Southern Highlights

National Liquor News - August 2004

Clonakilla winemaker Tim Kirk believes the Canberra District is one of the great Shiraz regions of the world. “Make no mistake, you will be hearing a lot more about Canberra District Shiraz in the years to come,” says Kirk, whose Shiraz Viognier blend, perhaps more than any other wine, has thrown the spotlight on the Canberra District. Not only has Clonakilla won numerous awards for it, but many other Australian wineries are now copying the style. By adding a dash of the white grape variety, Viognier, which lends an intriguing floral layer over the spicy peppery Shiraz, Clonakilla has captured the imagination of wine enthusiasts everywhere. Clonakilla planted its first Viognier in 1986 and, according to Kirk, it took about eight years to get a really decent crop. “It’s a fairly feeble variety but it’s got a lot of potential in this area.”

For the usual reasons, Clonakilla produces a couple of blends like Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Merlot, but it is through Riesling, Shiraz and Viognier that Kirk believes the region can achieve true greatness. Kirk first made Viognier as a varietal in 1998 and believes his 2003 Viognier is the best he has made. He first experienced the Shiraz Viognier blend in France’s Rhone Valley in 1991 and began making his Shiraz this way the following year. “When you take into account the altitude, the weather pattern and the soil, we just seem to come up with flavours that are very similar to the northern Rhone Valley,” he says of the family vineyard near Murrumbateman, at the northern end of the Canberra District, about 40km north of the city centre.

With only a few exceptions, most of the Canberra vineyards are located outside the ACT in surrounding NSW. All identify strongly with the National Capital, however, and are described as Canberra District in their GI classification. The district extends eastward from Yass to Lake George, with a climate that is cool by Australian standards. The lower elevations are able to ripen varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in most years, while the higher elevations are suited to varieties such as Riesling and Pinot Noir. If you ask Ken Helm, the Canberra wine industry’s greatest ambassador, which varieties do best, he unashamedly answers “every variety”. And in a way he is right, since altitudes range from 300 to 800 metres, resulting in a climatic variation that is quite unique for a small area.

Helm is the organiser of the National Riesling Challenge held in Canberra each year, and makes a decent Riesling himself. In a paper titled The Cool Climate Wine Capital which he co-authored, he says an analysis of climatic variability over 57 years shows wide variation. “Some years are cool (1300 cumulative day degrees) and thus ideal for … Riesling, Chardonnay, Sylvaner, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Other years are warm (more than 1500 cumulative day degrees) and more suited to varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz … As such the Canberra District should theoretically produce ‘great’ vintages nearly every year, although not necessarily with the same variety or wine style.”

While grapes were planted around Yass in the 1850s, the District did not begin in earnest until 1971 when Tim Kirk’s father, Dr John Kirk, planted Clonakilla and Dr Edgar Riek established his Lake George vineyard. Today the region has more than 30 wineries and 100 vineyards. When the Hardy Wine Company opened its 2800-tonne Kamberra winery a few years ago, it was evidence that the region had finally come of age. Rob and Kay Howell’s Jeir Creek winery is second only to Kamberra in size, and for about four years until Kamberra opened, they processed the Hardy Wine Company’s fruit. By the end of the contract, Howell was processing 500 tonnes for Hardy and 60 to 80 tonnes for his own Jeir Creek label.

“It made the family very focused on how much hard yakka it was. At the end of our time with Hardys we had so much knowledge.” To put that to good use, Howell formed a partnership with Greg Gallagher and Bryan Martin to form Canberra Winemakers and today they have a client list of about 30, processing wine for companies as small as the Snowy River Winery and as large as Cellarmasters. Martin and Gallagher also make their own labels at Jeir Creek. Gallagher has made wine in just about every state of Australia, and he says the Shiraz grown in Canberra is the best he has come across. A senior winemaker for Taltarni for 18 years, he initially looked at South Australia’s McLaren Vale region after deciding to go out on his own. But a visit to his brother in Canberra changed all that. “I saw some of the red fruit being produced in (this) area and was blown away.”

The owner of Lerida Estate, Jim Lumbers, aspires to produce a Shiraz as good as Clonakilla’s and while he only has a “minute amount” planted on his vineyard near Lake George, he was delighted to this year get his hands on some Shiraz from two vineyards near Clonakilla. It is due for release in 2006. In producing Shiraz, Lerida Estate is responding to consumer demand, but for Lumbers himself, Pinot Noir is the Holy Grail. More than half the vineyard is planted to Pinot, the rest to Merlot, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The Lerida winery, a striking building designed by world-famous architect Glenn Murcutt, was built to accommodate the special apparatus that Lerida uses to do its pigeage, a French technique for extracting colour, aroma and tannins from Pinot Noir skins.

At Lark Hill, winemakers David and Sue Carpenter use a massive wooden block to plunge the grape skins several times a day. It is definitely a labour of love but well worth the effort if you have ever tasted their Pinot. At 860m, Lark Hill is one of the district’s highest vineyards and its low-yielding vines are now more than 25 years old. Both factors have translated into a swag of awards for their wines. Another outstanding Pinot is made by one of Canberra’s newer wineries, Wimbaliri, whose owner John Anderson makes his wines with minimal interference, using traditional equipment such as open vats and basket pressing.

While there is still a good chance of meeting the winemaker at many Canberra cellar doors, the district has in recent years acquired some sophisticated cellar door restaurant complexes, such as that opened at Lambert Vineyards late last year. Madew Winery, which has the stylish grapefoodwine restaurant, recently went on the market, its owners David and Romilly Madew opting out of the business to spend more time with their young family. The region’s first large cellar door was Kamberra, whose owner the Hardy Wine Company produces the Kamberra and Meeting Place ranges from Canberra, Tumbarumba and Hilltops fruit. It has 83ha planted in the Canberra District, including some of Australia’s biggest plantings of Viognier.

The Hardy Wine Company is not the only major player to recognize the potential of Tumbarumba, on the southern slopes of the Snowy Mountains. The president of the Tumbarumba Vignerons Association, Juliette Cullen, says that while there are few cellar doors and the region is not very familiar to consumers, it is well known to the big companies who regularly take fruit for their sparkling and premium table wines. Southcorp underpins the market but Orlando Wyndham, Taltarni, Domaine Chandon and this year for the first time, McWilliams, also take fruit from the region.

Cullen says it was Hungerford Hill, formerly owned by Southcorp but since 2002 by the Kirby family, that put the region on the map with its Sauvignon Blanc. “Sauvignon Blanc gets that beautiful asparagus and capsicum flavour here; it’s not so grassy. It’s very drinkable and approachable, which is what the market likes.” The Hungerford Hill Chardonnay has also won rave reviews, the Kirbys lucky to secure the services of Southcorp winemaker Philip John in the transfer. He recently introduced the brightly packaged, easy-drinking fishcage blends, including a 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay. John, who helped make Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay the biggest selling imported wine in the United States, believes Tumbarumba is the top region in NSW for Chardonnay. “The wines age slowly, gain richness and retain fruit freshness, which is remarkable for Australian Chardonnay,” he said.

Cullen, who sold her vineyard to Southcorp before setting up a new one, Excelsior Peak, says fruit from three Tumbarumba growers regularly makes it into Penfolds’ flagship Yattarna Chardonnay. Chardonnay accounts for about half the plantings in the region, which had a total output of 3000 tonnes in 2003. Pinot Noir accounts for about 30 per cent, Sauvignon Blanc 10 per cent, and the rest other varieties. Tempranillo, Shiraz and Viognier are planted on some of the lower slopes. Shiraz from nearby Gundagai won Bidgeebong Wines a place in the Top 100 at this year’s Sydney International Wine Competition, which according to winemaker Andrew Birks justifies the faith that he and viticulturist Simon Robertson have in the ability of the gently undulating country around Gundagai to challenge the supremacy of Australia’s traditional Shiraz strongholds.

Bidgeebong also makes a Tumbarumba Chardonnay and Tumbarumba Merlot, Robertson admitting that the Merlot might seem out of place in an area initially developed for sparkling wines. “Like Gundagai, Tumbarumba is viticulturally still very much a work in progress and we’ve still got an enormous amount to learn, but wines such as this show great promise. It’s a rich, soft, full-bodied style of red, but probably more fragrant than most Australian merlots.” A lot of Tumbarumba fruit is sold to wineries in the Southern Highlands in what Cullen describes as a “fairly logical arrangement”. “The fruit characters are not that different … I personally don’t mind if we’re considered the Highlands of the south.”

The Southern Highlands, just over an hour’s drive from Sydney, lies on top of the Great Dividing Range around Bowral, Mittagong and Berrima. Mark Bourne, president of the Southern Highlands Vignerons Association, says the region’s 53 vineyards are all above 500m, resulting in a cool climate and a late harvest. There are nine cellar doors and 15 commercial labels. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris do best in the whites, and Pinot Noir and Merlot in the reds. “Chardonnay is very widely planted, but some years there are early season frosts which can play havoc with it.”

Bourne says that while high land prices “probably keep the big players away”, there are several substantial locally owned holdings, the biggest being Southern Highland Wines with 40ha near Sutton Forest. It has 10 wines in its line-up, including the smart, easy-drinking Novello Bianca and Novello Rosso. Its swish cellar door has a café overlooking the winery. There’s also a great little café at McVitty Grove, which opened its cellar door at Easter. This boutique vineyard concentrates on Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Its 2002 wines were badly smoke-affected but its 2003 Pinot Gris is delightful. The fruit is hand-picked and made at Canberra’s Madew Winery, appropriate given that Madew also makes a good Pinot Gris.

The oldest vineyard in the Southern Highlands, Joadja, was closely followed by Eling Forest, whose 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon comes as a pleasant surprise. The third oldest vineyard, Howards Lane, was bought by Tony and Mary Betteridge in 2002. Planted to Cabernet and Chardonnay, they have since added Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and more Chardonnay. Centennial Vineyards has the most imposing of the cellar doors. Owned by John Large and Mark Dowling, who founded Cellarmasters before selling out, it has a fine restaurant that is separately leased.

Winemaker Tony Cosgriff produces a strong line-up and by strictly limiting yields and focusing on white wines and early-ripening reds, he is able to minimise the effect of the region’s summer and autumn rain. Verdelho does well in the region, he says. “It’s been one of our very good sellers. It is typically cool climate, nice and crisp and fruity.” Sauvignon Blanc and Rose have also proved popular. Centennial’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Cabernet Merlot are particularly noteworthy, and this year a Tempranillo will be released for the first time. Cosgriff says the 2004 vintage is looking very smart. “It’s the best vintage I’ve seen here; we’ve got some fantastic material. It’s like having a pantry full of nice fresh ingredients.”

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A Guide to the Region:

Canberra, the Southern Highlands and Tumbarumba are blessed with four distinct seasons, lazy summer days giving way to a riot of autumn colours, crisp winter days and beautiful spring blossoms. There surely wouldn’t be many capital cities where vines grow within sight of a nation’s Parliament, but in our own “Bush Capital” it is possible to relax in the grounds of the Pialligo Estate vineyard and take in the view of the Parliament House flagpole. For a city of just over 300,000 people, Canberra is blessed with a huge choice of restaurants and cafes, reflecting its culturally diverse community and its patronage by the country’s decision makers.

Manuka and Kingston are the hottest spots for eating out, while West Row in the city is also a thriving restaurant precinct. The area around Woolley Street, Dickson, is home to a small but interesting Chinatown. An abundance of pavement cafes gives the city a cosmopolitan feel. Don’t miss Silo (36 Giles Street, Kingston; 02-6260 6060), a bakery café with great menu, wonderful bread and pastries, and walk-in cheese room. Benchmark Wine Bar on Northbourne Avenue (02-6262 6522) is open seven days a week till late, serves fine French food and lists around 700 Australian and overseas wines.

Visitors can follow several wine routes, with most of the wineries centred around Lake George or Murrumbateman. Terrific places to dine at while winery-hopping include grapefoodwine (Madew Winery, 02-48480165), Lynwood Café (02-4848 0200), Lambert Vineyard (02-6238 3866), Grazing (02-6236 8777) and Barrique Cafe Restaurant (02-6227 5600). The charmingly rustic Smokehouse Café (02-6230 2487) doubles as the farm shop for Poachers Pantry gourmet smoked foods and the cellar door for Wily Trout wines. It is on the Poachers Trail (www.poacherstrail.com.au), a self-drive route taking in wineries, food producers, cafes, B & Bs, craft studios and other attractions.

For a taste of local wine without even leaving the city, the Kamberra Wine Company on Northbourne Avenue has the Meeting Place Restaurant (02-6262 2144), a large modern cellar door, and daily winery tours. Fyshwick and Belconnen have excellent fresh food markets with their own cooking schools, Flavours (02-6295 7722) and Cooking Co-ordinates (02-6253 5132), featuring local and interstate chefs. The Old Bus Depot Market, held every Sunday from 10am to 4pm at Kingston, offers high-quality arts, crafts and locally produced foods.

Canberra’s finest accommodation is the Hyatt Hotel, a 1920s building which retains its historic charm and understated elegance. There’s an extensive list of B & Bs, including Country Guesthouse Schonegg (02-6227 0344) which is ideally placed for exploring the Murrumbateman wineries and has a café open on weekends from noon to 4pm. Karen Goldspink, proprietor of smallwineries.com.au, conducts personalised wine tours of the Canberra region (02-6281 1894). Canberra’s Privileges Card (02-6161 1999; www.TheCard.com.au) offers sizeable discounts for dining out, entertainment and attractions. It costs $35 for 30 days.
Tourist information: www.visitcanberra.com.au

The Southern Highlands has beautiful gardens, a book trail and great little shops selling arts and crafts, antiques and collectables. The cellar doors at Centennial Vineyards, Southern Highlands Wines, Eling Forest Winery and McVitty Grove all have delightful restaurants. The region has a huge range of accommodation, both in style and price. The Mercure Grand Bowral Heritage Park (02-8586 2967), a Federation homestead surrounded by English gardens, has a lovely ambience in all seasons. General manager Paul McConville, a former chef, has a keen interest in food and beverage and has made a concerted effort to use local products in the hotel’s Heritage Restaurant. The hotel also makes picnic hampers.
Tourism Southern Highlands: 1300 657 559 or www.southern-highlands.com.au

Tumbarumba, on the southern slopes of the Snowy Mountains, has some lovely old buildings and every February hosts a festival featuring country music and local food and wines. The town is a good starting point for exploring Kosciuszko National Park, with its picturesque bushland, steep, rugged slopes and mountain streams.
Tourist information: 02-6948 2805 or www.tumbashire.nsw.gov.au

© Christine Salins

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