d’Arenberg has a penchant for funny names. Their flagship bottling, for example, is the Dead Arm Shiraz. The Olive Grove Chardonnay takes its name from the olive trees that pop up between rows of vines in d’Arry’s original Chardonnay vineyard. Chester Osborne is the winemaker at the helm of this operation. He keeps things cutting edge, producing his formidable line of wines in small batches using a unique marriage of cutting edge technology and old world technique. This is a wine that smells and tastes of buttered popcorn and nectarines. On the mouth it also sports notes of fig, apple and more than a dollop of fine acidity, making it an ideal summer food wine. Not a meek wine, the generous mouthfeel of the Olive Grove combined with powerful aromatics that rip right out of the glass make this one a real crowd pleaser.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: Lobstah! Seriously, this wine will cuddle up nicely with any rich, buttery seafood. It’s also got the acidity to pair well with grilled root veggies or pasta salads. I can’t wait to try it with grilled endive, smoked salmon and creme fraiche.

Gerard Metz Pinot Blanc, Alsace, 2007 – France

This might just be the most fun squeezed into a bottle under 20 bucks. This month’s wines are an excercise in contrast. On the one hand, there’s a seriously rich, fully textured Chardonnay. On the other hand, you’ve got this lithe, clean wine perched on the razor’s edge when it comes to balance. The ancient estate of Gerard Metz is totally contained within the boundries of a 12 hectare vineyard in Itterswiller,Alsace. The vineyard is broken up by soil type, and in each different type of soil Herr Metz has planted a different grape variety. His Pinot Blanc thrives in mineral-rich soil that has nurtured the vines for years. Loaded full of stone fruit and melon aromatics, with a beautiful streak of acidity and weighing in happily in the medium-bodied camp, this is a glorious wine to sip on the porch or in the backyard on a hot evening.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: This is a wine that is crying out for a big hunk of creamy cheese. It would work especially well with Camembert or Brie.

The warmer months are here, and I need tasty, big-on-value white wines. Lucky for me, our wine clubs transition to white wines for the summer months. Also lucky for me, we came across this beautiful, golden-hued wine a couple of weeks ago. Portugal is the new Spain. The country’s wines are huge on value, fashioned from oddball legacy grapes (Alvarinho and Trajadura, in this case), and generally underapreciated. The Auratus is an exotic, honeyed, zesty spice laden wine. It’s big on density and the nose – ginger, orange and spice unobstructed by oak – is big on the WOW factor. The blend of Alvarinho (a.k.a.: Albarino) and Trajadura is bottled in Seixas, just inland from the Atlantic coast. It’s a wine to chill, uncork and drink – copiously. If food is on the agenda, shoot for grilled or pan-seared white fish (with capers and butter), or a salty, nutty and slightly granular cheese like manchego.

Andrew Pirie, Tasmania, “Estelle”, 2006 – Australia

This is an enticing, appetite stimulating blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. Australia is generally a country known for intensely ripe, powerfully fruity wines. Not much of a surprise, really, given the country’s location just south of the equator. What does always surprise me is the beauty of Aussie Gewertz, Riesling, and Pinot Gris. These three grapes historically reach their apex in France’s Alsace and in Germany. Not exactly sun-drenched locales. The beauty of the Australian version of this blend (known as Gentil in Alsace), is the combination of power and finesse imparted to it by the Tasmanian climate. Tasmania, unlike the rest of Australia’s growing regions, enjoys a relatively cool climate and lots of sun. The wine is fresh, with great weight and a rose petal and lychee profile. Drink it with spicy Thai bbq, sesame vinaigrette-dressed salads, and just about any rich, creamy cheese you can find.

Australia makes its share of mass produced everyday drinking wines.   The country is the fourth largest exporter of wine and many of these wines you might see in gas stations and grocery stores.  Many producers get grapes shipped to them from long distances and make their wines as a blend from several different vineyards.  These vineyards are often quite distinct.

This is not the case with all Australian wines.  Increasingly, wineries are to keep a sense of place, or geography when selecting their juice.  Australia is broken into different wine regions.  Most of the grapes are grown in the southeast part of the island which has a Mediterranean type climate.  The other major wine producing area is in the southwest with less than 5% of the output, but not lacking in quality.
The most popular grapes grown are Chardonnay, Shiraz (know as Syrah to the rest of the world), and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Australia does not have any native grapes, so they have transplanted vines from other parts of the world.  Many of the bottles have screw caps instead of corks; a convention that is more popular in Australia than in other wine producing countries.

If you are not familiar with Australian wines, then you are really missing out.  From the juicy Cabs of the Margaret River in the southwest where you can find colorful birds and kangaroos to the cooler climate Shiraz and Chardonnay of the Yarra Valley.  Today, we are really able to find good quality and value from Australia.

For our tasting on Friday March 6th at the wine shop, we will feature four wines from Australia.  The first is an interesting sparkling wine made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the traditional grapes of Champagne (but at a fraction of the cost).  The second is a lighter, food-friendly style of Shiraz from the Barossa region. It will be followed by Shiraz from the McLaren Vale.  We will finish the tasting with a wine from one of our favorite Aussie producers – d’Arenberg.

Stop by the shop anytime between 5:00 and 9:00 to taste and learn about the wines we have picked from Australia.  We hope you can.

d’Arenberg The Noble Chardonnay/Semillion, Adelaide, 2006
$22.50

“The vineyards and bushland that surround the d’Arenberg winery are home to a unique native Australian bird, the Kookaburra, famous for its distinctive laughing call. Winemaker Chester Osborn’s daughters named their two wild pet Kookaburras the “Laughing Magpies.” The Magpie plumage is black with a stripe of white feathers and bears no resemblance to its famous cousin, but the name has stuck as it is the perfect choice for McLaren Vale’s first ever Shiraz (black)/ Viognier (white) blend.

The wine has a dark, saturated appearance with a violet-crimson hue. Maraschino cherries, spiced fruit peel, ginger and apricot stones are apparent on the nose, with black tea, olive and tarry notes appearing as the wine opens up. The palate is soft and generous, showing juicy flavors of blueberries, ribena, cherries and dark chocolate. Tea-like tannins are abundant and combine with defined acidity to provide structure and length. The long, refined finish reveals this wine’s aging potential. ”

d’Arenberg’s wines have quite a few qualities that I admire. They all have an especially large “bang-for-the-buck” quotient, at every price point. For under thirty bucks, you’re looking at 6 to 8 years or more of great development in the Magpie.

This is a small-production wine that receives tremendous praise from the wine press. Quantities are limited. If you’d like a bottle or two set aside, shoot us an e-mail or give us a ring at the shop.

d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier, McLaren Vale, Australia, 2006

$29.25/Bottle $315/Case