Charlemagne Wine Club - 2016 Tastings

Monday 16th May 2016

Australia presented by Robert Woodhead of Red Squirrel Wine

Robert will be telling us all about Vinteloper, a winery in the Adelaide Hills that's making premium wines from their own grapes and also grapes sourced from selected growers in the Clare Valley and Langhorne Creek.
Robert knows the winery, and the wine-making team very well.
He'll be sharing with us a selection of their wines as well as those from another exciting producer.
Surprisingly we've only had one Australia-specific tasting in over 4 years, so this will be a good opportunity to catch up on what's going on down under.

A quick resumé of Monday's tasting. 10 wines in total. 2 producers, Vinteloper and an interloper (!) Dalz Otto.
A classic Clare Valley Riesling fresh and limey compared with a deeply flavourful softer "Odeon", oak treated version with malo lactic conversion. The interloper in the tasting was Dalz Otto, a producer from the King Valley in Victoria. Their two whites reflected their Italian heritage, a floral Arneis and a Garganega. Delicious.
David Bowley's Vinteloper Pinot Noir offerings from the Adelaide Hills showed how good Aussie Pinot can be. A simpler, entry level (at £20!) with beautiful cherry aromas and lovely fruit and spice character on the palate followed by a sublime "Odeon" version (£60). The Dalz Otto Barbera found great favour in the room, classic Italian fresh flavour with an Australian twist. Vinteloper Shiraz is not a blockbuster monster. It's fresh, aromatic rounded and spicy with a velvety mouthfeel. The evening finished with two extras to have with the bread and cheese. The first was a wonderfully aromatic Touriga Nacional from Langhorne Creek echoing the quality that this grape variety shows in its native Portugal. Touriga also featured in Vinteloper Adelo, paired with Shiraz, an elegant fruity blend with class.