Super Tasmanians: Grapes from the island state have transformed Australian Chardonnay and gripped the wine world

Being situated at a far more southerly latitude has blessed Tasmania with a cooler climate and rendered it much distinct from other areas of viticulture in Australia. This gives the wines made in the island state unique characteristics compared to those across the country’s continental landmass. Popular grape varieties include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

“In between Tasmania and Antarctica is nothing except for the Antarctic Ocean, so it’s an incredibly cool climate, which is fantastic for Chardonnay, in particular, but Pinot Noir and sparkling wine production as well,” says Steph Dutton, Penfolds’ Senior Winemaker.

Southern cool

Explaining its attraction for viticulturalists, she notes: “What people should really understand is that whilst Tasmania is cool and lies to south, it’s actually still quite dry, which are perfect conditions for growing grapes.”

She opines that the best examples of Australian Chardonnay herald from Tasmania. These super Tasmanian whites stand in contrast to the rest of Australia’s winemaking history with Chardonnay.

“Once upon a time, like 20 years ago, maybe more, our Chardonnays were incredibly ripe. They were buttery, often quite deep in colour and full of oak, and rarely would they age,” she says. “The big shift that happened in the Australian wine industry is we started to look at some cooler climate regions for that variety.”

Full pleasure

Dutton believes the cool climate of Tasmania and the dry conditions that lead to fairly safe growing seasons are a brilliant match for Chardonnay. “We get Chardonnay wines that are full of grip and structure, but also finesse and elegance,” she says. “[Chardonnays] should be intense; they should be full, but they should also show restraint and raciness, and Tasmania does that.”

Penfolds has vineyards in the prime wine regions of South Australia including Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and Coonawarra. It also owns vineyards in northern and southern Tasmania and partners with growers in the state. More than 85% of grapes in some vintages of its flagship Yattarna Chardonnay are sourced from Tasmania. Though technically not labelled as hailing from Tasmania, the state “has played more and more a pivotal role in this Yattarna production”.

Citrus and cream

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay is one of her favourite wines and she quickly recalls its beautiful, mouthwatering combination of tastes. “I always see this lovely what I call citrus curd, like lemon meringue pies, lemon tarts and lime tarts, where you’ve got both citrus and creaminess all coming together at once,” she says. “We often talk about the nougat with Yattarna, and I see it as still being quite fresh, almost like a pistachio nougat that comes through for the wine.” She also highlights the excellence of the Tasmanian Chardonnays emanating from Pooley Wines in the Coal River Valley and Derwent Estate in the Derwent Valley, both located in southern Tasmania, not far from the capital, Hobart.

Tannic grip

“These are wines that I really admire for the phenolic grip, their structure, and by that I mean how the wine feels in terms of shape in the mouth,” she says. “You don’t want anything that is too buttery. You don’t want anything that is too soft or oily, but you also don’t want anything that’s too firm and tight.” She likes to talk about the bones of a wine – the skeleton, its structure, the framework that is holding it together. “Both of these wines have this amazing structure. Indeed, all three of my favourites share the common thread that they are built for age-ability,” she says.

Top Of The Pops: Uncorking a bottle of Champagne is a slice of the finest things in life

Champagne is synonymous with sparkling wine the world over, but the uniqueness of its precious provenance is stringently protected. Only sparkling wine made and bottled in the Champagne region in the traditional method can be called Champagne and no other bubbles come close as symbols of luxury and celebration.

Sara Checchi, Group Head Sommelier and Beverage Manager of restaurant group Maximal Concepts, has always been intrigued by Champagne due to its unique history, terroir and production techniques. The 50 years from 1670 to 1720 were a turning point for the region as this was when specific techniques for making sparkling wines were developed. Legendary Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon played a significant role in perfecting the méthod Champenoise, or the traditional method, in which wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle to produce carbon dioxide and thus the effervescence essential for its sparkling quality.

Aside from the fascinating history of the area, Checchi also adores the beauty of the landscape, its villages and “the breathtaking panoramic view over the vineyards”. The hillsides, houses and cellars of Champagne were added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 2015.

Climate impact

Checchi says Champagne benefits from a unique combination of both oceanic and continental climatic influences, being neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer, in which grapevines used in making the region’s famed pour – predominately Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier – thrive.

The soil in the area, located 90 miles east of Paris, also contributes in an incisive way. “Deep in Champagne subsoil are layers of sedimentary rocks composed of chalk, marl and limestone. This type of subsoil allows for good drainage,” explains Checchi.

She does warn, however, that the continental influences can lead to freezing temperatures in winter, bringing frosts that can be devastating for the vineyards, and this occasional occurrence makes Champagne a challenging wine-growing area.

Salon salute

Asked for her Champagne of choice, Checchi unhesitatingly plumps for Salon. “It is definitely my favourite Champagne!” she exclaims. “It is produced from a single grape variety, namely Chardonnay, and comes from a single great terroir – Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs.”

This exceptional Champagne is only made in years when conditions are perfect. “Salon is produced just in the best vintages; little more than 35 vintages were produced in a whole century!” she says. “Doubtless this is not a bottle for daily consumption because of its price and the difficulty of its availability in the market.”

The thought of this rare pleasure makes every sip of “the experience memorable, every single time I get the chance to drink it”. She believes the wine has a magical, almost potent effect: “If eternal youth exists, Salon definitely knows its secret recipe!”

Despite Salon’s rarity, Checchi has savoured the tipple on enough occasions to be able to compare different vintages. “Even though I have had the honour of drinking many vintages from the maison, the one that is still in my heart is Salon 1997,” she reveals. She was extremely impressed by its youth when she tasted it in January 2020, yet “the nose is complex”.

Describing some of the tastes and aromas of her favourite vintage, she enthuses: “The 1997 is wonderfully refined, its minerality complemented by hints of white flowers. A salty note enhances aromas of bread crust, brioche with a little hint of green apple, and hazelnut.” Her appreciation becomes more infectious as she describes the mouthfeel, which “shows the very essence of Salon, dynamic and energetic. The mousse [sparkling-wine foam] caresses the tongue with the sensuality of silk, and there are rich and persistent flavours of ripe peach, honey and smoked tea.”

Cool Chilean: Saluting the bright, mineral South American west coast whites born in mineral-rich soils

Perhaps a little surprisingly given its far-flung New World location, Chile has a long history of making wine. Production dates from the 16th century with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, while further developments in the mid-19th century saw the introduction of French wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère and Cabernet Franc.

Fantastic fourth

The 1980s saw a growth in the industry with improved fermentation techniques and the South American country is now firmly established on the winemaking map, with recent figures placing it as the world’s fourth-largest exporter of wine. Falling between the latitudes of 32°S and 38°S, the vineyards of Chile have been defined into several distinct regions since December 1994. Coquimbo in the north and the Central Valley areas of Maipo, Cachapoal and Colchagua are considered among the best.

Limarí Valley, a sub-region of Coquimbo, is one of Bernice Liu’s favourite wine regions. The Hong Kong actress, winemaker and Wine Maven platform entrepreneur (winemaven.io) clearly adores the quality of the viticulture emanating from the area. “This region is a pretty cool place for wines,” she enthuses. “It is where my Chardonnay comes from!” She makes Lunoria and Vartiere Chardonnay in collaboration with Pagnel winery.

Chardonnay hooray

The main wines produced in the region are Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Liu believes the location has some distinct advantages for certain wines, stating: “Limarí Valley is one of the most prized areas for Chardonnay in Chile, with great soil and climate conditions. With it having a sea-to-soil likeness, fresher whites are able to be produced here.”

She cites Concha y Toro winery as an example of a famous producer of lovely white wines in the valley.

Roots and routes

Chile also has historical advantages that have cemented its winemaking tradition. As Liu points out, it was not affected by the phylloxera louse. Feeding on the roots and leaves of grapevines, these insects destroyed much of the wines worldwide in the late 19th century.

Mineral shine

There is good minerality in a soil that tends to be made of clay, silt and chalk in Limarí Valley. Due to a relatively moderate amount of rainfall, the vines on these mineral-rich soils are fed with drip irrigation, and this combination creates fresh wines with a notable mineral edge, a quality noted by Liu when describing her favourite wine from the region.

“Naturally, my Lunoria and Vartiere Chardonnays are my favourites,” she says. “I love medium-bodied whites, with good natural acidity. With moderate amounts of clay soil, minerality shines through, and makes them a great food pairing wine, especially with Asian cuisine and the varied flavours from dish to dish.

Aromatic show

“The aromas and taste of these wines have hints of floral, vanilla, ripe stoned fruit and a bit of oak to ease the acidity. Minerality from the clay soil is also present,” she adds, again referring to the mineral edge in the wines of this region.

“The best part is that though they are served cold, the glass can be left to stand and the aromatics really start to show.”

Beautiful Burgundy: Showing both complexity and finesse, Bourgogne wines are among the world’s most coveted

Burgundy is one of the most prosperous regions of France, rich in culture, history and gastronomical delights. It is home to world-renowned wines that have soared in price and desirability over recent decades and particularly in the past two years. Pinot Noir (for reds) and Chardonnay (for whites) are the main grape varieties, though others are permitted.

The Bourgogne area comprises a patchwork quilt of myriad different terroirs, appellations and styles. According to George Lacey, Director and Head of Wine at Sotheby’s, Asia, this complexity previously put off consumers whose drinking experiences could be so variable from one producer or village to the next – but times have changed. “Collectors turned to Burgundy seeking elegance, finesse, a sense of individuality and precision, and discovered that the region could provide ethereal wines that show the epitome of these characteristics in spades,” he says.

Scarcity value

The vast range of styles and expressions is down to the great number of small, family-owned domaines, producing microscopic quantities of wine from very low-yielding vines.

As Lacey explains, this small supply then drives up the scarcity value of its wines and has caused a rapid ascent in prices of Burgundy wine. He notes: “As with so many luxury commodities, the harder Burgundy has become to find, the more people want to find it!”

Sense of place

Lacey says Burgundy has been at the forefront of winemaking innovation and experimentation and historic producers are located almost side by side with some of today’s most boundary-pushing, next-generation experimental vignerons. He believes Burgundy has the perfect climatic conditions for the ‘capricious’ Pinot Noir grape to flourish. Chardonnay, on the other hand, is much easier to grow. Expressing itself in an enormous range of styles, this varietal is an incredible vector for the romantic notion of ‘terroir’, or a ‘sense of place’.

Fantastic individuality

Picking a favourite wine is almost impossible for Lacey. “To generalise, the reds are often characterised by beautifully bright, fresh red fruit and floral aromas becoming more savoury as they age with softer, dried petal and ‘sousbois’ [undergrowth] flavours coming to the fore. For the whites, Chardonnay expresses a huge variety of styles within the region from rich, unctuous, nutty and buttery Meursault to steely, mineral and linear Chablis, and everything in between,” he says

“If I had to choose a favourite, then for whites it would be majestic examples of mature 20-year-plus Raveneau Les Clos or Coche-Dury’s Meursault – some of the greatest examples of Chardonnay in the world. For reds, it would have to be the great Musigny vineyard from either Domaine Mugnier or Leroy. These encounters are becoming ever rarer, but I have had some of my most magical drinking experiences with them – not just for Burgundy but any wine worldwide.”

Compelling paradox

“For me, what makes the very best Burgundy so magical is their ability to become what we call ‘paradox wines’,” says Lacey. “They have an ability to express both weightlessness and intensity, power and elegance, complexity and finesse.”