Passing The Torch - d'Arenberg's New Direction "It means now that Chester, he of the colourful shirts and wine industry showman, oversees production of 80 different wines (and counting) from 40 varieties (and counting), totalling around 220,000 dozen cases of wine annually." NIGEL HOPKINS With the wine world mourning the passing of 95-year-old industry icon d’Arry Osborn, the inevitable question some were asking was, does this mean the brakes have now come off his colourful successor as head of d’Arenberg Winery, Chester? And the answer to that is simple: the brakes have never really been on ..read more

Louise Pommery - The Greta Garbo of Champagnes "There are no compromises to quality. This was understood even in the days of Madame Pommery.’ Clément Pierlot."   CHAMPAGNE CLUB by RICHARD JUHLIN Champagne’s history is rich with women full of character. Many of them have given names to the companies’ cuvée prestige versions. At Pommery it is the daughter of the widow Pommery; Jeanne-Alexandrine-Louise. It’s really fun to rediscover old love! Recently I had the opportunity to return to the beautiful Louise… in the 2005 vintage! A cuvée prestige that I drank a lot of during the mid & la ..read more

Gapsted Estate’s grand plans for success "I wanted us to back ourselves more with the quality of wine we could produce. The wines were always good, but I thought we could take them to another level … to become absolute benchmark cool-climate expressions, particularly with the Mediterranean varieties." RICK ALLEN There’s an undeniable buzz of excitement in the team at Gapsted Estate. And why not? Shooting for the stars tends to have that effect. For years the picturesque Alpine Valley winery has churned out impressive, food-friendly wines – with a heavy slant towards Mediterranean varieties ..read more

Marisco Vineyard’s winemaker and owner Brent Marris seeks to combine wine, farming and family. "Marris has a clear idea of where Marisco Vineyard’s core focus is and prefers to keep improving upon this rather than seek change for its own sake, stating that he is not interested in Marisco Vineyards trying to be all things to all people." EMMA JENKINS “HAVE I told you about our Angus bull sale?” Brent Marris is certainly the first winemaker I’ve interviewed to open with a line like that, leaving me momentarily nonplussed. I should have known better, having twice previously profiled Marris’s com ..read more

Established brand Gartelmann is in perfectly capable hands with its new owner successfully taking the helm. “Both the moves have proven really popular. We’re incredibly busy – it’s a good idea to book any time, but weekends especially. We serve our Gartelmann wines, which pair perfectly with the food. Invariably a lot of our customers will drop into the cellar door either before they eat to see what wines to order, or afterwards.” BRENDA CHRISTIAN HUNTER VALLEY chef Matt Dillow is nothing if not persistent. So, when he bought The Deck Cafe in 2013 it’s fair to say he had his sights on buying ..read more

It’s time to look a final look back on 2022 before diving into the new year with our Annual (Jan/Feb) Wine of the Year Awards Edition. This issue covers all the highlights of the four, four-and-a-half and five stars reviews from 2022 and also the outstanding Wine of the Year Awards winners. Here’s cheers to a wonderful 2023! To get your latest issue of Winestate Magazine click here. The post Wine of the Year ANNUAL EDITION 2023 Issue out Now appeared first on Winestate ..read more

San Francisco is also relatively compact, encompassing its famed 7x7 square mile core. You might return from a trip feeling much fitter as well after hiking the city's hilly streets and the exercise also helps to work up more of an appetite for San Francisco's top-class dining and bar scenes. THE majority of Australians flying to the US make landfall in Los Angeles. But leading airlines competing on the trans-Pacific route have ramped up the number of flights to San Francisco. United Airlines now flies daily from Sydney and three times a week from Melbourne. Qantas resumed flights to the Fogg ..read more

Let us consider some alterative white wines that are available, either grown in Australia or imported from overseas. Italy has literally hundreds to choose from. FANCY a Chubby Ape? An intriguing ale brewed with Queensland bananas and Tasmanian walnuts. Or what about a glass of California Wild Ale’s Blueberry Pancakes Pastry Sour Beer? Not to your taste? Then maybe we can tempt you with a Coner 53’s Lemon Meringue Pie Gin or a Daylesford Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Cider? There is so much choice in the alcohol market it’s overwhelming and the steadfast, stalwart category of wine is well and truly ..read more

THE INCREDIBLE LEGACY AND LEGEND THAT IS WOLF BLASS "This country has been very good to me... and I’ve been good for the country,” Blass said later, determined that his Foundation could be a way of giving something back." Nigel Hopkins WHEN you’ve won almost every award your industry can give you, been honored by two national governments, add in a couple of honorary doctorates for services to that industry and the community and achieved a professional reputation possibly unmatched by your peers – and you’re less than two years short of 90 – you could be excused for saying, in whatever the Ger ..read more

Newcomer Drury Lane Estate has big plans on the horizon "The vines here are approaching 30 years of age - and the grapes have been used for some regional standouts in the past." Winsor Dobbin DRURY Lane Estate may be a newcomer on the Hunter Valley wine industry block, but there is plenty of experience and expertise on hand. Owners Alexandra and Angus Scott come from corporate IT and farming backgrounds respectively and they have employed two of the Hunter’s most knowledgeable wine industry hands to guide them on their way: viticulturist Liz Riley and consultant winemaker Richard Done. That’s ..read more