I simply can’t hold myself back any longer… the drive to write a weekly column on Merlot has become too entrancing to me.

As Julie Andrews once sang out in the Sound of Music: “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start”.

The origin of Merlot, the ups and the downs

Merlot is a red wine grape originating in the Bordeaux area of France. The name ‘Merlot’ is the old French word for young blackbird. Merlot is a diminutive of the word ‘merle’ – the name for many kinds of thrushes, as well as the blackbird. It is still not certain to this day whether it was the dark-blue colour of the grape, or the blackbird’s fondness for them that invited the naming.

Merlot is believed to be somewhat genetically derived from Cabernet Franc and is also biologically related to the Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

The earliest recorded mention of Merlot was in the 1784 notes of a Bordeaux official. He praised a wine made in the Libournais region as one of the area’s best. He was certainly spot on – this much we know today!

This region, around the North bank of the Dordogne River, including the appellations of Saint Emilion and Pomerol, receives frost earlier than the Medoc region which is protected by the Gironde estuary. Because the Merlot grape ripens earlier than its sister Cabernet Sauvignon, it was always more suited to be grown there. Merlot is now the dominant grape grown in this area.

The popularity of Merlot increased considerably throughout many decades and by the 19^th century, it was also being planted in the Medoc region on the ‘Left Bank’ of the Gironde estuary. The need for volume did, in some small ways, override the historical importance of terroir in early winemaking, but with seemingly low interference in overall style. Merlot grown in the Medoc is blended differently to the juice from Pomerol and Saint Emilion.

The first written notation of Merlot in Italy, generated around Venice in 1855, was under the name Bordo. Merlot is now Italy’s fifth most planted grape.

Further abroad, Merlot was was introduced from traveling Bordeaux grape growers sometime in the 19^th century. The grape came to the attention of local authorities in the Ticino province of Switzerland between 1905 and 1910.

Some major setbacks however, slowed things down for Merlot in Bordeaux from the late 1940′s. There was a severe frost in 1956 and several vintages were lost to rot in the 1960s. This led to Bordeaux authorities banning any new planting of Merlot vines between 1970 and 1975.

Coincidentally, it was this period in which Merlot consumption and market perception dropped considerably. It seemed that the grape was becoming less popular, when in reality this change was force-driven by the leading authorities of the grape in France – the then largest producer of the wine in the world!

Making a well-deserved comeback, Merlot grapes are now grown in over 19 countries including Australia, the US and South Africa, but the definitive superlative example of Merlot wine is (and virtually always has been) created by Chateau Petrus, a Bordeaux estate in the Pomerol appellation, only 500m from St Emilion. - Daniel Jess

The Australian Small Winemakers Show (ASWS) is held in Stanthorpe each year. For Queensland to host such an enterprising and well-regarded wine show every twelve months is a wonderful step in the right direction for our local grape producers.

Outstanding wines were presented this year to a number of highly qualified judges. Here are some of the winners:

Champion Small Winery – Golden Grove Estate

Champion Red Wine - Winburndale Wines ‘Fontana’ Cabernet 2008

Champion White Wine – Coolangatta Estate Semillon 2006

Champion Fortified Wine – Stanton & Killeen Wines ‘Grand Muscat’

Best Sparkling Wine – Robert Channon Wines ‘Singing Lake Sparkling’ Chardonnay 2008

Best Queensland White Wine – Ridgemill Estate ‘Pedigree’ Chardonnay 2009

Best Queensland Red Wine – Golden Grove Estate Malbec 2009

Dick de Luca Trophy for Best Queensland Shiraz – Ballandean Estate Wines ‘Generation 3′ Shiraz 2007.

My favourite wine judge comment from this show was given for the 2009 Chardonnay division: “Be careful, though, not to throw the baby out with the bathwater – the wines need fruit above all.”

For me, this comment rings true for most styles of wine, not just Chardonnay. All in all, a great show with some cracking wines. - Daniel Jess

Queen Street Blind Tasting

The first ever Club Purple blind tasting was held in-store at Purple Palate Queen Street last week.

Providing great insight into the variations of modern Chardonnay, it was the regional differences of the wines that shone through on the evening – more than anyone first imagined.

The tasting followed a traditional blind format, where each participant sampled eight wines from numbered paper bags. Everyone was encouraged to discuss the wine in their glass. Tasters were then provided with a number of guiding clues. For example, 4 Chardonnays were from the Margaret River/Great Southern region, 2 were from Burgundy and 2 from Chablis.

Tasters were given the names of two wines that were sure to be in the line-up – Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay and Simonnet-Febvre Petit Chablis – in the hope that these might stand-out.

Everyone worked through the wines thoughtfully, discussing the similarities and differences of each wine.  Eventually, the group achieved consensus.

It was intriguing to see how successfully the tasters rationalised the origins and makers of each masked wine. The Margaret River wines stood out for having exceptionally strong, sweet fruit and fresh oak aromas. The Chablis were consistently chalky, dominated by green apple and pear characters. Finally, the Burgundies were slightly more understated, though richer and expertly oaked.

A wide range of price-points were represented from $30 – $175. The wine quality was generally applauded, though there were obvious preferences for certain styles.

After the tasting, all participants were emailed the identity of each masked wine to check off against their notes.

The wines for the night:

2008 Simonnet-Febvre Petit Chablis ($33)
2007 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran – Burgundy ($34)
2008 Warner Glen Estate Margaret River ($32)
2007 Leeuwin Estate Art Series ($95)
2007 Domaine F&A Jobard, Mersault-Genevrieres, 1er Cru – Burgundy ($175)
2008 Stella Bella Margaret River ($30)
2008 Domaine Christian Moreau ‘Cuvee Guy Moreau’ Vallions 1er Cru Chablis ($90)
2009 Marchand & Burch Porongurup – Great Southern ($75)

Next month we will sniff out Pinot Noir from around the world.
To participate, contact:  Matt or Nick

- Nick Turner, Daniel Jess (ed.)

Brisbane really shows its true colour whenever there is a wine event at Rugby Quay – and that’s the colour purple. Purple Palate’s most exciting event so far is about to be held on Thursday November 4th.

Paint the Town Purple

Back in September, the ‘Regional Heroes’ event showcased over 100 wines from top Australian producers. Next month, the scrumptiously named “Juicy Fruits” event will play host to 200 guests, 10 premium winemakers and over 100 handcrafted wines- a rare opportunity indeed.

If you need more convincing than I do to jump in line for a ticket, here are some highlights from the September event:

“While most wines on show were exceptional, Massena winemaker Jason Collins was exceptionally well received. His wines The Moonlight Run, Barbera, Eleventh Hour Shiraz and Viognier were snapped up by admirers of mighty Barossan vino. Listed as a five star winery in Halliday’s 2011 Wine Companion, it’s clear that Massena is on the right track.

Other favourites of the night included the Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2008, Peter Lehmann Layers Red 2008 and Cape Mentelle Zinfandel 2007. Despite the climate challenges during the 2008 Barossa vintage, the wines each held up well during tasting.”

The following winemakers will be pouring their divine drops for us at Juicy Fruits:

Barossa Valley Estate
Blue Rock Wines
Craneford
Gibson Wines
Hentley Farm
St Hallett
Landhaus Wines
Jamabro Wines
Thorn-Clarke
Peter Lehmann.

This is a prime opportunity for wine investors like myself to get up close and personal with wines that would otherwise be difficult to source.

All wines available for purchase on the night. Tickets available here: http://www.purplepalate.com/page/purple-palate-events/ – Daniel Jess

Like any business, a vineyard can change, evolve and even close down after the loss of the organisation’s leader. The Hickinbotham family this month placed their beautiful Paringa Vineyard up for sale after the passing of industry patriarch Alan Hickinbotham.

Aside from his winemaking adventures with the family, Alan will perhaps best be remembered as founder of the Oenology winemaking course at Roseworthy Agricultural College. In 1998, the $3M Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory was established in honour of his service to both the college and industry.

Located in South Australia’s Riverland, the vineyard comprises over 715ha of prime position flood-free land, and with only 320ha currently under vine there is room for new owners to expand production should they wish.

Purchased by the Hickinbotham family in 1995, it took only two vintages for this winemaking family to achieve 90 points from Wine Spectator magazine – and that was for a $10 Cabernet. An amazing feat by any standards, but especially in the realm of Cabernet which can be challenging at the best of times.

The following vintage (2001) saw Paringa Shiraz receive 90 points, this wine then played a star role in Wine Spectator’s Top 100.

By implementing new age technologies throughout the vineyard, Paringa had been able to keep costs relatively low and as a result they could produce wines that were both delicious and financially accessible.

While it is lugubrious to see the Hickinbotham family retract slightly from the industry, it must be said that they achieved great things in a short period of time and for that they deserve strong commendation. - Daniel Jess