →→ Spider Bill →→ Terre à Terre →→ Tomich Wines →→ Top Note →→ Vinteloper Barossa Valley →→ Shobbrook Clare Valley →→ Sanglier →→ Taylors Coonawarra →→ Patrick of Coonawarra Eden Valley →→ Yetti and the Kokonut Fleurieu Peninsula →→ Finniss River →→ Tapanappa Wines McLaren Vale →→ d'Arenberg →→ Maximus →→ Mosquito Hill
P • 63
Mount Gambier →→ Good Intentions Wine Co. Tasmania Tasmania →→ Bay of Fires →→ Bream Creek →→ Chatto →→ Dalrymple →→ Delamere Vineyards →→ Derwent Estate →→ Devil's Corner →→ Gala Estate →→ Ghost Rock →→ Holm Oak →→ Home Hill →→ Josef Chromy →→ Lost Farm Wines →→ Meadowbank →→ Mewstone →→ Milton →→ Moores Hill →→ Nocton Estate →→ Pipers Brook Vineyard →→ Sailor Seeks Horse →→ Spring Vale →→ Stargazer →→ Stefano Lubiana →→ Stoney Rise →→ Tamar Ridge →→ Tolpuddle Vineyard →→ Winter Brook Western Australia Great Southern →→ 3drops →→ Castelli Estate →→ Flor Marché →→ Howard Park →→ Marchand & Burch →→ Paul Nelson →→ Rockcliffe Margaret River →→ Cherubino →→ Moss Wood Pemberton →→ Below and Above →→ Lost Lake →→ Mountford →→ Picardy New South Wales Hunter Valley →→ Hungerford Hill →→ Two Rivers
Mudgee →→ Gilbert Family
→→
→→
Orange →→ Rikard Wines →→ Ross Hill →→ Swinging Bridge
→→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→
→→
→→
Southern Highlands Artemis
→→ →→ →→ →→
Tumbarumba →→ Coppabella Wines
→→ →→ →→ →→
Australian Capital Territory Canberra →→ Lerida Estate Murrumbateman →→ Ravensworth
New Zealand Auckland Kumeu River
→→
Central Otago →→ Akarua →→ Akitu →→ Amisfield →→ Archangel →→ Babich →→ Bald Hills →→ Brennan →→ Burn Cottage →→ Carrick →→ Chard Farm →→ Charteris →→ Domain Road →→ Domaine Thomson →→ Eon of Bendigo →→ Felton Road →→ Folding Hill →→ Gibbston Valley →→ Grasshopper Rock →→ Hawkshead →→ Kalex →→ Lowburn Ferry →→ Madam Sass →→ Maude →→ Misha's →→ Mount Edward →→ Mt Difficulty →→ Mud House →→ Nanny Goat →→ Neck of the Woods →→ Nevis Bluff →→ Nockies Palatte →→ Ostler
Peregrine Wines Prophet's Rock Quartz Reef Rippon Rock Ferry Rockburn Tarras Te Kano Terra Sancta Thornbury Two Paddocks Valli Waitiri Creek Wet Jacket Wild Rock Wooing Tree
Hawke's Bay →→ Craggy Range →→ Decibel →→ Esk Valley →→ Junction →→ Lime Rock →→ Sileni Estates →→ Te Awa →→ Vidal Marlborough →→ Ara →→ Astrolabe →→ Awatere River →→ Blind River →→ Brancott →→ Cambridge Road Estate →→ Catalina Sounds →→ Churton →→ Clos Henri →→ Clos Marguerite →→ Cloudy Bay →→ Corofin →→ Crowded House →→ Dog Point →→ Foley Wines →→ Folium Vineyard →→ Forrest →→ Framingham →→ Fromm →→ Giesen →→ Good Company →→ Greywacke →→ Hans Herzog →→ Jackson Estate →→ Jules Taylor →→ Lake Chalice →→ Lawson's Dry Hills →→ Loveblock Vintners →→ Mahi →→ Marisco →→ Massey Dacta →→ Matua →→ Nautilus →→ Novum →→ Saint Clair →→ Seresin →→ Soho Wines →→ Spy Valley →→ Staete Landt →→ Steve Bird
→→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→ →→
Stoneleigh Te Whare Ra Terravin Tohu Totara Vavasour Villa Maria Wither Hills Yealands Estate Zephyr
Martinborough →→ Alexander →→ Ata Rangi →→ Big Sky →→ Coney →→ Dry River →→ Escarpment →→ Johner Estate →→ Julicher →→ Kim Crawford →→ Kono Wines →→ Kusuda →→ Luna Estate →→ Martinborough Vineyard →→ Murdoch James →→ Palliser Estate →→ Poppies →→ Schubert Wines →→ Stonecutter →→ Te Kairanga →→ The Elder Pinot →→ Urlar Nelson →→ Aronui →→ Brightwater →→ Neudorf North Canterbury →→ Alan Mccorkindale →→ Bell Hill →→ Bellbird Spring →→ Black Estate →→ Boneline →→ Fancrest →→ Greystone →→ Hermit Ram →→ Mischief →→ Muddy Water →→ Mt Beautiful →→ Pegasus Bay →→ Pyramid Valley →→ Terrace Edge Vineyard →→ The Boneline →→ The Crater Rim →→ Tongue in Groove →→ Tussock Hill →→ Waipara Hills Wairarapa →→ Gladstone →→ Matahiwi Estate →→ Paddy Borthwick
20 –19
France
Monterey →→ Carmel Road →→ Hahn
Burgundy →→ Louis Latour →→ Roux Père & Fils
Oregon →→ A To Z Rose Bubbles →→ Dom Serene
Champagne →→ Champagne A.R. Lenoble →→ Charles Heidsieck →→ Duval-Leroy
Santa Barbara →→ Byron →→ Nielson →→ The Paring
Loire Valley →→ Domaine Fouassier
Germany Baden →→ Dr. Wehrheim
Italy Trentino-Alto Adige →→ Cantina La Vis →→ Cantina Terlano →→ Franz Haas →→ Maso Grener Tuscany →→ Paolo e Noemia d’Amico
South Africa Hemelen-Aarde →→ Hamilton Russell Elgin →→ Richard Kershaw Wines
USA California →→ Deloach Carneros →→ Etude Mendocino →→ Becker Wines
Santa Cruz →→ Partage Winery Sonoma →→ Failla →→ Freeman →→ Hirsch →→ La Crema →→ Paul Hobbs →→ Raen →→ Sebastiani →→ Siduri Willamette Valley →→ Antica Terra →→ Evening Land →→ Le Doubblé Troubblé →→ Lingua Franca →→ Minimus →→ Omero →→ Origin
Chile Casablanca →→ Villard →→ Viña Casablanca Malleco Valley →→ Clos Des Fous San Antonio →→ Matetic
P • 64
EVENTS
2
0
AUST R A L I A
J A PA N
Adelaide Brisbane Melbourne Perth Sydney
Osaka Tokyo
1
USA Los Angeles
NEW ZEALAND
SINGA POR E
Auckland Christchurch Wellington
HONG KONG ••• Tickets on sale now at pinotpalooza.com.au
AUST R A L I A
AUST R A L I A
Brisbane Melbourne Sydney
Brisbane Melbourne Sydney
J A PA N Coming Soon! ••• PP–02
9
PURCHASE
CAR SHARE
THE THIRD CHOICE KINTO ONEを選ぶ ５つの理由
5 REASONS FOR YOU TO CHOOSE KINTO ONE １．頭金なし・月々定額料金だけで乗り始めOK NO DEPOSIT, JUST MONTHLY FEE AND DRIVE
２．クルマ保有期間に必要な費用がコミコミ。なんと任意保険も! INCLUDES ALL CAR EXPENSES! EVEN VOLUNTARY INSURANCE!
３．契約満了後は、新しいクルマに乗り換えるか、返却するだけ! WHEN CONTRACT IS COMPLETED JUST RETURN OR GET A NEW CAR!
４．販売店でも、WEBサイトからでも申し込みOK! SIMPLY APPLY VIA THE WEBSITE!
５．契約期間が３年なので車検手続きが不要! NO CAR INSPECTION! BECAUSE IT’S ONLY 3 YEARS TERM.
車両代
Vehicle Cost
登録諸費用
Registration expenses
任意保険
Optional insurance
定期メンテナンス
Regular maintenance
kinto-jp.com
自動車税
Car Tax
故障修理
Trouble Repair
Wine is all about enjoyment.
The Lane Vineyard, Ravenswood Lane, Hahndorf by Adam Bruzzone, South Australian Tourism Commission
So relax, indulge and immerse yourself in the Adelaide Hills.
@adelhillswine /adelaidehillswine /adelaidehillswine adelaidehillswine.com.au/immerse