A cellar door some fifteen minutes walk from the busy centre of Melbourne? Sounds very implausible, but it can only happen in North Melbourne and can only feature Keith Brien and his Silverwings wines.

You know the cellar door is open if the barrel is on the footpath. From the outside it looks just like any other three storey dwelling that has been architecturally designed from an old factory in the middle of an old industrial area.

Keith gave up flying with Ansett when they disbanded in the 19980s and set up a winery in Lancefield in the Macedon region. The wines were superb and the old mansion, Cleveland, was lovingly restored. I can still vividly remember tasting a chardonnay there before the ABC campaign began and it was mind blowingly French in style. It was a 1991 with intense butterscotch flavours, something I’ve been trying to find in chardonnays ever since with very limited success. Experts told me that’s what Chablis should taste like, not the overoaked varieties that scandalised winemaking in Australia for two decades.

As Lancefield is very prone to frost, Cabernet in particular was hard to ripen. Another stand out from the Cleveland days was the Minus 5, a cab-merlot blend, getting it’s name because it was usually picked at that temperature. Keith saved the last vintage, a 1998, as a reserve as he thought it the best he’d produced. You can buy this at $25 a bottle at cellar door but there’s a catch. When he started drinking some a few months ago, he discovered that there was one bottle in each dozen with cork taint. He can’t guarantee you will get twelve to the dozen that are potable.

But you can pick up stunning bargains from now until August. There are some sparkling wines. The Macedon vignerons decide to call their sparklings Macedon to ward off the French “Champagne nazis”. Keith has a Brut Rose for $27 and a 1993 vintage XO Brut with added cognac for $50. Unfortunately, the 1998 Brut sold out on the first day of his winter tasting when I bought the last case at $29 a bottle. The full list of wines to sell before the next pallets of wine come in are listed on the website www.silverwingswines.com.

Some of the wines made for the American market, a Riesling sourced from the Margaret river and a Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre blend are absolute steals. The Silverwings flagship wine is a Shiraz-Mouvedre from the Goulburn valley, made from the fruit from old vines planted in the 1950s. The 2008 will be released shortly and will be last of the blend as Keith moves on again to another winery on the slopes of Mount Macedon – not quite full circle.

Coming up soon, after a mandatory trip back to France, Keith will host a tasting where he will rerelease the 1999 Cleveland Pinot Noir pitted against some Burgundies. The 1999 was another wine with a story. I tasted a barrel sample at the winery and was literally blown away. It was huge. Not a timid watery Pinot but a monster with so much alcohol I had to sit down for an hour after the taste. It was a limited release in dozen lots to valued customers as there was precious little produced because of the drought conditions and bird strike. Keith says it is drinking beautifully now, so it might be time to take the cork out of one of the untouched dozen. I am a bit afraid it might still bite me although the label says 14% alcohol, I’m sure it is much bigger than that.

By Michael Metcalfe

They build castles on top of hills you know… Up there with a view to the very tempting Atlantic Ocean on one side and the plains of the Alentejo in the distance on the other, the sun was beating down on the sandstones making it like an oven. The wind was hot and dry too, so the oven was fan forced… Never the less with glass in hand I set about discovering the wines of a few new producers in this region. I saw some familiar faces, many familiar brands, but I was happy to find a few new producers I had not sampled before.

Even with the valiant attempts of the very friendly people representing their wineries, the red wines were just too warm to be enjoyed fully. The whites however were extremely refreshing! I have written a lot on the red wines from Portugal. They are so interesting and varied here that I will not get sick of them any time soon. However, in the heat of the day, I am rarely going to be looking at a big rich meal to go with a red wine. Fortunately, Portugal’s wine producers are tuned in to this need and are producing some very interesting and, as always, great value white wines too.

I tried a few from Cooperativa De Pegoes, Xavier Santana, Bacalhoa, Cooperativa de Palmela. Each using similar grapes, apart from Bacalhoa who were making a very interesting Semillon-Alvarinho . The main grape varieties for white wine production in this region are Arinto, which is usually used to blend with other white grapes to give the wine some extra lemony acid to the wines. Fernão Pires, which has a more floral character. The other white grape is Antão Vaz. This produces a finer, smoother and a subtler wine, so blending it with the other grapes makes sense, however it also makes a great single varietal wine.

This week’s Wine Experience of the Week is the Herdade da Comporta 2009 Antão Vaz. Herdade da Comporta is a part of the Setubal Peninsular region, although it is situated on the other side of the Sado River from Setubal… The old term for the region was Terras do Sado, which makes a lot more sense for this winery, but I am not sure if we need other region developed just for this winery. The wine itself has a very pale color with aromas of lemon peel and pineapple. Tasting the wine give you a delicate flavor of tropical fruit and lemon, but ends with some light acid and dryness, which is fantastic on a hot day. It goes well with seafood, fish or even a light salad. Alternatively, you could just sip it by the beach on its own. You need to be careful with it though, despite the light pallet, it does pack in 14% alcohol. At around €8 it is fabulous value for quite an elegant and very tasty wine.

If you have not tried Portuguese white wines before, this varietal would be a good place to start. It is different to your traditional white varietals, but not so different it will distract you from the pleasure of experiencing it. Then if you like it, you may want to venture toward some other whites from Portugal!

Unusually, I selected a white wine for this occasion. Unusual because I usually prefer big red wines, but also because I do not often keep white wines for too long. The fresh zinginess you get from young white wines is often what you are after when you reach for one. Therefore, a lot of white wines do not lend themselves to being aged. There are many exceptions though. Before you go and cellar that Chardonnay that has been in the fridge for the last 2 weeks, there are some things you should do before laying down white wines:

• Always ask. If you are at the winery they will probably volunteer information about it being a “drink now” wine or if it will benefit from some time in a cellar. If it is at the wine shop, get their opinion. If it is for drinking right away they will tell you.
• Failing that, look on the internet. If a review suggests it could do with some more age, then go for it.
• Buy more than 1 bottle. This way you can open one of them after a couple of years, just to make sure it is getting better with age.
• If you are still not sure after all that, then try one of the bottles you have bought. If you think it could do with some added depth and richness, then go ahead and keep one for the future.

For this Wine Experience of the Week, I have the Hugel & Fils 2000 Traditional Riesling. I was lucky enough to be given the advice that it could be kept for a few years at the winery. The old vines in the Alsace region can lend themselves to making white wines that can age well. This vintage was only released by Hugel in 2007, so they took care of most of the aging. Despite the age, the wine was still fresh when tasting it at the winery; with floral, fruity and slight aniseed aromas and a great depth in the drinking.

Tasting the wine recently the aromas had developed to be sweeter, almost honey sweetness along with white flower, peach and aniseed that had been retained. The colour seemed to have deepened to be more golden. Tasting the wine you get a fruity start, with some slight nutty depth to it. To finish it is dry with some good acid. You can enjoy this wine with fish, light pork or even veal with a light sauce. I had it with chicken, with some delicate Thai flavors and it went down very well. At around €25 to €30, looking at prices on the internet, it is pretty good value for the quality you are getting. If you have not tried wines from Alsace before, this would be a great place to start.

The wine probably wouldn’t benefit from much more aging however, so if you have one sitting around, find a good reason to open it and enjoy! If you have had an experience with a white wine you have kept for aging, please share a comment. It is always nice to hear other experiences.

Kabminye Wines commenced in 2001 when Rick and Ingrid Glastonbury came back to the land in Krondorf in the Barossa Valley which Ingrid’s great great grandparents settled on in 1847. Their cellar door is set in an environmentally friendly building and includes a restaurant and contemporary art space. 
Krondorf was renamed Kabinye as a result of the anti German sentiment during the Second World War and renamed Krondorf at a later date. It is an aboriginal word meaning ‘Morning Star’.
The wine is unusual, reminding me of the Fetiaska we used to drink from St Leonards in the Rutherglen region. St Leonards dug the vines up because they couldn’t get a consistent taste. Like the Kerner the bouquet promised a sweet fruit driven white but surprised the palate with an extremely dry finish.
We were brave and drank the Kerner with tacos. It stood up to the chili and the guacamole incredibly well.

I only bought one when we visited the vineyard in 2008 and wondered why I hadn’t opened it until now. Now I wonder why I didn’t buy some more.

1. Make it fun
Wine is to be enjoyed not just drunk. Make having a bottle of wine an experience! Cook a great meal. Invite friends over. Select the best wine to go with both the meal and the friends who are joining. Visit a winery on your travels. Have fun with you local wine shop owner. There are so many things you can experience with wine. You don’t have to buy and drink the most expensive bottle of wine all the time, because all wines deserve to be experienced. When you look back on an evening it will be remembered for the experience, not just the wine, but we all know the wine helped.

2. Take in the wine
Wine is complicated. From varietal to varietal and from region to region there, are as many different types of wine than cars, electronic gadgets and blogs on the subject combined. Each wine brings something different to the (dinner) table. Experience and understand the wine. Learn about its value to you. The more you try, the more you will know. The more you know, the more you can experience. Then you don’t need to rely on the silly ratings other people put on wines and make your own decisions.

3. Wine is a commodity
Wine is produced from an agricultural process. The conditions the vines grow in (terroir) is the all important key to making a good wine. At the same time the sun needs to shine, rain needs to fall and frost needs to say away at all the right times for the grapes to be ideal. Then there is the winery and wine maker, who decide on the process the grapes will go through. All this goes into the bottle of wine you find at the store. All these environmental and procedural considerations create the value of a wine. If done right, the value of the wine will grow as it matures – when stored correctly. So pay the right price for it, enjoy it when the time is right and most of all don’t waste it.

4. Everything in moderation
Now this can go for just about anything in life. Over consumption does not help you experience wine any more than a glass or two. Have enough to get the most from the wine, but not too much more. As we all know, wine contains alcohol and does get you drunk no matter how nicely it goes down. Above all, never drive after drinking. Take public transport. It’s better for you, other people on the road and the environment.

5. Be open minded
If someone’s taste in wine is different to yours, it is just that – different, not better or worse. Everyone has their own taste and they have their right to be different. Rather than turning your nose up at it, understand why they enjoy the wine, you may learn something. Don’t bore other people with your knowledge about a wine if it isn’t fun for them. Let’s face it, there are far more important things going on in the world than fermentation techniques and filtering processes. Talk about the world and common interests, wine will help these conversations more often than not.

Please share you maxims/guidelines with us, we would love to hear more!

In the last decade the white wines of New Zealand have become renowned for their quality. The Sauvignon Blanc variety has become the flagship of the country’s wine industry. Considered by many the best example of the variety in the world, Sauvignon Blanc production has expanded rapidly since the first vines were planted in the 1970s. In the south island of New Zealand, the Marlborough region has become the pinnacle area for Sauvignon Blanc production. On the back of Marlborough’s reputation, other regions in New Zealand are experimenting with Sauvignon Blanc production. However, the unique terroir of this region still produces the finest examples, in my opinion, in the world.

This week’s Wine of the Week is the Saint Clair Family Estate 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine makers have identified a small section in their vineyard as ideal for the production of the grapes for the top examples of their most important wine. Similar to traditional French estates, these small sections are carefully tended to make sure that the finest grapes are available for the top wines from the vineyard. This care to detail makes the wine special and personalized to winery. This wine is crisp, filled with fruity notes, like passion fruit, lime and even blackberry in the finish. It goes very well with seafood, or a fresh salad.

Having given you an idea of quality of this wine, you may expect the price tag to be similar to that of fine grand cru wines of Alsace or Burgundy. This wine however is around €10, which makes it accessible for everyday enjoyment if you can find it at your local wine seller. If you are looking for a special white wine, you do not need to blow the budget. With the money you save on this purchase, you can go and get the best quality seafood or fish to match the wine with.

This week’s Wine of the Week is the Casa Silva 2008 Sauvignon Gris. The Sauvignon Gris vines at the estate have been in place since 1912. This makes it one of the best examples of wine in the world. The grape has a little more sugar content that the Sauvignon Blanc. Therefore it has a little more character and depth. It makes a great partner with rice based dishes. If you are going to have a Latin American wine, then why not try some traditional food. I was lucky enough to try this wine with a Costa Rican style arroz con pollo (rice and chicken), but you could use seafood or a vegetarian option. Surprisingly the wine is priced at around €10, so it makes it outstanding value for such an idiosyncratic grape variety as this.

The estate of Casa Silva was a pioneer in the Colchagua Valley. This particular area is responsible for some of the best quality of wine out of the Chile. This wine is no exception and at great value for money. Although Chile has been consistently producing good wine for some time now, the added competition from Argentina and now a new kid on the block, Brazil, has made them also raise their game.

I did a piece last week on some of the decisions the wine producers make when deciding on the sealing method for their wines. As with many wines from new world, this wine has a screw top. Similarly with all wines sealed in this way, including white wines, make sure you open it early. The air-tight seal makes the wine a little lifeless if you drink it immediately after opening. The wine, and more importantly your appreciation of it, definitely benefits with a bit of contact with oxygen.

So if you have not tried a Sauvignon Gris, I recommend you give it a go. Also if you have not tried a Chilean wine for a while, then I encourage you to give one a try. I think you will pleasantly surprised.

Foods from Asia, Africa and The Americas are traditionally made with complex tastes and many different spices. The food is great, however when you are choosing a wine it can be difficult. Trial and error, a fair bit of internet searching and some tips from friends often gets you to a good match in the end. With the amount of variations in wine production today, there is usually a good match to just about anything you care, or dare to eat.

I recently wanted to try something different with Mexican food. I tend to like my Mexican dishes spicy, often adding a few jalapeños to give it an extra kick. I set about making chicken burritos and was looking through the wine I had available at home. Often a slightly sweat rose is a common choice of mine with Mexican food. It is a safe option as it gives you just enough sweet and tangy notes to compliment the food. This day however the rose stocks were low – actually non-existent. I had to do some improvisation. A good way I find to match food with wine is to slowly narrow down the options until you have 2 or 3 you then have to take a choice from. It is the same at a shop and often there is someone there who can help you go for one over the other. I was left with a dry-ish Riesling, a Nebbiolo and a sweet white. I decided the Riesling was too delicate for the richness of the sauce I had made. The Nebbiolo would not have been a little lost among all the flavors, so the last option was the sweeter white from Portugal. I was not entirely sure it would work, but I thought I would try it anyway. The worst option was that if it didn’t match the main dish, then it could be saved for desert at least. As it turned out the match with the food was very good.

So this week’s Wine of the Week is the 2008 Jose Maria Fonseca Quinta de Camarate. It is a sweeter style of wine made from Moscatel de Setubal and Malvasia grapes. Young and fruity, with long finish, it is a good companion with light cheese or pate. Drinking it by itself it was a little too sweet for my taste, however with rich and spice Mexican food it proved to match with the various spices, the hot jalapeños and the tart sour cream.

It is a good value wine at around €10, however I think it must me matched with something spicy or sweet to get your money’s worth. Although not an obvious choice to match with many savory dishes, it is surprising good with Mexican and some rich hot Indian curries. I encourage you to try a few different types of wine than you would usually to accompany your food. You could find a surprising match that will make you evening.