Climate change hit home in 2007, writes Jeni Port

This year, winemakers sensed climate change had well and truly arrived and tha was only on of several ecologial concerns that will shape the years to come. Here is a round-up of the big events in Australian wine this year, a look ahead to next year and my pick of the 10 best Australian wines of 2007.

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The 2008 crystal ball

Some predictions and hopes for next year.

New labelling and sweet riesling.

While we accept most Aussie rieslins are bone dry, slowly we are being introduced to sweeter Germanic-style wines.Trouble is, the names are confusing.  Take Mount Langi Ghiran’s Cliff Edge riesling No. 2:  it’s deliberately sweeter but you have to read the little print on the back to discover that fact.  Helm Wines uses the term “half dry” on its sweeter styles.  It’s a start…..

More winemakers attempting a vintage port.

Some of the traditional skills of our winemakers are being lost, most notably in fortifieds.  Seems many of the younger generation coming through aren’t interested in making vintage port, liqueur muscat, tokay or sherry.  Pity.  Let’s hope the legacy of great wines produced by the late Chris Killeen of Stanton and Killeen (who died this year) prevails and inspires..

Greater experimentation.  Never thought the day would come when Australian winemakers were at risk of becoming boring, but it’s true.  Marketing to many means putting out another sauvignon blanc-semillon or rosé.  Can’t we be a little more creative?  Take Hahndorf Hill Winery in the Adelaide Hills, which took two rare German varieties—trollinger and lemberger—and made a rosé.  Madfish continues with carnelian (a cross of cabernet sauvignon, carignan and Grenache) and in what is believed to be an Australian first, Olssens of Watervale has just released a blend of all six major Bordeaux grapes including carmenere as well as a 100 per cent carmenere. And in a nod to climate change, Coriole put up fiano as an example of a promising white variety from Italy’s hot Campania.

Acknowledgement of good Australian cabernet sauvignon.

Cabernet has been in the doldrums too long.  Look around, there are so many excellent cabernets, blended or not:  Cape Mentelle, Voyager Estate, YarraLoch, Yeringberg, Penfolds, Mount Mary, Katnook, Jeffery Grosset, Best’s Wines.  A wine fast becoming our greatest red, Cullen’s Diana Madeline cabernet merlot, speaks eloquently for the variety.

Less cutesy critters on our labels.

Enough said.

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GLOBAL REPORTS - AUSTRALIA

NEW UP-AND-COMING PRODUCERS

• John Duval (Barossa Valley)
  
  
• SC Pannell (McLaren Vale)
  
  
• PHI (Yarra Valley)
  
  
• Savaterre (Beechworth)
  
  
• Spinifex (Barossa Valley)
  
  
• Bellarmine (Pemberton)
  
  
• YarraLoch (Yarra Valley)
  
  
• Tapanappa (South Australia)
  
  
• Prancing Horse (Mornington Peninsula)

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