One of our favourite Eden Valley wineries, Poonawatta Estate, has been honoured with two of its wines being selected in the Top 100 for the Australian Wine Vintages Gold Book.

More than 3500 wines were tasted for the 2011 edition of the Gold Book, compiled by Master of Wine Rob Geddes.
The wines selected were the Poonawatta Estate The Eden Riesling 2009 and the pinnacle Poonawatta Estate The 1880 Shiraz 2008, which is yet to be released.
Andrew Holt and his family are the custodians of the unique Poonawatta vineyard, home to 1.8 hectares of vines planted in 1880.

When Andrew’s parents purchased the sadly neglected property in the 1960s, they set about restoring these treasures while the strongest canes were replanted by hand in the stony soil. Fruit from these vines go into The Cuttings label.
Both The 1880 and The Cuttings, along with The Eden Riesling, continue to score points in the mid to high 90s. View Poonawatta Wines

A whirl of excitement surrounds Margaret River winery Stella Bella, after a series of rave reviews in recent weeks. Stella Bella has been making wine for just 10 years, under three labels – the easy drinking fun of Skuttlebutt, the middle tier range Stella Bella  and the premium (and curiously named) Suckfizzle.

Two books released in the past month have created much of the hubbub around Stella Bella.
The Big Red Wine book, written by Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, named the Stella Bella Cabernet Merlot 2007 as Australia’s “best red blend” and bestowed the honour of “winemaker of the year” on Janice McDonald.

James Halliday’s newly released Australian Wine Companion 2011 gave his laudatory red five stars to Stella Bella and handed out 96 points to three of its wines – the Suckfizzle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007, the Stella Bella Chardonnay 2008 and the Stella Bella Cabernet Merlot 2007.  “It’s hard to imagine the wines getting better,’’ Halliday wrote.

New Zealand’s leading wine expert Bob Campbell MW has named Greystone Winery as one of the twenty best producers in the land of the silver fern. Greystone received the honour in Decanter Magazine on the merit of its entire portfolio and its enormous potential. According to Campbell, the Waipara based winery “has hit the ground running thanks to a great vineyard site and the obvious skills of both the viticulturist and winemaker”. He notes that Greystone’s greatest strength currently lies with its aromatic whites, although Pinot Noir and even Syrah look to have a bright future.

Purple Palate wine guru Darren Davis recently presented wines to match Southern Indian dishes at last months Hilton Brisbane Hilton Masterclass Weekend. Another Master of Wine, Peter Scudamore-Smith, was particularly impressed with Davis’ choice of the 2009 Greystone Gewurztraminer to accompany a spicy curry creation from master chef Latchuman Supramaniam. Three other wines were also recognised as well chosen matches for the dishes served over the weekend; a 2009 Cirillo 1850 Grenache Rose, a 2010 Smallfry Barossa Riesling and a 2009 Massena Surly Muse Viognier. All these wines are available for purchase at Purple Palate stores. Read more of Scudamore-Smith’s thoughts here

The most anticipated book of wine reviews and ratings hit the shelves last Wednesday and Purple Palate would like to congratulate some of the small producers who have been recognised & praised by Australia’s penultimate Wine Critic, James Halliday.

Three wineries deserve to be singled out, each of them receiving 5 red stars, a rating that indicates an outstanding winery that regularly produces wines of exemplary quality and are acknowledged to have a long track record of excellence. In Halliday’s words, “truly the best of the best.” We have been proud to support two of these boutique producers since our inception; Massena Wines & Poonawatta Estate. The third, Stella Bella Wines from the Margaret River, have captured our imagination with their stunning portfolio of wines and we look forward to introducing them to you if they are not already familiar.

Barossa craftsmen (and women) received many accolades and we extend our congratulations to Smallfry Wines, Radford Wines, Laughing Jack and especially David Franz for their five star ratings. David Franz Wines was named one of the “Ten Dark Horses” of Australian Wine, receiving its first ever five stars. We’ve been telling people that this is a winery to watch and it’s great to see that the doyen of critics now holds them in the same regard. Leabrook Estate from the Adelaide Hills also feature in this very exclusive group of wineries allocated the full number of stars by James Halliday this year.

Purple Palate look forward to continuing our commitment to bring the highest quality small Wineries in Australia to you. Theirs are wines that are handmade in small amounts & often very difficult to find. We hope you’ll discover some new revelations next time you are in a store or ordering online.

On Friday the 23rd of August, Brisbane’s own Shiraz Club was proud to host a very special lunch with Yalumba’s Louisa Rose at Bar Barossa. The eloquent and talented Rose won the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Women in Wine award in 2004 and was named Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine in 2008.  Despite all the accolades being thrown her way, Louisa remains humble and centered, pointing out that ”at Yalumba, we don’t make wine to win awards, we make it to be enjoyed.” And the wines that were served over a long lunch that day were certainly enjoyed by all in attendance.

The afternoon began with a glass or two of an extremely youthful and fresh 2002 Yalumba D Cuvée, a rare sentimental favourite of the winery. Following the bubbles it was on to some delicious Bar Barossa Plates and the first flight of three superb Shiraz based wines. Rose fielded questions on the wines, explaining that the fruit sourced to form the backbone of the 2006 Shiraz Viognier was chosen for its aromatic & floral intensity even before it was co-fermented with 5% Viognier. “The Viognier is included for added textural complexity as much as anything else.”

The next few wines were all part of Yalumba’s highly acclaimed Single Site series, crafted with the intention of exploring the different qualities that sub-regions within the Barossa can impart. Each wine spoke of its place with conviction whilst also pairing beautifully with chef JJ. Smith’s Whole Roasted Eye Fillet, Gruyere Rosti, Baby Vege’s & Shitake Cream. Louisa spoke with a passion that seemed not to have dimmed over 18 years with the family owned winery. A sense of palpable excitement pervaded her discussion of the task ahead; investigating Barossan terroir in more detail.

Finally, it was onto the famous Options game. Most of the audience guessed correctly that the unidentified wine in front of them was from the Barossa, but the wheat was separated from the chaff when it came to guessing whether the Shiraz was from the Valley floor or the elevated Eden region. Eventually it was revealed that we were tasting a rare Magnum of 1987 Henschke Hill of Grace. A very special treat indeed and a fitting end to a spectacular gathering. -Jeremy Pringle

On Wednesday night we held our 3rd annual Barossa in Boardshorts wine tasting, an event which brings the best of the Barossa to Brisbane. Another Paint the Town Purple success saw around 200 wine enthusiasts turn up, all eager to explore the diversity of the region through the small producers we aim to support.  For many it was chance to discover the superb wines of  Linfield Road, Domain Barossa, Balthazar, Russell wines, Moorooroo Park and other boutique producers from the region. Some people were even lucky enough to get a taste of a rare 2002 MDV Wines Eden Valley Riesling which was drinking beautifully and had many years ahead of it.

The night also marked our move to a special new tasting venue; The Strand at Rugby Quay. It’s fantastic place to enjoy our Paint the Town Purple events and we appreciate your support as we continue to grow. Our special congratulations go to Brandon Wortley from Ray White who won a magnum of  great wine and Kerry Grant of Teneriffe, winner of a unique Penfolds Grange tasting worth $900. We look forward to seeing you all next time!

Tony Love has interviewed Purple Palate wine expert Darren Davis on the challenging subject of matching wine with Indian Cuisine, with the story published in today’s Courier Mail Taste Magazine. Love acknowledges that Davis is “working on dispelling the myth that the only wine that region does is a big, rich shiraz.” Darren suggests considering Barossa Rosé, Riesling or Sparkling Shiraz to accompany the complex flavours and spices found in these dishes. “Having a touch of sweetness is not such a bad thing when you’re talking about curry and chilli,” he notes. Read more of Love’s article here

Davis will be presenting wines to match the southern Indian dishes created by Latchuman Supramanian from the Hilton Kuala Lumpur at the much anticipated Hilton Brisbane Masterclass Weekend next month.

Join the Coast’s favourite wine guru Darren Naylor for an amazing tasting of over 100 great wines.

Featuring boutique and iconic back vintage wines from across Australia and New Zealand along with new releases from Laughing Jack, Poonawatta and Radford & many others.

Enjoy tasty canapes, prize draws & all the fabulous fun on the night.

Where: The Esplanade, Mooloolaba

When: Friday July 9th from 6pm-9pm

Bookings:  darrenn@purplepalate.com or ph: 1300 1GRAPE (1300 147 273)

Tickets:  $30pp and strictly limited

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Wine writer Travis Schultz has sung the praises of Soul Growers in a recent article, having discovered that these old vine wines are a unique combination of value without sacrificing quality. “I’m sure it’s not just me who has champagne taste on a spumante budget, so if it’s you too, I’ll share a recent discovery,” Schultz wrote before recommending the 2006 Soul Growers Shiraz Cabernet and Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre as his pick of the bunch.

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