An Australian wine critic of obvious discernment

Press, 21 February 1980, Page 11

An Australian wine critic of obvious discernment

ONTHE : GRAPEVINE

By

Maurice Hunter

The lyrics of a once popular song went something like: “If I’d known you were coming, I’d ’ve baked a cake.” -If I’d known that -a selection of New Zealand red wines had - attracted some favourable. comment in the “Australian Epicurean” magazine last year, I would not only have baked a cake for the man — I would have iced it for him.

I learned about it only when leafing through some back numbers which had arrived while . I was away and found that one of the wine writers, Doug Seabrook, had arranged for samples of 20 of our reds which he reviewed along with a few Australian for comparison.

Australians are inclined to be rather toffy-nosed about their reds —- with a certain amount of justification, for there are some excellent ones, particularly from South Australia. But

it annoys me more than somewhat when some visitors from across the Tasman rubbish ours across the board, and I was prepared for the worst.

There are six cabernet sauvignons, two pinot noir, six pinotage, four pinotage blends and two other reds. But, as pinotage is not known in Australia, it was this section which interested me most.

Seabrook, whom I must assume is the Melbourne wine merchant and judge mentioned in my reference books, obviously approached pinotage in much the same frame of mind as Robinson Crusoe when he found the unexpected footprint in the sand.

He had done what homework he could but, since the grape is virtually unknown outside of South Africa and New Zealand, there is little reference to it by any of the recognised authorities.

All he had to prepare hint was an apparently forgotten taste in 1960, when , a master-mariner friend brought him a bottle from the KWV winery at Paarl, and the comment 'bf the New Zea-

land wine writer, Frank Thorpy, in Len Evan’s “Australia and New Zealand Complete Book of Wine.” Thorpy said that pinotage purports to be a cross between pinot noir and Hermitage from South Africa and, according to (the late) Andre Simon and many others, inherits the virtues of neither. . It’s great asset to the

grower is that it is prolific and stands humid conditions, and has become like the riesling sylvaner, aided by some propaganda from; the Department of “fashionable” grape. ' ■ One could-,well imagine the trepidation with' which Mr Seabrook' approached the ./ sampling, but'J he proved himself t’o be a gentleman of the first order when he-..said: “My relative ignorance of this South African grape was a help, however, and. there was very little to overcome except my curiosity.” The first one up /was Nobilo’s ’7o,' champion wine of the 1973 National Show, of which he said: “A remarkably pleasant wine, rather like an old Hunter shiraz. A very good example of what can be done with Pinotage.” ' _

Next came Montana’s '7.5, gold award Club Oenologique (UK) and New Zealand silvers in '77 and 78. “A sturdy claret like flavour that softened considerably with air.” ;

Another from Nobilo followed, the *75. “Initially flat, it also improved with air. Similar style to the ’7O but lacks sweetness and body.” Fourth was Villa' Maria’s . ’76 trophy for the best red in the ’77 Easter and silver in the ’7B National.’' “Soft, elegant and sustained. Nice balanced fruit sweetness.”

1 was beginning to warm to this man. The natives were ' friendly as Crusoe found. But two did' not impress. Abel’s ’77. •silver ’77 Easter and bronze ’7B National, he dismissed with: “Rather aggressive pressings character,” and Matua Valley ’77,. silver, ’7B Easter and bronze ’7B National with: /‘Rather powerful extract Ifrojn wood tends to mask ~the vinous flavour.”

Turning to the Pinotage.. blends, he said of Cooks ’75 Claret, gold ’77 National, comprising mainly cabernet sauvignbn with -pinotage and pinot meunier: “The seems to be dominated by the additives (pinotage and pinot mbunier) and rather flaccid. Initially this wine-looks pretty but; does riot hold on being opened.”

He felt that Collard’s ’76, silvers ’77 Easter and *7B National, showed too much extract and acidity but might soften out in time, and Babich’s ’76, silver ’7B National, was sustained with fair fruit character but he would have expected more oak in a red with 18 months maturation. But Selak’s ’77 (known here as Private. Bin Claret) got the accolade. “The cabernet dominates the flavour, which, is sustanied, balanced and rather light. An exceptional wine and the best of the group.” ;- Space prechides, a review of the cabernets but there 1 is one comment which, simply must go on record.’ \ ■ . “ .only. threifc wines, stood out as far as bou« quet was concerned -— Cooks, Babich, and Huntington (Mudgee NSW) . . « the others took their time.. In the end, the decision as to which I liked best .revolved around the Babich; and the Huntington and I found for the New Zealander. Rightly or wrongly, I imagined that-1 had a top-rate Graves when I drank that wine You made.my day, Mr Seabrook —'but if that’s what you think of our reds, just wait until you; get on to the whites '