Meet the couple changing the perceptions of Queensland wines

 

Queensland wine is still struggling for widespread acceptance.

While there have always been some talented artisans working in the Granite Belt region, consistency of quality has long been a problem.

Meet Ray and Jenny Costanzo, who are among a new wave lifting the profile of the Granite Belt and Queensland as a whole.

Ray is a third generation winemaker, having completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (winemaking) at Charles Sturt University and honing his skills doing vintages in various parts of Australia and the USA, before returning home to Stanthorpe to follow in his father and grandfathers footsteps as winemaker at Golden Grove Estate.

But the Costanzos also have their own little side project: Storm King Wines with wines that are handcrafted and made in tiny quantities.

Across two vintages, they are producing some of the most exciting wine styles Queensland has to offer with the new releases from the 2022 vintage full of vivacity and nuance.

Founded two years ago, Storm King is named for the area where the couple lives and reflect "a passion for wines that are just a little left of centre result and worth savouring".

The savoury, textural 2022 Vermentino ($40) raw-boned 2022 Shiraz Malbec ($45) and 2022 Tempranillo ($45) - an absolute standout - are made with extended contact with skins, natural ferments, hand plunging, basket pressing and minimal filtrations. 

The tempranillo (above) will change whatever preconceptions you may have about Queensland wine, but be quick: only 660 bottles were produced. 

Sustainability, too, is paramount with recycled grape waste and compostable inks used for the labels, and the use of a more environmentally friendly cork producer. 

See https://www.stormkingwineco.com.au/     

French producers turn to gluggable chilled red wines

French winemakers and merchants are turning to chilled red wines - unusual in France - as a way to increase revenues. 

Despite many French drinkers being very traditional in their approach, a new wave of French reds is designed to be enjoyed as young and at the same temperature as rosés, wine industry newsletter Vitisphere reported this week. 

New ways of presenting wines can result in new customers, says Jerome Busato, who served his red wine served at 10°C in a bucket filled with ice at Inter Rhône wine bar in Avignon. 

"It's the wine that I sold the most during this evening when I presented my range of Côtes du Rhône wines," says the owner of organic producer Château Cohola in the delightful village of Sablet. 

This cuvée is called Fruit and is vinified to be drunk chilled.

“In summer, tourists are more likely to choose rosés and whites than reds, which nevertheless constitute the heart of our production," says Busato. 

"So, two years ago, with my wife, we decided to offer them a cuvée to drink during their holidays. It was a real success. 

"Customers who buy a bottle come back to take a box. The return rate is truly amazing!"

And at €11 a bottle there is money to be made in chilled reds. 

Maison Laurent Brotte in Châteauneuf-du-Pape has just launched its Rouge Frigo, a Côtes-du-Rhône rouge with an alcohol content of 12.5°, designed to be drunk chilled as its name proclaims. See www.rougefrigo.com/ 

“We want to find the moments of consumption such as the aperitif, the grills, the unstructured meals”, says winery commercial director Thibault Brotte. 

Rouge Frigo sells for €5.95. 

"We have never had so much interest in a product launch," says Brotte. 

In Bordeaux, too, the machine is in motion. 

The Larraqué Vins International group has created a red called Hors-Piste (off the track), a cabernet franc with an alcohol content of 12.5°. 

“Rosés are doing well and now almost all year round,” says observes Grégoire Delangre, the company's communications manager. "We think there's a place for fresh drinking reds." 

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