Winestate Magazine

Launched in 1978, Winestate is one of the world’s longest running wine magazines, featuring over 140 pages on all things vinous from around the globe. Winestate tastes and rates over 10,000 wines a year, making Winestate the leading authority on Australian and New Zealand wines.

Winestate Magazine • NO.309 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

editorial

briefs

nz briefs • what’s happening in the NZ wine scene

THE NITTY-GRITTY OF THE FTA

NO WOOD NO GOOD

DARWIN DELIVERS - TOP END FOOD AND DRINK TREATS

CLAIMING THE LIMELIGHT • Out of the shadows and into the light, previous bulk wine producer CWWines reaches the top shelf when it comes to their award-winning wines.

Sanguine Estate A Recipe for Success

A Dedicated Experience • Tenafeate Creek’s singular focus on a successful future

AIMING HIGH • Newcomer Monteperle Wines is already achieving great things.

BEST OF A Beautiful Bunch

category winners

adelaide grapevine

melbourne grapevine

sydney grapevine

brisbane grapevine

WHAT’S IT WORTH? WINESTATE’S AUCTION PRICE GUIDE • Prices listed are exceptional auction highs and do not include buyer’s premium.

WORLD’S GREATEST SYRAH & SHIRAZ CHALLENGE XVI • Shiraz or syrah is arguably the most trustworthy and consistent red of any of the red varietals on offer. Why is this so? Firstly because it delivers natural sweet fruited wines that require the minimum of intervention and secondly it is this richness of flavour that can hide minor faults that other red varietals find difficult to hide. At a restaurant if in doubt always choose the shiraz option! Here we see again many great examples of various price ranges both for quaffing and for special occassions.

JUDGES - DAY 1

JUDGES - DAY 2

JUDGES - DAY 3

EMERGING VARIETALS • Have these non-mainstream ABC varietals finally become accepted beyond the interest of the winemakers who make them? We really think so. What is truly exciting is that the quality overall has jumped dramatically as the age of the wines has increased along with the understanding of how to make them by the winemakers. No longer is it acceptable to have wines that emulate shiraz, or were just dry reds and dry whites, but we are now seeing great examples that emulate the best wines of the old countries. If you haven’t tried these before now is the time to do so.

JUDGES

JUDGES

SEMILLON & BLENDS • We say this every year that semillon is the most underrated wine on the wine list. Whether it is served youthful, fresh and lively, or aged with its amazing lemon and hay complexity there is something there for everyone. Of all the whites it is the one that repays cellaring more than any other. An aged semillon with fine food is an absolute treat!

LIMESTONE COAST

LIMESTONE COAST & SURROUNDS • This judging shows that there is more to the Limestone Coast than just fabulous cabernet based wines. Here we saw some great examples of white varietals including chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling and surprisingly sauvignon blanc in the less assertive Aussie style, along with some great other reds, mainly merlot, but one notable lagrein. But for traditionalists the cabernet wines again excelled.

JUDGES

MICHAEL COOPER RECENT RELEASES

SOUTH ISLAND (NELSON & CANTERBURY)

OTAGO (Central Otago & Waitaki Valley)

SOUTH ISLAND • Otago, Nelson, Canterbury

HOW WE JUDGE WINESTATE MAGAZINE TASTING CRITERIA OUR STAR RATING SYSTEM • Our tastings and published ratings are designed with one thing in mind: to provide a useful and genuine balanced guide on wines to our readers. In order to achieve this we follow certain procedures in an activity that is notoriously difficult! There are regular...