TrueMuscatExperiencePfeifferWines
Thisis oneforthosewhofancysomeblendingaction
inatmosphericsurrounds.HeldinPfeifferWinery’s
century-oldbarrelroom,guestsareseatedat a lamp-lit
diningtableandareguidedthroughtheprocessof
blendingtheirownmuscat,includingsyphoning
muscatstraightfromthebarrelwitha ‘winethief’.It’ll
usuallybeoneofthePfeifferclantakingyouthrough
yourblendingpacessoyou’llgeta heapoffamily
historyalongsidetheskinnyonblendingthefour
muscatclassificationsyou’regiventoworkwith.Those
hulkingbarrelssurroundingyou?They’remorethan
100 yearsoldandoriginallycamefromGermany.The
muscatyou’reworkingwith?Partofthe 3000 barrels
ofthestuffofwhichthePfeifferfamilyconsider
themselvescustodiansratherthanowners.Besidesthe
stories,youalsogettotakea smallbottleofyourown
blendwithyoutoimpressyourfriends.Theregion
makessomeofthebestmuscatintheworld,sothere’s
somethingquitewonderful,evenhumbling,aboutan
experiencelikethisthatbringsyouinsuchclose
quarters to that legacy.pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.auTheKingValleySangioveseTourChrismont& PizziniWines
TheridiculouslygorgeousKingValley,allquietcountryroads,bigskies,fertilefarmland
anddistantmountains,pioneeredproseccoinAustraliainthe1990sandis nowpushing
sangioveseasitsnextbigItalianthing.
TheSangioveseTourtakesinthelabat Chrismontwinery,thenervecentreoftheKing
Valley’sSangioveseProject,a collaborativeeffortwiththeregions’growersaimedat maximising
thequalityofthevalley’sfruitandwine.WinemakerWarrenProftexplainsthesciencebehind
theproject(completewithtesttubesandbubblingvats)beforehostinglunchwithmatching
sangioveseontheverandaat theChrismontrestaurantandcellardoor.Themagnificentviews
acrossthevinestotheBlackRangesanda menuofItalianclassics,suchaseggplantpolpette
andsuperbcarpaccio,canmaketree-changinghereseemlikea viableandsensibleplan.
Afterlunch,you’redroppedat PizzinitomeetupwithJoelPizzinifora guidedtourofhis
sangioveseplantings.Joel,a second-generationwinemaker,getsyouupcloseandpersonalwith
thevinesthatgrewthegrapesyou’lldrinkinglater,bothstraightfromthebarrelinthewinery
andinthemoreluxurioussurroundsofPizzini’sprivatetastingroom,anelegantlycosyspace
ina renovatedtobaccodryingkiln.
“Yougeta bettersenseofplacewhenyoucanvisitthesiteswheretheactualgrapescome
from,”saysJoel.“Ifyoucantastethegrapesfromthevineandsmellthe air and feel the
soil, it helps fill in part of the story.” chrismont.com.au; pizzini.com.auA newgeneration
ofwinemakers
hasbeen pushing
boundariesand
challenging
stereotypesof
what theHigh
Countryiscapable
of producing.114 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHY GEORGIE JAMES (ROLLS ROYCE) & PHOEBE POWELL (BLACKBOARD).