The Boutique Wine Lover's Wine Reviews and Wine Related Stories

I came across this very interesting article that really helps put wine advertising into perspective with respect to wine quality. It's the medals that count for a quality wine, not how many times you see it plastered on bus stands or on the back covers of magazines. That's one of the great things about boutique wines, and their makers: with small budgets but big hearts, they pour their soul into their wines and what comes out is measured by their success at the competitions they enter. The more medals, the better they are!

Jeremiah Josey

Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sandra Silfven
Wine competitions tell the real story of quality

Big wine competitions - as opposed to big glossy wine magazines - provide wine evaluations based on the worthiness of what's in the bottle - not on the label or who advertises.

Wine judges at the big international events never know whose wine they are tasting. There's no chance of being swayed by a particular producer or its reputation. And at competitions that do not sort wines by price, the results can get interesting. A delicious Two-Buck Chuck can compete shoulder-to-shoulder with the high-rent stuff.
And oh, by the way, you'll seldom read about the results of wine competitions in wine magazines -- they would compete with the mag's own wine ratings.

At the Riverside International Wine Competition in Riverside, California, May 2-3, price was not a consideration. It's a unique event considering its age, 28 years; its organizer, the feisty and demanding wine journalist Dan Berger; and the judges, an elite team handpicked by Berger - a who's who of winemakers, writers, sommeliers and educators.

There's no blood on the judging tables at the end of the day, but as a participant, I can tell you all the bad stuff is weeded out.

This year's list of gold medal winners, announced recently at www.riversidewinecompetition.com, included six Michigan wines - and that's a feat.

The competition had 1,770 entries. Judges of interest included Gary Eberle of Eberle Winery in Paso Robles; pioneering winemaker Dr. Richard Peterson, who helped shape the California industry; Riesling and Zinfandel pro Scott Harvey of Scott Harvey Wines; ex-Penfolds winemaker Daryl Groom of Groom Wines; and Eric Miller of Pennsylvania's Chaddsford, a leading winery in the East.

By Emma Chalmers at the Courier Mail, May 15, 2009 12:00am

KEVIN Rudd has delivered a snub to the Queensland wine industry with not one bottle of plonk from our state in the vast prime ministerial cellar.

Every other wine-producing state in Australia is represented in the Prime Minister's liquor cabinet, which also includes offerings from France, New Zealand and Canada.

A stocktake of wine at The Lodge and Kirribilli House reveals both official residences have undiplomatically passed over Mr Rudd's home state when selecting a tipple for the Prime Minister and his guests.

An audit late last year revealed more than $20,000 of wine was stored at his residences - $6000 at Kirribilli at November 30 and $14,000 at The Lodge at December 19.

The cellars included a 1985 bottle of Dom Perignon champagne, worth up to $300, and a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvee Non Vintage, as well as more affordable local wines.

The only Queensland drop behind the prime ministerial bar was Bundaberg Rum, the spirit lambasted by the Rudd Government during last year's alcopops debate.

The audit showed more than $23,000 was spent on wine in the 12 months to December.

The cellars were well prepared for a celebration with 246 bottles of Yellowglen Perle Sparkling bought at the modest $17.95 a pop.

Queensland-based Master of Wine Andrew Corrigan reviewed the diverse wine list for The Courier-Mail and concluded that a couple of Queensland bottles would not be out of place.

"Given the spread of choice there is clearly room for a Queensland wine – and, in terms of quality, there are several Queensland wine styles that would fit the list well," Mr Corrigan said.

"In particular, a verdelho (a white) and a red such as shiraz or possibly tempranillo would be appropriate.

"If you are doing a wine list for the Prime Minister, you'd probably generally go for classics – and you'd probably be looking at a balance of representation from (all) the states."

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said Mr Rudd "loves" Queensland products and did not select his own wine.

"Generally, wine for The Lodge and Kirribilli House is selected by house staff," the spokeswoman said.

"Wines may be selected by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for state occasions.

"In either case, the Prime Minister plays no role in the selection.

"Like all proud Queenslanders, the Prime Minister loves Queensland produce."

Leslie White, Weekly Times Now
May 6, 2009

WINEMAKER Ian Rathjen, Heathcote, Victoria, has a simple method for success: don't advertise, don't market and don't try to find buyers.

The anti-marketing strategy seems to have worked for his Whistling Eagle winery at Heathcote.

Ian's wine is sold in restaurants across Australia, overseas and to Qantas first-class passengers.

It has also scored a 95-point review from one of the world's most prestigious wine magazines, Wine Spectator.

The former shearer and dairy farmer had not originally intended to make wine, preferring to sell grapes to wine companies.

But he had some grapes left over in 1999 and decided to "have a go" at making wine. A visiting acquaintance liked it so much he advised Ian to design a label.

Then a chance article in Gourmet Traveller resulted in calls from buyers and restaurants, and later a US distributor rang after having tasted the wine in a Melbourne restaurant.

Now, 20 per cent of Whistling Eagle shiraz is sold to the US.

"I don't do enough marketing; I should do more," Ian said.

"I always thought if I could just make the best wine I possibly could (the rest would look after itself) . . . chance and fate have been wonderful to me."

Ian had no training in making wine but admits he's "reasonable" at growing grapes.

He gathered winemaking knowledge through experimentation and asking questions.

Ian said he liked his vines to have some "tension" but not be under stress - he decides when to water, and how much, through a visual inspection of the vines rather than by following any schedule.

In recent dry years he has used one megalitre of water a hectare on the plantings annually.

In a "normal" year he uses a third of that.

He also believes that overwatering results in bigger fruit, which dilutes the flavour.

He aims to produce about only one tonne of grapes a hectare, and experiments with yeast, fruit and oak every year.

"I'm a minimalist: I try to let things take their natural course," Ian said.

"I don't know too much, I just try to let the fruit express what's there."

Ian bought 160ha he considered suitable for shiraz in 1995 from his uncle after selling 360ha of grazing country near Colbinabbin. Steady plantings since have resulted in the vineyard growing to almost 40ha.

When Ian first bought the property, a bore provided water at 1200 EC units. Salinity levels have since tripled, so Ian has installed a pipe that connects him to permanent irrigation water.

He and his wife, Lynne, are considering installing a wind turbine to make the operation carbon neutral, because "it's what the world needs".

Their daughter Trish, who has studied viticulture, now lives and works at the winery while their nephew Guy, a qualified winemaker, started work with them last year.

Production for the Whistling Eagle label has risen from 70 dozen bottles in 1999 to 1000 dozen last year - still only 15 per cent of the property's grapes - with the rest sold to wine companies.