Therearemorethana dozenvineyardsintheregion
andthey’reallplacedwithina shortdrive,orhelicopter
hop,ofeachother.At 850 metresabovesealevel,the
terroiris idealforgrowingcool-climategrapessuchas
pinotnoir,chardonnay,rieslingandsauvignonblanc.
OuraerialUberswoopsoverJohansenWinesbefore
loweringusintothepaddockwherewe’regreetedby
ownersTomandHelleSouthwell,theirtwoyoungkids,
plusHelle’sparentswholiveuptheroad.Tomworked
inITandHelleas a chemistuntilalmosttwoyears
agowhentheychosetomovebacktotheareatobe
closertofamily– andtomakewine,ofcourse.
Theirphilosophyis simple:tounderstandand
respecttheland,andtohand-pickselectparcelsof
grapestocreatethebestpossiblewinesinthemost
sustainableway.Withthirstsneedingtobequenched,
weswiftlydisembarkourrideandmarchovertothe
cellardoor,a beautifullyconvertedshearingshed.
Tompoursusa glassof 2016 sparklingandI feel
instantlyreplenished.Witharomasoffreshbread
andflavoursofgreenappleandstrawberry,it comes
asnosurprisethiswinegarnereda goldmedalat the
AustralianCoolClimateWineShow.A quickdetour
to meet the family’s rotund horses and we’re off again.
Untilnow,I’veneverhadveganwine– orany
thatI’mawareof.“Isn’tallwinevegan-friendly?”I ask
AdrianBrayne,ownerofObsessionWines,asa glass
ofroséentersmylineofsight.Nois thesimpleanswer.
Here,at Tumbarumba’shighestvineyard,
everythingfollowsorganicprinciplesandnota single
animalis harmedinthewinemakingprocess.Grapes
arepickedcarefullybyhandandevensheepare
broughtintomaintainthegrassaroundthevines.
The10-hectarepropertyis immaculateandflaunts
thebestviewswe’veseenfromthegroundsofar,
particularlyif youstandat thetopoftheblockinfront
ofthewinemakingshed.Visitthecellardoorduring
theMarchharvestandwatchthemachinesinaction.
IncomparisontotheBarossaorHunterValley,the
Riverinamaynotbeas wellknown,butit’sequally,if
notmorebucolic.Andalthoughthevinesarenotas
mature,winemakersareproducingdropsthatarejust
as deliciousandexciting– theirnew-worldapproach
andeco-consciousattitudesshinethrough.
I takea sipofroséandmytastebudsfloodwith
familiarflavoursofTurkishdelight.Greatwine?Tick.
Glorioussurrounds?Tick.Allservedwitha side of
sustainability. I’ll have a top-up, please.●Gundagaiis a
50-minutedrive
fromWagga
Wagga,orfour
hours’drivefrom
Sydneyandfive
hours’drive
fromMelbourne.Stay
EcohutsatKimo
Estatestartfrom
$350pernight.
kimoestate.comGetting
thereAswegotoprint,welearned
thatbushfireshavetornthrough
JohansenandObsessionwineries,
andcontinuetoburninTumbarumba.
To supporttheaffectedwineries,you
canpurchasetheirwineonline.
johansenwines.com.au;
obsessionwines.com.au