While Englishman John Reynall was laying the foundations for viticulture in 1830s McLaren Vale, it would really be the 1880s before the grape became more important than the original staple, wheat. Reynell would employ a young labourer called Thomas Hardy, who later acquired Tintara in 1876. As viticulture in the region gathered pace, two giants of McLaren Vale and the Australian wine industry were born – Château Reynella and Hardys.

Despite these two pioneers, McLaren Vale became known as the spiritual home of the small winery in Australia. In the early 1900s, by which time Thomas Hardy was the largest, around 20 small wineries produced predominantly red table wine and fortifieds. The main export was a dark coloured, high alcohol, tannic dry red wine with supposed medicinal properties, much of which went to England. By the early 1970s McLaren Vale had more small wineries than any other region in Australia.

Today’s major challenge is irrigation, as the underground watertable is very much depleted. There has been talk of diverting some water from the Murray River, although cost is proving to be the prohibiting factor. Summer rainfall is low so irrigation is essential. Site selection and the marriage of site to variety are all important; Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay all do very well in the right location. Riesling tends to be subtle and delicate in youth but ages well. Pinot Noir is used mainly for sparkling wine. Many producers are now experimenting with new and re-emerging varieties including Viognier, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Verdelho.

If you’re ever lucky enough to visit Adelaide, McLaren Vale is well worth a visit. It is one of the most accessible and best geared wine regions for visitors and is well known for its great value eateries. This includes the legendary Coterie at Woodstock (pictured, with Scott Collett & Ben Glaetzer). The best time to go is during the winter to avoid the crowds. As well as great scenery, the ocean is never far away.

The varieties (source: Wine Australia)

Since its introduction a little over 15 years ago, Chardonnay has, not surprisingly, established a stranglehold on white grape plantings in the region. The style varies according to site, winemaker input and vintage conditions and ranges from elegant, citrus-tinged wines through to richer, fleshier, peachy and buttery versions. Virtually every producer has a Chardonnay in its locker.

The cooler sites in McLaren Vale are well suited to Sauvignon Blanc. While vintage variation does play a role, in most years the wines have excellent varietal character tending to gooseberry and tropical fruit rather than more weedy, grassy flavours without becoming coarse or heavy. Semillon is often incorporated to very good effect as a blend component.

The wines from made from Cabernet Sauvignon are full bodied and rich, often with a touch of dark chocolate intermixed with black currant but they avoid overripe, jam-like characteristics. The tannins are plentiful but soft, and the wines have the structure for long aging. The significant amounts Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the region are blended with less rich wines from other parts of South Australia to provide body and structure in large volume commercial blends.

Just as in the Barossa Valley, the Grenache variety has enjoyed a spirited renaissance during the last decade. The older plantings produce incredibly richly flavoured wines, high in alcohol and with an almost juicy sweetness.

For much of the 20th century — as in so many of the premium wine growing districts of Australia — Shiraz was the backbone of the industry. It produces a densely coloured, richly flavoured wine that quickly develops a velvety texture and carries high alcohol levels with ease.

20% off Australia until the end of August, including Woodstock of McLaren Vale.

This week we welcome a very talented viticulturist to the Curious Wines Blog. Scott Collett, managing director of Woodstock Wines, McLaren Vale, is one of two key players at this McLaren Vale winery, Ben Glaetzer being the second big influencer.

Scott is a real character. Meeting him in person he shows a bit of a wild side, but his expertise and passion for what he does is obvious. The following makes for a very interesting read. You can find out more about Woodstock here.

1. Scott, I get the impression you enjoy a little tipple now and then. “Three bottles of red before bed” to quote you. What is the wine, or grape variety, that you always find yourself going back to for the sheer pleasure of the drinking experience?

After 3 bottles I sometimes lose count. My father’s rule about drinking was “never before 5pm”. My rule is “never drink alone”. But rules were meant to be broken. What do I drink? Everything that’s good. I start with a beer or 7 after work, then a fizz at fancy shows or an everyday Riesling, then on to full bodied whites with some food. Then the main event is robust reds with hearty dishes, stickies with dessert then fortifieds to finish. I try to keep off the spirits; “drink spirits; see ghosts”.

So it gets hard keeping count of the bottles each night. One way is to count the empties the next morning then divide by the number of drinkers, then double it for me. If I am on holidays and/or just drinking for pleasure, it’s Grenache dry red with little or no oak.

2. Tell us a little about Woodstock’s association with Ben Glaetzer. How did it come about and how big an influence does Ben have on the finished product?

I was impressed with Ben as a young man when I met him in 1995, and followed his winemaking progress. Ben has impeccable attention to detail in the cellars, and the ability to lead a great winemaking team. We have been making Woodstock Wines together since the year 2000, and the wines are somewhat cleaner and more focused now, requiring less cellaring time to soften. The whites have a crisp acid structure and the reds are built around ripe tannins and strength of middle palate fruit flavour.

3. It would be fair to say your late father and founder of Woodstock, Doug Collett, was the catalyst for the great success you enjoy today. How much of an influence was he on the approach you have to your own work, and now that of your own children, today?

Doug discovered wine as a reconnaissance pilot in World War 2 in Europe fighting with the allies against the Nazis. Each night he drank like it was probably his last so he drank like there were no tomorrows.  (In the mornings he recovered quickly with his youth, adrenalin and pure oxygen). He liked the Italian table wines and decided to make wine in Australia if he survived the war. After surviving about 150 missions, he graduated in Agriculture and Wine at Roseworthy College in 1949 and became a winemaking pioneer. While Doug was in charge of Australia’s biggest winery in the Riverland, he helped other winemakers around the country. Of all the regions, he preferred McLaren Vale for it’s natural beauty and rich, full bodied wines.

My parents Doug and Mary bought the Woodstock property in 1973 and built a small winery. Their ratbag middle son Scott took over in 1982. The work ethic was forced  into me at a young age, working in the vineyards and cellars. It was probably a good thing to keep me off the streets and out of strife for a while. At age 15, when deciding a career, I could think of no others that offer such a diverse range of skills, and delivers enormous satisfaction. (And the end product offers stress relief). My children Max, Peter and Sophia are starting to see the opportunities in the same light.

4. Well-made wines with lower alcohol levels seem to be more and more sought-after these days. What is the secret behind your 10.5% Semillon Sauvignon blend? Can we expect the same from the 2010 vintage?

I pick whites on their fruit flavour and natural acid levels. As the grapes ripen, the acid levels fall away. I prefer to catch the balance of acid and fruit character, regardless of sugar content. The grape sweetness and hence wine alcohols may vary, but I aim to keep the crisp fruit flavours consistent. The particular clone of Semillon is BVRC32 which delivers the tropical fruit characters usually shown in the Woodstock Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.

5. That fortified you showed us in London was one of the greatest sweet pleasures ever to pass my lips. There’s a lot of history in the making. What was Doug’s role in the Very Old Fortified, and I’ll be cheeky and ask, can we have some? Please. Pretty please.

There are 24 bottles in the order [Yipeee!] When he returned to Australia after the war, most wine production was fortified “Ports” and “Sherries”. (International wine law prevents us from using these names for Australian fortifieds now). While continuing to make these fortifieds, Doug also took time out to study European winemaking techniques in France. We never lost the art of making and aging the Tawnys and I have continued making the old styles since the early eighties.

6. Finally Scott, I’ve heard you’re handy with a shotgun. Can you briefly tell us the story of how you chased on unwelcome intruder from your McLaren Vale property with a 12 gauge?
That’s a long story, but he will not be back. The benefit of having a criminal conviction in Australia is that I cannot be a politician, and I cannot do Jury duty. Maybe I can come and tell a few yarns in Ireland some time?

Scott, you certainly will have the opportunity to tell your stories to an Irish audience soon enough. Thanks for your contribution to the blog!

Following Matt’s feature last month on the ground-breaking Cascabel winery in Australia’s McLaren Vale, we thought there’d be no better place to start our Featured Winery series of specials.

As with many obscure varietals or emerging wineries, it’s often only the most brave or adventurous of wine-drinkers that get to discover the hidden gems of the wine world. We think we’ve a few from Cascabel and we’ve knocked 15% off each of them to tempt some leaps of faith.

2008 McLaren Vale Tempranillo 3 months in old French barrels for better structure yet retains the fresh strawberry characters from young Tempranillo. “Light to medium bodied; spice, cherry and strawberry fruit to both bouquet and palate; fine slightly savoury tannins.” James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, 89 points (2006 vintage). €12.33 on special.

2004 McLaren Vale Tipico (Grenache/Monastrell/Shiraz) Produced from mostly Viña Cascabel grown grapes, with a small addition of Grenache from a vineyard near the winery, only 6500 bottles are produced. “Savoury, spicy, leathery overtones to the black fruits; excellent texture and structure; fine-grained tannins, long finish”, James Halliday, 92 points. €13.60 on special.

2007 Eden Valley Riesling Single vineyard, 40+ year old vines capture clean steely and citrus characters. “Lively, tart, spicy lemon/lemon-rind aromas; excellent minerality and length to the pure bone-dry finish”
James Halliday, 94 points. €14.45 on special.

So go on, try something new – but do beware, your Yabbajabbawabba Creek Chardonnay might never taste the same again.

Cascabel is a winery that has intrigued me from day one for being that little bit different. Winemakers and owners Duncan Ferguson and Susana Fernandez use very traditional European wine making techniques in their Australian winery to create a fascinating blend of the Old World and New World.

Susana is originally from Madrid, where she did her studies before gaining experience working in wineries in Trentino and Sicily in Italy, Bordeaux in France and Yarra Valley in Australia. After meeting up with Duncan in Australia, she worked with him, making wine in France, Germany and New Zealand.

Duncan studied Oenology at Roseworthy (in South Australia) in the early 90’s and spent several years making wine in Clare Valley before heading off to the Rhône Valley in France, the Mosel region in Germany, and New Zealand.

With all that vast experience, they purchased 5 hectares in McLaren Vale in 1997, and started setting up the winery and vineyards. Cascabel had a definite Spanish influence from the start, with varieties like Tempranillo, Monastrell, Graciano, Grenache and Cariñena making up the majority of the plantings. Spending time in France also encouraged them to plant Roussanne, Viognier, Shiraz and Cinsault. There are plans to plant some Albariño grapes too (music to my ears).

Although not very common in Australia, McLaren Vale is producing top class vintages from the Tempranillo grape, which you’ll be very familiar with thanks to those reds of Rioja. A fairly typical McLaren Vale blend of Grenache, Monstrell and Shiraz is another one of Cascabels specialities, and they produce one of the best Riesling‘s to come out of Australia, with grapes sourced from Eden Valley.

This Australian/Spanish alliance has been turning the heads of the worlds most famous wine critics. Jay Miller has scored many of their wines 90 points and above, and James Halliday described them as one of the ten dark horses of Australian wineries, placing them in his prestigious 5 star category. All bias aside, this is one of my top dogs (or horses) as well.

For a taste of Old & New, click here.