Friday, May 11, 2012

New Generation Hunter Valley Pop Up Wine Bar

I have never been much of a wine drinker till about a year ago so I'm still learning about wine, from grape varieties to wine types, and what one should look for when doing wine tasting. Tonight's pop up wine bar by New Generation Hunter Valley was a great opportunity for me to explore wines from six different winemakers from the oldest wine growing region of Australia.

The New Generation Hunter Valley is made up of a new breed of winemakers, namely, David Hook (David Hook Wines), Andrew Thomas (Thomas Wines), Rhys Eather (Meerea Park), Nick Paterson (Mistletoe Wines), Mike De Iuliis (De Iuliis Wines) and Andrew Margan (Margan Wines). These boys have been establishing their own unique styles of distinct regional wines over the years, working with old vineyards using contemporary methods and producing wines reflective of their own personalities. 

This group of talented winemakers are travelling along the east coast of Australia showcasing some wonderful wines from their own vineyards. The massive journey has been dubbed as the Caravan of Courage 'On the Road Again' with the first event kicked off in Melbourne followed by Newcastle, tonight in Sydney and a few more stops next week along the coast before finishing at the Noosa International Food & Wine festival. 

My absolute favourite wine of the night was the Kiss Shiraz  by Thomas Wines, from the Pokolbin Estate vineyard which was planted in 1969. The winemaker noted it as a beautifully structured, medium bodied wine. It was not until much later did I discover this is actually their flagship wine. 

Put your nose to the glass and you'd be hit with a wall of aroma featuring berry, oak, vanilla and a hint of cherry liqueur perhaps? A quick taste even sent my not-so-wine-wise taste buds to heaven. Elegant and savoury, I simply loved its earthy complexity, floral and pepper spice with a hint of tannins. With its beautiful purple crimson hue and a clean long finish, Kiss Shiraz 2010 is one rich yet smooth, seductive red. I think I'm in love.

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