New Tolpuddle releases reflect a special site

 

It is now almost 15 years since Shaw+Smith co-owners Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith MW visited Tasmania and purchased a vineyard on a whim. 

The Tolpuddle Vineyard in the Coal River Valley was planted with chardonnay and pinot noir clones best suited to making sparkling wines. 

But Shaw and Hill-Smith had very different plans, Their vision was to create one of the best single vineyard sites in the country, producing world-class table wines. 

After some re-planting, new clones and a decade and a half of work on the vines, Tolpuddle has established a global reputation for excellence. Mission accomplished. 

"There was never any great plan to buy in Tasmania," the duo says. We were simply blown away by some of the wines from this vineyard that we had tasted from barrel, then fell in love with the site when we visited. Both serendipitous and spontaneous.

"We believed, and still do, that it is a special site with potential to produce wines of outstanding personality and quality."  

The 2024 Tolpuddle Chardonnay and 2024 Tolpuddle Pinot Noir were launched this week at the award-winning tasting room surrounded by the vineyard. CD manager Pip Anderson did a great job of overseeing the tasting and lunch.

The wines hit the market this morning and are sure to be in high demand following international wine show successes for the 2023 releases. 

"We think this already one of the great single sites," Shaw told guests who were lucky enough to taste five previous vintages of each variety: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 - which illustrated just how gracefully both wines age. "A lot has changed over the last 15 years."

The new releases are super impressive - and very food friendly - and you can read full reviews at www.tasmanianwineonline.blogspot.com this weekend.

Jim Barry adopts lightweight bottle for 2024 rieslings

Even small steps are good steps when it comes to helping protect the environment.

Leading Clare Valley wine producer Jim Barry Wines has launched a new proprietary lightweight riesling bottle, which is says reflects the company’s commitment to sustainability.

Its reasons: to reduce the overall environmental impact of the business, and significantly lower the company’s carbon footprint.

Beginning with the award-winning Watervale Riesling, which celebrated 50 vintages in 2023, the new bottle is 48 grams lighter than a standard riesling bottle.

The winery says that although this seems minimal, it equates to a total reduction in glass usage of 48 tonnes per year.

“As the market leader for premium Australian riesling, we are excited to be the first to produce a proprietary light-weight riesling bottle,” says sales and marketing director Sam Barry,

“This bottle plays a critical role in the future sustainability of the sector.”

The Clare Valley, of course, has a history of innovation.

The region was the first in Australia to collectively embrace the screwcap in 2000 and the new lightweight bottle is billed as the next evolution of that innovative thinking.

“Our family have always worked to minimise our environmental impact," Sam Barry says.

"This bottle in just one way we are reducing our carbon footprint and ensuring our business is sustainable for future generations.”

Jim Barry Wines is now a Toitu – carbonreduce-certified organisation. The business is also a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and will undertake the certification audit in October 2024.

The new lightweight bottles will begin appearing on the market in the coming weeks, and will eventually be used for all Jim Barry Wines rieslings for the 2024 vintage.

Are you ready for semersion therapy?

They do things a little bit differently at Thomas Wines in the Hunter Valley.

Father and son team Andrew and Dan Thomas make a wide range of wines but focus on only two varieties: Hunter favourites shiraz and semillon.

The Thomas team will be hitting the eastern seaboard soon to show off their fresh 2024 vintage semillons - and reports suggest the year has been a cracker.  

“At Thomas Wines, every winter we spend our days counting down to spring, which in Thomas wines speak means semillon season,” says Andrew Thomas.

“Each year on the first day of spring Thomas Wines release our highly anticipated line up of new vintage semillons, and being a shiraz and semillon only specialist means this is big news.

“This year we’re celebrating our annual release with a series of semillon-inspired lunches at top-notch waterside venues around the east coast, culminating in a wine lover’s festival-style event at Thomas Wines Cellar Door.

“From beachside foodie haunts in Newcastle to super new Brisbane River vantages, to two almost sold-out Sydney fine-diners there’s a Semersion coming to a place near you.”

Here are the dates:

Semersion Peregrin Newcastle

Friday August 23

Semersion Supernormal Brisbane

Sunday August 25

Semersion Thomas Wines Hunter Valley

Saturday August 31 12-4pm

Semersion Saint Peter Sydney

Saturday September 7  (SOLD OUT)

Sunday September 8

 

Holy smoke! Hunter vignerons mark the start of 2024 vintage

Hunter Valley vignerons have marked the start of the 2024 harvest.

Over one hundred local winemakers, vignerons, and representatives from the tourism industry gathered at Tyrrell’s Wines to partake in the Hunter Valley Vintage Smoking Ceremony, led by local Wannaruah elder Uncle Warren.

The smoking ceremony ritual was performed to cleanse and purify this year's harvest from negative energy, both in a physical and spiritual sense.

The age-old practice involves burning indigenous plants such as eucalyptus or emu bush, creating smoke with antimicrobial properties that are then transferred to the vines and soil.

Uncle Warren explained that the ceremony and its rituals are intended to safeguard the vines and fruit, providing guidance for the vineyards to achieve a successful harvest.

"Through this ceremony, producers will establish a profound connection with the land, gaining the support of Mother Nature and the spirits of Baiame and Kawal,” he said.

“This protective influence will ensure the well-being of the vineyards and their roots throughout this vintage, guiding the quest for the optimal balance of rain, sunshine, and all the essential elements from Mother Earth for a prosperous harvest on this terrain."

Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association president Chris Tyrrell said the annual event is quickly becoming an integral part of harvest and the broader industry.

“The industry views it as a means of further enhancing our connection with the land, as well as seeking the endorsement and safeguarding of nature and ancestral spirits for our vineyards,” he said.

“This ceremony is a testament to the collaborative bond between vineyard owners and local Indigenous communities, nurturing a deep-rooted appreciation for the land and its cultural heritage.”

For many producers in the Hunter Valley, the harvest season has commenced. White varietals such as chardonnay, semillon and some other alternatives have already been picked and crushed into juice. Red varietals, including the region's flagship red varietal, shiraz, are expected over the next few weeks.