Italian varieties shine in Mudgee half a century on

Carlo Corino was a winemaker ahead of his time.

Five decades ago Corino identified then relatively obscure Mudgee as an ideal region for growing Italian grape varieties in Australia.

Corino produced several outstanding wines under the Montrose label made from then unknown Italian grape varieties - but his work went largely unrecognised.

Corino, who died in 2007, left Australia and returned home to Italy, where he helped create some of the first attention-grabbing wines from Sicily.

Today, Italian varieties are shining in Mudgee, as shown by two new releases from First Ridge.

The duo is made from barbera, a native of northern Italy, and montepulciano, which thrives in central and southern Italy.

Both are from the standout 2023 vintage, an First Ridge vigneron John Nicholas says they showcase the depth and elegance of Italian varieties grown in Mudgee’s elevated vineyards. First Ridge is at 520 metres.

“The 2023 harvest period saw ideal conditions, with little to no rain, mild weather and slow ripening, producing grapes with perfect colour, concentration and tannin profiles, albeit later than normal,” says Nicholas.

“We are very proud of these new wines. Our winemaker, James Manners, knows the vineyard well and continues to highlight the power and finesse of these Italian varieties and their suitability to our site.”

The First Ridge vineyard is home to a range of premium Italian varieties, including montepulciano and barbera, along with pinot grigio, sangiovese, vermentino, prosecco [glera] and fiano.

“We are extremely grateful to the work that the late Dr Richard Smart did for us in the early days when we established the vineyard,” explains Nicholas. “He had the experience, foresight and fortitude to build on the work of Mudgee vinicultural pioneer Carlo Corino, who established these varieties in Australia in the 1970s.

“We continue to be optimistic about these varieties. Our customers at the cellar door and in the trade are curious about the wines, and keen to taste them."

The montepulciano was my favourite of the pair, matched with a mushroom pizza, but both wines offer interesting savoury drinking for $45. Both would be great with a pasta and a ragu sauce. 

See www.firstridge.com.au

Wine on the Rocks: a popular festival returns

It's back. Sydney Cellar Door, a two-day celebration of wines from across New South Wales, returns this November.

 
November will mark the first-ever NSW Wine Month - which will be highlighted by the return of Sydney Cellar Door to be held on November 9-10.

Sydney Cellar Door will be held for the first time in almost a decade at Tallawolagah Lawn, outside the MCA in The Rocks.

The event will be run by NSW Wine in partnership with The Rocks precinct.

Sydney Cellar Door is designed as "the tentpole moment" of the debut NSW Wine Month in Sydney, which aims to be a celebration of the state’s best winemakers featuring tasting events, masterclasses and Sydney-wide venue promotions.

More information is available at www.sydneycellardoor.com

Sydney Cellar Door will showcase wines from 40 regional producers across 16 wine regions.

 
Philip Shaw and Ross Hill will be pouring wines from the cool-climate slopes of Orange, family-owned brands like Margan and Tyrrell’s will be representing the Hunter Valley while Lowe Family Wines and Robert Stein will be showcasing classic Mudgee drops.

 
The Sydney Cellar Door event will be free to attend, with guests able to purchase branded tasting glasses and tokens to sample their way through the different producers. There will be food trucks and live entertainment.

"The relaunch of Sydney Cellar Door in 2024 marks the revival of an important landmark event in Sydney’s wine culture, and one that we look forward to growing" said Mark Bourne, president, of NSW Wine.

"After 235 years since the first grapes were planted in Australia at Circular Quay, winemakers from across NSW are returning to showcase the diversity and quality of wines."

The complete NSW Wine Month program includes events like Margan’s Pop-up Cellar Door at Chiswick; Brokenwood Banquet at Luna Lu; High Altitude Wine at Sydney Tower’s Bar 83, and De Beaurepaire Wines winemakers dinner at Kin, Lane Cove. 

Regional wine pioneer to shut up shop

 

One of the pioneering wineries in the Central West of NSW is to close up after 30 years.

Margaret Wallington, who runs a 1000-acre organic farm outside Canowindra in the Central Ranges, has announced the closure of Wallington Wines.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that Wallington Wines is wrapping up," she said in a social media post and newsletter to customers.

"I have had to make the very difficult decision to sell the Wallington Farm and focus on my health and family," she said.

"I would like to thank everyone who has supported our family boutique winery since we planted the first vines in 1992.

"With the enormous growth of the Cowra wine region in the 1990s I enjoyed being a part of such an exciting time for the region and threw myself into driving our region forward.

"I have had enormous pride for the achievements especially within Canowindra."

The first Wallington wines were made by Iain Riggs in 1995 and 1996 before Murray Smith of Canobolas Smith Wines in Orange took over. Margaret has made her own wines in the one-site straw bale winery since 2000, and subsequently converted to organics and biodynamics.

" I felt that these practices would allow us to create more authentic and sustainable wines," she said. "I was passionate about working with the land to create more resilient ecosystems. This has been a core value of our winemaking at Wallington and values I am proud to have passed onto my children."

Wallington lost her husband Anthony in 2003 and has been a solo parent to four children.

One, daughter Nadja and her partner Steve Mobbs, joined Wallington several years ago and now run their own vineyard: ChaLou in Orange.

"So while it is the end of an era here at Wallington, I am excited to see what they will achieve and see the wines they will craft," Margaret said.

There is a closing down sale on right now at https://www.wallingtonwines.com.au/store Use the code WINEWALLY for 20% off.