Hard to ‘crack’ The Age good wine guide
January 13, 2012THE best of the best of Sunraysia’s premier wines don’t even rate a mention among leading wines in the 2012 edition of the Age-Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide.
Wine writer Nick Stock, described in a public relations blurb as one of Australia’s most respected and prolific wine critics, doesn’t rate award-wining wines from Trentham Estate, Zilzie, Lindemans, Shinas Estates and many others as coming close to his picks of the year.
The team from Access PR in Sydney describe the 2012 guide as its biggest and best edition ever…more than just an indispensable guide…it’s ‘the wine Bible,’ giving an individual rating to more than 1500 wines, about 300 more than last year.
“This guide is a must-have accessory for wine lovers across the country,” Nick says. “Life is way too short to waste on drinking bad wine. Even worse, life’s too precious to waste time reading about bad wines.
“The Good Wine Guide 2012 brings together the very best wines across all categories, right around the country, so you don’t have to spend your life searching for that perfect red or white.”
According to the guide, the wine of the year (and best chardonnay) is the 2009 Oakridge 864 Chardonnay from Lusatia Park. Winery of the Year was Oakridge Vineyards, and Best New Winery was Ruggabellus.
The wine guide is compact, and worth a read, if only to try to locate a Sunraysia-based wine among the 1500 entries that have been sorted into 300 categories and varietals for the book. The best of the Australian wineries is arranged State by State, and based on a ‘star’ rating. To qualify for a five-star rating, Nick said a winery needed to demonstrate a proven ability to consistently hit the right quality parameters.
“Increasingly, but with some significant exceptions, I felt it was important to reward those producers that demonstrate a deep commitment in producing Australia’s finest and most distinctive wines,” he said. This provides a quick and handy reference beyond the best current wines to drink.”
Wines were rated using the global benchmark 100-point scale, and these scores then determined the one, two and three glass ratings. Only wines scoring 96 points or higher are awarded the prestigious three glass rating, 93-95 points is a two glass rating and those scoring 90-92 points are awarded one glass.
Nick tells readers that given that wine is made from organic material – grapes – the Good Wine Guide 2012 recognises producers who are making a concerted effort towards sustainable practices in the winery and the vineyard, be it organic practice, biodynamic methods or simply doing their best to tread lightly on the dirt they are farming and to make wines that are deeply connected to the place in which they are grown.
The Guide is designed to appeal to anyone who wants to drink good wine at the price they are willing to spend.
“It’s clear there are price points that represent considerable value. However, wine drinkers don’t need to spend a fortune to score a decent wine. Between $20 and $25 is usually where great quality starts to kick in – better fruit quality, better wine making, oak barrels not planks or oak chips, and decent packaging.
“On the world stage, the average $30 bottle of Australian wine is still very hard to beat for quality and consistency.”
And the ones to get (apart from the award-winners announced above), are…
Best value sparking and best non-vintage sparkling wine; Jansz Premium Cuvée NV.
Best value white; Two Rivers Stone’s Throw Semillon
Best value red; 2010 Hoddles Creek Estate Pinot Noir. Best vintage sparkling wine; a 2001 Freycinet Radenti. Best non-vintage champagne; Mumm de Cramant NV. Best vintage champagne; 2005 Louis Roederer Brut Vintage. Best riesling; 2011 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling. Best pinot gris and pinot grigio; 2011 Pizzini. Best sauvignon 2011 Cherubino Porongurup. Best semillon; 2011 Pepper Tree Alluvius Reserve Hunter Valley Semillon.
Best semillon-sav blanc blend; 2010 Hay Shed Hill Block 1 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Best viogner, marsanne and roussanne; 2010 Michael Hall Kalimna Roussanne. Chardonnay
Oakridge 864 Chardonnay – Lusatia Park 2010. Best emerging white; 2011 Lark Hill Biodynamic Grüner Veltliner. Best imported white; 2007 Domaine Tissot Savagnin. Best rose; 2010 Castagna Allegro. Pinot Noir; 2009 Freycinet Vineyards. Best GSM blend; 2009 Ruggabellus Efferus / 2009 Spinifex Indigene 2009 (Joint Award). Best shiraz; 2009 Spinifex Vallée Des Roches. Cab sav; 2008 Moss Wood. Best cab-merlot blend; 2009 Cullen Diana Madeline. Best merlot; 2010 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Merlot. Best shiraz cabernet blend; 2006 Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz ; Best Italian varietal; 2008 S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo. Best emerging red; 2010 Mount Majura Tempranillo. Best imported red; 2007 Vietti Barolo Rocche DOCG. Best sweet wine; 2008 De Bortoli Noble One .
Best NZ pinot gris; 2010 Greywacke Pinot Gris. Best NZ sav blanc; a 2010 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc, and best nZ Pinot noir; 2010 Felton Road Bannockburn.
Footnote; Nick Stock has had a lengthy involvement in the wine industry. with a career extending from wine-writing to show-judging, educating, broadcasting and winemaking.
Industry experts say his wealth of knowledge extends to all corners of the wine world, and this, combined with “a frank and fearless style,” has made him one of the most popular and widely read Australian wine writers, and has seen him travel overseas on a regular basis.
He was awarded the title of ‘Best Drinks Journalist’ at the 2007 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.
The 2012 Age good wine guide is available from selected book stores, online at www.smhshop.com.au/wine or www.theageshop.com.au/wine.
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