More characterless bulk wines are reaching our shores from New Zealand than ever before, but it’s good to know there are still those using the old school methodology. Winemakers like Ant Moore who are hell-bent on producing wines arguably better than those that first shot this industry to fame in the 1980s.

Here, Ant gives an insight into how he creates individuality. How to make wines that don’t taste as flat or as dull as the next quirky brand sat on the supermarket shelves. Plus, he gives his confident verdict on who’s going to win the Rugby World Cup!

1. Ant, you’re an Australian winemaker plying his trade in New Zealand. Have they accepted you as one of their own yet?

hahahha….not really, the rugby provides plenty of opportunity for sledging and maintaining the aussie kiwi rivalry.

2. You’ve chosen to put your own name on your signature wines, so obviously you’re keen to impress. With all the competition in Marlborough, what makes Ant Moore wines stand out from the pack?

There are so many brands popping up, and they have no providence. Often just bulk wine sourced from anywhere. A major difference is the control, I planted my vineyards, I own and manage them, as well as have my own harvesters and my own wineries, so I can control every step. As such the wines show the same style and character vintage after vintage. I make a number of more commercial blends, but the antmoore wines are more tight and structural, coming off the clay soils, they have a density and minerality that when they are young, they can look quite closed, but after a few months in bottle they reveal layers of character. They tend to be very dry, but with good weight and texture. Balance is the goal.

3. You seem to have a knack for developing bareblocks into vineyards good enough to produce premium fruit. What’s your secret? What do you look for when trying to find new plots to grow on?

That’s an interesting one, because Marlborough is an amazing place, you can grow good fruit just about anywhere here. For me I’m trying to get sites that are harsh and restrict the natural vigour. So they have tended to be quite windswept, and often have clay based soils. I feel I get a better balance of flavour from this. More citrus and lemon lime, rather than all tomato leaf and cut grass. I’m really after balance and interest, not just one BIG character.

4. We think you’re one of the producers showing that New Zealand wine isn’t all about Sauvignon Blanc. Do you place additional emphasis on other varieties, and how important is it that NZ doesn’t become known as a one trick pony?

I do like to play with other varieties, we do rielsing, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot noir and I have some gruner veltliner planted also as well as a small patch of viognier. I really like to experiment and learn from trial and error, I think sauvignon is so dominant and such a crowd pleaser it’s always going to be the number one, but I’m hopeful that people will try the other wines coming out of NZ and branch out.

5. I’m assuming you have a few bottles in the fridge at home. Out of the four wines in the range, when do you get to appreciate them most? Do you have a personal favourite?

It’s funny, I dont tend to drink them all that often because I’m always tasting them at work and blending and then showing buyers and stuff…. so when I do have them it’s usually in a party or social setting with friends and family. At the moment, I’m really enjoying the riesling and the pinot noir.

6. Lastly, Ant, the Rugby World Cup is to be played in New Zealand this year. Who will you be cheering on and who, in all honesty, do you think is going to win it?

I’m going for the wallabies, and I’m eternally optimistic, so I have to say I honestly think they will win, they have an exciting side, and have added a lot of depth and hopefully enough experience to get the young guys over the line.

Many thanks to the man himself for the interview. Click here to view the range from Ant.

Everyone at Langmeil must be going around with big smiles on their faces this month. For the seventh consecutive year, the Barossa Valley winery has retained its Five Red Star rating from James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2012, placing it in the top 5% of premium Australian winemakers.

Finally I managed to nail down James Lindner, the Sales and Marketing manager at Langmeil, and one of Australia’s most passionate people! No really, Barossa is in his blood.

1. Congratulations on the recent Halliday scores. An astonishing 96 points for the Orphan Bank ’08 and 97 points for the Freedom ’08 are worth noting. Did you expect such scores and what was your highlight or surprise wine of the ’08 vintage?

It’s interesting with scores and reviews especially ones as positive as the recent James Halliday scores. We do rate James highly as he has 40 years experience with Australian wines and truly understands regionality and we feel that if there are ever scores to go on, this experience and understanding of regionality and regional style is a critical foundation for the experience required. As a winery we have always followed our belief of style based on generational knowledge which has inspired our representation or interpretation of the Barossa by sticking to these solid beliefs we feel our wines have what every wine needs – Soul, and if our actions and wines are noticed by our peers it’s a great bonus.

2. Obviously for the higher volume wines, you need to find fruit from elsewhere. For the Village series, where does the fruit come from and how do you ensure you’re getting the quality you need?

Our Village wines are produced to represent the villages of the Barossa and the diversity they bring, in fact there is something like 28 original villages and all based around the church. The idea is that these villages not only represent different communities but also the different climates, valleys and soils, which always bring different nuances to the wines.

Regarding volumes these wines are still small productions when comparing total productions to even some high end grand Cru and first growth wines, so this means we can ensure a quality level of our fruit that sets the class standards we offer in these wines.

To obtain such a diverse offering of fruit supply across 16 of these original villages we rely on the generational knowledge of family grape growers. The Barossa boasts some 750 families with half of them farming 10 hectares or less and this provides small family wineries like Langmeil to obtain a great cross section and with knowledgeable growers that have been on their land for generations offers experience in producing quality and varietal flavour profiles from each village area. The communication and liaising with these growers over the season is also critical and Paul Lindner, our winemaker, gets his hands dirty every year in all of our grower based vineyards which ensures we pick the grapes at their optimum for our style and flavour requirements.

3. Of some of the big names in the wine industry, you’ve met the hugely successful American wine retailer and social media guru, Gary Vaynerchuk. What was that like? Any other big personalities who you haven’t been able to forget?

Gary is an amazing guy, he has unbelievable energy and is a great advocate for talking to all wine lovers from any background and to anyone with a thirst for knowledge and a willingness to be educated, he is brilliant for our industry as are the many other people that wish to share and educate current and future wine lovers.

Big personalities, well in my mind, the people I have met are many having been fortunate to travel to the places that represent our wines. I suppose I don’t have to travel far though to mention some of the key influences of just my back yard, people like Robert O’Callaghan – Rockford Wines, Bob Mclean, The Lehmann family, actually the local list is endless, but one visitor a year that we look forward to seeing is Mark Taylor the Ex Australian Cricket Captain, he always brings a few mates and we have a great brunch, Local Shulz’s bacon, Rosie’s free range Eggs, and Linke’s sausages, drinking Langmeil Sparkling Shiraz, it makes for a great start to the day.

4. It must have taken great foresight when purchasing the Langmeil property and vineyards back in 1996. Have hopes and dreams been fulfilled since then? What does the future hold for Langmeil, anything new on the horizon?

Langmeil was conceived one night by three mates Chris Bitter, Carl and Richard Lindner and I believe it was Paul that first highlighted the old abandoned winery site. The site was not up for sale officially but these guys went and found the owners to see if they could broker a deal. The cost of purchasing the old site was a lot more than they had imagined and they didn’t have the money, so they suggested to the owners that they would be happy to lease the premises with an obligation to purchase the property at a set amount on a set date. If they could not raise the money by that set date they offered to walk away and give back the property with all the upgrades. Fortunately though they managed to purchase the property with two months to spare.

Since then our main goal was to make the best wine we could and this was where all the investment back into the winery first went and in under a decade James Halliday had placed Langmeil in the Top echelon of Australian fine wine producers by awarding us a 5 star rating.

So the words evolution not revolution sums up Langmeil, we will continue the journey of a fine wine producer, and do our best to make memorable moments in each wine with each vintage and trust in the 25 maybe 30 vintages left in this generation that future generations of the families involved will continue the legacy of these three mates.

5. Langmeil has been received really well by the Irish consumer, we’re delighted to have range. What do you see as the major selling point for the winery? How does Langmeil stand out from other producers in Barossa or the rest of the country?

I would like to say we are more about discovery than standing out from the crowd, this is what has made us, word of mouth between wine lovers, people that have tried our wines and then shared them with their friends they know love wine. We believe if you make a big noise lots of people listen but when people discover you they hear you and have more affinity with you.

We have a simple message and we always start with our good fortune of being born in the Barossa, so firstly the Barossa is one of the great wine regions of the world and people are still finding out what true Barossa is, so we preach the message of Barossa and back this up with our winemaking philosophies, which is something that we have inherited through being Barossan and being close to our winemaking mentors and privileged enough to have been in positions to hear their thoughts and shared wisdom, which they happily share. We have taken this knowledge to help form our own opinion and in the end that is what is in the bottle. Winemakers wines.

The slow road, but one that brings loyalty.

6. Finally, James, if you could no longer make wine in Australia, where would you go, and what would be your “desert island wine” if you had to pick one?

Interesting question, having visited a few countries through wine, it is a tough call but let’s open it up from just wine, as you really can emulate small winemaking through other beverages anywhere in the world. I have tried all sorts of fruit wines, beers, stouts, whiskeys, bourbons, tequila’s etc etc no matter what beverage there is someone doing it well somewhere and this means that anyone that really wants to can have a go making an alcoholic beverage of their choice. As an example, Paul was making his first reds in his back shed in the early 90’s.

So I would make whiskey in Ireland, oh and maybe some stout, ice wine in Canada, rum in the Caribbean, tequila in Mexico, I think you get the picture… but if I had a choice I would make one in the north of Italy for no other reason than this is where our Italian side of the family came from.

If I had only one bottle to drink before I died, I hope it was the best bottle we made at Langmeil over my life time here, so it can bring back fond memories of hopefully a rewarding life and trust it is a wine that could be the wine that other people could say would be their last.

He’s a very busy man, but a big thanks to James for giving up his time. Thanks also to Emma Shaw at Langmeil for her support to date. Click here to view the range, with 20% off those wines under €25 until the end of August.

Since Frank Potts was captivated by the potential of the fertile Langhorne Creek region with its ample sunshine to create ripe, full-bodied wine styles, the Potts family has been following a 160 year old tradition of innovative grapegrowing and winemaking.

Today, Paul Hotker is senior winemaker at Bleasdale. He’s been kind enough to answer a few questions I put to him last week. Good timing as we’ve 20% off the range until the end of August!

1. So, Paul, how did your career as a winemaker come about? Any big influences, be it through experiences or people?

A bit by accident really, I had planned to become a Viticulturalist and had plenty of vineyard experience prior to study.  I couldn’t make up my mind on which discipline to specialise in, but settled on winemaking. I still keep a finger on the viticultural pulse, visiting our vineyards all year on a regular basis, not just at harvest.

I’ve always worked for businesses and people with good connection and flow between vineyard and winery and I have a pretty good grasp of how one influences the other. The first winery I worked for was Olive Farm in the Swan Valley, a family business headed by Ian Yurisich. Ian worked like a machine and did everything from pruning and planting to bottling.  He got me started in the game and interested in wine and from there I’ve travelled and worked all over the place from McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Marlborough NZ, Burgundy and the Rhone, and met so many terrific people with great ideas about wine.

2. Is there a particular wine you get most excited about in the range before releasing to market?

There is quite a few, I always get excited about Double Take Malbec and The Powder Monkey Shiraz.  These wines are new to us and the world but have been really well accepted. We don’t have a recipe or any rules for these wines so it’s great to see how the wine evolves and new vintages are received, people are taking a fresh look Bleasdale. We are working on a couple of other new things at the moment, can’t say too much yet but watch this space…

3. What grape(s) do you believe thrive particularly well in the Langhorne, and are you tempted to start experimenting with any new varietals beyond the likes of Shiraz, Cabernet and Malbec?

Malbec grows particularly well here in the creek, we are bringing in new cuttings from other regions, the planting material here is very good but we want to see how Malbec from Argentina and the Clare will grow here for instance.

Verdelho was the first variety planted here and I think makes terrific white table wine.

We are having a go with Tempranillo which seems to going quite well and of course Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cab Franc has always been important to our Frank Potts blend. There are a few things that we might try for blending components such as Carmenere, Carignan, Montepulciano or Frappato. A constant source of fodder for debate around the winery and vineyard.

4. If you couldn’t make any more wine in Australia, where would you go to make it?

I spent nearly five years in New Zealand and that was pretty good, I reckon I could really enjoy Alsace for white or somewhere making Syrah or Grenache in the Rhone. I haven’t been to too many wine regions that I didn’t enjoy.

5. How does Langhorne Creek compete with other Australian regions? What would you view as the “x factor”, or the point of difference, that the region has to offer?

In terms of wine we are in a unique position. We have been growing grapes for 160 years and have some terrific old vineyards yet we are relatively unknown. Most of the fruit leaves the district and props up other regions blends. This is starting to change as growers take more control of their own destiny and label the wines Langhorne Creek.

The great thing about Langhorne Creek is the cool climate spice and elegance that we achieve in all our reds, and that we can ripen the fruit consistently. All the reliability of the warm climates to our north with the spice and elegance of cooler regions in a good year.

6. Finally, Paul, do you have a desert island wine? A wine that you would take to heaven with you if you could?

It’s too hard to choose.. Just one bottle? Give me a couple of cases at least!

Eden Valley Riesling or really, anything decent under screw cap, imagine being on a desert island, and not having a corkscrew, or worse still your one bottle of La Tache is corked!

Thanks to Paul Hotker and Nikki Hutchinson at Bleasdale. Click here to view the range, all with 20% off until the end of August.

Ronan Sayburn is one of only 180 Master Sommelier’s in the world. He is currently the Director of Wines and Spirits for the Hotel du Vin group, a boutique, 14 hotel chain which is themed around Wine. Formerly he worked for the Gordon Ramsay group as Executive Head Sommelier for 8 years.

Ronan’s been good enough to answer four quick-fire questions, showing us a little of what he’s all about. For more information, check out his website – ronansayburn.com

1. You’re in a fascinating and hard working profession, Ronan. What made you choose to become a sommelier and how did your passion for wine start?

Being at catering college will all the intention of going into hotel management, learning a bit about wine, one day trying a chardonnay that was described as caramel, creamy and vanilla due to the oak – I was stunned it had aromas just like the most delicious fresh Devon cream vanilla creme brulee with a glazed sugar top!

My eyes were opened and I realized all this waffle about strawberry and chocolate aromas, etc that you are supposed to find in wines was true! It was like taking my first step in a long ladder, I just sniffed that wine for hours. After that I became a bit obsessed and totally head over heels passionate about everything to do with wine.

The hotel management was over at that point. My first real wine job was with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire. I had passed a lot of wine theory exams at that point but not tasted the best – working there was amazing, big wine list, affluent clientele – I was like a kid in a candy shop, tasting Chassagne, Gevrey, classed growths, Hermitage, Barolos, etc.etc every day.

2. As well as the knowledge and service element, sourcing is obviously a very important part of your job. How do you decide on the range?

Variety, as in different grapes, countries, styles, price points. Its important to build wine lists that are exciting and varied and don’t always follow formulas ie. Chablis ‘tick’ Sancerre ‘tick’. But you have to build wine lists for your customers not for yourselves, with the most consideration being quality – never compromise on quality. If we find a great wine at a low price then that’s good, but we would never list something that was poor just because its cheap. That’s disrespectful to your customers.

3. You spent a number of years as Gordon Ramsay’s head sommelier where you listed Gavin Quinney’s Chateau Bauduc range. I’m aware they’re also on your list in Hotel du Vin. Where, in your opinion, do the strengths lie with these particular wines?

Wonderful story about a Brit going to work in France and totally changing the quality of the wines. His image was to be on the terrace drinking rose and watching the sun setting but the reality was more about being in the vineyard ten hours a day and then reading books about what he was doing for 5 hours a day! Very hard work but a great success story. Also the wines are delicious, classic, inexpensive, quality Bordeaux.

4. We’re very fortunate with the range of wines available to us here in Ireland, but are there any dark horses out there? Any regions or grape varieties we really should be paying more attention to?

Greek wines – delicious! But not retsina. Some assyrtikos from islands such as Santorini. Also Austrian St Laurent a grape that tastes like a delicious blend of syrah and pinot noir, from Burgunland in Eastern Austria. Croatia is also one to watch – in about 5-10 years, as is English wine in the same time frame.

Big thanks to Ronan Sayburn (ronansayburn.com). Picture sourced from facebook.com/Ronan.HdV. Follow him on Twitter.

A native of Dublin, Rachel left home at the age of eighteen to study at the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School. To date, she has released five best selling cookery books (click here to view) and her very own cookery programme has been broadcast on RTE and BBC.

Between being a busy food journalist, writing for the Irish Tribune, and making frequent appearences on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, she still teaches at Ballymaloe, and we’re very grateful that she has taken time out of her hectic schedule for a short interview on the Curious Wines Blog.

1. Rachel, was there a defining point in your life when you decided a career in the business was for you, and how did you first make your break onto TV?

It was more of a gradual process, after doing the Cookery Course I worked in the kitchens at Ballymaloe for a little over a year. I loved working with food but then when I returned to the cookery school to train to become a teacher I found out what I really loved doing. Then about 9 or 10 years ago a producer was doing a course that I was teaching at the cookery school and suggested I help out on Tim’s bread programme and it grew from there.

2. How do you value your experience at Ballymaloe looking back and what were the most important lessons learned?

I value it hugely, the first thing Darina ever really told us was the importance of the ingredients themselves. That’s the most fundamental thing in food that can get forgotten.

3. How do you view wine as part of the culinary experience and what would be your preferred tipple?

I really enjoy having a glass of wine with food. When it comes to my preferred wine it varies hugely but recently I’ve been really enjoying rieslings.

4. You’re too much of a hard worker not to have something up your sleeve. Do you have any exciting plans for the coming year?

Just working on a new cookbook at the moment which will be filmed as a series as well and both will be released in autumn later this year.

5. Finally, if you had to choose one meal that would define your ultimate dining experience, starters, main course and dessert, what would it be?

There’s a certain time of year when different foods all coincide and are in season together. To start with I’d have a really simple heirloom tomato salad with basil and a great olive oil. Main course would be asparagus and some freshly dug new potatoes, all with wild Atlantic line caught salmon and lots of hollandaise sauce. For dessert I’d simply have some raspberries with sugar and cream and some buttery shortbread.

Thanks to Rachel & Josh Heller at Ballymaloe. All publications available at rachelallen.co.uk and from all good book stockists.

After showing his talent with Stonier, Yabby Lake and Heathcote Estate in Australia, as well as extensive research in Burgundy and experience in the US, Tod Dexter and the fortunate consumers of his wine are now reaping the benefits from vines that he and his wife planted in 1987. This is the story of an artisan wine producer from Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, and here is an interview with the man himself:

1. Tod, under your very own ‘Dexter’ label you are showboating two very noble grape varieties. Why these varieties, and do you see yourself expanding the range further?

I chose these early on with a grower’s hat on in that they are suitable for still and sparkling wine. That was in the mid to late 80’s before we understood how good Pinot could be on the Mornington Peninsula. Chardonnay was less of a gamble as I had worked with it for 8 years in California so felt comfortable with it from a winemaking perspective. So in hindsight there was an element of luck involved! If I do expand it would be into Italian or Spanish varieties but so far I’m happy to continue to refine the Burgundy greats.

2. I understand you learned much of your trade in California and Australia before visiting some of the world’s best Pinot producers in France in 2000. What do you view as your best experience to date in terms of your own development in the wine industry? Is there an individual that stands out for special praise?

This is such a great industry to be in and I have had many wonderful experiences. After tasting all the 1999 Domaine Romanee Contie wines out of barrel with Aubere du Villane two ‘experiences’ instantly come to mind 1. My 7 year “apprenticeship” at Cakebread in the Napa Valley. 2. The trust in me shown by Brian Stonier in letting me make his wine as a young and unknown winemaker.

I have to name 4 people who have shaped my career. 1&2 Jack and Bruce Cakebread 3. Brian Stonier 4. Gary Baldwin (a leading wine consultant in Australia – it is imperative I believe to have an outside observer come in to taste your wines on occasion to avoid a cellar palate).

3. Do you create your style based on how you like your wines or do you let the terroir do the work?

I suppose there is always an element of trying to make what I like in the background of my decision making. Having said that as both my vines and I have matured I now believe (to a point) the less I do to interfere in the winemaking the happier I am with the wine. Let the vineyard do the talking.

4. You must rank Mornington Peninsula near the top when it comes to the worlds best Pinot Noir. If you could no longer make wine in Australia, where would you go and why?

Probably in New Zealand, either Martinborough or Central Otago – both these regions make great Pinot and the skiing is good! Having said that I was in Gaillac in July and loved the region for its food, wine and scenery. I may do a vintage there soon.

5. We had your 2006 Chardonnay on Christmas Day last year. I had to be picked up off the floor afterwards – it was superb. You produced less than 1,000 bottles that vintage. Why such small quantities and will you look to increase this for future vintages?

That was the first vintage of wine under our own label even though we planted our vineyard in 1987. Up until recently all the fruit has been sold to Stoniers whilst I was there and for the last 5 years when I was at Yabby Lake. That quantity was a manageable amount with all the other things going on at the time. We have slowly increased production to around 7000 bottles in 2010 (still in barrel). That is as much as the vineyard can produce in an ideal year and I have no intention of buying additional fruit.

6. Finally Tod, do you have a desert island wine? A wine that you would take to heaven with you if you could?

If I can assume there is refrigeration and I can list more than one wine – Trimbach Clos St Hune Riesling,  Domaine Ravenau Valmur GC, Domaine Rousseau Chambertin GC.

Big thanks to Tod Dexter for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk to us. Tod’s wines are available here.

With our fantastically rich content of interviews from the worlds top winemakers, viticulturists and Masters of Wine (almost forgot about our beloved odd one out – Mr. Olly Smith) continuing to grow, we are over the moon to have an Irish celebrity chef, who is now a household name wherever you go on our green isle, answer some of our curious questions.

1. Clodagh, was there a defining point in your life when you decided a career in the business was for you, and how did you first make your break onto TV?

Not really it all happened organically (pardon the cheesey pun!). I was helping research Rick steins food heroes program and the director asked me to be in the show and then it all sizzled from there (again another cheesey pun, I spend to much time thinking about food )

2. You spent a number of years at Darina Allen’s Cookery School in Ballymaloe, Cork, both as a trainee chef and then as a qualified chef. How do you value this experience looking back and what were the most important lessons learned?

It was a wonderful few years, Darina is so inspiring. I took lots from there, love (slight obsession) with food, organisational skills and most of all dedication.

3. How do you view wine as part of the culinary experience and what would be your preferred tipple?

I would find it very hard to go out for a meal without a glass if wine, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever done, that probably answers the question! And my fav tipple at the moment would be a full bodied perfectly aged Barolo, just like me )

4. Tell us a little about your new cookery school at Lyons Village in Co. Kildare. I also understand you are set to release a new book this side of Christmas?

Yes! My new book Homemade comes out this week on the 28th oct! Its a book that I have working on for the past 4 years… Lots of recipes from my years living in Italy and loads if cooking tips, I like to think of it as a modern day household manual. The cookery school is flying along, I love teaching so it was a natural step for me. All the classes are hands on and I teach all the classes myself www.villageatlyonscookeryschool.com

5. Finally, if you had to choose one meal that would define your ultimate dining experience, starters, main course and dessert, what would it be?

That changes with the seasons… At the moment I am loving, my French Onion Soup with Gruyere Toasts, Italian Beef Stew with roasties and my chocolate and cardin pots. All of which are in my new book Homemade!

“Homemade – Irresistable homemade recipes for every occasion” is available from Clodagh’s website, and nationwide from all good book stockists.

Last week, Miranda Brown, viticulturist at Muddy Water, helped explain just how important the role of vineyard manager is in influencing the final product. In the second and final part of our interview, we delve further into the complexities of Miranda’s profession, and even what she gets up to in her spare time.

7. You have a close working relationship with winemaker Belinda Gould. How would you describe her style and how you manage your wine jigsaw? How do you get your yield, and resulting balance of flavours spot on each year when others fall into the trap of producing too much?

Belinda has a fairly strong personality (as anyone who knows her will know!) and strong opinions about what it takes to make quality wine. She knows the vineyard and winery inside out as she’s been here from day one, so she’s a hot pot of information and ideas. The vineyard planning in terms of our move to organic status, labour, canopy health and disease management is my responsibility. We work together on planning crop targets and over harvest time, but rest of the year we mostly stick to our own knitting!

The simple answer to getting our yield estimates accurate is just by walking the vineyard – a lot! 2008 saw many people surprised about how much fruit they had – thankfully we didn’t fall into that trap. It’s pretty simple to count and weigh a few bunches, it’s no mystery really. The trick is in working with owners who are not driven by volume. Quality is the only test.

8. Harvest for 2010 is now over at Muddy Water? Was it a good one, and what are you spending your time doing now to bring on the growth spurt for next vintage?

I always think its interesting how people rate wines, or a winery. Sometimes a ‘different’ slant in a particular vintage wine can understandably throw people when in reality that’s what the best winemaking is all about. Every year the wine should speak to you differently, reflecting what has happened in a particular season. I love that about wine, moving from vintage to vintage and seeing how they evolve. If you ever taste a vintage that doesn’t quite grab you, re-visit the next vintage of that same wine the following year. You may surprise yourself. Every vintage is so different – and when you live by the handcrafted approach you’ll see a familiar thread, and hopefully some new characters every year.

2009/2010 was a challenging season, we had a really early start to spring but then the summer was cold and we worried that the fruit would not ripen. Fortunately the autumn was amazing; warm, dry and really drawn out so although harvest was later than normal the fruit looked really clean when it was picked. Crop loads were just below average and the 2010 wines are already looking stunning. Winter/Spring is spent pruning, repairing trellis, preparing the vineyard floor by weeding and sowing cover crops. We spur prune, which means we have a permanent cordon (or trunk) that we trim back to each winter. The cordon gives the vines a big carbohydrate reservoir which provides us with lovely even and healthy canopies. It is possible to prune with machines but we prefer to do it by hand so that each vine gets pruned according to its size and health. Pruning is fairly easy to teach but it does take a while to learn to visualise what the vine will look like in summer based on the pruning choices that have been made.

9. Muddy Water now operates to full organic practice. How do you feel about that in your day to day management? Is it showing in how the vines respond and in the berries being harvested?

Gone are the toxic sprays thankfully, and there is certainly more life in the vineyard; ladybirds, bees, praying mantids, hoverflies, native birds. The vines are more resilient, the past season where growth was very slow due to the cold summer – our canopies were still full and green and had reached the top of the post when other neighbouring vineyards still had canopies that were yet to reach the second wire. Belinda has less issues in the winery with stuck/stinky ferments, presumably as the fruit has a good population of strong vineyard yeast. We use native yeasts in our wines – none of the added stuff.

10. Of all the varieties and different styles you make e.g. you have 4 distinct Riesling styles, do you have a favourite child in the pack? What’s your favourite tipple?

No favourite child! I do find it hard to separate the wine from what it took to grow it – so if it was a challenging season and the fruit didn’t look quite as good as I expect it to then I find it hard to love the wine as much as one that was from a great season. The consumer probably won’t notice the difference as Belinda will have done her magic in the winery but I still remember! I am quite varied in what I like to drink – but Riesling would probably have to be my favourite – simply because it is such an obedient child in the vineyard (unlike Pinot Noir!) and it’s so versatile in terms of the styles it produces. We’re particularly lucky to have the spread of styles at Muddy Water from bone dry right the way through to a fully botrytised dessert wine.

11. If you had a 1 yr sabbatical to manage a vineyard somewhere else in world where would it be and why?

Tough question – there are so many choices, any place you work at you learn new ideas. I would probably say California as I am quite fond of Zinfandel and you don’t see much of that in NZ!

12. What do you like least about the wine industry?
That vineyard mangers and workers don’t get as much recognition as they deserve. When I tell people what I do for a job, non-industry people (and sometimes even people in the wine industry) often ask me do I want to be a winemaker one day!! I think its slowly changing but there is still a way to go.

13. What do you do in your spare time? What are your other great loves?
I love to travel as much as my bank balance will let me, there are a lot of places on my “to do before I die” list, going to see more live music , snowboarding (combined with overseas travel if possible) and I have recently taken up roller derby! I also love to garden – but it’s a bit of a battle between my husband and I over vege garden vs cricket pitch in the back lawn.

Sincere thanks to Miranda Brown for her time putting into these truly insightful answers to our curious questions!

The best winemakers the world over will tell you that wine is made in the vineyard. Muddy Water in Waipara is no different. They unreservedly believe their limestone rich soils and, some would say, fanatical vine nurturing hold the key to their stonkingly delicious drops. Their secret armour is Miranda Brown, vineyard manager, who lovingly looks after every vine like it was her own prized child. In our winemaker series we hear from Miranda on what it takes to manage an extra special vineyard.

1. You’ve worked with some heavyweight vineyards. What attracted you to Waipara region and Muddy Water?

I was born and bred here so after working in other regions around New Zealand and vintages overseas it seemed natural to come back, and Waipara was increasingly on the radar map for its Pinot and Riesling varieties. Waipara is very special because of its size, made up mostly of small family owned producers who put quality above everything else. That’s a fundamentally different start point in a vineyard. Waipara region also has the perfect climate and soil for my two favourite varieties to grow and drink – Riesling and Pinot Noir. Muddy Water in particular is one of the top producers in Waipara, a tiny close knit team led by Jane and Mike East, so it’s been a dream opportunity to work here. You can drill down to the most important detail when you’re in that small production, artisan, family-run environment.

2. How do you see the vineyard soil, aspect and plantings? Do they give you an edge in specific varieties?

New Zealand is a long skinny country and in Waipara, and particularly our site, we are quite sheltered in aspect. The Teviotdale hills to the east protect us from the cool easterly, and shelter belts to the west protect us from the worst of the westerly winds so we are warmer and have a longer season than some other vineyards in the valley, and some other regions. This gives us that all important added ‘hang time’ – more time for the vines to ripen evenly – sometimes an added 10 days on other regions in certain vintages. This gentler ripening time keeps the wines nicely balanced – none of those out of the box characters that can jump out when a vine gets less even ripening time. The vineyard is slightly elevated above the valley floor and has gentle slopes which form a protective shell behind the vines and some deeply laden limestone-rich soils. This gives all our wines a distinctive mineral edge. You may also have noticed they’re not rocket fuel potions in the glass – limestone subdues the aromatics a little but builds a nice structure, more layers of flavour in the final wine. We think the latter just as important!

3. Talk us through your crop yield approach vs how it’s done by the bigger commercial guns – is there a clear difference in fruit concentration and finish?

A very topical question right now! I manage crop load in the vineyard from pruning when we decide how many buds to lay down, then through shoot thinning when we open up the canopy by removing both fruitful and non fruitful shoots, and then also in certain seasons we fruit thin (that can mean dropping up to 50% fruit if we feel it will deliver a more concentrated and better balanced wine). This may be either just removing green fruit or ‘shoulders’ or whole bunches. We like all our shoots and bunches to have their own space within the vine to improve air movement and sunlight penetration – their own little piece of real estate to savour! We generally crop our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at about 5 tonnes to the hectare and Riesling at 8t/ha. This is very low compared with bigger producers. It’s a costly approach, less juice, but we believe much more interesting fruit that makes you sit up and take notice. For the Pinot Noir this generally means we have about 10 bunches (1kg) per vine on our close planted hill blocks – this is the equivalent of one bottle of wine off each vine.  This does change depending on the season – grape growing can be fickle and you never really know how much fruit you will get until it’s all harvested as so much is dependant on the weather conditions even right up until harvest. I’ve spent 4 years working in the large vineyards here and although they do watch crop load, they are chasing a different end goal. Their wines are targeted toward a different result – for them, more is more whereas for us, less is more. It’s a fundamentally different way of nurturing the vines to produce their best – and ultimately a wine that’s true to that vintage itself.

4. What’s your favourite stage of the vineyard year / what’s the trickiest part?

Sometimes I sit high on the golden hued Teviotdale hills nestling behind the vineyard and marvel at the beautiful patch of land that’s my territory. The vineyard is constantly changing through the whole season which is why I love it so much. Budburst is lovely – seeing the green leaf tips push out of the vines after being dormant for 4 months is wonderful. Equally great is seeing a full healthy green canopy on a late summer afternoon, or vines just before harvest in autumn. The trickiest part is anticipating what problems might emerge in a season. Although you learn from past years, every season has a different challenge that requires new thinking. I have yet to experience a perfect season where everything goes to plan – but that’s what makes it so interesting.

5. People talk about vine age and its importance in wine consistency? Have you seen changes over the years in how the vines cope with the weather thrown at them?

Young vines always produce great fruit – they’re naturally lower yielding but do struggle a bit in the tougher seasons. Whereas the older vines have “been there and done that” and certainly seem to have more resilience even in cooler or wetter seasons. The canopies are fuller and healthier and tend to be slower ripening so we can leave the fruit out longer to reach full physiological ripeness rather than just sugar ripeness.

6. At harvest time, what’s first and foremost on your mind? How do you ensure it’s the smoothest harvest?

Making sure all vineyard work has been done at the right time over summer is the key. It’s quite a meticulous process – all those little steps shape everything for us. We generally put our nets on (to protect the berries from eager birds chasing fruit) early February so the last month before harvest should be fine tuning the vines and keeping an eye on the weather. It’s generally too late by then to have much of an influence on the quality if the work hasn’t been done previously. Belinda and I talk constantly so that we’re on the same page on when we expect blocks to be harvested. It’s a tightly planned and having good staff in the picking crew is essential. We hand pick and rely on them to harvest the fruit to very exacting standards so although most of them are casual staff here for a short period we try to keep them well looked after. They get the best coffee and treats in the region – no stone left unturned to ensure the grapes get that gentle handling we require!

Next week, Miranda talks Riesling, organic practices and what she least likes about the wine industry! Click here to view the range from Muddy Water.

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!