The Palate - November/December

Hi there,

Welcome to our bumper Christmas edition of The Palate.

With the festive season well and truly underway, we introduce you to full-bodied and complex sparkling wines, including – of course – our multi-award winning 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba. We will give you the opportunity to purchase last-minute Christmas gifts, and help you prepare for the big day by matching your favourite Hardys wines with traditional Aussie Christmas dishes.

We will also fill you in on what happened at the very first MasterChef LIVE event in Sydney last week. Of course no issue of The Palate is complete without checking in with Bill Hardy on his latest travels abroad as Hardys Ambassador, and as always we keep you up to speed with our latest awards and accolades.

Don't forget, we also want to hear from you, so be sure to vote in our Have your Say section, where we ask you what your favourite food and wine pairing is at Christmas.

From the team at Hardys, we wish you all a safe and merry Christmas, and a great start to 2011!

In this issue:

Wine Style
From the Winery
Hardys at Large
You said it!

And much more!

Full-bodied and complex sparkling wines

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

It’s time to celebrate the festive season with some outstanding sparkling wines, and in this issue of The Palate we look at our 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba, 2004 Sir James Vintage and 2004 Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz.

But let’s sidetrack for a moment – did you know that Thomas Hardy was one of the first producers of sparkling wine in South Australia? Indeed he was, way back in 1867. I’m not sure what variety the first wine was made from (maybe Semillon), nor how it tasted, but we've come a long way in terms of quality and how we make our wines. I firmly believe Australia now produces the best sparkling wines in the world, outside of the famed Champagne region. This is not an egotistical statement, rather one backed by numerous tastings, and certainly our company has been at the forefront of producing the very best sparkling wines in Australia.

So what makes sparkling wines full-bodied and complex? The answer is rather multifaceted and incorporates a whole gamut of interrelated areas, such as where and how the fruit is grown, varieties involved, production techniques, the use or non-use of malolactic fermentation, secondary fermentation, time on yeast lees, and time on cork prior to release.

The multi-award winning 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba is a great example of a full-bodied and complex sparkling, a wine sourced entirely from the Tumbarumba region, in the southern alpine districts of New South Wales. The vineyards are 450-600 metres above sea level – think cool, think really cool (two pairs of ugg boots cool, even in summer!). For the grapes, this means an ideal environment for retaining great natural acidity and developing great flavour at lower sugar levels.

The 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba is made from Pinot Noir (lychee flavours), Chardonnay (sea salt or mushroom flavours) and Pinot Meunier (meaty or brothy flavours). All grapes are handpicked and then whole bunch pressed. After bottle fermentation, the wine then undergoes one of the most important steps in sparkling wine production, tirage or resting on yeast lees (in this case for six years). The yeast adds remarkable complex flavour and contributes to a finer mousse, and all of the above results in a delicious kaleidoscope of flavours and delivers a rich, indeed full-bodied style that shows complex brioche, toasty, button mushroom nuances, fine mousse, a long flavoursome palate with muscle yet elegance, and a delicious aftertaste ... more please!

The 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba has won an unbelievable four trophies and 43 medals, including 10 gold. It has also been named in the Sydney International Wine Competition’s prestigious TOP 1OO for 2011.

The 2004 Sir James Vintage picks up on the multi-regional blends we are famous for across our entire portfolio. We have combined the Yarra Valley, Tasmania and Tumbarumba regions, while using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes in the final cuvee. The production methods are similar yet different to the 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba (for example, less time on yeast lees), the multi-regional influence adding a diverse array of flavours. From stone fruits through to citrus blossom, the fine acid levels of the 2004 Sir James Vintage deliver a style that can be served as an aperitif just after Santa has delivered his presents!

The 2004 Sir James Vintage has accrued 21 medals, four of which have been gold.

Sparkling Shiraz dates back to the early 1840s. We used to call it Sparkling Burgundy, a traditional Aussie favourite at Christmas due to its amazing ability to match the flavour of ham and turkey so well and contribute to the outcome of the backyard cricket match.

The 2004 Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz is sourced from the wonderful Clare Valley region. For a warm region, it has the remarkable ability to produce grapes with good levels of natural acidity when picked at full ripeness. After fermentation, the wine undergoes maturation in old oak to help soften the tannins. It is then bottle fermented and aged on lees. By its very nature, it is full-bodied and complex, with a flavour profile of spice, leather and dark fruits, finished off with a savoury tannin structure.

The 2004 Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz has been awarded 11 medals, including two gold. It was also named Wine Judges and Consumer Judges First Place in the Sparkling Reds category at the 2010 South Australian Wine of the Year Awards.

	Wine Region Focus – Clare Valley Situated in the northern Mt Lofty Ranges of South Australia, Clare Valley was settled in the late 1830s, with the first vineyards planted and wines produced in the early 1840s. The region is now home to about 50 wineries, with the region producing about 2% of the Australian grape crush. James Halliday has described Clare Valley as one of Australia’s most beautiful wine-producing regions. Hills fold in on themselves, streamlets meander, and lines of gumtrees are forever twisting through pockets of vineyards and around old stone houses. The same features that make the Clare Valley inherently beautiful – steep north-south ranges rising from the flats to the west, deep narrow gullies, high windswept plateaus, wide open valley floors and austere slate escarpments – are the foundation of the region’s famed vineyards. Fruit for our 2004 Hardys Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz is sourced from Clare Valley, which produces rich and supple Shiraz that is ideally suited to premium sparkling reds. To read more about the Clare Valley wine region, visit the Wine Australia website by clicking here.
	Great last-minute Christmas gift ideas We have three great member offers for Christmas: Christmas Table Wines, 6pk 1 bottle of each of the following: Nottage Hill Pinot Grigio 2009 Nottage Hill Cabernet Shiraz 2009 Oomoo Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Oomoo McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2008 Oomoo McLaren Vale Shiraz 2008 Twice Lost Shiraz Cabernet Rose 2009 Price: $69.00 RRP: $87.00 Christmas Sparkling Wines, 6pk 1 bottle of each of the following: Sir James Tumbarumba 2000 Sir James Vintage Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2004 Sir James Brut de Brut NV Sir James Cuvee Brut NV Oomoo Clare Valley Sparkling Shiraz Nottage Hill Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay NV Price: $100.00 RRP: $134.00 Eileen Hardy Shiraz gift pack 1 bottle of Eileen Hardys Shiraz 2005 One Vinturi wine aerator One pocket wine guide A set of two Spiegelau stemless wine glasses One Waiter's Friend Price: $150.00 RRP: $185.00 To order any of these fantastic offers, click here
	From the Kitchen Christmas here again? Unbelievable! But how wonderful that we have an occasion to once again celebrate with Hardys! Christmas is all about bubbles and so too are we. For a really special wine to toast the day pre lunch or for breakfast, forget the French and open a bottle of Sir James Tumbarumba. Without doubt it is one of the most complex, flavoursome Australian sparking wines around. The extra strength of flavour in this wine enables it to complement shellfish – yabbies, marron, crab, cray and lobster, as well as barbecued prawns. And if Sparkling Shiraz doesn't tickle your fancy during the year, then now is the time to pop a bottle of the 2004 Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz, because there are very few sparkling reds of this calibre in the market. It is packed with plum pudding chocolate, liquorice, fruitcake and earthy flavours. Amazingly complex and long, its complexity complements reduced meat sauces and roast veggies, and it has just the right amount of sweetness to enable it to pair well with the cranberry sauce at the start, through to the pudding at the finish. Served chilled, it is also the perfect match for cold or hot turkey or ham, and roast veggies. Now, for the important part ... if you are one of those people who put off making your pud until the day before Christmas, rejoice – we have just the recipe for you! This one is super easy, can be made the night before and tastes fantastic when paired with the 2004 Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz. Ruth Evans’ Christmas Pudding Ingredients 450g butter 450g bread crumbs 450g sultanas 450g raisins 450g brown sugar 110g blanched almonds 340g mixed peel 3 tbls treacle 200ml brandy 10 eggs A little cinnamon, spice, mace and nutmeg. Method Chop butter and put in basin with other dry ingredients. Add well beaten eggs and treacle. Mix well. Lastly, add brandy. Put in a large pudding basin, cover securely and boil for 8 hours. Note: As this pudding is butter based, it is not suitable for cooking in a cloth. Notes 1/ Currants can be substituted for peel. 2/ I put the mix into a 3-litre pyrex glass basin, making sure to leave some room for expansion during cooking (there will be enough mixture left over for another small pudding). These have a small rim and are available at Coles. I then put a layer of baking paper and two layers of alfoil over the basin and tie it tightly with cooking string (the rim stops this cover from coming off the top). Next, I trim the cover so there is about 2cm left below the string – this I fold and roll up over the string to make the smallest possible edge as you do not want it to be in the water when you boil the pudding. 3/ To prevent the pudding sticking to the bowl when you tip it onto a serving platter, the bowl can be lined with a cut up oven bag. 4/ I cook the pudding in an aluminium Chinese steamer, but any pot that will take the basin and has a lid will do. I fill with water to about two-thirds to three-quarters up the side of the basin and simmer/steam for 6 hours (smaller puddings need less time, but the time does seem to be quite flexible). 5/ When reheating before serving, I usually simmer/steam as above for 3 hours. 6/ It seems to be normal for some of the butter to escape into the water in the pot.
	Perfect Christmas pairings We have matched top Hardys drops with some traditional Aussie Christmas favourites to help you plan for the big day: Rosemary roasted turkey – Our 2010 Nottage Hill Pinot Noir would go perfectly! Ham off the bone – Don’t overlook our 2010 HRB Riesling. Roasted pork shoulder – Why not reach for our 2010 Nottage Hill Chardonnay? Seafood platter – Definitely our 2009 Oomoo Sauvignon Blanc! Ruth Evans' Christmas Pudding – Of course our 2004 Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz would be ideal, but if you're after an alternative, spoil yourself with our multi-award winning XO Brandy!

It's bottling time for our super premium reds. Down the line goes our 2009 HRB Shiraz, a blend this year of Clare Valley and McLaren Vale fruit, in roughly 65/35% proportions. It's another exciting drop in our HRB stable, expressing a very well represented example of regional blending.

In the cellar we're continuing with our 2010 red wine oak work and preparing wines for bottling in readiness for the Christmas craze.

	From the Tasting Bench A cheeky new addition to our Nottage Hill range is the 2009 Pinot Grigio. This soft and approachable wine displays flavours of juicy pear and fresh ripe apple, a hint of spice and crisp acidity. Variety is the spice of life, so consider trying Nottage Hill Pinot Grigio with friends!
	Cellar Door Offer Subscribers of The Palate can now purchase any six bottles from our Nottage Hill range for $45.00. Our range includes Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz Viognier, Cabernet Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Offer includes complimentary domestic Australian freight.
	Awards and Accolades Hardys HRB series enjoys golden run in Hobart Hardys won the Best Shiraz trophy at the 2010 Wrest Point Royal Hobart International Wine Show on Wednesday, November 17 for its 2008 HRB Shiraz after winning top gold in Class 53 (2008 Vintage & Older Dry Red – Shiraz, 2008 vintage). It is the third gold medal the McLaren Vale/Clare Valley cross-regional blend has been awarded during the 2010 royal wine show year, also scoring golds in Sydney and Adelaide. In addition to the success of the 2008 HRB Shiraz in Hobart, the HRB series collected a further three gold medals. The 2009 HRB Chardonnay, featuring fruit from Pemberton and the Adelaide Hills, won top gold in the 2009 Vintage & Older Dry White category (Class 17 – Wooded Chardonnay, 2009 vintage). The 2007 HRB Shiraz (Class 54 – Shiraz, 2007 vintage), a McLaren Vale/Clare Valley blend, and the 2007 HRB Cabernet Sauvignon (Class 52 – Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 and older vintages), a Coonawarra/McLaren Vale blend, won gold in the 2008 Vintage & Older Dry Red category. The multi-award winning XO Brandy also added to its long list of medals, winning gold in Hobart in the Brandy category (Class 101 – Brandy, at least two years old and not exceeding five years). Hardys earns golden dozen Hardys won six gold medals at the 2010 National Wine Show of Australia, held in Canberra on Thursday, November 25. Four of the golds went to our HRB range – 2007 HRB Shiraz, 2008 HRB Cabernet Shiraz, 2006 HRB Shiraz and 2008 HRB Shiraz. Also enjoying gold was the 2008 Eileen Hardy Chardonnay and 2006 Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon. Eileen Hardy Chardy makes Top 100 The 2008 Eileen Hardy Chardonnay was named in James Halliday's Top 100, published in The Weekend Australian Magazine, November 13-14, 2010. It was awarded an impressive 97 points in the Whites Over $20 category. “Can fairly be said to represent the state of the art of Chardonnay in Australia today, without in any way diminishing the stature of single vineyard wines; it has exceptional focus and intensity without sacrificing elegance; fruit, oak and acidity are seamless, the palate of extreme length,” Halliday said. The 2004 Eileen Hardy Shiraz also scored 97 points, but narrowly missed the cut, named in the category's ‘Most unlucky misses’. Sir James Tumbarumba named in TOP 1OO The multi-award winning Hardys 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba added another accolade to its already impressive tally recently, making the Sydney International Wine Competition’s prestigious TOP 1OO™ for 2011. The Sir James Tumbarumba was just one of 22 sparkling wines to make the cut, out of more than 90 sparklings entered from Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy. The TOP 1OO accounts for the top 5% of Sydney International Wine Competition entries, which are capped at 2000. Prior to the TOP 1OO, the 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba had already won an unbelievable four trophies and 43 medals, including 10 gold. The Sydney International Wine Competition will announce its 2011 trophy winners at its Trophies Banquet Dinner in Sydney on Saturday, February 26, 2011, and we are hopeful of another great result for the 2000 Sir James Tumbarumba. Oomoo Chardy makes Hot 100 Hardys 2008 Oomoo Chardonnay made The Adelaide Review Hot 100 South Australian Wines, released in early November. “Fine grained, creamy oak, very full flavoured with a lick of acid to take you onto the next glass,” judges commented. Sir James Hardy named among most influential Sir James Hardy OBE has been named in the Liquor Merchants Association of Australia’s 21 Most Influential Liquor Identities. Created to mark the 21^st edition of its publication, Drinks Trade, LMAA generated the roll to honour and recognise the contributions of some of the more outstanding and influential individuals in the liquor industry and their achievements during the past 21 years. Widely admired for his sporting prowess and approachable nature, Sir James’ passion for sailing saw him knighted in 1981 for services to the yachting community. But between international regattas (including two Olympics and three at the helm in the America’s Cup), Sir James served on the Hardys board, including 12 years as chairman, as well as devoting considerable time to national, environmental and community organisations. His flair, good humour and infectious enthusiasm advanced the profile of Hardys. The 21 Most Influential Liquor Identities were announced at the LMAA annual Christmas lunch on Wednesday, November 24 at Doltone House in Sydney. The winners will be published in the February/March 2011 issue of Drinks Trade.

Out and about with Bill Hardy

On my way home from Japan, I spent three days working in the Philippines with my former colleague from head office at Reynella, Sam Martin, who now works from Singapore and manages this market as well as Taiwan and Vietnam. Hardys wines are distributed in the Philippines by Future Trade International, which was formed by a group of former International Distillers and Vintners (IDV) executives in the 1990s. Understandably, the company was very spirits orientated in the early days, but since they have taken on Hardys, wine has become a major part of their business. In fact, Hardys is the number one Australian wine brand in this market, and the Philippines has become the number one case market in South-East Asia for our company.

Naturally enough, I spent the first two days in Manila, where my main activity was product training – on both Australian and Hardys wines – for the food and beverage staff of our best on-premise outlets. Between training sessions, I participated in a radio interview and recorded some radio ads for the local market. I also helped host a lunch at the Manila Club and an evening reception – cleverly called ‘Hallowine’ as it was on the eve of Halloween – at the new Manila Marriott, where Australian Richard Saul is general manager. But the toughest gig of all was making a late night trade call at the REPUBLIQ club during the judging of the inaugural Miss Philippines Playboy of the Year!

On my final day, we headed down to the resort town of Tagaytay, a couple of hours south of Manila. This amazing town sits on the rim of a volcano, the crater of which is now largely filled with a stunning lake some 6 kilometres in diameter. In fact, there is still an active outlet of the volcano on an island in the middle of this lake. Since the volcano has not erupted for over a century, there is also a sulphurous lake in the smaller crater on this island. As the locals like to point out, this smaller lake is in the crater of a volcano on an island in a lake in the crater of a volcano on an island (Luzon) in an ocean!

Once again, I hosted a training session for 40 food and beverage staff and regional wholesalers – one of whom travelled eight hours to attend – before repeating our Hallowine reception at the Steakhouse at the beautiful Highland Resort, which has three 18-hole golf courses stepping down the crater rim to the lake’s edge. And, would you believe, no time for me to flog the little white ball before departing the following morning!

	Nottage Hill sizzles at MasterChef LIVE We have just returned from MasterChef LIVE in Sydney and it was great to meet some of you. Thanks for coming up to the stand and talking to us! Sydney certainly turned on beautiful warm and sunny weather, and more than 28,000 people attended the event over the three days. We were kept very busy with tastings of our Nottage Hill range and our food and wine sessions. We partnered with Australia on a Plate with our cheese session, matching Nottage Hill wines with amazing Australian and French cheeses. This was followed by an innovative session breaking the belief that Asian spicy foods and wines do not match. New Sydney restaurant Chefs Gallery created four moreish morsels and these were matched, once again, with our Nottage Hill wines. For our third session of the day, we partnered with Australian owned and designed Plumm Glassware. Narelle from Plumm highlighted how glassware can enhance drinking wine. After the sessions our marquee turned into a wine bar with many people enjoying a glass of Nottage Hill in the shade – we were even visited by a few MasterChefs themselves (see photo)! We had more than 400 people enter our 'Win a Nottage Hill Sparkling Gift Pack' competition and we are pleased to announce that the winners are: Mary Hunt – Double Bay, NSW Bill Forsbey – East Gosford, NSW Minh Ta – Lane Cove, NSW Congratulations!

Have your Say

Here at Hardys we like to find out what you think and what is important to you – it helps keep us on our toes and inspires us!

Each month we'll ask you to vote on a particular topic and we will post the results the following month.

This month we'd love to know what your favourite food and wine pairing is at Christmas. Click here to cast your vote.