Australian for nectar
This year saw the rise of exceptional, new world wines like those from Vineyards in Australia. They made their way to Indian tables and restaurants to become hugely popular here.
Trend 2006: New world wine
This year saw the rise of exceptional, new world wines like those from Vineyards in Australia. They made their way to Indian tables and restaurants to become hugely popular here.
Yarra Valley
For the vinossieur, Australia holds a Bacchic surprise-Yarra Valley. The oldest wine country in Victoria, it's a 50 km drive east from Melbourne. The perennial blue mist, scented with eucalyptus gives the valley an introduction of mystery, its vineyards mentored by the tall mountains of the Great Dividing Range. The altitude and its surrounding atmosphere produce ideal conditions for a range of diverse wines of great complexity and structure. From the sparkling Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to the full-bodied Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon styles, Yarra Valley is home to some of the premium wines in the world. There are 55 wineries in the Valley, offering quite a vinologue. Stop at family-operated wine farms for tasting sessions in cosy log cabins. Ivy-covered chateaus organise lavish wine pairings with gourmet meals. Visit eclectic boutique restaurants with elegant wine lists. Inhale the aroma of Shirraz at the Chandon Green Point Room, overlooking acres of vineyard in the Dandenongs foothills.
Cooler in climate than Bordeaux, the sleepy plains of Yarra yield the finest of grapes. Chardonnay is the most widely planted white grape pr ducing a range of styles from heavy, oaked to elegant, restrained varieties. A perfect accessory with flavoured seafood and poultry, Chardonnay wines are made e ploying erstwhile Burgundian winemaking techniques.
Another white grape, Sauvignon Blanc, produces full-bodied, vibrant wines exuding a crisp acid finish. Generally unoaked, these wines are often blended with Semillon, imparting a fuller, rounder flavour when served as an appetising drink with fish, goat cheese entrees or roasted vegetables. Pinot Noir grapes are also abundant, the most widely planted red grape variety in Yarra. Berry flavoured and paired with meat dishes, Pinot Noir wines exude a velvety texture and are often used to add depth to the Chardonnay component of some sparkling wines of Yarra.
A late ripening variety is the Cabernet Sauvignon with flavours ranging from berry/chocolate to cedar/leathery. Matured in French or American oak, it is sometimes blended with Merlot to flesh out the mid palate. Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines are ideal with beef or premium cheese-based dishes. Another late bloomer, the Shiraz, is recognised as a wine with great finesse. Imparting whiffs of pepper, spice, anise and plum, the Yarra Shiraz is served with game or beef. The historic Chateau Yering, once home to the Ryrie Brothers is part of Yarra's wine mythology. In 1837, these Welshmen settled in Yering (the aboriginal name for the area) and the vine cuttings they planted resulted in Victoria's first vintage. From the antique corridors of Chateau Yering, the wine trail leads into the De Bortoli Winery- a family-owned, 1928 wine estate.
The 400 acre vineyard produces the award-winning Noble One Botrytis Semillon. It also houses an -la carte restaurant serving the region's best Italian cuisine. Regarded as one of Australia's finest, the Pinot Noir produced by the winery is a twotime winner at the Royal Sydney Wine Show for Best Pinot Noir in 1999 and 2004. Watch the pale gold Chardonnay swirl around. Winner of the 'Best Chardonnay' trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2000, this lean wine with a fig-like fruit aroma is matured in French oaks. No visit to De Bortoli is complete without tasting the Shiraz Viognier-an intense, full fruit palate with hints of berries, pepper and oak. The small addition of viognier contributes complexity to the overall wine flavour.
If award-winning wines are De Bertoli's claim to fame, the 30-yearold-Fergusson Winery positions itself as an upscale Micky D of wineries. Wooing the mid-segment of wine tourists, the estate offers overnight stays in self-contained Cabernet stone cottages amidst rows of gnarled wines. The Fergusson's are inovative competitors-cookery classes conducted by chef Louise Fergusson, ballooning excursions at dawn and hosting storybook weddings in the rustic vineyard chapel are bespoke attractions.
Leaving the vintage Victorian wineries at the Valley's base, the terraced slopes wind surreptitiously towards the sweeping TarraWarra Estate, overlooking the Long Gully. Established in 1983, on a 100-meter high, north-facing hilltop, the warm eastern end of the Valley provides ideal growing conditions for premium grapes. Owing to its vantage po
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Top cover
Our emerald-tinged cover to end 2006 wasn't just a round-up of the best, but highlighted the coming of age of the Indian luxury consumer and their growing love for all things fine.
Other big trends
Kerala homestays get popular
Untouched virgin territory only accessible by boat in the middle of Vembanad lake showcased the global excitement about Kerala.
International brands enter India
Studying the Benetton empire reflected the Indian connoisseur's desire to get educated about big global brands that were starting to make India their home.
