In A Glass Of Its Own

This weeks PhotoHunter theme is "sweet."

Last year while on a wine tour in Western Australia I was able to try some wonderful Ports--a sweet red wine.  Even though they weren't authentic Port, since they aren't from Portugal--they were still tasty.  

At one winery they served the strong, fortified wine in a unique glass.  You sip the spirits through a small spout.  The narrow opening of the glass and the fact that the liquid is sucked from the bottom of the glass reduces the oxidation of the beverage. The glasses were also designed so that your hand warms the spirits as you slowly enjoy your drink.  

Tiny Bubbles In My Red Wine...

When I was back in the States in November I was a bit surprised to find a bottle of Shingleback Sparkling Shiraz on one of the shelves of Fred Meyer Grocery Store.  I was surprised for two reasons.  First that Fred Meyer carried a family owned hand-crafted wine from a small vineyard in Southern Australia, and second because they carried a Sparkling Red.  I am no stranger to Red Bubbles, and have been drinking them for over a year.  In my experience this type of Sparkling Wine, and I am not referring to that Cold Duck from the 1970's, is unique to Australia (though I have read it is made in other parts of the world).  However, I do believe that it fairly unknown in the USA.  In fact when a friend of mine recently returned home after a visit to OZ and tried to find a bottle in a local liquor store she was told that no such thing existed.

Sparkling Reds are made in the same way as Sparkling Whites, but the big difference is that the skin is left in the fermenting juice.  In addition to affecting the color this process also leads to a more tannic wine that has to be sweetened later.

Another difference is that for Sparkling Whites the grape must be picked before those  used in making regular wine.  However, the grapes used to make Sparkling Red can remain on the vine until the regular wine grapes are picked.  The leaving of the grapes on the vine produces a richer flavor, and also produces a wine that is higher in alcohol content.

Sparkling Reds may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy a robust, full flavored wine with a special tingle you may want to look for a nice bottle of Red Bubbly.

Sevenhill Cellar Door

As we walked along the Riesling trail, we decided to take a detour up to visit the Sevenhill Cellars.  A short path led us up a small hill through their vineyards, and at the crest we were surprised to find the majestic St. Aloysius Church nestled among the trellised vines.  The church, with its gothic architecture and stained glass windows, is very uncharacteristic of Australia.  We couldn't help but feel that we had somehow been transported to the vineyards of Southern France.

After a quick look around the Church (1875) and its crypt (only one below a parish church in Australia), we headed over to the Cellar door.  It turns out that Sevenhill Cellars is the oldest wineries in the Clare Valley, and it was established in 1851 by Jesuit Priests who had fled their home country to escape religious persecution.  The name Sevenhill was given to the area because of its resemblance to the Seven Hills of Rome.   The same year that they arrived, the Jesuit Priests planted vines, because they wanted a local supply for Sacramental Wine--at the time overseas sources were unreliable.  Today the Jesuit Manresa Society continues to produce Altar Wines, as well as Table and Fortified Wines.

A Train Line (Re)cycled

When I left the US it was December 1st and when I arrived in Australia it was the 3rd.  Even though there was not an actual 2nd of December--our wedding anniversary--in my life this year, we still celebrated 6 years of marriage over the weekend with a mini-getaway to Clare Valley.

We have driven through Clare Valley many times on our travels north and decided it was time to spend some time getting to know the area a little better.  Clare Valley, which is best known for its dry riesling wines, is "conveniently" located 90 minutes to the north of Adelaide.  The valley is the merging of the bush, farmlands, and vineyards.

One of the best ways to become better acquainted with the area is to walk or cycle the Riesling Trail.  This 27 kilometer off-road recreation trail, named after the region's signature grape and wine, runs between Auburn and Clare.  The trail was once a train line that ran from Riverton to Clare that ceased operation in 1983 after major damage by the Ash Wednesday Bushfire.  There are those who lament the loss of a historical train line that opened in 1918, and that over the years brought not only tourists but also important commodities to the area.  Unfortunately, due to the steep grades and tight curves of the original tracks, it was unfeasible to rebuild the train line.  Fortunately, local winemakers campaigned to turn the old train line into a more conventional tourist attraction.

It is possible to rent a bike to ride the trail, but due to time constrictions we decided to walk.  We spent a couple of relaxing hours on the trail between Clare and Seven Hills, enjoying the ever changing scenery and majestic views.  The trail itself was well maintained.  Directions and distances were posted, and there were additional information boards.  We were even able to stop off at a couple of cellar doors.  Had we been on a bike or started earlier we could have visited more, but then again I am not sure about drinking and riding!

Banrock Station

View at Banrock Station

When we were in the Murray Lands we stopped in at Banrock Station, Kingston-on-Murray.  Banrock Station is best known for its wines, but we wanted to check out the hiking trails on the property.
When we arrived at the winery, we were a bit upset that we were going to be charged to explore the area.  Unfortunately, the cashier only quote us the fees for the trails,  and didn't bother to explain why we were being charged.  I was a bit confused about why we had to pay to walk around the flood plain of the Murray river.  In the end, we reluctantly coughed up $3.00 AUD per person, and hit the medium length trail.  Normally, would have gone for the longer trail, but it would have cost us more, and we weren't allowed to take our own food.  I felt I had already paid enough and was not going to be suckered into paying any more. So off we headed down the hill to the river plain.

Vineyard Meets River Plain

The bright green of the vineyard plants sharply contrasted with the dry landscape in the far distance. About half way down the hill we came across a mean looking feral fence.  I assumed that it's purpose was to keep the 'roos and rabbits out of the vineyard. However, I had to question why I had never seen such elaborate fences at the other wineries we had visited.   We were soon on the flood plain and, where water meets the land, marshes were formed.  We were able to explore a bit of this area on a meandering boardwalk but soon were informed we would have to turn back.  The problem: we hadn't dished out the additional $2 AUD.  So we headed back to the car park.  After some heated discussion--it was about 90 degrees out--we decided to eat a quick lunch in the car (they couldn't tell us what we could and couldn't do in our car--could they?), and go back into the winery for a tasting.  We weren't crazy about the idea of giving them more money, but we were interested in learning more about their wines.

Feral Fence

Our short time with our sommelier proved to be very informational.  However, it wasn't what we had learned about the wines that we found useful but rather the information she gave us about the site.

It turns out that since the mid 1800s the human impact on the Murray River has been significant.  Early pastoral grazing led to accelerated soil erosion and the elimination of the natural floodplain grasses.  The operation of Paddle Steamers on the River meant that thousand of local trees were felled for fuel.  Irrigation has caused a massive salinity buildup.  Finally, the construction of the Lock system has destroyed the natural drying/flooding cycle of the floodplain, which has lead to the demise of the wetland ecosystem.

After almost 150 years of misuse of the river and land, Banrock Station has become an environmental pioneer, returning a small section--1100 hectares of the Murray River--to it's original state.  Structures were built to let water flow in and out of the lagoon, which hadn't happened since 1925 when a lock was built next to the property preventing water from flowing out of the lagoon.  The re-creation of the dry cycle was essential for the breeding of native plants and animals. In addition to re-establishing the natural wet and dry cycles of the wetlands to the area, planting thousands of native plants and shrubs planted, and removing all domesticated animals, native fauna, including the near extinct bilby have been reintroduced to the property. I guess that extensive feral fence wasn't to protect the vines, but rather the cute bunny-like mammal.

Healthy Wetland Marsh

As I stood and listened to all of this information I couldn't help but feel cheated once again.  If I had known all of this before the hike I wouldn't have minded paying the fee and would have gone for the longer hike.  I also would have viewed my surroundings with much more appreciation.  Oh well, you can't win them all.  On the plus side, I am now an advocate for Banrock Station wines since part of proceeds from the sale of every bottle of wine go towards funding environmental projects around the world.  Given their environment commitment I will not whine about their wine--actually due to the similar climate their wines remind me of Spanish Wines which I happen to enjoy.

Verjuice

A recent visit to the National Wine Center of Australia was a bit of a disappointment. The ultra-modern building is located in the Botanical Gardens (a supposedly development free city park). Like the building the Wine Discovery Journey--a state-of-the art interactive experience--was a bit on the minimalist side. You would think that since Southern Australia is such a large producer of wine, they could have put together an informative display. I guess the Center is meant to be more of a venue for wine tastings, wine appreciation classes, and functions.

On a more positive note, the real focus of this blog, there is one section of video monitors that has various video clips of celebrity Australian Gourmands discussing the relationship between food and wine. It was here that I was introduced to verjuice, by Maggie Beer--a Barossa Valley Chef. Well, actually I had seen bottles of verjuice on grocery store shelves next to the vinegars, and had just assumed that it was a type of vinegar. However, I now know (thanks to Maggie Beer) that verjuice is not a vinegar, but rather an unfermented grape juice made from an unripe grape. In her video she explains that verjuice can be used as an the acidic base (substituting lemon, and/or vinegar) in cooking. The benefit of such substitution is that verjuice provides acidic tartness, without bitterness. She also points out that since verjuice and wine share the same acid base, it is a wine friendly condiment that compliments rather than competes with the taste a fine wine.

Of course I had to run out and buy a bottle of verjuice. Though not cheap, at about $10, I just had to give it a try. I have used it in dressings, sauces, and marinades. I find that it adds a little zest without masking the other flavors. Though it will not replace my many types of vinegar nor my fresh lemon, there will always be a place for verjuice in my kitchen.