A+ Australia One Day Wine School

I was very fortunate to be invited to attend this event last week, hosted by Tim Atkin MW, Nick Stock and Andrew Jefford. The day started with a summary of where the Australian wine industry is today, how far it has come and what the problems are. Andrew Jefford then gave a talk on the importance and variation of terroir in the country, and how it influences the wine styles. After lunch the tasting started, with fifty wines to cover this was a good work out for the palate, and good practice for my forthcoming WSET exams.

All wines were of a very good standard, with it being evident that some areas such as Mornington Peninsula have yet to reach their full potential.We worked our way through a couple of fine Semillon, a couple of good sparklers, some very ripe Viognier, a few lime rich Reislings, some fine Chardonnay, many glorious Pinot Noir - but then I am slightly biased - eight very characterful Shiraz, followed by some Shiraz blends, then onto Cabernet Sauvignon, and finally some rather good Rutherglen Muscat.  Thanks to Yvonne May for the invite, and to the hosts for a thoroughly enjoyable day.