By John Rozentals.
Ben Crossing: steering the Angullong ship with a firm hand.
I know, I’m not supposed to like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc but what do you do when a couple of trophy winners lob on the tasting bench — you taste them, eat a slice of humble pie and review them, that’s what.
It doesn’t matter that the show is relatively unheralded — the 2019 Australian Highland Show, which was judged recently in the NSW Southern Highlands, not all that far south of Sydney and pretty close to Canberra.
Wines with altitude are important — and to qualify for this show wines must be made from grapes grown at an attitude of 500 metres of more.
It attracts wines made from grapes grown in the Southern Highlands, Orange, Mudgee, New England, Tumbarumbra, Hilltops, Canberra District and Adelaide Hills regions, with, I guess, Queensland’s Granite Belt prominent on its radar.
I remember Richard Smart, ‘Doctor Vine’, commenting when he was a lecturer at Roseworthy, South Australia’s renowned oenological institution, how lucky we were in NSW to have the potentially huge and diverse highland area on the west of the Great Dividing Range.
And how right he was.
Any way, the star of the 2019 Australian Highland Show was a Tamburlaine organic riesling made from grapes — and I’m guessing here — grown at Borenore, near Orange, but the two whites from Angullong took home the trophies for best wines made from their particular variety.
WINE REVIEWS
Angullong 2019 Sauvignon Blanc ($22): This dry wine is further evidence that the best Australian sauvignon blancs come from Orange and the Adelaide Hills — coolish areas with a bit of altitude and continentality. It certainly shows a deal more substance to the palate than do most of the aromatic wonders of New Zealand’s Marlborough. Drink this one with simply prepared fresh seafood.
See Saw Wines NV Prosecco ($19): Get used to it. The stainless-steel crown seal (beer cap) closure on this sparkling wine is the way of the future, not a cost-cutting exercise. The wine is bright, fresh, light yet flavoursome, and dry. And it’s only 5.9 drinks to the bottle, so a driver on a full licence should feel safe having a couple of standard glasses. It’s a good aperitif, and will nicely wash down a couple of oysters, too.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Angullong 2019 Pinot Grigio ($22): An absolute ripper dry white which also has a gold medal from the this year’s NSW Wine Awards. It has everything — flavour, length, balance, poise. It’s pure class and easily the best grigio I’ve tried all year. Drink it with quite flavoursome white meats served with a rich sauce. It has sufficient oomph to carry that sort of food.
