Representing some of the best restaurants in Australia, twenty four Sommeliers gathered together in the sunny Barossa Valley on Sunday July 25th. The aim of the visit was to give these wine directors either an introduction to what the Barossa of today has to offer or for those already familiar with the region, provide a refreshing new insight. The focus extended beyond just our wines and incorporated the history, the culture and the people that make the Barossa Valley a truly unique wine region not just in Australia but worldwide.
View from Pindarie, one of the Barossa’s newest wineries, enjoyed by guests…
Dave Brookes from Teusner and James Young from Torbreck Vintners make their way to welcoming drinks…
Following welcoming drinks at Pindarie Estate, we enjoyed spectacular views looking down south to Lyndoch, while tasting a range of the best wines the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley have to offer. With a shining full moon rising on the horizon, we dispersed throughout the valley to various wineries. A range of intimate dinners were held at either one of the great restaurants in the Barossa or as we did at Torbreck, at our Cellar Door private dining room.
With food lovingly prepared by Stuart Oldfield, our favorite Barossan chef, and a range of wines from Balthazar, Hentley Farm, Kaesler and Torbreck, I had the sense of a great night ahead. To add to our already fantastic wine selection, our guests were generous enough to bring some additional wines of interest.
I am not sure if it was by coincidence or design, but all the Sommeliers assigned to the four wineries aforementioned, came from Melbourne. It was with great pleasure that I sat down to eat and drink with Marc Esteve Mateu from The Press Club, David Clarke from Vue de Monde, Adam Cotterell from the City Wine Shop and Kosta Kalogiannis from Longrain Melbourne. Also joining in the dinner were Randolph and Anita Bowen from Balthazar wines, Sarah Iredale and Andrew Quin from Hentley Farm, Reid Bosward and Sara McMahon from Kaesler and Scott Trezise and myself from Torbreck Wines.
David Clarke from Vue de Monde…
I can report that the night progressed very well with great food, exciting wines and heated debate on the ‘Natural Wine’ movement. This of course was followed by some table top dancing, a Janet Jackson style wardrobe malfunction and discussions on the merits of bondage and discipline to ones sex life. I think the Melbourne boys got more than they bargained on!
The next morning, feeling just a little dusty, we all drove up to the Orlando Steingarten vineyard for a comparative tasting of a 2010 tank sample and a 2005 bottle of the Steingarten wines. We finished with a cheeky little 2004 Clos st Hune from Trimbach in Alsace. This tasting offered our guests a true understanding of just how cold the Eden Valley can be and, looking down to the Barossa Valley floor, just how high these vineyards are in comparison.
Orlando Stiengarten Vineyard…
From there our peloton of four wheel drives and one bright red Hyundai Getz(in desperate need of a Navman) weaved back across the valley to Seppeltsfield, for a tasting of the 2006 Torbreck Les Amis old vine Grenache amongst the vines. It is only by standing in this vineyard, planted in 1901, that you can really appreciate what makes this wine so unique and compelling. Our comparison wine was the 2006 Rayas from the Southern Rhone. Both are true expressions of terroir wines, distinctly unique and equally exciting.
Lynette from Wine Odyssey in Les Amis Vineyard…
Our next stop was a short jump to the Langmeil ‘Freedom’ vineyard. One thing I learnt from this visit is how difficult it can be to keep the attention of even the most professional of Sommeliers when you are talking to them only a few short steps from a golden slow roasted suckling pig, gently rotating over hot cols. The wines compared were the 2006 ‘Freedom’ Shiraz, made from fruit grown on vines that were planted on their own rootstock in 1843 and the 2006 JL Chave Hermitage, a company that can trace its winemaking lineage back to 1481. A remarkable tasting of two great wines, but somehow overshadowed by a pig!
This little piggy got Rote…
Following a sumptuous lunch put on by the Lindner family, it was off again to the famous Seppeltfield winery for a Barossa Terriors Masterclass. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to attend our vintage dinner would be familiar with the concept as we have run it in conjunction with our dinner for the last five years. It is wonderful to see Barossan winemakers as a group beginning to understand and promote the idea that the Barossa is more a patchwork quilt of differing terroirs than a blanket of homogenous vineyards.
Marc Esteves Mateu from The Press Club paying serious attention…
You would think after all this, our ‘Soms’, as they are referred to in Melbourne would be looking for the ejector button. Not a chance, it was straight from the masterclass to a regional showcase dinner held in Yalumba’s Signature room, hosted by Louisa Rose and Charlie Melton. The evening was a relaxed affair and some inspiring comments from a range of Sommeliers gave the impression that they had both enjoyed the brief visit to our little slice of vinous heaven and had actually learnt a lot, leaving with some new perspectives on the region.
As with any dinner I have attended in the Barossa, tradition was upheld and the evening finished in the pub for a few cleansing ales or a digestive Campari. And to think, it was the locals drinking the Campari, who says we aren’t sophisticated in the valley.
Fraser McKinley, The Barossa’s own Rain Man/ vineyard historian at Yalumba…
Torbreck would like to thank James March, Frasier McKinley and all the people who helped organize this wonderful event. A special thanks to James Broadway for providing us with his fantastic photos of the weekend.