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PERFECT MATCH

WHAT'S ON? GET OUT AND ABOUT THIS AUTUMN

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SUSSING OUT SAKE

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WINE TALK

A RUM DEAL

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AUTUMN EDITION EXCLUSIVE TO INDEPENDENT LIQUOR RETAILERS

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SOVINO AUTUMN 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTUMN 2020

PRODUCT FEATURES

Top 5 Under $25

Mr Black Coffee Liquor

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AUTUMN FEATURE

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HARVEST HOME As we move into autumn, winemakers are looking anxiously at the skies as pickers race to gather in the grapes.

Perfect match ARA Single Estate Sauvignon Blanc Mumm Cordon Rouge Oyster Bay Pinot Noir

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Sussing out sake

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Wine Talk

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Pikes Clare Valley

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Tanqueray Sevilla

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Cointreau

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Sticks

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New Product Spotlight

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What's on this Autumn

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A Rum Deal

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Advertising and editorial enquiries contact: Craig Hazelton T 1300 408 399 E Craig.Hazelton@ilr.net.au

Unit 4, Building 7, 1 Dairy Road, Fyshwick ACT 2609 PO Box 318 Fyshwick ACT 2609

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FEATURE

HARVEST HOME It’s called vendange in France, vendemmia in Italy, vendimia in Spain and vintage in English-speaking countries.

And it makes autumn the busiest time in the winemaker’s calendar.

As we move into autumn, winemakers are looking anxiously at the skies as pickers race to gather in the grapes. The grape harvest, or “vintage”, has been underway for more than a month in some of Australia’s warmer wine regions – in the Hunter Valley it traditionally starts around Australia Day. It can continue until late May in cooler regions like Tasmania.

Timing it right

Day and night

The timing of the harvest is critical. When the grapes reach that optimum balance of sweetness, acidity and tannins, it’s critical that they’re picked and processed without delay.

A change in the weather, too much heat, unexpected rain, even hail or frost, can make all the difference between a good year and a dismal one. Some varieties ripen earlier, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir among the first grapes picked while Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese are late varieties.

Night time harvests are becoming common, with cooler temperatures producing less oxidative stress on the grapes.

In Australia, driving through wine country at night, you see the glowing lights and hear the throb of mechanical harvesters as they motor up and down the rows. In France, some vineyards pick by hand at night, providing workers with lamps on their heads.

Sounds like a recipe for seriously damaged fingers.

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Harvest traditions

Hairy winemakers

Vintage festivals

Australia’s own

Around the world, there are many customs attached to the grape harvest.

In France, picking can’t begin until the local prefecture agrees to ‘lever le ban des vendange’ (lift the ban on the harvest).

But they do make the decision on the advice of local experts. In Jerez, Spain, the first official pressing takes place when the ‘Queen of the Harvest’ throws grapes into a press for four men to tread.

The communal stomping of the first grapes is a common custom elsewhere, too, including in Greece, Italy and Romania. To guarantee a good season, the last grapes harvested each year in Germany must be brought in by an ox-drawn cart.

Individual winemakers have their own superstitions. For many, it involves shaving.

Or, rather, not shaving (and not cutting their hair) from the time the first fruit is picked until the last grapes are in. Some have a lucky shirt they wear every day during vintage (phew!).

Others feel it’s bad luck to start on a particular day: a Friday, say, or a Sunday.

And many will not start the pick under a full moon.

One superstition we can all relate to is “don’t wash the car until the harvest is over”. Because as sure as you do, it’s likely to rain.

The gathering in of the grapes is a time of celebration, marked by festivals and special events.

The biggest wine festival in the world takes place, not in France or Italy as you might expect, but in Germany.

Held in the town of Bad Dürkheim in September (because, of course, grapes are picked in the northern autumn) it is oddly named the Wurstmarkt. Apparently the Germans down a lot of wurst, aka sausages, while enjoying their wine.

Here in Australia, perhaps the most notable wine festival (and the oldest) is the Barossa Vintage Festival, founded in 1947.

It’s held every two years so if you want to go this year, sorry, you can’t.

But there are plenty of other options. There’s ‘Tastes of Rutherglen’ on 7-8 March, the Griffith Vintage Festival, with a distinctly Italian influence, on 11 April, or the inaugural Vintage:Tamar happening in Launceston on 29-30 May. And that’s just for starters. So get into the spirit of the harvest, join the fun, taste the wines.

Lucky shirts and unshaven chins optional.

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TOP 5 > UNDER $25

TAYLOR MADE MALBEC Our story begins with great wines. We got our start tailoring a selection of world class wines for pubs and restaurants around Australia. Today, we’re crafting our very own wines, as unique as the people who drink them.

MOUNT PLEASANT ‘ELIZABETH’ SEMILLON Handpicked early in the morning. Only ‘free run’ juice was cool fermented in stainless steel tanks for 14 days. Bottled early to retain freshness of the primary fruit.

This is a medium to heavy bodied wine with luscious black cherry, plum and raspberry fruit characters along with some savoury, earthy undertones.

The oak maturation brings attractive spice and mocha characters to the palate.

Bright green hues.

Classic citrus characters of lime and lemongrass predominate with wonderful intensity and purity.

An elegant yet intense palate of pure Semillon fruit providing great line and length.

TOP 5 > UNDER $25

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM ‘PALATIAL’ PINOT NOIR Dark blood red with an expressive nose of ripe plums, dark berries and a hint of forest floor.

The palate is fruit driven with a core of supple red berries and cherry flavours highlighted by smoky spice complexity. Bright acidity and fine grained tannins provide definition to the long dry finish.

WYNN’S COONAWARRA ESTATE SHIRAZ PETALUMA WHITE LABEL CHARDONNAY The 2018 Petaluma White Label Chardonnay displays white peach and citrus, has creamy texture and lovely fresh acid lines.

A modern Chardonnay which is delicate, yet rich and vibrant. Enjoy chilled at 10-12oC with fresh seafood or poultry

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The Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate Shiraz has aromas of ground black pepper, berry and distinctive floral notes.

Delicate oak is used to match and support the fine palate structure, without dominating its distinctive, cool-climate character.

A medium-bodied wine with a lingering finish that will age gracefully in the tradition of the original Wynn’s Hermitage wine.

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PERFECT MATCH

BEEF & POT-ROASTED VEGETABLE LAMB SHANKS ine

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INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) • 600g Gravy beef, excess fat trimmed, thinly sliced • 1 tablespoon Moroccan Seasoning • 6 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthways • 500g Kent Pumpkin, unpeeled, seeded, cut into 4cm pieces • 200g Celeriac, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces • 2 Carrots, halved crossways, thickly sliced • 1 small Swede, peeled, coarsely chopped • 2 Zucchini, cut into 6cm-thick slices diagonally • 125ml (1/2 cup) Massel beef stock • 400g can Cannellini beans, rinsed, drained • Chopped fresh Continental Parsley, to serve

METHOD STEP 1 Combine beef and Moroccan seasoning in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.

STEP 2 Place the tomato in a 3L capacity flameproof tagine. Top with the beef, pumpkin,

celeriac, carrot, swede and zucchini. Add the stock. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour 45 minutes or until the beef is very tender.

STEP 3 Stir in the beans. Cover.

Set aside for 10 minutes or until beans are heated through. Top with parsley.

ARA SINGLE ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC Ara is Māori for pathway, it captures the journey connecting us with our Marlborough home.

Since 1999 we’ve worked in harmony with the environment making pure wines which reflect and amplify Marlborough’s remarkable nature.

Ara Singe Estate reflects our sourcing - all the fruit is from Marlborough vineyards we own and manage. Ara Single Estate wines showcase the vintage creating wines of terroir which reflect pure Marlborough.

MUMM CORDON ROUGE Mumm Cordon Rouge provides a distinctive aperitif with confident freshness. When combining with food, its aromatic richness perfectly complements white meat and fish such as monkfish or red mullet, taking the experience to new heights.

The crisp elegant structure of the champagne also complements the creamy flavours of foie gras, making an exhilarating contrast.

OYSTER BAY PINOT NOIR Oyster Bay Marlborough Pinot Noir is elegant, cool climate Pinot Noir at its best.

Fragrant, soft and flavourful, with aromas of ripe cherries and sweet fruit tannins that provide structure and length. Each vineyard block is harvested as a separate parcel and treated individually at each stage of the winemaking process.

This enables us to influence and enhance the wine using traditional winemaking techniques, adding subtlety and complexity. A perfect match for Peking Duck or Roast Pork.

*Not all products available in all stores

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SOVINO AUTUMN 2020

SUSSING OUT SAKE With thousands of years of history behind it, sake is Japan’s national drink. And it’s becoming increasingly popular elsewhere.

A HOLY HISTORY It’s believed sake has been made in Japan since rice cultivation began there around 300BC, but its documented history dates from 712AD. Sake was made by monks in temples and shrines, as well as by the common people. Now licences for sake production are strictly controlled by the Japanese government.

BEER OR WINE? Although sake is sometimes called rice wine, it’s brewed more like a beer. The ingredients are rice, water, yeast and a special mold called koji. Some types of sake also have a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added, which manufacturers claim “smooths out” the taste. Sake without added alcohol is called junmai, which means “pure rice”.

POLISHED PERFORMANCE The outer layers of the rice are polished away before the heart of the grain is used in brewing. The more it’s polished, the higher the grade of sake. Some sakes are made from rice polished to just 50% of the original grain.

IT’S NOT SAKE IN JAPAN In Japan, the word ‘sake’ applies to any alcoholic drink. To order it in Japan, you ask for nihonshu, which translates as “Japanese alcohol”. The Japanese are actually drinking less sake these days but Aussies are drinking more – we’re the second fastest growing export market for the drink.

HOT OR COLD? While some more robust traditional sakes are best served gently warmed, chances are the sake you buy in Australia will be from highly polished rice, making it lighter and more delicate in style. It will be better served chilled. You don’t need to fuss around with flasks and thimbleshaped ceramic cups – a white wine glass will do perfectly well.

STRONG STUFF? Not really. Sake is around 15 to 16 per cent alcohol – like strong wine, but not as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka.

Like wine, an opened bottle of sake won’t keep. Store it in the fridge and finish it within days.

SAKE AND FOOD The subtleties of sake can be overpowered by strongly flavoured red meats, very spicy food or rich sauces.

That being said, sake can complement many different cuisines, not just Japanese food. Experiment.

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WINE TALK A 2019 survey found that 28 per cent of Brits thought terroir was a breed of dog. How savvy are you with the special language of wine?

Terroir is, of course, a term for the environment where a particular wine is produced, including such factors as soil, topography and climate. It wasn’t the only term people struggled with. Seven per cent thought Sauternes was a planet, while 20 per cent thought it was a beach resort and 29 per cent thought it was a type of orange.

Wine has its own language, including some particularly Aussie variations. Here’s a guide to some of them.

ABC

CORKED

LEGS

Anything but Chardonnay.

A mantra of drinkers turned off by the heavily oaked Chardonnay styles of former years.

An outdated approach – today’s more elegant chardys have less oak, more freshness and acidity.

Not bits of cork floating in the wine, but a mushroomy taste in the wine caused by a faulty cork.

Stick to screw caps and you’ll never have to worry about it.

Droplets that stick to the inside of a wine glass after you swirl it.

The higher the alcohol content, the thicker the ‘legs’.

BODY Full-bodied wines coat your palate, while light-bodied wines feel, well, lighter on the tongue.

BOWL GRABBER Scornful term for a drinker who holds a wine glass by the bowl, not the stem.

BUTTER BOMB A term applied to the rich, buttery style of Chardonnay popular in the 1980s.

CLEANSKIN Originally unbranded livestock, this Australian term now applies to a bottle of wine without a label.

DAPTO BRIEFCASE

LENGTH The persistence of a wine’s aftertaste. Longer is better.

Wine in a box. Also chateau cardboard and goon sack.

OAK MONSTER

FLABBY

A wine dominated by flavours and aromas picked up from barrel ageing.

A wine lacking in acidity.

GRIPPY TANNINS That strong drying sensation on your teeth, gums, tongue and inner cheeks. Wine that is not overly tannic is referred to as soft.

HOT This doesn’t refer to the temperature. A hot wine is an overly alcoholic one.

OXIDIZED If a table wine has sherry-like odours, chances are it has been exposed to air and is oxidised.

Send it back.

TIGHT Usually with high tannins and hard-to-identify fruit – a wine that will benefit from decanting so it ‘opens up’.

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Tasting notes Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla is made with bittersweet Seville Oranges and other natural flavours to deliver a fruitful and zesty taste, balanced with the four botanicals of our classic London Dry gin. This taste of the sun-soaked Mediterranean is a uniquely enjoyable yet complex gin.

TANQUERAY FLOR DE SEVILLA & TONIC INGREDIENTS 50 mL Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Gin 150 mL Premium Tonic 1 Wedge of Orange

RECIPE Fill your glass to the top with quality cubed ice.

Pour 50 ml of Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Gin. Follow with 150 ml of fresh, Premium Tonic.

Add a wedge of fresh orange to garnish.

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LATEST & GREATEST

NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT PRESS + BLOOM ROSE GIN

IRONBARK GIN SINGLE BATCH PROJECT PINOT NOIR The majority of the fruit for this wine was sourced from South Australia’s Limestone Coast including the famous Coonawarra wine region.

Light ruby red in colour with purple hues, the nose is filled with aromas of fresh strawberries and hints of spice. On the palate, typical red berries and cherry combine with judicious oak integration, the firm acidity and soft tannins rounding out a balanced and long-lasting finish. *Not all products available in all stores

Enjoy cardamom, citrus and pepper on the nose, with a taste that's soft and creamy on entry, following through to a lightly piney, juniper delivery with hints of white pepper, ending citrusy, refreshing and long.

A crystal clear gin, that has aromas of cardamom, liquorice, pepper, coffee and chocolate, with juniper taking a back seat. Over time the citrus peel and light saffron notes begin to appear.

Flavour is both soft and creamy in glass, rounded out by juniper, pepper and citrus with a long finish on the palette.

Botanicals are placed into baskets in a still above a neutral spirit, in either a column or pot still. When the neutral spirit is re-distilled, it vaporises and rises, infusing with the botanicals, bringing the natural aromas and flavours of the botanicals into the vapour. The vapour then condenses into a liquid now called gin and is captured to be prepared for bottling.

A fusion of craft. Press + Bloom represents a series of offerings that are a result of collaborations between two disciplines.

Press represents the first process of winemaking. Winemaking will play a part in every product, be it wine, spirit or beer. Thus ‘Press’ is constant.

Bloom represents the collaboration.

Brewing, distilling, experimentation and the unorthodox combination of skills and processes. Thus ‘Bloom’ is the variable – shifting, changing, producing a variety of exciting and different outcomes.

WHAT’S ON

SOVINO AUTUMN 2020

WHAT'S ON THIS AUTUMN JUST BECAUSE SUMMER’S OVER THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO TURN INTO A COUCH POTATO. HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE EVENTS TO KEEP YOU UP AND GOING AS THE DAYS GET SHORTER. Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival 21 March Mercure Canberra Hotel, ACT

Orange F.O.O.D. Week

National Folk Festival

Bluesfest

27 March – 5 April Orange and region, NSW

9-13 April Exhibition Park, Canberra, ACT

9-13 April Byron Bay, NSW

With a record number of breweries setting up shop and more than 200 beers and ciders to sample, you won’t want to miss this one.

There’s live music, kids’ activities, food stalls, guest speakers and the chance to meet the brewers. Cheers.

Australia’s longest running regional food and wine festival invites you to dine, forage, picnic or even start your foodie experience early aboard the F.O.O.D.train from Sydney. At the night markets or the Sunday market meet the Orange region’s dedicated chefs, cooks, providores, and wine, cider and beer makers.

Australian Billy Cart Championships

Anzac Day Aircraft Showcase

11 April Sanger Street, Corowa, NSW

25 April Temora, NSW

Indulge your inner child.

The McDonald’s Australian Billy Cart Championships has six race categories to give every competitor a fighting chance. Billy carts from across Australia race down Corowa’s Sanger Street in their home-made or professionally created vehicles. Get track side and enjoy the live music, family activities and market stalls.

See Australia’s ex-military flying history come alive, as veteran aircraft from the Temora Aviation Museum’s collection take to the skies – legendary craft like the Spitfire, Wirraway, Tiger Moth, Lockheed Hudson and more. Meet the pilots, tour the exhibitions and chow down in the mess hall (or bring a picnic).

The festival features an A-list of performers from around Australia and the world, with more than 750 performances across 20 venues. Reggae, hip hop, acoustic, jazz-folk fusion – there’s something for everyone, as well as themed bars, workshops, markets, masterclasses and a huge arts program. Take the kids – there’s a children’s festival too.

It’s a toss-up this Easter.

National Folk Festival or Bluesfest? This Byron Bay festival has been running for 30 years and now attracts more than 100,000 music fans. Local, national and international acts, tick.

Camping facilities, tick.

And your chance to make it big if you win the festival’s busking competition.

Noosa Eat and Drink

NRL Magic Round

14-17 May Noosa, QLD

1-3 May Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD

An annual love affair with great food, drinks, live music and entertainment in one of Australia’s favourite foodie destinations.

Events include beachfront brunches, bush experiences, dinners with celebrity chefs, cocktails afloat, producer tours and hands-on masterclasses. Vodka and caviar tasting anyone?

A full round of rugby league packed into three epic days at Suncorp Stadium. With every NRL team battling it out over one weekend, in one city, no fan gets left out. There will be eight games plus plenty of action off the field – with entertainment, giveaways and more.

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GO A HEA D,

PICK UP STICKS C H E R RY. SPIC E .

DA R K CHOCOL AT E .

OU R M I SSION? QUA L I T Y. CONSI ST E NC Y. PU R I T Y. W ELCOME TO STICKS. Our task is to bring berry to bottle; care in the vineyards coupled with our low intervention, high attention winemaking allows us to express the purity of the Yarra Valley in every bottle.

The Sticks Pinot Noir is a true reflection of our vineyards and winemaking - Â somewhat unpredictable, somewhat complex, totally pure and entirely enjoyable.

Love Yarra Valley? Pick up Sticks.

STICKS.COM.AU

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A RUM DEAL Rum was as good as currency in colonial New South Wales, so a cash-strapped Governor manipulated the liquor trade to build Sydney’s ‘Rum Hospital’.

Rum arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. The colony was founded by navy men, so it’s not surprising that the new settlement was awash with the traditional navy drink. In a society where barter was the common form of trade, rum became the favoured currency.

The marines of the New South Wales Corps, who controlled the rum trade, became known as the Rum Corps.

Images courtesy of the State Library of NSW.

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BENGAL OR JAMAICAN

THE RUM REBELLION

A NEW BROOM

In those early days, rum was imported from the West Indies and, more commonly, from India. Jamaican Rum, made from molasses – a by-product of cane sugar – was highly prized, but most imports were Bengal Rum. This was often made not from cane sugar but palm sugar. Better described as arrack, the most that could be said for it was that it still got you drunk.

One early governor tried to stop the trade in rum.

Governor Bligh, better known as the ship’s captain who was set adrift after the famous mutiny on the Bounty, banned its use as currency.

As a result, in 1808, there was another mutiny. The Rum Corps rebelled and arrested Bligh, resulting in two years of military rule.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived in 1810, charged with sorting the whole mess out. The rebellious marines were recalled to England and Macquarie set about improving conditions in the colony. He found a way to control the rum trade and, simultaneously, improve the health system.

The first Sydney hospital had evolved from a series of tents to a leaky wooden building, but couldn’t cope with the many cases of scurvy, dysentery, smallpox, typhoid and other infectious diseases.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie

Sydney Rum Hospital

Sydney Rum Hospital

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The British Government refused to provide money to build a new one, so Macquarie turned to private enterprise.

In return for funding the hospital, he granted a group of businessmen a monopoly over the rum trade. Financed by this lucrative deal, the hospital they built became known as the Rum Hospital. Parts of the building still stand, and now house the New South Wales Parliament.

*Not all products available in all stores