 Pick up some Pinot
Noir on your way to ChillOut this weekend, suggests S.M. King.
Pinot Noir is fickle and flighty. It’s a demanding dame.
From the moment it’s planted it screams for attention.
British wine writer and editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, Jancis Robinson, has referred to Pinot as
a ‘minx of a vine’. The journey from planting to bottling requires close
attention, finger crossing, and favourable celestial alignment. The thin skin
of the Pinot Noir grape makes it susceptible to bunch rot and fungus, and
winemakers need to employ vigilance whilst rubbing a rabbit’s foot to bring the
grapes to harvest.
The shapeshifting qualities of this grape are alluring.
Pinot Noir can be full and rounded, with farmyard aromas, or light and fruity
with a short finish. It can also be anything in between. Its complexity excites
the wine press and sommeliers alike, resulting in some fairly unconventional
descriptions.
Master Sommelier
Madeline Triffon calls pinot ‘sex in a glass’.
New Zealand
and Tasmania
have gained an international reputation for the Pinot Noir they produce, and
rightly so. It’s good stuff. Yet one of the best places for growing Pinot vines
is central Victoria,
and many winemakers in the region have taken up the challenge with excellent
results.
The area is classified as cool climate; in fact the Macedon Ranges wine region has the coolest
grape-growing climate of any wine region in the country. The fresh temperatures
combine with rich volcanic soils to create a growing zone well suited to the
Pinot Noir grape.
Chanters Ridge in Tylden uses the prime cool conditions to
produce Pinot Noir of some repute. Grapes are picked by hand in late April to
early May, and local wine maker John Ellis from Hanging Rock Winery oversees
production. The 2005 vintage is now ready for enjoying. It has a sweet cherry
aroma and a pleasant softness. It’s dangerously drinkable.
Back at Hanging Rock Winery, John and Ann Ellis produce a
Pinot Noir they call Kilfara. It has a full mouth feel and pleasantly tannic
finish. It would go well with anything from Asian dishes to chocolate. It’s
that versatile. I found it to be the perfect foil for duck.
15km from Daylesford on the Daylesford to Malmsbury road is
Big Shed Wines. In addition to producing an award winning Pinot, they host an
annual Scottish Highland Beef Feast or Suffolk Sheep Feast in late March or
April. It’s a stellar reason to visit.
Eating great food while tasting
wines is a hallmark of the region.
On the weekends, Gisborne Peak Winery cranks out wood-fired
pizzas which make it a welcome snack stop on the central Victorian wine trail.
Their Pinot is definitely pizza-worthy.
Kyneton Ridge Estate is another top spot for enjoying a
Pinot Noir whilst grazing. The cellar door seats 40, and they can even offer
you a bed for the night if it all gets too much.
Sailors
Falls Estate, back
towards Daylesford, ups the accommodation ante. This Pinot Noir producer has
two nicely appointed Tuscan-style villas to escape to after a day of imbibing.
If it’s privacy you crave with your Pinot there are a number
of high quality accommodation options available in Daylesford.
If you love Pinot Noir’s naughty ways as much as I do, there
really is no better place to escape for a weekend of indulgence than central Victoria.
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