Spicy wines growing in Australia's McLaren Vale
Not too long ago, wine aficionados memorized Old World wine lands and the grapes that expressed the gout (flavor) of their terroir (natural environment).
"Muscular red from France's Rhone, made from Syrah and Grenache," we intoned. "Silkier red from Rioja, from Tempranillo and Garnacha."
In the 1960s, along came Robert Mondavi, known also as "the father of California wine," and U.S. regions were added to the worldwide study guide: plump Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, silky Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley -
As for other New World regions - Chile, South Africa, Australia - we read about them, maybe even found a wine or two lumped at the end of a wine list or in a retail bin labeled "Southern Hemisphere."
Then, in 1996, along came Australia's Strategy 2025, a landmark plan teaming producers, trade and government to make Oz "the world's most influential and profitable supplier, pioneering wine as a universal first-choice lifestyle beverage," by year 2025. One look at today's wine lists and retail shelves tells the world that Australia is way ahead of schedule.
Strategy 2025 increasingly emphasized the unique flavors of specific regions so now, instead of "Southern Hemisphere" or even "Australia," wine lovers recite, "minerally Riesling from Clare Valley, voluptuous Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley." Those palates that crave supple reds with elegance not diminished by power are paying attention to McLaren Vale.
McLaren Vale is nestled on the peninsula in the state of South Australia, just south of the capital city of Adelaide. The climate is Mediterranean, generally warm and dry, but as vines climb from the sea up 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) into the Mount Lofty Ranges, they wind through gullies, flats and foothills that vary in soil type, exposure and altitude - in short, a winegrower's dream.
Like other Mediterranean lands, McLaren Vale's fields are accented with almond trees, olive groves and eucalyptus, (the native red gum,) and early economy was based on cereal crops. Then, in 1876, along came Thomas Hardy, Australia's equivalent of California's Mondavi, and vineyards took root throughout the landscape.
When Strategy 2025 assisted growers in matching specific grapes to terroir, the Vale shifted plantings to Shiraz (growing from about 1,200 acres to 7,000 acres in a decade) and Cabernet Sauvignon (1,200 acres to 3,000 acres.)
Even though Grenache (Spain's Garnacha) still hovers around 900 acres, many growers feel this grape's meaty-spicy character provides the signature flavors of McLaren Vale.
"You can't be all things to all people," says Peter Fraser of Yangarra Estate Vineyard. He points to the similarities between his terroir, the Rhone Valley and Rioja. "We've replanted our Merlot and Cabernet for Shiraz and increasingly Grenache."
Some of McLaren Vale's oldest vineyards are dry-grown (nonirrigated) Grenache, planted in 1946 in the 60 million-year-old sandy soils of Maslin Beach, now owned by Yangarra. Others growers cite Grenache vineyards with a high proportion of ironstone in their sandy soil, and quartz over marly limestone clay.
To celebrate their unique gout de terroir, McLaren Vale producers have coined the label "Cadenzia." The term derives from cadenza, a musical solo indigenous to the overall theme, but allowing virtuosic display. Like "Meritage" labels of California, which highlight premium Cabernet-based wine, Cadenzia is an opportunity to improvise winegrowing and winemaking to create premium Grenache-based wines that are uniquely McLaren Vale. The Cadenzia Ensemble currently includes: DogRidge, Gemtree Vineyards, d'Arenberg, Tapestry, Olivers Taranga and Yangarra.
Yangarra's Cadenzia is pure Aussie Grenache (pronounced alternatively gre-NASH or gre-NAHSH, in contrast to one's preferred pronunciation of Shiraz - either shere-AZ or shere-AHZ,) with lush sensations of roasted meats, licorice, baked fruits and lavender accented with firm tannin and acidity. ($28)
Of the 70 or so McLaren Vale wineries, others to look for include: Coriole, Chapel Hill, Kangarilla Road, Mollydooker and TwoHands.
Then, when we're experienced in McLaren Vale, we'll begin to study the flavors of each subregion: Clarendon, Blewitt Springs and McLaren Flat.
Advanced sommelier and certified wine educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month. Write her at food@dailyherald.com
Ross' choice
Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Bonterra Vineyards
Mendocino County, Calif.
Suggested retail and availability: $14 at wine and liquor shops
California sunshine in a bottle! With none of the bell pepper sharpness of cooler climate Sauvignon Blanc and no oak, this medium-bodied wine is a mouthful of pure refreshment, with juicy grapefruit and guava flavors, delicately enhanced with this grape's characteristic fresh herb accents. Serve as a rich cocktail and to complement lighter meals, especially salads, seafood, poultry and vegetarian dishes involving tropical fruit salsa or barbecue sauce.