Spring 2015 Off The Press Newsletter

OFF THE

PRESS SPRING 2015 ISSUE 71

IT’S A

(WINERY)

DOGS

LIFE! BRIAR RIDGE SUCCESS CONTINUES GWYN TALKS... SPENCER AND MORE...

www.briarridge.com.au

Hello

Vintage Club Members!

Steve & Adam

Wow... where did that 12 months go?

I have been here at Briar Ridge Vineyard for a year now and have enjoyed meeting so many lovely people and seeing a lot of return customers... our wines must be good!

Spring is here and the vines have woken from their Winter sleep. There are little green shoots galore around the vineyard and it will be interesting to see what the 2016 vintage has in store for us. Gwyn showcased her new 2015 Fiano in the last newsletter and mentioned it was in limited supply with only 120 cases produced. This little beauty has been on sale for a few months now and is a winner with everyone (staff included!). If you haven’t been into the cellar door to taste it you better hurry as the number of cases are dropping quickly.

With the warmer weather comes the concert season. If you are coming to the Hunter Valley to see Elton John, Fleetwood Mac or Neil Diamond, it’s a perfect opportunity to call into the cellar door to stock up for Christmas.

Don’t forget we have a range of jams, pickles, chutneys, oils, vinegars, chocolates etc for those last minute Christmas gifts. And of course there is always wine!!

Spring and Summer are a fantastic time to enjoy some chilled bottles of Verdelho and we have a great deal for you... pop into our cellar door and buy six bottles from our range and you can then take advantage of our special on the 2014 ‘The Dam’ Verdelho... 6 bottles for only $99! LIMITED STOCK. And lastly, but definitely not least, Briar Ridge Vineyard is pleased to introduce to you Adam who is your new Vintage Club Coordinator. Adam has recently moved to the Hunter Valley from Sydney and is looking forward to meeting you all at our members dinners and club events. He has mentioned he has a few wonderful ideas instore for next year... stay tuned!! Adam would love to hear from members with any feedback or ideas for future events.

Steve Pike Cellar Door Manager

If any members have relatives living overseas, we can ship some wine to them for Christmas! Here are a few examples of pricing...

To NZ 6 bottles $90 AUD | 12 bottles $122 AUD To Asia/Pacific 6 bottles $122 AUD | 12 bottles $152 AUD To UK 6 bottles $147 AUD | 12 bottles $205 AUD OFF THE PRESS | SPRING 2015 | ISSUE 71 WELCOME

Did somebody say

Christmas?

Let Briar Ridge assist you with your Christmas shopping this year. We can help with staff or client gifts, or a gift for someone special.

Maybe the Trophy winning Dairy Hill Shiraz for Great Uncle Pete? A box of Briar Ridge liqueur chocolates for Grandma or maybe 12 months Vintage Club Membership for your wine loving children (so they don’t drink all of yours!)?

Give Steve a call if you would like to discuss this further on 02 4990 3670.

GETTING TO KNOW...

STEVE PIKE CELLAR DOOR MANAGER 1

How long have you worked in the wine industry?

Only 4 years... prior to wine - Banking, Federal and State Public Service for many years!

2

What is your favourite wine variety and why? Semillon... love that delicious citrus background hitting the palate

3

What is your favourite wine on the Briar Ridge tasting list right now? 2015 Limited Release Fiano

4 What is the best part about your job? Meeting new people and seeing their delight at tasting Briar Ridge wines 5

As a child, when I ‘grew up’ I was always going to be a... Commercial Pilot

6

On my days off you will find me... listening to music, pottering in the garden and spending time with my dogs and cats

7

My favourite food and wine match is... Semillon and copious amounts of fresh oysters!

8

If my life were a song it would be... ABBA “When All Is Said And Done”

9

On the sporting field I barrack for... Sydney Swans

10 My pets names are... Churchill, Violet, Spencer, Hudson & Katerina

OFF THE PRESS | SPRING 2015 | ISSUE 71 CELLAR DOOR NEWS

success continues Congratulations to Gwyn, Belinda and the winery team for their recent success at the Hunter Valley Wine Show. Gwyn accepted the J.Y. (Jay) Tulloch Best Verdelho trophy for the 2015 The Dam Verdelho. Chairman of judges PJ Charteris said “the trophy and gold medal winning Verdelho was a style Hunter winemakers should strive for as it was fresh, balanced and awesomely drinkable.” This was followed up by the Elliot Family trophy for best two-year old Shiraz, awarded to the 2013 Briar Ridge Dairy Hill Shiraz.

The Briar Ridge H.R.B also was recognised as ‘runner-up’ for the Silver Bullet trophy. This trophy is donated by the Singleton Army Camp’s Lone Pine Barrack’s officers mess and recognises innovative winemaking. It is judged each year by the show’s international guest judge, this year by UK wine expert Sarah Ahmed. Ms Ahmed said the following of the 2013 The H.R.B. This is a fresh and mighty pretty take on O’Shea’s tradition of blending the real McCoy with Hunter “Burgundy.” The grapes come from clay over limestone soils, just like Burgundy’s Pinot Noir – a fine illustration of John Davis’ work on geology and site.

The Pinot Noir blended seamlessly with the Dairy Hill vineyard’s winsomely perfumed, red-fruited Shiraz. Congratulations go to John Davis and winemaker Gwyn Olsen.

Gwyn chosen

for the Len Evans

Tutorial 2015 Each year, the Len Evans Tutorial welcomes just 12 of the most elite professionals in wine, vineyard, hospitality and sales from across Australia to develop their wine appreciation with the nation’s top wine experts in the Hunter Valley.

Many of the greatest, rarest and oldest wines are opened, tasted and scrutinised in this one extraordinary week when 12 young(ish) leaders in their field are put to the sternest and most rewarding wine course of their lives. This is an amazing experience for Gwyn, and an honour to be chosen.

Gwyn & Belinda

Vineyardwith Update Belinda Kelly Spring has sprung here in the Hunter Valley with the vines bursting to life in early September.

After a long and cold Winter, Spring has been a pleasant change with lovely warm sunny days.

The Chardonnay vines were the first to budburst followed by Verdelho and Semillon and in mid-September the red varieties began to grow.

The Hunter Valley experienced one of the wettest April’s on record with 300mm of rain falling in just 4 days.

Although this wasn’t good news for some, it was really needed in the vineyard to fill up the dams and saturate the ground enabling the grape vines to start the growing season with plenty of soil moisture which is vital to keep the vines growing over the next 3 months.

With the current weather forecast for a hot and dry summer we are hopeful that we will have great fruit quality with lovely intense flavours. Watch this space….

Cheers,

Belinda

Release of our

2015 Whites!

Whilst the 2015 season provided us with many challenges, it is nice to see these wines now in bottle and looking good. The Semillons show a good level of ripeness in each, with the Single Vineyard Dairy Hill displaying the typical block characteristics of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. The Stockhausen is taut and linear, perfect for ageing whilst the Early Harvest is the perfect drink now style with a juicy lime cordial like mid palate. As testament to this, both the 2015 Dairy Hill Semillon and the 2015 Stockhausen Semillon were awarded gold medals at the 2015 Hunter Valley Wine Show. Our trophy winning 2015 The Dam Verdelho is packed with the bright tropical fruit and luscious mid palate weight, a perfect accompaniment to the beautiful Spring days we are currently enjoying.

The 2014 reds are now settling quietly in bottle. The 2014 Dairy Hill Shiraz is showcasing the classic floral notes of this block, and the fine silky tannins provide great length. The blockbuster Stockhausen Shiraz is a powerhouse of dark fruits, spice and cocoa like tannins. We look forward to releasing these wines later in the year and anticipate you finding them as exciting and delicious as we do.

Vineyard Manager

GWYN TALKS...

SPENCER Our winery dog and loyal hound Spencer is a salt and pepper pure bred Standard Schnauzer and joined the team in November 2013. He is a rambunctious two year old who enjoys running the winery and the office, and is generally thoroughly spoilt with attention.

His main role in the winery is perimeter guarding to ensure that no one infiltrates the winery property, especially those pesky horses that pull the carts! Essentially this means that Spencer stands at the top of the winery driveway and barks at anything that moves... But his bark is much bigger than his bite and once he has stated his presence will run up to anyone to welcome them with a friendly lick and some vigorous tail wagging. In Cellar Door his main role is either puncturing all the footy balls or keeping the front door mat company by sleeping on it.

One of his great strengths is vineyard inspections, gleefully running up, down and in between the mid rows to ensure that I have not missed a single thing. Spencer also enjoys local Hunter Valley winemaker meetings as he gets to play with his mates Basil the Dalmatian and Winston the Cavalador from Brokenwood. As you can imagine being a two year old, Spencer certainly does have a cheeky mischievous streak. His two naughtiest deeds (so far!) have been jumping on the CFO’s desk to eat the piece of cake he was saving for afternoon tea, and breaking into the winery office to eat the ENTIRE shoulder of pork that was left over from staff lunch. NAUGHTY. As you can see, it really is a dogs life.

WINE DOGS AUSTRALIA

“Wine Dogs is the perfect antidote for those who are at risk of taking wine too seriously – which is most of us.”

– Huon Hooke We are very excited to see Spencer grace the pages in the 4th Australian edition of Wine Dogs. Wine Dogs Australia 4 features over 150 wineries across Australia with stunning photos of their loyal pooches.

Pre-order your copy today ($35.00), and we will have it personally signed

by Spencer himself! It is released on November 1st and is a great Christmas present for wine lovers.

OFF THE PRESS | SPRING 2015 | ISSUE 71 FEATURE STORIES

UPCOMING EventS OCTOBER Briar Ridge Vintage Club Lunch Saturday 24 October 2015 Bistro Sandbar, Newcastle Beach

Enjoy canapés and four fabulous courses from Head Chef Rohan Williams with matching Briar Ridge wines, whilst enjoying the casual, beach front atmosphere of Bistro Sandbar.

Cost $80pp, including canapés, four courses and matching Briar Ridge wines.

Pork & vegetable

dumplings (makes approxIMATELY 15-20) NAGISA JAPANESE RESTAURANT, NEWCASTLE Filling Ingredients

Method

250g pork or chicken mince

Combine mince, vegetables and sauces in a bowl and mix until well combined.

2 cups cabbage, finely chopped 1 cup carrot, grated 1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped ½ cup shallots, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 4 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp sesame oil salt and pepper to taste dumpling pastry (gow gee wrappers) (available from Asian specialty stores) Dipping Sauce Ingredients 50ml soy sauce 50ml vinegar chilli oil to taste

Spoon 25-30g into the centre of each pastry sheet. Brush the edges of the pastry with a small amount of water and fold over to seal in the mince.

Place dumplings in a pan with enough water to cover the bottom. Cover with a lid and simmer on med-high heat until water evaporates and pastry is cooked(add more water if necessary).

Carefully drain any excess water from the pan and return to high heat with sesame oil until bases are golden brown.

Carefully remove from pan and serve with dipping sauce.

Briar Ridge at the Wahroonga Food & Wine Festival SUNDAY 25 October 2015

Come by and say hi!

NOVEMBER Briar Ridge at the Brisbane Waters Oyster Festival Sunday 8 November 2015 Ettalong Foreshore, Ettalong Beach

There will be defi nitely some Semillon to be enjoyed here!

Visit www.oysterfestival.com.au for more information.

Come by and say hi!

For bookings and enquiries for the above event, please contact us on 02 4990 3670 or by email: vintageclub@briarridge.com.au

OFF THE PRESS | SPRING 2015 | ISSUE 71 FEATURE RECIPE

OFF THE

PRESS SPRING 2015 ISSUE 71

The photos below are from the 2015 Budfest event held annually in September

Contact Us ADAM WINDER Vintage Club Coordinator

Briar Ridge Vineyard 593 Mount View Road, Mount View NSW 2325 PO Box 148 Cessnock NSW 2325 Email vintageclub@briarridge.com.au Phone 02 4990 3670 | Fax 02 4990 7802 Open 7 days a week for tasting and sales, 10 - 5pm

www.briarridge.com.au