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Sandra Lawrence
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Top Australian Wines 2001
Article Posted: Thursday August 30th
Article last updated on: Thursday August 30th
London saw some tip top Australian wines at a superbly presented tasting in January 2001. This annual event has come back to life. For years it was held at Lord's Cricket Ground. With so many wines to look at the whole thing was a bun fight and not worth the effort. Then it moved to a new venue but many people were put off as this was not a great place either. Yes it is difficult to fit so many people and thousands of wines into a room. Now it has gone to where the School Boy's Exhibition was held for many year, The Royal Horticultural Hall.
Brilliant,the design and layout was wonderful, there was room to taste and to chat to the winemakers, to greet one's friends in the trade. After all this is the first big tasting of the year. It becomes a bit like returning to Uni, school or college after the holidays. But I digress, there were masses of good ordinary wines, all up front sweet ripe fruit, both red and white. There where also many wines that were trying it on. What gives some people big ideas about pricing their wine in the world market I know not. Nevertheless there were some wine worth every penny that was being asked for them. My own criteria for judging whether or not a wine is at the right price is would I pay that for the wine and do I want to buy. Well the four I picked as my top wines at the show were all from Capel Vale Wines, Western Australia. Regular readers will remember that I said five years ago in Wine & Dine that this was the area to watch. I had become convinced of this even earlier but had only spoken to friends of my thoughts. Capel Vale Reserve Whispering Hill Riesling1999.
This single vineyard wine was great by any standards. It was certainly bigger than an Alsace or German Riesling but no worse for that. The nose and palate were a heighten version of a mean lean wine made from this grape. The palate was big, round, full, fat, dry and long, 18. The price was circa
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