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.
There's heaps of good wines from the Riverland.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't yet check out 919 wines, there's definitely soul there.
Keep plugging away at it.