Congratulations to all our Exceptional Barossa Wine Show Trophy Winners

A hearty congratulations to all the winners in this year's Barossa Wine Show, announced during last night's Presentation Dinner held at the glorious Chateau Tanunda. Make sure you get along to Yalumba tomorrow morning for the Public Tasting of all these amazing wines and many, many more. Here's a list of all the Trophy Winners. Thanks for keeping all us wine lovers truly happy!


The Willows Vineyard

2010 The Willows Vineyard Riesling

The Orlando Wines – L Hugo Gramp Memorial Trophy

Best Dry White Riesling, Current Vintage, Class 1

The Barons of Barossa – Bruce Thiele Memorial Trophy

Most Outstanding Barossa White Table Wine – Premium Classes

The Barossa Living Trophy

Most Outstanding Single Vineyard Table Wine, Premium Classes

The Barossa Printmasters Trophy

Most Outstanding Table Wine, Small Producer, Premium Classes

The Wine Business Traveller Trophy

Most Outstanding Barossa Table Wine, Premium Classs

2006 The Willows Vineyard Semillon

The Prowine Trophy

Best Dry White Semillon, Class 3

Saltram Wine Estate

2005 Saltram No 1 Shiraz

The Classic Oak Products Trophy

Best Museum Dry Red Wine, Class 21

2006 Saltram The Journal Shiraz

The Lynas Valley Ford Trophy

Best Mature Dry Red Shiraz, Class 11

NV Saltram Mr Pickwick Tawny Port

The Hahn Corporation Trophy

Best Fortified Wine, Premium Classes, Classes 18 & 19

NV Saltram Anniversary Port

The Tarac Technologies Pty Ltd Trophy

Best Museum Red Fortified Wine, Classes 24 & 25

Teusner Wines

The Appellation at The Louise Trophy

Most Successful Exhibitor

2009 Teusner Joshua GMS

The Riedel Trophy

Best Dry Red, Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre blends, Class 16

2009 Teusner The Independent Shiraz Mataro

The Cooperages 1912  Australia Trophy

Best Dry Red, other Varieties and Blends, Class 17

The Yalumba Wine Company

2009 Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier

The Lynas Valley Volkswagen Trophy

Best Dry White Wine, variety or blend, Class 5

2008 The Yalumba Wine Company The Signature

The Vintners Bar & Grill Trophy

Best Dry Red, Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon blends, Class 15

The Rod Schubert Trophy

Most Outstanding Barossa Red Table Wine, Premium Classes

Peter Lehmann Wines

2004 Wigan Eden Valley Riesling

The ASA Trophy

Best Dry White Riesling, one year old & older, Class 2

2009 Peter Lehmann Wines Botrytis Semillon

The Roaring 40’s Trophy

Best Sweet Wine, Class 7

Naked Run Wines

2008 Naked Run BWC Shiraz

The Tanunda Cellars Trophy

Best Young Dry Red Shiraz, Classes 9 & 10

Nurihannam Wines

2009 Nurihannam Wines Barossa Scholar Chardonnay

The Lallemand Australia Trophy

Best Dry White Chardonnay, Class 4

Purple Hands Wines

2009 Purple Hands Wines Old Vine Grenache

The Vinpac International Trophy

Best Dry Red Grenache, Class 14

Seppeltsfield Wines

NV Seppeltsfield Vera Viola Oloroso

The Barossa Grape and Wine Association Trophy

Best Museum White Fortified Wine, Classes 22 & 23

St Hallett Wines

2005 St Hallett Eden Valley Riesling

The Air Liquide Australia Trophy

Best Museum White Wine, Class 20

W Salter & Son

2009 Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon

The A P John Cooperage Trophy

Best Dry Red Cabernet Sauvignon, Class 12

Lunar Lore ~ Old Vines, Roots and Arcane Alchemy

by Caroline Dunn

Now there may still be much contention over whether man really did land on the moon on 20th July 1969, but one thing certainly happened that day that changed the course of history. John and Erril Kurtz purchased a small block of young Shiraz vines at Light Pass that would become Lunar Block, named in honour of the great event that may or may not have taken place on the day the vineyard was signed over. Lunar Block produces the finest Shiraz in the Kurtz Family Vineyards stable - a unique, expressive wine displaying all the hallmarks of longevity and site distinction. The vines were up to ten years old when the block was purchased, making them now some of the oldest vines on the Kurtz property.

So with the vines hitting the 50-year-old mark, Lunar Block starts to face its own challenges. Vineyards reaching this age begin to lose vigour and can become commercially unviable. Eutypa dieback, a widespread grapevine fungal disease is an ever-present threat in wine regions the world over, resulting in stunted shoots, decreased productivity and eventually the death of the vine. Careful and considered pruning is required to maintain vine health and prevent further spread of the fungus. Unfortunately Eutypa is an adversary the Barossa is all too familiar with, something dedicated vineyard custodians, such as Steve Kurtz, son of John and Erril, know only too well. Steve is undergoing painstaking layering and replanting using pruning cuttings to re-establish lost vines and improve the overall health and vigour of the block; a practice required in many old Barossa vineyards.

Australia is lucky enough to be one of the few countries in the world that still has extensive numbers of old vines planted pre-phylloxera and on their own roots. And the Barossa is blessed to have its fair share, staking its claim to some of the oldest, which were most likely introduced from Europe by the early settlers. It is believed the oldest Shiraz vines in Australia are to be found in the Langmeil vineyard, planted by Christian Auricht in 1843; and Penfold’s Block 42 in the Kalimna vineyard, first planted in the mid 1880s, is thought to accommodate the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon in the world.

So does it really make a difference how old a vine is? The Barossa Grape and Wine Association thinks so. The BGWA’s Old Vine Charter, an inventory of the Barossa’s remaining old vines, classifies vines depending on their age. According to the Charter, an Old Vine is one that has reached 35 years of age and has shown consistent quality, proven over many vintages. The root structure and trunk thickness encourage diversity of flavour and character. This is well represented by Lunar Block, which has developed a captivating character all its own. Something that can never be replicated from another block or vineyard.

Survivor Vines are those which have reached 70 years of age. They have weathered both natural and man-made storms, such as the 1980s Vine Pull and have come through triumphant. Centenarians are low yielding vines planted over 100 years ago when dry farming techniques demanded careful site selection, and have proved resilient in the face of adversity. And lastly we have the Ancestor Vines, those that at 125 years old or more are living tributes to the early Barossa pioneers, and which, through their genetic material, have helped populate the Barossa with irreplaceable, remarkable grapevine stocks, and are among the oldest producing vineyards in the world. I doubt I’ll be around when Lunar reaches Ancestor status but no doubt, the tender loving care of the Kurtz Family and their descendants will ensure she makes it.

Some of the great sensory advantages that old vines lend to the wine they produce are structure, balance, concentration and power, often attributed to reduced crop levels and ancient root systems. There is generally a more layered complexity, and a maturity and depth to the mid palate not often seen with young vines. But then there is also that indefinable, elusive character they possess. A uniqueness. An individuality. A character and personality all their own. An arcane alchemy resulting in wines of revered distinction.

Which brings us back to Lunar Block. In 1999 Steve Kurtz decided it was too good a parcel not to make into his own wine, so he ventured out of the vineyard and dipped his toe into winemaking, adding a new element to the Kurtz Family quiver of talents. And we can now reap the rewards of his decision. Not too many wines can claim that they are crafted from a single vineyard block, but here is a wine that expresses its viticultural roots year after year. The latest release of Lunar Block Shiraz is the 2006 vintage, made with minimal winemaking intervention and matured in fine French oak, this is a wine of merit and pedigree. A supple, medium to full bodied red from an outstanding Barossa vintage, rich in distinctive blueberry and black fruits with hints of dried mint, sage, spice and liquorice. The palate is voluptuous and warm, the oak perfectly balanced, and long, fine velvety tannins give the wine line, structure and backbone.

For more information on Kurtz Family Vineyards visit their website at www.kurtzfamilyvineyards.com.au

Try Kurtz Family Vineyards wines at Collective Barossa, 47 Murray Street, Tanunda and check out their blog at http://collectivebarossa.blogspot.com/

For more information on the BGWA Old Vine Charter visit http://www.barossa.com/bgwa/

Winery of the Month - Lou Miranda Estate

by Caroline Dunn

"Good wine is as important as a loving family and close friends."

Last month our focus was on one of the Barossa’s latest Cellar Door installments, Pindarie Wines, so for a change of flavour, this month we visited one of the Barossa’s more established family wineries, Lou Miranda Estate. 

Australian wine has been a part of the Miranda family’s lives since Francesco Miranda first arrived in Griffith from southern Italy in 1938. Interred as a prisoner of war for the duration of World War II, Francesco was undaunted. He made wine from dried sultanas that were sent to the camps to feed the prisoners. After the war he had a ready market of fellow Italian immigrants and refugees. Francesco went on to build the family business, making a name for Miranda, as well as passionately promoting the Griffith wine region. 

Francesco’s son Lou took over the reins and has spent his life building on his father’s passion and adding his own unique style. The Miranda brand was eventually sold, but Lou kept the Barossa winery, which now bears his name, as well as local vineyards including the hundred year old Trinity Block and historic Angel’s Vineyard. Lou’s daughters Lisa and Victoria are now the driving force behind Lou Miranda Estate, with occasional assistance from sister Angela, and working with their father Lou as winemaker. The sisters have introduced their own selection of boutique wines encompassing two ranges, the Leone range, and the super premium Lou Miranda Estate selection which incorporates exclusive vineyard parcels such as Old Vine and Cordon Cut reds as well as a couple of luscious fortifieds, expressing the family’s passion and drive for excellence.

The Leone range was named in honour of Lou’s mother Caterina Leone, and is associated with the Venetian symbol of the lion which represents justice and strength. A good selection of distinctive, varietal wines of vibrancy and elegance is available under the Leone label, with particular favourites being the 2009 Pinot Grigio, fresh and vibrant with a crisp minerality and citrusy zing; and the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, which shows bright varietal plummy fruit, complexed with hints of earthiness and spice.

The winery, cellar door and restaurant building was built in 1999 in the style of early Mediterranean architecture, encompassing a warm, spacious interior with a polished wooden floor, recycled wooden beams, unique decorative steelwork and large windows allowing maximum use of natural light. The hospitality is generous, welcoming and unpretentious, with knowledgeable staff and a casual relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of an Italian family home. The menu is seasonally focused, incorporating local ingredients, and the food is fresh and reasonably priced. For a light lunch we enjoyed Corn bread topped with minted pea spread, roast beetroot & finished with balsamic glaze; and the Squid three ways - Sumac, Coriander & Ginger, and Chilli with dipping sauce. No doubt, many a long lunch has been savoured here. 

A Taste of the Veneto

To fully experience the Miranda family’s warm Italian hospitality, why not join them for a sumptuous four course dinner “A Taste of the Veneto” being held at the winery on Saturday 28th August 2010.

Starters

Affettato Pacentino – Salami, prosciutto, white anchovies with warm torta fritta

Pizza Fingers with potato, garlic and rosemary

Entrée

Slow cooked goats ragu with gnocchi grande

Main

Quail with roasted fennel and vegetables

Dessert

Rhubarb crostata with Aged Muscat mascarpone & apple chips

Bookings are essential, starting from 6:30pm onwards at a cost of $65:00 per head, not including drinks. For further information and bookings please contact Lou Miranda Estate on (08) 8524 4537.

Lou Miranda Estate

Barossa Valley Way, Rowland Flat

(08) 8524 4537
Email: lou@loumirandaestate.com.au                         

Visit:   www.loumirandaestate.com.au