“Now this one – the Durif – is like a front-rower in rugby. It’s big, it’s solid, tannic, and heavy and everything you’d want to accompany half a cow on your plate. Fairly full on. The Guinness of the wine world and pretty amazing”.
I could only nod as Ross Gehrig of John Gehrig Wines poured me a taste of his Durif. And as I sipped…wham.
Welcome to the Taste of Two Regions.
Sunday afternoon saw me milling with hundreds of others at a showcasing of Victoria’s Rutherglen and King Valley wines and fine produce. Held at QT Canberra in New Acton, wine makers, cheese folk, and praline producers shared their wares and the wine characteristics of their famed regions.
Spotting Brown Brothers’ Prosecco advertisement, ‘adventure is in the air’, sealed my decision to have a crack at sampling grape varietals I had never heard of. I sipped at Georgian Saperavis, French Gamays and Italian Nero d’Avolas. Shiraz options were vast and I was advised “it’s a Shiraz or a Syrah but never, my dear, a Shy-raz”! And my attempt at explaining the aftertaste of a Durif to my partner were overheard and promptly corrected – “a Durif is not fury on the palate, it’s very much dusty”.
I may not have tasted every one of the 100 plus wines on offer, but I did consume other delish bits that accompany wine so well. A lick of warm ganache from Renaissance Chocolates and Lou’Mar’s tiny lemon curd tart were much-needed palate cleansers. A chunk of soft Milawa Camembert on the end of a finger – yum; and a cracker topped with Fart Alot Dip…well, that was a fun conversation starter for any group lingering around the King Valley Fine Foods end of the room.
What impressed me the most about the event was how familiar and engaging the Victorians were with us all. Fourth, fifth generation winemakers were generous in their time and the (often repeat) pouring of some excellent wines. As it turns out, I’m such a sucker for Tempranillo.
Had this event taken place in a larger community, I think the ‘family feel’, the personal anecdotes and stories that came my way could not have been voiced or would simply have been lost in the loud melee of a bigger-city-people.
It was like old friends coming together and I wouldn’t have been surprised had I seen both winemaker and wine taster clink glasses and sit down to a shared plate of olives and prosciutto.
By Kate Walker
agreenbean.wordpress.com
