A tough Harvest down under

After several years selling wine in England and Wales, Alex Bazeley decided to learn more about wine from the ground up, touring every major wine producing country in the Southern hemisphere. Visiting fairtrade projects in South Africa, learning about Biodynamics in Australia, and learning Spanish in Argentinian wine mecca, Mendoza. All this and both 2008 harvests, working in New Zealand in the first half of the year and helping out with the crush in Napa later in the year.
Alex recently arrived back in London after 18 months on the road, read more about his epic journey at winetraveller.net

The bush fires still raging through the south of Australia are the worst in the country's history, and some of the fiercest have been in the state of Victoria where winemakers are in the middle of their busiest season.

The Yarra valley is one of Australia’s finest wine regions, especially well known for it’s sparkling wines and Pinot Noir. I was there at the start of last summer before things had dried out too much, a good time to meet up with winemakers before things got too busy, and my heart goes out to those guys during these troubled times. Australia has been in a state of drought for several years now, so there is a constant risk of fires running out of control during the Summer months. So with the summer drawing to a close down under, and the grapes becoming ready for harvest, the surrounding bush is as dry as it gets year round.

There have been over 200 fatalities, making this the second worst natural disaster in Australia's history and more than 2,000 homes have been lost in the Victorian fires since the start of February. So as well as the loss of grapes, some winemakers have been under extra pressure during their most hectic period, fearing for the safety of their friends, family and homes.

The fires have damaged and destroyed vineyards and wineries in the region, with even the historic Yering Station, Yarra's oldest winery, coming close to disaster. Narrowly escaping destruction, surrounded on all sides by fire, and the water tank empty the staff resorted to using buckets of water to keep the flames at bay. By the next morning it resembled an "Oasis in the middle of a charred landscape."

Another winery I visited last year was the relatively new ‘Giant Steps’ who source grapes from several vineyard sites around the valley

"Our single vineyards sustained some minor damage, but that did not stop us from picking some great fruit at Murrummong. Although we will have smaller crops, we are working quickly to bring in some terrific fruit. Sadly, some of our more northerly growers suffered severe damage and will not be picking. Their families are ok and our heartfelt support goes out to them."
Steve Flamsteed, Winemaker.

While only a handful of vineyards themselves have been scorched by the fires, the smoke blown over the ripe fruit clings to the grapes, making them, in some instances, so tainted with smoke that they were unsuitable for turning into wine.

The heatwave this summer will make it a difficult year for winemakers right across Southern Australia, so expect the 2009 vintage to produce some big bold wines which reflect the early ripening of the grapes. Until then though, I encourage you to go out and support the winemakers of Yarra by seeking out their wines in your local 'bottle-o' (that's wine store to you) and I have a couple of recommendations to encourage you further...

'Innocent Bystander' Pinot Noir 2007
(made at the Giant Steps Winery)

This is a lighter style, with a freshness making it very appealing, light berry fruit, raspberries and cranberries, finishing with a mineral earthiness. It also offers great value (around US$20) A nice unfussy Pinot that would be well suited to a picnic.

Yarrabank Cuvée 2003
(made at Yering Station)

A real classic fresh Champenoise style with dry toast and a zing of lemon citrus, perhaps a little rounder on the finish than most champagnes, but if I tasted it again blind, I doubt I’d be able to tell it wasn’t from Champagne.
and I just nearly fell off my chair when I saw what it goes for - around US$20 - a bargain!

Organic wine & food matching: Gemtree Shiraz & Korean style barbecued shortribs

Randy Caparoso is an award winning wine professional and journalist, living in Denver, Colorado. For a free subscription to Randy's Organic Wine Match of the Day, visit the Denver Wine Examiner. Contact Randy anytime at randycaparoso@earthlink.net.

left, Gemtree's Melissa Buttery & Mike Brown

While organic or biodynamic wines coming out of Australia have been far and between, the movement does exist Down Under; and certification agencies such as Australian Certified Organic (ACO), Demeter in Australia’s Bio-Dynamic Research Institute (BDRI), and National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) have recently stepped up activities, with a number of leading producers (such as Henschke, Burge Family, Elderton, Noon, Wirra Wirra and M. Chapoutier Australia) making the transition to chemical-free, sustainable grape growing as we speak.

In the meantime, a perfectly delicious, biodynamically grown Australian red – the 2007 Gemtree Tadpole Shiraz (about $16) – has been popping up in markets across the U.S., and it has all the deep, black, bouncy, lush fruitiness Shiraz lovers look for in their reds; including an intense nose, suggesting raspberry liqueur, boysenberry jam and a veneer of vanillin oak, plus a soft medium-full body underlined by easy tannins, allowing the Shiraz fruit to gush forth and pleasure the palate.

The intensity of the Gemtree Shiraz is part and parcel of its McLaren Vale terroir; and indeed, for many years the stellar grapes from this 330 acre estate went into cuvées bottled by top brands like Rosemount. The transition from grower to producer started in 1994, when Melissa Buttery, daughter of founders Paul and Jill Buttery, joined the family business as a viticulturist, followed a few years later by Melissa’s boyfriend-turned-husband, Mike Brown, who happened to be an accomplished winemaker.

Always the keen environmentalist, it was Melissa who turned Gemtree towards organic and biodynamic viticulture. Not stopping there, in 1998 she initiated Gemtree Wetlands: taking twenty-five acres in the middle of the property and establishing it as a wetlands preserve in joint venture partnership with the nonprofit group, Greening Australia (South Australia). This arduous, long term project has involved the planting of some 20,000 native trees and shrubs, and the building of six interlinking dams to help regenerate the region and establish a haven for native frogs, birds and animals, while contributing to the self-sustaining aspects of the vineyard.

Korean Style Barbecued Shortribs (Kalbi)

The biggest plus about a good, sturdy, juicy Shiraz is that its dense fruitiness always lends itself to Asian style barbecued meats like no other wine can. A perfect match every time, for instance, is the Korean style of barbecued beef shortribs known as kalbi. In Hawai’i, where I grew up, no self-respecting hibachi homeboy or local take-out joint can make it without mastering the art of Korean barbecue. The good news is that it’s not that difficult, it can be done anywhere, and the fact that this toothsome cut of beef, in moderately sweetened, garlic and sesame seasoned, soy sauce based marinades, tastes absolutely delicious with a lusciously spiced Shiraz.

Everyone in the Islands has his/her own variation (or “secrets”) of kalbi, but here is a good, basic recipe to start with:

3 lbs. English cut (thick) beef shortribs, scored

Marinade:
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
¼ cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 stalks green onions, minced
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over shortribs in zip-lock plastic bag (or in shallow Pyrex sealed with plastic wrap); marinate overnight in refrigerator. Broil (or grill) 8-10 minutes on each side until desired doneness.