Wine Industry Icon turns 80  

03/02/2010

The Hunter Valley wine community took a short break from the busy 2010 grape harvest this week, and came together to pay tribute to one of the icons of the Australian wine industry. Karl Stockhausen celebrated his 80th birthday, and a private cocktail party for industry colleagues and friends was held at Briar Ridge Vineyard to honour this milestone, and the contribution that he has made to the wine industry.

A German born, post-war immigrant, Karl Stockhausen has played several roles in some of the country’s leading wine companies, and has notched up well over 50 vintages in different wine regions across the country. He is responsible for making some of Australia’s greatest and most sought after wines, most notably, the 1965 Lindeman’s Bin 3110 Hunter River Burgundy, which recently sold at auction for $1,700 a bottle.

Working alongside Briar Ridge winemaker, Mark Woods, Karl still plays an active role at the winery, and oversees the production of his Signature range of wines, specialising in Hunter Valley Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz. As well as chairing tasting panels, show judging, and rating wines for leading Australian wine companies and suppliers, many industry personnel still look to Karl for his opinion and guidance which only comes from a lifetime working in wine. In 2007, Karl’s industry contribution was also recognised by becoming one of the six inaugural recipients of the Hunter Valley Wine Industry’s Legends awards.

Celebrating this achievement, Briar Ridge Vineyard owner, Dr. John Davis, paid tribute to Karl, and acknowledged the contribution he has made not only to the success of Briar Ridge over the years, but also to the Hunter Valley region and the industry in general. “Karl not only has made a significant impact from a winemakers perspective, but he has, over the years, earned the respect and become a great ambassador for our industry. He is a true gentleman, and many of our new generation winemakers should stereotype Karl’s philosophies to help foster the future of the wine industry”.

Humbled by the attendance of so many industry colleagues and friends paying tribute at the celebrations held at Briar Ridge, Karl spoke of the enormous changes he has seen over his working life in the wine industry. “I’m so happy to see many old friends here tonight whom I have worked and socialised with over the years. I’m still working and having fun, and I hope that I can keep doing this for many years to come ! ”, said Karl.

With the ever increasing tough times that the wine industry is currently experiencing, Karl remained positive about the image and future of Australian wine, and hopes to continue his involvement in the industry that he has helped shape over the last 50 years.

As Good as it Gets ~ four new Cookoothama vintage releases  

03/02/2010

One of the most commonly asked questions is ~ what are some great value wines for $15? Never more than now when people are nervous the recession isn’t over yet and are wanting to watch the household purse as interest rates rise.

This month the Nugan family is releasing four of their new vintage Cookoothama wines. Once again the Cookoothama range is showing its pedigree at producing wines that provide consumers with outstanding quality and value.

First up is the immensely popular and great value 2009 Cookoothama King Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon ($14.95). The Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Nugan family’s vineyard in the cool-climate King Valley, Victoria, and Semillon from their Cookoothama vineyard in the Riverina. After picking, the fruit was gently crushed, chilled and pressed immediately to preserve the delicate cool-climate aromas and flavours. The Semillon component was added to give mouth feel and a little more complexity. The result is a refreshingly crisp and zesty wine with fresh aromas of muddled lime entwined with tropical fruit, followed by a lively palate of lemon, lime and vibrant citrus with a crisp dry finish. Perfect for a long summer’s afternoon and popular for January BBQs and book club (without books)!

2007 Cookoothama Cabernet Merlot ($14.95) a fabulous food wine from the family’s vineyard on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River in the Riverina. Benefiting from maturation in new and seasoned French and American oak,  this wine over-delivers on structure and fruit concentration providing an appealing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Lovely plum aromas infused with hints of spice, herbs and dark chocolate. Stylish and structured palate of blackcurrant and mint with rich silky tannins and well-integrated oak. It’s a beauty! Partner with friends and a full flavoured casserole.

2008 Cookoothama Shiraz ($14.95) a rich, warm-hearted red! Carefully selected parcels of fruit received American oak during fermentation, after which the wine was transferred to a combination of French and American oak for 14 months maturation to increase complexity and enhance fruit flavours. On release, this hearty Shiraz offers enticing aromas of blood plum entwined with dark chocolate, leather and vanillin. The palate is rich and full-bodied with elegant tannins, with rhubarb compote, mocha and all spice with earthy overtones and well-integrated oak. Drinking beautifully now, this Shiraz will also benefit from medium term cellaring.

And now for the coup de grace –  2007 Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon RRP $22.95!  This wine is a consistent award winner and is widely recognised as one of the Australia’s best botrytis style wines. Brilliant straw with a golden hue, enticing aromas of dried apricot and fig with marmalade and orange peel, this wine has a luscious concentrated palate of apricot nectar, fig and pineapple with well-balanced acid giving it length and structure. Already collecting on the international show circuit, the 2007 vintage already has under its arm Gold medals from 2009 Adelaide Wine Show and 2009 International Wine & Spirit Competition in London.
Distribution: Nugan Estate wines are distributed directly by Nugan Estate in NSW, Deja Vu in VIC & QLD, Off the Vine in WA & SA and Oak Barrel in ACT.

For further information, please contact: Tiffany Nugan tnugan@nuganestate.com.au or Bly Carpenter, The Mod Comms Group, bly@modcommsgroup.com.au.

Cookoothama label: Cookoothama “cook-a-tharma” is the name of the Nugan family’s 310 hectare vineyard at Darlington Point on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River in the Riverina.  It is the original name of this property before the vineyards were planted and is the aboriginal word meaning “fertile land”.  The hands on the label pay tribute to the pioneers who have lived and cultivated the land spread out along the banks of the Murrumbidgee River transforming it into the prosperous, fertile land it is today.

Nugan Estate is a premium producer of fine wine and extra virgin olive oil based in Griffith, NSW.  It is part of the Nugan Group which was founded in 1940 as a fruit and vegetable packer and expanded in the 1970s into juice production – later becoming one of the largest exporters of niche juice products to Asia.  In 1993 Nugan Group further diversified its operations planting vineyards and selling fruit under contract.  From there, winemaking was a natural progression.

Nugan Estate currently owns 590 hectares of vineyards in the Riverina, McLaren Vale and King Valley, Victoria.  In addition, the family sources premium quality fruit from the Coonawarra.  Family operated by Michelle, Matthew and Tiffany Nugan, the Nugan Group is now complemented by four wine labels, Nugan Estate, Cookoothama, Wally’s Hut and Talinga Park and premium Nugan Estate olive oil.

Lake’s Folly 2008 Spring Lunch  

13/12/2008

On Saturday 8th November 2008 FirstPress attended the first of the 2008 series of Spring Lunches hosted by the Lake’s Folly winemaker, Rodney Kempe. The lunch was held at the recently acclaimed Rock Restaurant (Chef’s Hats in the 2008 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide), situated in the Poole’s Rock vineyard at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley. For more information on Rock visit http://www.rockrestaurant.com.au

As we assembled on the terrace overlooking the Poole’s Rock vines, proceedings began with salted blue eye cod in choux pastry and Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula washed down with the very fine aperitif Pol Roger champagne.

While FirstPress guests would have been happy continuing with the aperitifs all afternoon, the serious business of fine dining and tasting aged wines was about to begin. Rodney Kemp had arranged with chef Andrew Clarke for a six course degustation menu of his dishes that would accompany both aged and more recent examples of Lake’s Folly’s signature Chardonnay and Cabernets wines.

First Course: Seared scallops with apple, hazelnut, curly endive, cider and grapeseed dressing. Accompanying this was a 1989 Chardonnay, deep yellow in colour with a light honeycomb bouquet. The wine showed a lovely complex chardonnay fruit mid-palate, finishing full flavoured, and long. The nuttiness of the wine perfectly complimented the apple and hazelnut dressing on the scallops.

Second Course: Crab and zucchini flower fritters with light bisque, baby globe artichoke stuffed with prawn. To contrast the first course matching, Rod Kemp chose the 2007 Chardonnay, a lemon yellow wine with jasmine and lemon bouquet, that while younger than its predecessor, showed apple and light buttery tones mid-palate. The long dry finish held lots of residual fruit, ideal accompaniment for the fritters.

Third Course: Duck breast with braised lentils, squab rillette and liquorice sauce. Initially I was a little apprehensive that the liquorice sauce might overwhelm the 1988 Cabernets. The brown brick red colour and dusty cedar aroma gave way to an ultra-smooth, medium-bodied, lightly fruited cabernet that coped well with the juicy duck and the earthy sauce. The wine was well balanced, and proved that Lake’s Folly Cabernets have the structure to age well.  

Fourth Course: Grilled Wagyu rump, bone marrow dumpling, zucchini, oyster mushroom and horseradish cream. As the waiters delivered this dish to the table, my fellow diners were in awe of the aroma. This was a course made for the 2007 Cabernets. The wine was purple red in colour with aromatic plum and cherry bouquet. These flavours dominated the mid-palate, and lingered through to the end, reminiscent of pickled dark cherries.

Fifth Course: Wood roasted lamb rack, carrot linguini, pea puree, spiced bread and light caraway jus.  I am a devotee of the combination of lamb and cabernet, and I was not disappointed. The 1998 Cabernets is a fine wine, medium red in colour with notes of cassis on the nose, continuing through the mid-palate where a hint of saddle leather blends with the soft fruit. This is a well balanced and integrated wine of real elegance.

Sixth Course: Hazelnut stuffed prunes with hazelnut brioche and Bailey’s ice cream. Now Lake’s Folly don’t make a desert wine, and that’s something perhaps Rod Kemp could explore with a small planting of Semillon. Nevertheless we were treated to a 2002 Le Tertre dy Lys D’or. The delicious golden yellow dessert wine, had apricot and honey aromas, a luscious mid-palate where melons emerged over the apricots. The wine had great mouthfeel, and a long honeyed finish.

In between Master of Ceremonies, Steve Abbott (aka The Sandman), assisted with tales of an interesting life, interspersed with two wine options flights.

Option 1: A venous blood red wine, with violets and blackberry aroma and a hint of alcoholic hotness, delivered sweet black cherry and blood plum mid-palate, and a dry, vanilla finish. What could it have been? Perplexed, FirstPress suspected a merlot based wine, but was unaware that Lake’s Folly had ever released such a wine. Indeed it was a 2003 Merlot, made in a special (i.e. very small) batch.

Option 2: A dark purple / red wine, with lifted blackberry bouquet. The mid-palate was full of blackberry and other dark berry flavours, and the finish was big. FirstPress’ assessment of the wine as a Cabernet Merlot Shiraz blend was off the mark. The wine was a Millbrook Estate 2005 Shiraz / Viognier from Western Australia. Today’s owners of Lake’s Folly, Peter Fogarty and family, also own Millbrook Estate.

This was a very enjoyable lunch, with tastings of fine examples of varieties for which Lake’s Folly is renowned, but the Hunter Valley less so. As one of the guests of FirstPress remarked, the lunch re-awakened his palate for well-made Chardonnay, and reinforced the quality in the Cabernets.

FirstPress paid for their tickets to this event.

To learn more about the history of Lake’s Folly, and the efforts of current winemaker Rod Kempe, please visit http://www.lakesfolly.com.au

Featured Winery - Windowrie Estate (Cowra)

The O’Dea Family, believing that Cowra’s potential as a grape-growing region could only be reached by processing its own fruit locally, invested in a state of the art winery which was completed in time for the 1999 vintage. The winery was erected on a hillside overlooking the magnificent vista of the Estate’s vineyard and has the capability of processing up to 6000 tonnes of grapes. The vision for the winery was to combine the latest technology with traditional techniques, and most importantly to reduce the critical time between picking and crushing the grapes. Because the Windowrie Estate vineyards surround the winery, winemaking can begin within minutes of harvesting. [... more]

Featured Wine - 2007 Windowrie Family Reserve Cowra Chardonnay

Chardonnay has been synonymous with Cowra since Brian Croser won acclaim with his Cowra Chardonnay during the 1970s. These early wines showed the potential of this variety within the region and paved the way for future winemakers. [... more]

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