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Tyrrell's Tasting Saturday 5th 3pm-6pm + New wines from Giaconda + Alternative Reds for Winter

by Annandale Cellars

Tyrrell's Tasting

Saturday 5th

3pm-6pm

This Saturday, we'll be showcasing the iconic wines of Tyrrell's from the Hunter Valley!

Tyrrell's are one of the most important wineries in the history of Australian wine, tracing their roots in the region back to the mid 19th century and being responsible for pioneering what Jancis Robinson called "Australia's gift to the wine world" - Hunter Valley Semillon.

Tyrrell's expertise goes beyond just producing Australia's most awarded white wine in Vat 1, but also produce exceptional Shiraz and Chardonnay. These are the wines we'll be pouring on the day:

2018 Tyrrell's Belford Semillon

2024 Tyrrell's Estate Grown Chardonnay

2019 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon

2023 Tyrrell's Vat 47 Chardonnay

2023 Tyrrell's Estate Grown Shiraz

2023 Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz

Come down to the store this Saturday and taste through some of the most iconic wines in Australian history!

 

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Giaconda

Rick Kinzbrunner established the Giaconda vineyard back in the early 70s while working as a mechanical engineer and then spent the next 10 years working in the industry, studying and working all over, which included study in California after working some vintages in New Zealand, followed by work for some of the best producers in Napa and Sonoma as well as the Moueix Group in Europe (known as the owners of Petrus, among others). Upon returning to Australia in the '80s, Rick got to business planting vines on the best sites on the estate in Beechworth and now has 4 hectares under vine. Now Rick's son, Nathan Kinzbrunner works fulltime as the Assistant Winemaker and General Business Manager at the estate and has done since the 2007 vintage. Together, this dynamic father-son duo are making some of the best wines in the country.

The estate vineyard is managed sustainably and has been certified organic since 2018 by the Bio Dynamic Research Institute (BDRI). The vineyard sits at 400m above sea level with a climate that is heavily influenced by the surrounding alpine valleys. The Chardonnay is planted on a slightly cooler south-facing vineyard that is protected from the sun that helps to prolong the growing season to increase complexity while still retaining natural acidity levels. The Estate Shiraz is grown on the warmer north-facing amphitheater parcel of the estate to ensure optimal ripening conditions. The soil is 450 million year old granitic loam over decomposed gravel and clay.

"Wine making should be subtle and always seek balance - this should never seek to dominate the Terroir or characteristics of any given vintage."

Giaconda's winemaking follows an terroir-driven minimal intervention approach which means indigenous yeasts during fermentation, natural bacteria for malolactic fermentation, ageing in French oak, minimal sulphur additions only when necessary and no filtration before bottling. The entire winery, barrel maturation cave and bottling facility are all set up for gravity flow which means that the wines are not pumped or treated mechanically, and instead are moved gracefully by gravity as they are intended to so as not to overwork the delicate juice.

We recently stocked up on some wines from one of Australia's greatest producers. The '22 'Nantua Les Deux Shiraz' is exceptional quality for the money - a spicy, savoury, medium-bodied Shiraz that makes the perfect winter companion. The ‘23 ‘Roussanne’ is the second release of this wine from grapes hailing from the famous amphitheatre block. Rich, textural and spicy; this has to be the best Roussanne in the country and is definitely a winter-friendly white wine. Pick up some of these sensational wines from one of the best winemakers in the country!

 

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Alternative Reds for Winter

The first month of winter is in the bag, 2 more still to go. Everyone wants to stay inside these days with a nice heart-warming red wine and some good food and company.

Getting comfy in winter doesn’t mean that you have to get comfortable with your tastes. It is always worthwhile to explore and try something off the beaten path - there are more red wines out there than South Australian Shiraz!

We’ve selected 6 reds below made from “alternative” varieties i.e. lesser-known international varieties that are less popular either due to the fact that they require specific growing conditions or their native names are too difficult to be internationally marketable. Nonetheless, these are all interesting red wines that are worth checking out whether or not you are already familiar with these grapes. Try something new and make the most of these colder months with these soul wines!

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