Capital Wines' Kyeema Vineyard
I spent the last federal election night dining at Taxi with my family, celebrating my mum’s 60th birthday. I think I spent most of the night studying either the excellent wine list or my iPhone for election updates and paid little attention to the other guests at the table.
This year, I’ll be spending the night at home, flicking between the 24-hour ABC news channel and Sky News, and honouring the occasion with wines from our nation’s capital – or the scene of the crime, depending on your political leanings and what happens on the night.
In my view, Canberra is an underrated wine region that we should all take some time to get to know better.
Many people have heard of the region’s flagship wine, Clonakilla’s shiraz viognier, but then have as much trouble naming any of the region’s other wineries as they do their local member of parliament.
The region’s first grapes were planted in 1971 by Edgar Riek at Lake George and John Kirk, father of Clonakilla’s current head winemaker, Tim, but it’s only been in the past 10 or so years that Canberra winemaking has flourished. Riek also founded the National Wine Show, which is held in Canberra each year.
It’s an interesting fact that many of the wineries in the designated Canberra wine region are actually in New South Wales and not the ACT.
Canberra is a large region on the southern tablelands of NSW and grapes are planted between 500-900 metres above sea level. This means warm summer days and cool nights, ideal conditions for a lengthy ripening period that helps the grapes develop complex flavours without high alcohol levels.
Varieties that thrive here are riesling, shiraz, sangiovese and tempranillo, along with pinot noir and chardonnay at the higher altitudes. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot have had some success in the region, given the right vintage conditions and vineyard sites.
From being almost unheard of 10 years ago, the future for Canberra as a region is looking good. The vineyards are getting some age to them and winemakers are gaining a better understanding of what they should be growing and how.
Any pollie will tell you that there are no guarantees on election night – just ask John Howard – but I’ll give you one: find yourself a bottle, or two (it could be a long night) of wine from Canberra and you’ll have backed a winner.
Love A Bargain?
Ravensworth Shiraz Viognier 2009 (Canberra) $27; 14%
4½/5
Food match: Duck with a blackcurrant sauce. No region in Australia does shiraz-viognier better than Canberra. This has aromas of red berries, blueberries, cherries with a hint of apricot from the viognier and some mocha oak. It’s midnight purple and there’s balance between fine-grained tannins, acidity and flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant and raspberry.
Wineries to look out for (and what they do best)
• Clonakilla (shiraz and riesling)
• Collector Wines (shiraz)
• Nick O’Leary (shiraz and riesling)
• Lark Hill (biodynamic producer of gruner veltliner, riesling and shiraz)
• Capital Wines (shiraz and merlot)
• Brindabella Hills (shiraz)
• Helm Wine (riesling)
• Mount Majura Vineyard (tempranillo and shiraz)
• Quarry Hill (shiraz and pinot noir)