Anyone who actually reads this will have been thinking "here we go, another blog that starts with a flourish and dies with a whimper" Well not this one bucko.
I have been voluntarily transplanted from the manicured, rustic, beautiful and holy terroirs of Burgundy in France to the machined, extensive and bushy vineyards of the Riverland, Australia. Quite a change, yes. But where better to learn technical winemaking than a place that produces megalitres of drinkable, clean and correct wine from tonnes of irrigated healthy fruit? Not a hint of terroir, no charm or subtlety, just big harvesters, big crushers, big tanks and small character.
So I decided to set myself a challenge - amidst the storm of hand-wringing, fearful victim playing of the Australian industry (most of it quite justified) I have decided to try and find the soul of the Australian wine industry, right here in its soulless refinery centre. Wish me luck, I may need it. I have no preconceptions, I like it here, despite it's relative poverty and environmental stress it is a beautiful place that truly feels like the 'land of plenty'. But I have no love of the wines, this will be a journey of discovery (or not) for me too.
