By Christine Salins.
Glen left and Andrew right
It would be fair to say that Bent Road Wines is one of the country’s most interesting and innovative producers. Their marketing is edgy – think labels such as La Petite Mort and a skeleton laid out in a tasting room that was once a church.
So too is their winemaking about as remote from mass production as you can get – their grapes are hand-picked, their wines unfined and unfiltered, and some of it is fermented in fourteen huge terracotta pots (qvevri) buried in the earth in the way it has been done in Georgia for 8,000 years.
That their winery is located in Queensland might lend a touch of intrigue as well, but as owner Glen Robert points out, it’s the very fact that the Granite Belt represents such a small part of the national crush that gives them licence to experiment.
“When it comes to Barossa, everyone expects to get a Shiraz. When it comes to the Clare, everyone expects to have a Riesling. In the Granite Belt, there are no rules. We can do whatever we want to do, and it gives us great freedom,” says Glen.
One of Bent Road’s experiments is to emulate the Georgian winemaking tradition, albeit with a modern focus on the wine’s microbiological stability – Glen’s previous profession was as a biochemist and medical researcher so his attention to detail on this is paramount.
“Archaeologists have gone to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and have found pottery shards dating back 8,000 years. On these shards they’ve found remnants of wine, grape seeds, grape skins,” he says. “The Georgian wine industry now has world heritage listing and is identified as the birthplace of winemaking.”
Along with the purchase of the qvevris has come a particular focus on Saperavi, an indigenous Georgian red that is one of only a handful of grapes with coloured flesh. (Of the 1,300+ known grape varieties, there is little variation in the colour of the flesh – all the colour comes from fermenting on skins.)
Saperavi is one of the alternative varieties that the Granite Belt quaintly and cleverly calls Strangebirds. The Strangebirds trail is designed to draw attention to a region which is too easily written off as “it’s in Queensland, it’s too hot for grapes”. Many people are surprised to discover that the climate is in fact both cool and continental, being perched on the western reaches of the Great Dividing Range at an altitude of more than 750 metres.
Glen and assistant winemaker, Andrew Scott, produce a number of labels including Bent Road Wine, Haru and La Petite Mort from their beautiful property on the Severn River. La Petite Mort is for their small batch, experimental wines, or as Glen calls them, “our crazy wines”, four of which are featured here.
Being hands-on winemakers who do everything pretty much themselves, the winery is open to the public only on weekends by appointment. If you do get the opportunity to visit, you can be sure to be entertained, educated and taste wines that are certainly not run of the mill.
La Petite Mort 2020 Gentil Qvevri, $35: The Bent Road folk appreciate not only Georgian wines but also European styles. This white is in the style from Alsace, blending
Gewürztraminer and Muscat. Rose and lychee characters from the Gewürz are layered over orange blossom notes from the Muscat, creating exotic layers of fruit, spice and flowers. It’s quite dry despite the sweet aromas. A beautiful wine to enjoy with Asian food.
La Petite Mort 2021 VMR Qvevri, $35: This aromatic Viognier Marsanne Roussanne blend is reminiscent of those made in the Rhone Valley. Assistant winemaker Andrew has the best take on it: “The Roussanne keeps it sensible, the Marsanne keeps it classy, the Viognier makes it fun and approachable. And that’s why they work well together.” It’s quite funky, having been fermented in the qvevri for nearly 10 weeks, making it an ‘orange’ or very natural wine. Enjoy with Chinese braised pork.
La Petite Mort 2021 Saperavi Qvevri, $45: “This is our ode to Georgia,” says Glen. “The Georgians see this as the fountain of youth.” Saperavi has a high amount of Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant, compared with other reds. “The Georgians attribute their longevity to drinking these styles of wine.” The wine hasn’t seen any oak; rather, it was fermented in the qvevri for a whopping 198 days. Intense and savoury with silky tannins and a gentle earthiness.
La Petite Mort Fumé Rosé 2020, $16.50: You’ve heard of smoky whisky, well here is a smoky Rosé. Made from Tempranillo affected by the 2019-20 bushfires, it has a slightly smoky character though not overtly so. Served it chilled with chargrilled or smoked food and you’re onto a winner. $2 from the sale of every bottle goes to the Ballandean Rural Fire Service.
