Houghtons at Tiffany’s

Press, 7 October 1988, Page 25

Houghtons at Tiffany’s

Wine

with

Phillip Pye

It’s not too often I get the time to accept invitations io lunch but when Western Australian Premium Wine producer Houghtons invited me through their New Zealand agents, New Zealand Wines and Spirits, I could not resist the temptation. I’m certainly glad I did, not only for the wonderful wine and food, not to mention pleasant companions, but also for the chance to have a memorable chat with Houghtons new sales manager, in this

country, Mike Kelly. Kelly was the first person to hire me in the liquor industry. Houghton has a history dating back to 1835, when the property was known as Swan Location 11. Houghton never saw the property and never visited Australia.

The company’s success gathered momentum with the introduction in 1947 of the now-famous Houghtons White Burgundy. Jack Mann, who saw more than 50 vintages on the property, inspired the wine’s birth, but it was Jon Reynolds who really gave the wine a good stiff kick, so to speak, when he joined Houghtons in 1977. It was in fact only a year earlier that Houghtons had been purchased by the major South Australian producer, Hardy’s, who have since invested large amounts of money and energy into assuring the Houghton label of continued success.

As part of their Western Australian swoop, Hardy’s

also managed to acquire the Moondah Brook Estate, which produces superb Verdelho. Jon Reynolds has now returned to the Hunter Valley, but Peter Dawson has stayed and now heads the Houghton wine-mak-ing team. The Tiffany’s luncheon was superb. I had as an entree a Camembert in phyllo, which was a softly heated portion of Camembert cheese set in a phyllo wrapping, baked and set on a sweet-and-sour dark sherry sauce. Delicious.

I chose a loin of lamb for the main course. It was rolled in fresh herbs, oven-roasted and served with vegetable ratatouille and a minted port jus. Exquisite. Dessert is not always my cup of tea, but the menu said “spiced oranges” and I couldn't resist it. It is orange slices in Cointreau and cinnamon surrounding hazelnut praline ice cream, with chopped pistachios

and strawberry flowers. Wonderful. As we arrived, we were served Houghtons latest release of their Cabernet Rose, which is evidently a Gold Medal winner. The wine has delightful cherry tonings in the bouquet and great Cabernet spice in the palate. Treat yourself to this beauty. The 1987 White Burgundy is a delightful gold colour and reeks of ripe peaches. It is made from an interesting blend of 60 per cent Chenin Blanc, 35 per cent Tokay and 5 per cent Chardonnay. It was my favourite, and is also the favourite of many Australians — it is their biggest selling dry white wine. There were an interesting Chablis and Chardonnay in the range, too, but of the other whites, the 1987 Sauvignon Blanc with its herbaceous nose and passionfruit flavours made me realise that New Zealand is not the only producer of premium Sauvignon Blanc. There is a fairly interesting range of red wines from Houghtons, too, in particular the Wildflower Ridge Shiraz 1985. Yes, 1985, although the Australian winemakers are charged a tax on wine in storage, some of them still manage to hold back the wines for later release. The Shiraz has great peppery characters and fullness of blackberry fruit characters in the nose and palate.