All you Need to Know About Organic Wines

What is an organic wine? Organic wines are the ones in which the grapes used are grown using organic methods of farming. Thus, the grapes are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Environment friendly methods are used to produce grapes. For instance, they allow small sheeps in their farms in order to clear the weeds and grass. Even the winemaking process in making organic wines includes minimal interference where the wines are fermented by natural yeast. 

The organic wines help in sustainable growth. The chemicals over a period of time depreciate the quality of soil. The organic methods not only help in preserving the soil but it also lends unique characteristics to the wine. With no use of chemicals, it offers a pure and clear essence of the varietal used and reflects its terroir. Today, best organic wines in Australia are produced and known worldwide. 

Their are legal certifications which the wine maker needs to get in order to promote their wine as organic. Promoting a wine as organic without getting it certified is illegal. These certifying organisations carry out audits to check whether the vineyards producing organic wines comply by the rules laid down by the organisation as well as the department of agriculture. The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) and Australian Certified Organic (ACO) are prominent organic certifying bodies in Australia. Before buying an organic wine, one must check whether it carries the certification marks on the label.

Earlier, organic wines did not had a good reputation in Australian wine markets. However, these days there is a growing interest towards organic wines with some of the best organic wines coming from Australia. The customer today has become more aware and educated showing a growing interest towards the organic products.  

The art of tasting a red wine

Talking about wines, Red Wines are the most popular of all around the world. From vine to wine, it goes through long procedures to achieve that particular luxurious taste. The winemakers have been practicing and experimenting with the techniques to create their masterpieces. Tasting a red varietal in itself is like an art. Here are a few tips on how to taste a wine.

The label:
Even if you are not a wine expert, you can know a lot about the wine from its label. A few things which you can notice on the label are
The vintage- it tells you when the wine has been harvested.
Its origin- whether it comes from a colder or warmer region affects the taste of the wine.

Pour and tilt the glass:

Tilt your glass and notice the colour of the wine over a white background. The colour of the wine tells us about its age. A wine with more vibrant or intense colours is younger and as the wine ages it tends to lose its colour.

Sense the aromas:

Take a sniff of your wine. But before doing so, swirl the wine once. It would help the aromas of the wine to rise. Now bring your nose closer to the glass and smell the aromas. The aromas tell a lot about the flavours you can expect from that wine. You may feel fruity aromas or floral aromas. Maybe aromas of leather, spice or earth as well.

Taste the wine:

Finally, it’s time to time to taste the wine. But do not swallow it altogether. The wine consists of various flavours. It might be sweet, acidic, sour or dry. Allow the wine to stay in your mouth for a while so that you are able to enjoy all the flavours.

Finale:

Here comes the conclusion where you can talk about the texture, taste and your overall experience with the wine. The above wine tasting process can be followed for different wine varietals like the reds progressing towards whites, sparkling, and fortified's. Experimenting with different wines will make you smarter wine taster over time. It will help you to discover the subtle aromas and flavours present in wines.

Barossa Valley Wineries you shouldn't miss!

Settled in the heart of world-renowned Barossa, South Australia's Barossa Valley is one of the oldest and finest wine producing regions of Australia. It is said that seven generations of passionate grape growers and dedicated winemakers have established this fertile land to become one of Australia's top wine regions. The region is known for consistently producing world's best wines and having outstanding vintages for over the past 160 years. So let's have a look at some of the top Barossa Valley wineries whose wines have stunned the world.

1. Seppeltsfield
Founded in 1851, Seppeltsfield is the world's only winery to release a 100-year-old single vintage wine every year. It is Australia’s most iconic wine estate which helped in shaping the history of the Australian wine industry.

2. Jacobs Creek
One of the most successful wine businesses of Australia, Jacobs Creek (formerly known as Jacob’s Creek) has been producing wines since 1847. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pernod Ricard Winemakers since 1989 whose. Wines under Jacobs Creek label are exported to over 60 countries.

3. Turkey Flat
Established in 1847, Turkey Flat winery is located in Tanunda. Described as one of the "cult wines" of Australia by wine expert Oz Clarke, the winery highly focuses on production (more than 40%) of rosés. The winery is considered a leader in 21st century’s "rosé revival" trend.

4. Yalumba
Founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, Yalumba is part of a multimillion-dollar venture Australia’s First Families of Wine. The winery is best known for The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz and The Octavius Old Vine Barossa Shiraz.

5. Penfolds
One of the oldest and most iconic wineries, Penfolds' influence on Australia's wine industry is remarkable. From its beginning in 1844 until today, the winery has covered a long way in becoming one of Australia's most respected winemakers by merging science, art and innovation. Penfolds Grange, which also scored a perfect 100 for 1976 and 2008 vintage, is the most celebrated Australian wine across the world.

Make sure you don’t miss any wine from these top Barossa Valley wineries. Shop them now at Just Wines.

Winners of Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year

Every year, famous wine critic James Halliday and his wine tasting panel select the best Australian wines, wineries and winemakers from thousands. Known as the Halliday Wine Companion Awards, it is one of the most anticipated events on the Australian drinks calendar. The awards are given on the evening prior to the release of the annual guide, for which every Aussie wine lover anxiously waits. There’s a lot of buzz about wines in the market already, so this time let’s appreciate the hands and minds behind those award-winning beauties. Featured here are the four winemakers who won the title of ‘Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year’.

Peter Fraser: 2016 Winemaker of the Year:

The driving force behind South Australia based Yangarra Estate since 2000, Peter Fraser was the winner of Winemaker of the Year title at 2016 Wine Companion Awards. Having gained experience working in cellars and vineyards of Australia, France, Spain and the U.S, Peter has collected many awards and procured fame for a number of wines. Most famous of them are 1998 Chais Clarendon Shiraz, 2001 Yangarra Estate Shiraz and 2004 Cadenzia, just to name a few.

Sarah Crowe: 2017 Winemaker of the Year:

Victoria's Yarra Yering winemaker Sarah Crowe was named 2017 Winemaker of the Year. She is the first woman to take this title. She also won ‘Rising Star of the Year’ in 2009 Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association’s Hunter Legends. She has also judged International Cool Climate Wine Show, Royal Melbourne Wine Awards and Royal Queensland Wine Show.

Paul Hotker: 2018 Winemaker of the Year:

Senior winemaker at Langhorne Creek's Bleasdale Vineyards was awarded the 2018 Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year by James Halliday. It is Paul’s extraordinary skill of nurturing high quality fruit into outstanding wines that has given a number of Bleasdale wines ratings of 95 or above.

Julian Langworthy: 2019 Winemaker of the Year:

Julian Langworthy, Chief Winemaker for the fastest growing wine business in Western Australia Fogarty Wine Group (FWG), won the 2019 Winemaker of the Year title. Having won a tonne of awards for his rosé and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, this award is yet another feather in his golden cap.

Try their wines and you’ll be not amazed for why they were given this auspicious title. Cheers!

Types of wine personalities

Why is it that people have their very specific wine preferences? Are the wine preferences of the people dependent just on taste, or, is a larger personality factor determinant of what type of wine is liked by them? Marketers of wines are always interested in knowing what personality traits of a person is more likely to buy a particular type of wine rather than the other. Can these personality traits correlated with the wine types across populations bring out same results? Well, here are some of the most common observations by Myers-Briggs on what type of wine is bought by people of a particular personality-

A) Extroverts- Zinfandel, Pinot Noir
B) Flexible, Tolerant & Pragmatic- Malbec
C) Outgoing, Exuberant & Accepting- Zinfandel
D) Warm, Imaginative & Loves to be Appreciated- Carmenere
E) Outspoken, Resourceful & Good at Reading Others- Sangiovese
F) Realistic, Decisive & Organized- Tempranillo
G) Cooperative, Conscientious & Loyal-Grenache
H) Empathetic, Responsible & Helper-at-heart-Merlot
I) Decisive, Systematic and a Leader- Nebbiolo
J) Quiet, Serious & Logically Working Towards Goals- Barbera
K) Quiet, Friendly & Loyal- Petit Verdot
L) Insightful, Conscientious & Visionary- Syrah
M) Driven, Independent & Holds High Standards- Cabernet Sauvignon
N) Tolerant, Flexible & The Quiet Observer- Mourvedre
O) Sensitive, Friendly & in the Moment- Gamay
P) Idealistic, Loyal & an Understander- Cabernet Franc
Q) Focused, Skeptical & an Abstract Thinker- Pinot Noir

You might be wondering what use this can this information be put to. For the marketers who want to establish what other products wine-drinkers might be interested in the most, this bit of information on their personality trait is crucial.
It is important to understand that many of these traits can overlap with one another as personalities are complex and can not be segregated on the basis of compartments. Therefore, the wine personalities mentioned herein are, at best, indicative. While these might aid marketers as secondary or perhaps tertiary source of information, these shall not be held as primary parameters for marketing purposes.

McLaren Vale Wineries - A Brief Introduction

McLaren Vale is an Australian Geographical Indication for the purpose of wine-making. Geographically, vale is referred to a valley. Therefore, this region is a valley of river. McLaren Vale is essentially of triangular shape and is bounded on three sides. Adelaide lies to its north, the St Vincent gulf to the west and the Mt Lofty Ranges to the east and south. McLaren Vale is both a region and a small township within it. In fact, the region derives its name from the township. The grape growing areas within this are Old Reynella, Willunga, Aldinga, McLaren Vale Flat and McLaren Vale.

The importance of the region lies in the fact that this is an important food and wine region of Australia. Due to its well-recognized wine industry, it is also included in the Great Wine Capitals of the World. The region has been named after John McLaren who conducted the surveyed this region. However, some people argue that the naming was after David McLaren, the colonial manager of South Australia Company.

The first vines in this region were grown by John Reynell and Thomas Hardy in 1838, which is a good 180 years ago from now. These two people became the pioneers of wine industry in this area. At present, the region boasts of more than 80 cellar doors and 120 odd wineries.

McLaren Vale wineries grown different varieties of grapes. Shiraz dominates with about 55% of vineyard area of this region under its cultivation. Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache are the other two major varieties. Besides, there are a number of other grape varieties which respond well to Mediterranean type of climate.

Among the prominent McLaren Vale wineries, to name a few, are Hugo Wines, Zonte's Footstep, Angove Winery, d'Arenberg, Leconfield Wines, Maxwell Wines, Rosemount Wines, Wirra Wirra Vineyards and Geoff Merrill Wines

Importance of Tasting notes- The Common Wine Descriptors

The importance of tasting notes of wines cannot be ignored. These tasting notes describe the wine in detail, for the benefit of knowledge seekers as well as the wine buyers. The tasting notes can be written or told verbally by people who are experts in wine tasting. Even the wineries have their own wine experts who taste the wine at different stages and mention its properties. These properties influence the commerce of the wines. Therefore, the tasting notes of popular wine critics hold a lot of weight. The wine collectors also pay a lot of attention to what the experts say so that they know which wine will age well over time and can fetch them a much higher price as compared to their investment.

The tasting notes describe some of the most common properties of wines, such as:
a. Types- such as red, white, fruit or sparkling
b. Flavour- such as, sweet, dry, fruity, spicy, creamy, or any other
c. Aroma- such as, of tropical or seasonal fruits, flowers or anything which has been commonly experienced.
d. Full-bodied or medium-bodied
e. The extent to which tannins are present
f. Aftertaste- whether it tastes for long or for short time period

The highly descriptive tasting notes clearly point to what a wine is like and what it is not like. These help people in deciding whether they shall buy the wine or not. If the notes are by someone whom you trust because the previous experience of going as per his or her advice has been pretty good, you are most likely to believe it and buy the wine even for the first time. Collectors also go through these notes to ascertain whether it shall be collected or not.
Tasting notes, therefore, help all those people who are interested in wine, whether as educators, buyers or collectors.