inflight guide to w ine - Qantas · of regular and rigorous tasting sessions as well as the...

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qantas inflight guide to

wine 6th Edition

gourmet traveller wine 3

vISIT gourmet traveller wine* aT WWW.GOURMETTRavELLERWINE.COM.aU*Voted best drink magazine at Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards 2003, 2005 and 2007

Editor’s lEttEr

complex and intriguing drop, Qantas

has, over nine decades, evolved from

a modest operation known as the

Queensland and Northern Territory

Aerial Services into one of the leading

airlines of the world. So it seems fitting

that in this edition of the Qantas

Inflight Guide to Wine we honour

the airline’s 90th year by showcasing

Australian wines, winemakers and

wineries that display the same sort of

enduring excellence and, in some cases,

have reached a similarly ripe old age. On the

following pages you will meet families who

have produced premium wines for generations

and read about prominent vineyards that have

been operating for more than 150 years.

You will also meet the panel of experts who

have selected the fine local wines you’ll be

enjoying on your flight. Of course, weight and

space restrictions prevent Qantas carrying every label in

its cellar; instead, your cabin crew will offer a selection of

wines to complement dishes crafted by world-renowned

chef Neil Perry. So sit back,

raise a glass and enjoy what

Australia has to offer.

Just as a youthful premium wine given time in the bottle can transform from something simple

and straightforward into a far more significant,

judy sarris Editor, Gourmet Traveller WINE.

Editor Judy Sarris Creative Director Sabine Schmitz Deputy Editor/Copy Editor Connell Nisbet

Tasting Notes Peter Bourne, Bob Campbell MW Features Nick Ryan Editorial Assistant Monique Lane Cover Photography Ben Dearnley

Production Controller Edwina Kerrigan Digital Pre-press Specialist John Ruperto Publishing Director Men’s, Specialist & Custom Titles Phil Scott

PBL Media Chief Executive Officer Ian Law

Qantas Airways LtdQantas Inflight Services, 203 Coward Street, Mascot, NSW 2020Qantas Wine and Beverage Manager Claudia Lill (02) 9691 1569

Qantas Club and Frequent Flyer Service Centre 13 11 31 Qantas Reservations 13 13 13

This Qantas Inflight Guide to Wine is complimentary to

Qantas passengers and was developed by Qantas Inflight Services. Published by Qantas Airways Ltd, ABN 16 009 661 901 and by ACP

Magazines Ltd ABN 18 053 273 546. 54-58 Park St, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2010 All rights reserved. Printed by Quality Print Group Pty Ltd,

45 Huntingwood Drive, Huntingwood NSW 2148. Articles express the opinions of authors and not necessarily

those of Qantas or ACP Magazines Ltd.

QANTAS’ 90TH BIRTHDAY 4QANTAS WINE PANEL 6QANTAS WINE PROGRAM 8QuALITY SERVICE 10FOOD & WINE 11PREMIuM WINE 12WORLD STAGE 13VINOuS HISTORY 14BOTTLE AGE 15FIRST FAMILIES OF WINE 16AN AuSTRALIAN ICON 17WINERY MILESTONES 18QANTAS 187ML PROGRAM 21TASTING NOTES 23 WINE INDEx 48CONTACTS 50C

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4 gourmet traveller wine

Changing the way people think about an inflight wine program

by offering an unprecedented level of diversity is just another

example of how Qantas has always been at the cutting edge when

it comes to refining the art of air travel for almost as long as the

very idea has existed.

This year Qantas celebrates its 90th birthday; a journey that has

taken the airline from the remote expanses of outback Australia to

some of the world’s key transport hubs and made the unique Flying

Kangaroo one of the most recognised symbols in aviation.

It’s a milestone that offers a chance to look back on a list of

achievements and maybe even pop a cork or two in celebration.

As the world’s second oldest airline, and with more miles racked

up than any other, it’s hardly surprising that Qantas has a long

history of showing the way for others to follow.

Qantas was the first airline to offer around the world services

way back in 1958 and a year later was the first to take passengers

across the Pacific by jet.

With so many significant achievements marking Qantas’ fascinating nine-decade history, it’s little wonder it is now shaping

the future of inflight wine service.

90 Years Strong

qantas celebrates

SETTING THE PACEThe entrance to the Qantas First Lounge in Sydney. Below: a Qantas hangar in the 1930s. Opposite top: a Qantas Boeing 747 from the 1970s. Opposite bottom: Qantas A380 interior.

5gourmet traveller wine

It has always been at the forefront of technological advances

that have made flying safer, cleaner and more efficient by being

actively involved in the development of aircraft like the Boeing 747

and the Airbus A380, as well as pioneering safety systems and routes

that get passengers to their ultimate destination in a more efficient

manner. And in much greater comfort too.

It was Qantas who invented business class travel back in 1979,

recognising a need in an increasingly global business world. And for

those who can travel in the name of pure indulgence, Qantas worked

closely with Neil Perry to be the first airline to offer a carefully

constructed degustation menu, such as those found in the world’s

finest restaurants, in Qantas First in 2007.

So it’s only natural then that Qantas has pioneered a whole

new approach to inflight wine service too. It offers an unparalleled

selection of wines from Australia’s most exciting producers, some of

whose high-quality, low-volume wine would, once, never have

made a blip on the radar of airline wine buyers.

The result is a selection of inflight wines that is second to none,

showcasing the diversity of Australia’s wine regions and including

both iconic Australian

wines as well as the

emerging stars that will

be the icons of tomorrow.

Combine this with

the establishment of an

inspirational and world-

class training facility in

the heart of Sydney: the

Qantas Centre of Service

Excellence; where staff

are trained to the very

highest levels of customer

service, and you have

another item to add to

the long list of Qantas

achievements of the last

90 years. v


wine panel

For passengers, getting on board a plane is a reasonably easy

process – buy a ticket, check-in, walk on and relax. For the wines

you enjoy inflight, it’s a much tougher task. They have to make it

past the Qantas Wine Panel.

So who are these gate-keepers who decide what ends up in your

glass? Vanya Cullen, Steve Pannell and Tom Carson are three of the

most widely acclaimed winemakers and highly respected wine show

judges in the country.

Since taking over the winemaking duties at the family winery in

the Margaret River from her trailblazing mother, Diana, Vanya has

continued to build Cullen into a prominent name in Australian

wine. She is responsible for one of the country’s best cabernet

merlots, a sublime chardonnay and a semillon sauvignon blanc that

introduces barrel ferment

complexity to the distinc-

tive regional style. Aside

from being a wine show

judge, she is a leading

expert on biodynamic

viticulture and was the

Qantas/Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the

Year in 2000.

Like Cullen, Steve

Pannell’s family was

instrumental in the estab-

lishment of the Margaret

River region, starting the

legendary Moss Wood

vineyard in 1969, but it’s

been in South Australia

Three of the sharpest wine minds in the business apply their wealth of experience

and talent to determine which drops make it into the Qantas cellar.

Survival of the Finest

SOURCE OF INSPIRATIONThe vines at Cullen in Margaret River. Above: Vanya Cullen.


that Pannell has forged his winemaking career. Completing an

oenology degree from the University of Adelaide, he worked

vintages around the world before becoming group red winemaker

for the BRL Hardy group at just 29. These days, he is concentrating

primarily on producing his own eponymous label with a focus on

red wines that take stylistic cues from Italy and Spain.

Tom Carson’s career in wine began with him pruning vines

during a bleak Yarra Valley winter and it didn’t take him long to

realise that his future lay in the relative warmth of the winery. With

an oenology degree under his belt, he returned to the Yarra in Victoria,

working first at Coldstream Hills, then Yering Station and he’s

currently chief winemaker at Yabby Lake. He’s also the chairman of

the National Wine Show in Canberra, the youngest in its history.

It’s the vast judging experience all three possess that really comes

to the fore when they convene as the Qantas Wine Panel. It holds

them in good stead for the sensory rigours of tasting a large number

of wines in a single sitting and has helped them build the almost

super-human levels of concentration such a task requires.

But it’s not just the way they judge wine that makes them so well

equipped for the job. It’s the way they drink it too. As enthusiastic

collectors and consumers of the world’s great wines they under-

stand where the benchmarks are, what excellence really means, and

just how special it can be when a wine thoroughly surprises and

amazes you. They are always looking for what’s new and exciting in

Australia, hoping that what has captured their attention and earned

their affection might just do the same thing for you.

And ultimately that’s what makes them so qualified to serve as

our Wine Panel – a deep, unwavering love for wine. It’s the most

important requirement of all. v

SOUTHERN STARTom Carson has achieved great things in the Yarra.

IMPRESSIVE RESULTSSteve Pannell’s career as a winemaker has spanned the globe.


Just as Australia’s wine industry has evolved, so too has the way

Qantas seeks to represent it to customers. Australia is the world’s

most diverse wine-producing nation, with vines flourishing in

radically different regions the length and breadth of our island

continent. The Qantas Wine Program gives its customers the oppor-

tunity to discover some of these amazing wines, alongside Neil

Perry’s award-winning cuisine, from the comfort of their seats.

Qantas selects wine for inflight service using a combination

of regular and rigorous tasting sessions as well as the constant

monitoring of growing trends and emerging new stars in the

Australian wine scene. It’s the regular meetings of the Qantas Wine

Panel, and the wines that rise to the top in these very competitive

tasting sessions that form the core of the Qantas Wine Program.

The Qantas Wine Panel was originally formed by Len Evans

and now comprises winemakers and wine show judges, Vanya

Cullen, Steve Pannell and Tom Carson with Qantas Wine Program

manager, Claudia Lill. They review submissions under wine show

conditions. Wines are grouped into classes according to

variety, their identities masked and each is scored according to the

established 20-point wine show system.

Come and take a peek behind the scenes at the rigorous and finely tuned selection

process which shapes the core list of the Qantas Wine Program.

The Chosen Ones

qantas wine Program


Once the best performing wines are revealed other criteria

come in to play. Recognition and reputation both in the wine industry

and the broader market is an important consideration as is the

desire to look to producers who have a proven ability to deliver

definitive examples of classic regional wine styles or who clearly

have the potential to do so.

There is also scope to assess the work of winemakers who are

seeking to push envelopes, change perceptions and create new classics

and it’s the close monitoring of what’s hot in Australia’s finest bars

and restaurants that helps pull these wild cards from the pack.

And finally the wines have to be assessed on not only how they

might appear in front of the Panel in a tasting room but also how they

are going to look when poured for Qantas customers at 30,000 feet.

This is much the same way that wine has long been selected for

Qantas, but there has been recent evolution of the system that gives

the Qantas Wine Program a whole new dimension and has revolu-

tionised inflight wine service. While logistics and operational

requirements have long restricted airline wine-buyers to purchasing

large bulk lots, Qantas has been working hard to become much

more nimble and now has highly sophisticated processes in place

that provide the ability to purchase small parcels of the very best

wine from numerous producers. This means that not only does the

inflight wine list change more frequently, but customers can enjoy

the kinds of high demand, limited-availability wines they might

find only in the very best restaurants.

So whether you’re currently enjoying an iconic Barossa shiraz

or a single-vineyard pinot noir from the Mornington Peninsula,

you can be sure you’re getting the best of Australian wine. v


In the Know

One of the key components of the new Qantas Centre of Service

Excellence in Sydney is its dedicated wine training and epicu-

rean wing. Qantas invests more than $280 million a year in staff

training in line with the ever-increasing expectations of its customers

and ensuring that cabin crew have the best possible understanding

of the wines served inflight.

With the expansion of the Qantas Wine Program over recent

years, and a much bigger focus on its diversity and depth, the

requirement for cabin crew to have a good understanding of the

wines it offers has become more important than ever. There are

several progressive levels of wine training to help crew members

build their knowledge of wine regions, grape varieties and wine styles,

as well as the intricacies of food and wine matching. Some crew

choose to take that education right through to the highest level.

Keep a close eye on the lapels of your cabin crew and if you spot

a bunch of shining silver grapes, it means you’re in the very capable

hands of a graduate from the Qantas Sommeliers in the Sky program,

an innovative and exhaustive wine-education course

that ensures that Qantas flies with some of the

best palates in the sky. Developed in association

with Wine Australia’s online education program,

Australia: World Class, the Sommeliers in the

Sky course ensures cabin crew develop their wine

knowledge to a level comparable to that of top

restaurant sommeliers. Only graduates of the advanced level of the

course earn the right to wear the coveted silver badge, so you if you

see one, you can be sure that you’ll be getting the best, and most

knowledgeable, wine service anywhere. v

To make the most of your wine list be sure to ask the cabin crew for their advice. Their level of expertise is the result of an extensive vinous training program devised by Qantas, which sets the standard for airline service.

QUALITY SERVICE

www.gourmettravellerwine.com.au

Greater Heights

Even by the lofty standards of a man who has been at the top of his

profession for three decades, the past year of Neil Perry’s career

has been a stellar one. But don’t just take our word for it when the

army of organisations that have bestowed coveted awards on Perry

and his team emphasise the point more than we ever could.

Much of the attention has fallen on the most eagerly anticipated

new restaurant in many years – the $30 million Rockpool Bar & Grill

in Sydney. It was named Best New Restaurant in the 2010 edition of

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and the prestigious

Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, as well as receiving

numerous awards for a wine list that rates among the world’s best.

This kind of recognition confirms something we’ve always known

– that everything Perry does is to the highest possible standards and

with a rigorous dedication to sourcing the very best produce.

Those same standards apply to the menus he creates for Qantas.

Always seasonal and innovative, they reflect the countless hours that

have gone into nurturing relationships with some of the country’s best

artisanal producers. A great example is the exceptional full-blood

waygu beef he gets from one of Australia’s finest breeders David

Blackmore, which is fed for 500-600 days on authentic Japanese-style

grain and produced naturally, according to Japanese tradition. It’s the

undeniable quality of Blackmore’s waygu that has had the critics

raving and that same quality comes shining through when it’s used in

the degustation menu Perry has designed for Qantas First.

It’s relationships like this that have enabled Perry and Qantas to

create one of the leading inflight dining experiences anywhere in the

world, and it’s the strength of these relationships that ensures it will

just keep getting better. And our wine list isn’t too bad either. v

Top chef and restaurateur Neil Perry is the creative powerhouse behind the Qantas inflight menu. It’s a collaboration that

thrives on a mutual desire to excel.

11

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SYDNEY’S FINESTRockpool Bar & Grill. Left: Neil Perry.

Food + wine


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Premium PleasureThe wines selected for Qantas First and

Business all share the key attributes required for a truly exceptional experience.

And the winner is... Confirmation that the hard work selecting the wines for the Qantas Wine Program is

more than worthwhile was delivered with the 2009 results of the annual Cellars in the Sky awards announced by Business Traveller magazine.

Qantas received awards for Best First Class Red for 2005 Clonakilla ShiRaz ViognieR, Best First Class Fortified or Sweet Wine for MoRRiS old PReMiuM liQueuR Tokay, Best Presented Wine list and Best First Class Cellar.

First runner-up prizes were awarded for Best Sparkling in First and Business with 1999 TaiTTingeR CoMTeS de ChaMPagne and nV ChaRleS heidSieCk BRuT ReSeRVe respectively. an amazing result for all concerned.

What makes a wine special? What elevates it from mere

beverage to memorable experience?

The first box that needs ticking is sourcing the finest possible fruit,

and the only place you’re going to find that is in the best possible

vineyards. For a start, the vineyards must be in the right location;

those sacred sites where everything comes together in perfect, natural

harmony. And they need to have the right vines; varieties that

respond in distinctive ways to the unique vineyard conditions.

Once in the winery, the fruit must be given the respect it deserves.

Just as no winemaker can make great wine with inferior fruit, even

the best raw materials won’t survive bad winemaking decisions. A

great wine needs a winemaker who is attuned to what nature has

provided, a vision of how that gift can be best expressed and the

knowledge to shepherd that fruit through the winemaking process.

The wine must then prove it’s no one-trick pony that has bolted

from a remarkable vintage. It needs a track record, a consistency

that shows that this combination of site, variety and winemaker can

deliver over the long haul. v

DEFINING QUALITYClonakilla’s talented winemaker Tim Kirk.

premium wine


Having experienced the best Australian wine has to offer while

flying, it’s reasonable to expect you’ll be looking for the same

standards once you reach your destination. If you can drink well in

the air, why would you settle for anything less on the ground?

The good news is you don’t have to. With a little bit of sniffing

around you can find some terrific Australian wines on the smarter,

more insightful wine lists across the globe.

Hop off at Heathrow and head for Michelin-starred The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Wiltshire (www.theharrowatlittlebedwyn.co.uk).

Chef/proprietor Roger Jones is passionate about Australian wines

and offers more than 300 different bottlings on his awe-inspiring list,

including verticals of icons such as Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon.

Across the Irish Sea, at the internationally renowned Ballymaloe House in County Cork (www.ballymaloe.ie), you’ll find a raft of

names you recognise from the Qantas Wine Program, including

Brokenwood, Henschke and Wirra Wirra, as well as the stunning

Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot that is the flagship for

Wine Panel member Vanya Cullen’s family winery.

In Tokyo, ex-pat Australian and second-generation restaurateur

Marcus Yip pulls treasures like aged Peter Lehmann Reserve Semillons

from the cellar of his 148 Hiroo (pictured above, www.lovestocook.

net), while in Osaka Wassy’s Dining Souple (www.wassys.co.jp)

will also satisfy your cravings for great Australian wines.

If your journey takes you Stateside, your options are numerous.

In Los Angeles, Spago Beverley Hills (www.wolfgangpuck.com)

has long been a fan of premium Australian wines. Head north to

San Francisco and plunder the well-cellared collection at Farallon

(www.farallonrestaurant.com) that includes Leeuwin Estate Art

Series Chardonnay and Penfolds’ venerable St. Henri.

And if you are trying to prove the dictum that says New York

is the city that never sleeps, best to do it with a glass of something

patriotically special at the very funky Public (www.public-nyc.com)

in the heart of Manhattan. v

If you love your Aussie premium wines, there are plenty of top-quality restaurants throughout the world championing our

finest on their wine lists.

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world stage

Flying the Flag


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Vinous history

Ask most people where they

would expect to find the

oldest productive vineyards in

the world and they’re likely to

assume that France, or maybe

Italy, would be the natural habitat

for such venerable vines. But

thanks to a tiny pest, the answer,

for many noble varieties at least,

is much closer to home.

At the end of the 19th century

the vineyards of Europe were

devastated by phylloxera, a tiny

louse that attacks the roots of

grapevines and destroys the

plants with alarming rapidity.

When its work was complete,

about 90 per cent of the vine-

yards of Europe had been laid

fallow by the epidemic.

Even here in Australia, the voracious little menace made an

impact, causing havoc with the emerging Victorian wine industry

when it arrived in the late 1870s.

But parts of the country, most notably South Australia, have

never been subjected to phylloxera attack, and as a result, vineyards

that would have been babies when the epidemic devastated Europe

have thrived for more than 100 years since they were first planted and

are now recognised as the oldest productive vineyards on the planet.

The Barossa Valley is particularly blessed with these ancient

treasures. At Langmeil, the Lindner and Bitter families carefully

tend their Freedom shiraz vineyard, planted in 1843, which all

research indicates is the oldest shiraz stock in the world. Block 42

of Penfolds’ legendary Kalimna vineyard holds what are possibly

the longest continually bearing cabernet sauvignon vines. Marco

Cirillo does amazing things with his family’s grenache vineyard,

planted at Light Pass in 1850, while generations of the Koch family

at Rowland Flat have been nurturing an old block of mouvèdre

from which Dean Hewitson makes his stunning Old Garden wine.

Even pinot noir has its oldest examples rooted deep in

Australian soil. The 1868 plantings at Best’s Great Western in central

Victoria take the crown. They sit alongside grape varieties so rare that

they are beyond identification, as well as scarcely seen troyen vines

originally from Burgundy.

But what benefits do old vines bring? Like us, vines lose vigour and

vitality as they age, yet they are able to turn that into a virtue. Where

young vines will produce heavy crops, old vines can manage merely

a bunch or two. With a vast network of deep, well-established roots,

the vines’ energy goes into those precious few berries, resulting in

deep, concentrated flavours. It’s the epitome of ageing gracefully. v

It’s a delightful irony that some of the best wines from the New World,

particularly Australia, come from vines that are among the oldest on the planet.

Noble Stock


If there’s one element that makes wine truly special, that sets it

apart from all those other enticing beverages that may grab our

attention from time to time, is its ability to change in the bottle. The

unique journey a wine undertakes once it’s bottled, from the

vibrancy of youth, through glorious maturity and even into its

inevitable decline, is what captures the hearts, minds and palates of

us all and never ceases to delight and amaze.

Getting the best result from ageing your wines means knowing

that, just like us, the passage of time treats different wines in

different ways. Some wines are awkward and angry in their earliest

days, while others hum with vitality and youthful beauty. Some

revel in confident and comfortable maturity, while others start to

sag and come apart at the seams. The key to maintaining a great

cellar is to know which is which.

While most people will automatically think reds when it comes

to wines possessing the ability to age, well-chosen white wines can

undergo stunning transformations with bottle age. When grown in

the Hunter Valley and made in the region’s traditional style, semillon

is a Cinderella wine that appears plain and featureless at first, but

with several years in the bottle, it develops complex toast and

lemon-curd characters and becomes softer, rounder and richer.

Riesling is another that repays patience; the thrilling, fresh-

citrus characters so prevalent in young rieslings morph into

sublime lemon butter and lime marmalade characters over time.

Sauvignon blanc, however, is a great example of a variety to which

the passage of time is cruel, tasting like the juices from canned

asparagus within a few years.

Reds, as a general rule, all benefit from some time in the bottle.

But don’t assume that the bigger, richer and more aggressively

structured the wine, the longer it will live. An overly oaked young

red will end up an overly oaked old red, and if the tannins are over-

whelming the fruit from the start, that balance won’t change over

time. Clearly, harmony is the key to a long and happy life. v

Understanding how wines are affected by the amount of time spent in the bottle improves appreciation of different varieties and styles,

and is the secret to building a great cellar.

Age Before Beauty

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bottle age


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first families

Australia’s First Families of Wine bring together 12 leading wine

businesses as a unified group. They intend to remind export

markets that the Australian wine industry has been built on hard

work and innovation by generations of committed wine people.

All the producers involved in this exciting venture are expected

to meet specific criteria. They must be multi-generational, family-

owned companies with icon wines that can be traced back at least

20 vintages. They must also have ownership of well-established

vineyards distinguished by age or situation. In most cases it is

both. Furthermore, they must be committed to environmental best

practice and have shown a willingness to serve on industry bodies.

As a result of this rigorous selection process, the First Families

of Wine can proudly boast between them more than 1200 years of

winemaking experience and family ownership of more than 5000

hectares of our finest vineyards.

The Inaugural Chairman of the First Families, Tahbilk’s Alister

Purbrick (pictured above, far left), summed up the collective vision

of the group when it was officially

launched at the Sydney Opera

House in August last year. “While as

family winemakers we all value

our independence, we do share a

common vision: that Australian

wine can take on the world’s best

and win,” he said.

It’s hardly surprising that the

names of many of the First Families

of Wine appear frequently among

the labels listed in the Qantas Inflight

Guide to Wine. After all, the airline

shares one important goal with

these iconic producers: to showcase

the most revered and interesting

premium wines Australia has to offer

to the rest of the world. v

In an unprecedented move, a dozen of Australia’s most revered wine families join forces to tackle the global market head-on.

Teamwork Wins

THE FIRST FAMILES OF AUSTRALIAN WINEBrown Brothers (Vic)Campbells (Vic) d’Arenberg (SA)De Bortoli (NSW + Vic)Henschke (SA)Howard Park (WA)Jim Barry (SA)McWilliam’s (NSW)Tahbilk (Vic) Taylors (SA)Tyrrell’s Wines (NSW)Yalumba (SA)

WORKING TOGETHERThe winemakers behind Australia’s First Families of Wine.

gourmet traveller wine

When Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and his wife Mary

arrived in South Australia back in 1844, they had something

very special stashed in their luggage. A firm believer in the

healthy benefits of wine, Dr Penfold had brought with him vine

cuttings from France that soon took root at the estate he established,

and still stands, at Magill.

The company continued to prosper under successive genera-

tions and grew its vineyard holdings extensively, a move that would

hold it in good stead when the Australian market shifted away from

fortifieds to table wines in the late 1940s.

With the legendary Max Schubert leading the winemaking

team, and the pioneering wine chemist Dr Ray Beckwith breaking

important new ground in winemaking practice, Penfolds was an

innovative and instrumental player in the birth of the modern

Australian wine industry. Furthermore, it gave the industry an

international icon: Grange.

Today, Grange is rightly considered one of the truly great wines

of the world. It speaks evocatively of place and has done more than

any other wine to prove what Schubert always knew: that Australia

was capable of producing wines of impressive stature and class.

The list of Schubert’s successors is short but substantial. Don

Ditter and John Duval have made long-lasting contributions

to Australian wine, and today chief winemaker Peter Gago leads a

talented team unshakeably committed to continuing a strong

winemaking tradition. He knows full well that he is the custodian of

a significant winemaking legacy and he travels far and wide sharing

the Penfolds vision with connoisseurs across the globe.

As Dr Penfold packed those cuttings into his bags for a voyage

across the seas, he could never have known that by doing so he

would ensure his name became synonymous with the best in

Australian wine. Wine lovers the world over have good reason to

be very thankful that he did. v

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Making HistoryPenfolds Grange continues to play a starring

role in the story of Australian wine. Its stature on the world stage is testament to the relentless

pursuit of quality behind every vintage.

local legendMax Schubert gave the australian wine industry its icon: Penfolds grange.

australian icon


If you’ve had trouble finding birthday candles lately, you can

blame the shortage on a recent cavalcade of milestones being cele-

brated by some of the Australian wine industry’s biggest names.

Not only does it give our winemakers an excuse to crack open a

few special bottles (as if they needed an excuse), but it’s also an

opportunity to reflect on how important longevity, continuity and

experience – both inherited and accrued – can be when it comes to

sustaining a vibrant and world-class wine industry.

Toolangi in Victoria’s Yarra Valley may be a relative baby when

compared to some of the others holding birthdays recently. However,

a celebration of its first 10 vintages showed that dedicated grape

growers working in conjunction with talented winemakers can have

a big impact in a short timeframe.

The Morris family has worked 151 vintages in Rutherglen and

most of the last 50 vintages or so still live on in vinous form. Carefully

aged barrels, some containing material four or five decades old, play

an important part in the blending process for the family’s world-

beating fortified wines, proving heritage can take on much tastier

forms than just the bricks and mortar of their historic buildings.

Back in 1989, a long lunch saw the genesis of the revered Shaw + Smith label, when cousins Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw

decided to turn words into action and start making wine together.

In the 20 vintages that have followed, Shaw + Smith has set

the benchmark for Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc and refined its

chardonnay philosophy, which is now so clearly expressed in its single-

vineyard wine M3. It has also rewritten the rules for what we can

expect from South Australian shiraz, producing wines that prove

intensity is a concept that can still be expressed with finesse.

The pair were helped out by the enigmatic Greg Trott, who lent

them space to process their first vintage at his Wirra Wirra winery

in McLaren Vale. It’s a lovely synergy to note that Wirra Wirra also

celebrated a significant milestone – 40 vintages – in 2009.

Although Trott passed away in 2005, his spirit lives on at Wirra Wirra, in wines that truly reflect their regional origins and show that

you don’t have to be super-serious to make seriously good wine.

Down the road, another big name celebrated in style. This time it

was Joe and Dina Grilli and the team at Primo Estate who marked

the passing of 30 years since their first vintage in 1979. Grilli was just

20, and had graduated as dux of the legendary Roseworthy College

winemaking school, when he crafted the first wines from the vineyard

on the Adelaide Plains that his father Primo had planted in 1973.

In the three decades since, Grilli has forged a reputation as one

the country’s most forward thinking and intuitive winemakers, a

master of the classic Australian sparkling red style and an innovator

when it comes to translating some traditional Italian methods and

styles into an Australian context. This is evidenced by his brilliant

Moda red blend that employs the amarone method famous in the

Veneto region of Italy where a portion of the grapes are sun-dried

to concentrate flavour and build texture.

winery milestones

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With several prominent family wineries celebrating significant anniversaries, it’s

a great opportunity to honour their collective contribution to Australian wine.

Raise Your Glass


in for the long haulleft: Mitchell taylor of taylors Wines. above: Primo estate’s modern winery. Below left: Wirra Wirra. Below right: pruning the vines at Shaw + Smith.

Big hitterSWirra Wirra vineyards. Below left: another harvest at tyrrell’s Wines. Below right: Joe grilli of Primo estate.


Another celebrating a 40th birthday is the Clare Valley’s Taylors Wines. Inspired by the legendary 1966 Château Mouton Roth-

schild, Bill Taylor and his sons John and Bill were determined to

craft cabernet of similar stature and ambition closer to home. Their

search for the right region took them to the Clare Valley, giving the

Clare one of its most important producers and the Australian

industry one of its leading family wineries.

But even 40 years is a mere moment when compared to some of

the industry’s senior statesmen, several of whom have celebrated

major milestones recently.

The name Tyrrell has been linked to the Hunter Valley and its

wines since 1858 when Edward Tyrrell first set down roots in the

shadow of the Brokenback Range. It’s hard to imagine the Hunter

Valley without Tyrrell’s Wines and nobody has worked harder to

advocate the region’s unique charms than current custodian Bruce

Tyrrell. Under his stewardship, the family company is in better

shape than ever and sure to see many milestone birthdays ahead.

Tahbilk, at Nagambie Lakes in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, is

celebrating its 150th birthday this year. Originally established by a

group of Melbourne businessmen with the ambitious plan to plant

one million vines, it has been in the steady and capable hands of the

Purbrick family for the past 100 years. While that million-vine

target has not been reached – the property has about 360,000 vines

– it’s a case of quality over quantity, particularly when it comes to a

block of ancient shiraz vines planted in 1860.

But the real elder statesman among all these celebrating wineries

is Yalumba, the venerable Barossa institution that last year marked

160 years since an English brewer named Samuel Smith planted his

first vines near Angaston in 1849. Stronger now than it ever has been,

Yalumba is one of the wine industry’s great success stories, an

upholder of traditions and an innovative inspirer of new ones.

It’s not just the wine companies celebrating birthdays. In one

notable case, it’s the wine itself. The current release of De Bortoli’s

ground-breaking Noble One marks the 25th vintage of the sweet

wine that proved that the Riverina could produce botrytised wines

of the highest calibre. It has wowed critics all over the world and has

one particularly high-profile fan in Pope Benedict XVI, who was

presented with a commerative case last year by Prime Minister

Kevin Rudd. Now that’s what we call a birthday blessing. v

living legendS Clockwise from left: Martin Shaw (left) and Michael hill Smith; tyrrell’s Wines’ Bruce tyrrell; taylors Wines in the Clare valley celebrates its 40th birthday.

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winery milestones

gourmet traveller wine

Little Pleasures

When Qantas first moved to replace its 187ml glass bottles with

lightweight PET plastic for Economy wines, the range of

labels and styles was somewhat limited. But now, two years into the

change that has reduced freight loads by 700,000 kilograms per year,

the line-up available in the lighter, recyclable plastic reads like the

wine list of a hip urban bistro. The bulk wines of the past are long

gone, replaced with regionally and varietally distinctive drops from

some of the most respected names in the industry.

From out of the west comes the hugely popular Madfish label,

produced by the same family behind Howard Park. Crossing the

continent to the Hunter Valley takes us to Brokenwood, the heart

and soul of the region and nursery for some of Australia’s most

important winemaking careers. Clare Valley-converts will be pleased

to see a classy red blend from Knappstein, while those enamored

with McLaren Vale will run straight into the welcoming arms

of Wirra Wirra and its legendary Scrubby Rise red. Anyone who

appreciates a bit of elegance and finesse will relish the arrival of the

O’Leary Walker Adelaide Hills Chardonnay.

Even the good old Barossa has come to the party with a couple

of contenders that clearly illustrate the wider options now available

to wine lovers flying Economy.

St Hallett was one of the first to embrace the move to recyclable

PET bottles, and its perfectly pitched Poacher’s Blend Semillon

Sauvignon Blanc has been a huge hit. Now its lead has been followed

by some of the Barossa’s best boutique producers, most notably the

custodians of precious old vineyards at Langmeil, who have just

bottled the opulent 2008 Valley Floor Shiraz for the 187ml program,

thereby proving that very good things do come in small packages. v

Since Qantas opted for lighter, recyclable plastic bottles in Economy, the selection of available wines is growing as more of the

country’s celebrated wineries get on board.

21

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187ml WINE PROGRAm

Please ask your flight attendant which wines are onboard this flight. 23

top Wines from the

Qantas cellar

Qantas is proud to be able to showcase more than 250 premium wines each year. tasting notes for 120 of these wines appear on the following pages. ask your flight attendant which of these wines are available on your

flight, then sit back and enjoy.

WinetastingNotes

the notes

Peter BourneWine writer and educator peter Bourne is widely

acknowledged as an independent expert. he has vast experience

as a national and international wine-show judge.

BoB camPBell mwGourmet Traveller WINE’s new Zealand editor and master of Wine

Bob campbell is an international wine judge and commentator.

he provides us with this guide’s new Zealand tasting notes.

nsW = new south Wales

Qld = Queensland

sa = south australia

tas = tasmania

Vic = Victoria

Wa = Western australia

key

For a quick reference to wines served in Qantas First and Business,

see “Index to Wines Served Onboard”, page 48.

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24

2008 Brown Brothers Limited Release Pinot Grigio – King Valley, VicThis pinot grigio is in the true Italianate mould. It shows aromas of garden herbs and ripe gooseberry with hints of apricot kernel. It is fresh, clean, tight and bright with a good sense of depth and complexity, and a surprisingly long-lasting finish.

2007 Cape Mentelle Chardonnay – Margaret River, WAThis is a conundrum of a wine – at once rich and complex, as well as fine and delicate. The bouquet is of white flowers, ripe peach, wild honey and oatmeal biscuit. The palate is taut and linear with lots of fruit tamed by sweetly spiced oak and a citrus-bright acidity.

AUSTRALIAN WHITES

2003 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon – Hunter Valley, NSWThis is Brokenwood’s premium white wine and is an Australian icon. The bouquet is of dry toast and candied honey with hints of lime marmalade. It’s quite taut but has a biscuity complexity with a zap of lemon-fresh acidity.

2009 Belgravia Sauvignon Blanc – Orange, NSWSourced from cool vineyard sites on Mt Canobolas, this is a highly perfumed sauvignon with green apple, gooseberry and freshly cut grass aromas. The palate is rounded with residual sweetness adding depth, and a citrus-fresh finish.

2008 Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay – Beechworth, VicWhite peach and honeydew melon aromas merge with butterscotch, almond meal and lemon curd. The palate is energetic with generous flavours tamed by vigilant winemaking, subtle oak and a bright acid finish.

25Please ask your flight attendant which wines are onboard this flight.

2007 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, VicIntensity and complexity are the keys here, where layers of fruit, oak and thoughtful winemaking artifices are harmoniously fused. Ripe guava, fresh fig and honeydew melon flavours interplay with hints of grilled almond and nougat.

2009 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – Margaret River, WARobert Mann is now firmly at the winemaking helm of Cape Mentelle. His ’09 has aromatics of wild herbs, fresh nettles, ripe passionfruit and lemon sorbet with a background of sweetly spiced oak and a final zap of fresh grapefruit acidity.

2008 Cassegrain Fromenteau Reserve Chardonnay – Tumbarumba, NSWJohn Cassegrain sources his fruit from the Northern Tablelands and Tumbarumba. The latter region’s cool influences show with a bouquet of apple and honeydew melon, a hint of creamy complexity and a long, acid-driven finish.

2008 Cullen Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – Margaret River, WAThe sauvignon blanc component of this blend undergoes a partial barrel fermentation to subdue its more herbal notes and to encourage depth and complexity. Meanwhile, the semillon provides a vitality and freshness to this delicious white.

2007 Dominique Portet Sauvignon Blanc – Yarra Valley, VicQuite aromatic with a lime-blossom freshness and hints of gooseberry, passionfruit and freshly cut grass. The palate is rich and textural, almost creamy with white peach flavours and a sparkling finish that’s clean, tight and bone dry.

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2007 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, VicThis is a rich, upfront and complex chardonnay. The bouquet is of ripe melon and tropical fruit with a dollop of toasty oak. Potent and powerful, the palate is held back from excess by a fine veil of citrus-fresh acidity and a gentle, sweet tannin grip.

2008 & 2009 Grosset Rockwood Vineyard Riesling – Clare Valley, SA This is made exclusively for Qantas Business Class. The ’09 has intense, floral aromas of sweet citrus fruits, white peach and passionfruit. The ’08 echoes the ’09 – with a touch more development and hints of dry toast and lime marmalade.

2009 Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Clare Valley & Adelaide Hills, SAA deliciously crunchy, savoury dry white. Semillon gives it backbone, while the sauvignon provides exotic fruit flavours of guava, nectarine and lychee. Lean, fresh acidity entwines the two components for a slaty finish.

2008 & 2009 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling – Clare Valley, SAThese wines confirm Jeffrey Grosset’s right to the title of Australia’s Riesling King. Sweet citrus aromas and mineral characters exude subtle spice, while flavours of ripe apricot and lemon sorbet dance with the fresh grapefruit acidity.

2009 Fraser Gallop Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WAThe semillon comes from Willyabrup, with the sauvignon blanc from further south, at Karridale. There’s good depth to the palate, with abundant savoury fruit flavours and the gentle tannins adding texture and an upbeat finish.


2009 Henschke Littlehampton Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris – Adelaide Hills, SAExotic fragrances abound – honeysuckle, nashi pear and ripe nectarine with a hint of marzipan. It’s a rich, textural white, juicy and lush with complex flavours of caraway, musk and truffles, flowing effortlessly to a long, zesty finish.

2006 Howard Park Riesling – Western AustraliaAromas of orange blossom, sweet lime marmalade and dry toast interplay with hints of ginger and a cool river-stone minerality. The mouthfilling flavours are carefully layered around a core of lemon-sherbet acidity. Pure and precise – why say more?

2009 Keith Tulloch Semillon – Hunter Valley, NSWA member of the renowned Tulloch family, Keith Tulloch has been making wine under his own label since 1997. Semillon is his pinnacle wine and the ’09 is at the summit. It’s elegant with fine lime and lemon aromas, a tight, clean, lean, linear palate and an ethereal finish.

2005 Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay – AustraliaThe fruit sourced for Hardys’ top chardonnay is multi-regional, creating a complex potpourri of grapefruit, rockmelon and nectarine, with hints of roasted cashew nut and malt extract. The rich yet restrained palate shows a gentle amalgam of pure fruit.

2008 Henschke Coralinga Sauvignon Blanc – Adelaide Hills, SAThe 2008 Sauvignon is surprisingly restrained with lots of lemon blossom, gooseberry and freshly cut grass aromas. Fresh, vibrant and zesty, the palate flows seamlessly to a lemon-bright and long-lasting finish.

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2009 Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Watervale Riesling – Clare Valley, SAKilkanoon is now well established as a leading Clare Valley brand. This wine is all you expect from a great Clare riesling, with orange blossom and spicy apple aromatics, a tight, linear structure and long, lemony acid finish.

2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay – Margaret River, WAAn iconic, cool-vintage chardonnay with pink grapefruit and green apple aromatics supported by hints of oatmeal and wild honey. More gentle than the usual peaches-and-cream style, with citrusy flavours and a touch of fresh nougat.

2009 Lenton Brae Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WAThis is a delicious savoury white. Abundant herb garden aromas lead the way with ripe gooseberry and hints of fresh dill and lemon zest. A touch of spicy oak helps shape the wine, giving it a positive texture and additional flavour length.

2008 Mac Forbes Yarra Valley Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, VicMacgregor Forbes (Mac to his mates) is one of our “young gun” winemakers. This is a lush chardonnay with peach and fig flavours, a hint of butterscotch and toasted muesli. Tightly focused, its creamy texture is drawn out by a lemon-bright acidity.

2008 & 2009 Mesh Eden Valley Riesling – Eden Valley, SASourced from the Eden Valley, half the fruit goes to Jeffrey Grosset’s Clare Valley winery, and the balance goes to Yalumba. After processing, the two parcels are blended. Citrus blossom, pink grapefruit and bath talc aromas flow to a tight palate and onto a lemon sorbet-fresh finale.


2008 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling – Clare Valley, SAA stand-out young wine from what has turned out to be a terrific South Australian riesling vintage. It has a classic Watervale district perfume with some savoury aromas and a steely mineral background. Ripe citrus is bedded in a lively acid crunch – dense and smoothly cut.

2005 & 2006 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay – Adelaide Hills, SA The 2005 is elegant and refined; the pure white peach and ripe fig flavours shine through, with toffee, nougat and oak in the background. The ’06 shows concentration and texture, with stone fruit and a twist of flinty citrus and savoury cashew.

2004 Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon – Barossa Valley, SAThis top semillon is named in honour of Margaret, Peter Lehmann’s wife. Its bouquet of honey, lanolin and lemon blossom is supported on the palate by hints of dry toast, marmalade and lemon sherbet. Fine and long, it’s a real triumph.

2004 Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Valley Riesling – Eden Valley, SAThe Lehmann Reserve Riesling has been re-named Wigan in honour of its award-winning winemaker, Andrew Wigan. It’s a mature riesling with dry toast, lime marmalade and wild honey. Despite its age, the palate is taut and racy with a spine of mineral acid driving the finish.

2003 Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling – Eden Valley, SAWhen Pewsey Vale was planted in the 1950s its rows were contoured around a hillside block. The 2003, made from these vines, shows bottle-developed complexity with dry toast, lemon curd and marmalade characters and citrus acidity.

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2007 Pierro Chardonnay – Margaret River, WAMike Peterkin’s Pierro vineyard features a number of tiny plots of chardonnay. Each offers its own character shaped by barrel ferment, yeast lees contact and malolactic fermentation. With white peach, ripe rockmelon and cumquat flavours, this wine has intensity and poise.

2009 Pierro LTC Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WAThe Pierro LTC is dominated by semillon with the herbal fruit lift of sauvignon blanc and a little touch of chardonnay – hence LTC. It’s a fresh, juicy style, clean and bright, with guava, lime and gooseberry flavours and green-apple acidity.

2008 Quealy Pobblebonk Pinot Grigio – Mornington Peninsula, VicPobblebonk is a local frog but this is anything but a toad. Pinot grigio, tocai friulano and muscat giallo give an Italian flavour aided by chardonnay and riesling. It’s a rich, textural white with spicy flavours and a palate-tightening tannin grip.

2008 Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Gris – Henty, Vic Floral aromatics of spiced pear, guava and honeysuckle lead to a richly textured palate with white nectarine and nashi pear flavours. There is an underlying minerality that provides both length and crispness to the finish.

2008 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay – Adelaide Hills, SAA top-notch chardonnay, where sensitive winemaking helps weave a mosaic of flavours – pink grapefruit, honeydew melon, fresh nougat, preserved lemon, poached nectarine and grilled almond, with a fine thread of citrus-fresh acidity. Long, fine and complex.


2009 Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc – Adelaide Hills, SAThis has restrained aromas of freshly plucked herbs, wild gooseberry and squeezed lime. Juicy flavours of passionfruit, pink grapefruit and pineapple are subdued by a final burst of citrus-fresh acidity.

2009 Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WAThe ’09 Sauvignon Blanc has exotic aromas of passionfruit, gooseberry and honeysuckle. The palate is citrus fresh with similar flavours to the nose and a contrasting texture of lemon curd and fine chalk. A thrust of citrusy acid gives the wine its final imperator.

2008 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay – Piccadilly Valley, SAA joint venture between Brian Croser (Petaluma), the Bizots (Bollinger) and Jean-Michel Cazes (Lynch Bages). The aromatics are ripe peach, melon, marzipan and brioche. The flavours are of spicy honey and crème brûlée. It is richly textured with a tight, mineral finish.

2004 Tyrrell’s Wines HVD Hunter Semillon – Hunter Valley, NSWWith six years’ bottle age, the ’04 HVD shows all the hallmarks of a classic Hunter semillon. An almond biscuit and lime-marmalade bouquet leads to an intricate palate – fresh and vibrant, then rich and complex. The acidity dances on the tongue, flowing to a lingering finale.

2006 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay – Margaret River, WAThe Heytesbury name is reserved for the top chardonnays and cab savs at this pioneering estate. The 2006 is an intense chardonnay, with complex layers of white peach and pear. The palate ripples in tightly woven layers, finishing with poise.

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AUSTRALIAN REDS

2008 Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier – Eden Valley, SAVirgilius is arguably Australia’s top viognier, an exotic variety, long championed by Yalumba. It’s tightly structured with abundant ripe stone-fruit, ginger, honeysuckle and musk-like perfumes. The palate is rich yet well-defined with a mineral acidity that prolongs the restrained finale.

2007 Yering Station Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, VicThis succulent chardonnay shows delightful aromas of fresh peach and whipped cream, with a whiff of wild honey and Moroccan preserved lemon. The palate is vibrant with stone fruit and pink grapefruit flavours and a whisker of spicy oak giving an exotic lift to the finish.

2008 Best’s Great Western Bin 1 Shiraz – Grampians, VicBeautiful perfumes of ripe raspberry, Damson plums and mocha chocolate with a whole basket of exotic spices. These spices continue on the palate with an incredible depth of fruit and fine, mouth-coating tannins.

2006 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz – Hunter Valley, NSWRipe plum flavours intermingle with savoury sour cherry and dusky-spice characters in this truly seductive drop. This iconic wine already has a hint of the Hunter’s trademark earthy complexity, and will age consistently for at least a decade.

2005 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel – Margaret River, WAOne of California’s favourite grapes. This wine has an intense bouquet of blackberry, prune, cinnamon and plum pudding, with rich and exotic flavours bursting in the mouth – black fruits, vanilla and warm almonds with sweetly spiced tannins on the finish.


2006 Curly Flat Pinot Noir – Macedon Ranges, Vic Phillip Moraghan’s ’06 Pinot is more savoury than sweet, a rich compote of warm, red berry fruit flavours overlaid with a fine veneer of sweetly spiced oak. It’s a wine of real style and class with an echo of its Burgundian heritage.

2007 Domaine Chandon Heathcote Shiraz – Heathcote, VicThis shiraz shows its Heathcote origins with dense black fruit flavours, red licorice and earthy, almost peaty characters. The tannins are fine and friendly, adding depth and length to the finish.

2006 Chalkers Crossing Hilltops Shiraz – Hilltops, NSWThis powerful shiraz oozes dense, dark berry flavours and has an underlying minerality. It expresses a rich, savoury (almost European) character, gaining complexity from the fine, layered tannin structure. A wine to contemplate, rather than merely tip down the throat.

2005 & 2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier – Canberra District, NSWThe viognier component adds depth to the colour, perfume to the nose and smoothness to the palate. Raspberry, ripe cherry and plum flavours abound with the ’05 more subtle while the ’06 (from a warmer year) bursts with juicy fruit flavours.

2008 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, VicThis is pure pinot with lots of fresh red berry fruits – raspberries and ripe strawberries, with a hint of sweetly spiced oak. The palate is full flavoured yet fine with a good depth of fruit and a fine silken tannin structure. Definitive Yarra pinot at its best.

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2008 Eldridge Estate Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula, VicDavid and Wendy Lloyd’s ’08 Pinot Noir is among the region’s more subtle and stylish examples. It has an elegant nose of raspberry, redcurrant and violets. The palate is restrained with sweet fruit, bright acidity and gentle tannins.

2008 Flametree Cabernet Merlot – Margaret River, WAFlametree burst onto the Australian wine scene by taking out the 2008 Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy with its maiden vintage. The ’08 is a great follow-up with ripe raspberry, dark plum and mulberry flavours restrained by sweetly spiced tannins with a fresh acid lift on the finish.

2008 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Merlot – Yarra Valley, VicA splash of cabernet sauvignon adds structure and backbone to the exuberant merlot fruit. And the blend really works, with ripe plum, mocha chocolate and black olive aromas; its full-throttle fruit flavours tamed by a veneer of finely grained tannins. Good stuff.

2004 Hardys Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WARich blackcurrant and mulberry fruit flavours intermingle with sweetly spiced oak and hints of bitter chocolate. It’s a firm wine yet without excessive tannins, which gives a powerful and positive note to the finish.

2004 Heathcote Estate Heathcote Shiraz – Heathcote, VicNow approaching maturity, the ’04 shows a dense core of dark plum and blackberry fruit, fresh licorice and warm earthiness. The palate is bound in French oak to create a shining example of the mineral-rich, savoury shiraz on which Heathcote’s reputation is founded.


2004 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon – Eden Valley, SAThis is quintessential Eden Valley cabernet. Subtlety and refinement are the cornerstones with a bouquet of cassis and mulberry leading the way – with plummy fruit from the merlot. The palate is taut; its sinewy tannins add structure and depth.

2004 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot – Western AustraliaThe bouquet is of blackcurrant, mulberry and Damson plum with an underlying toasty oak character. The palate is concentrated with loads of ripe, fleshy dark berry fruit flavours overlaid with a generous layer of finely grained tannins.

2008 Hewitson Baby Bush Mourvèdre – Barossa Valley, SAMourvèdre is French for monastrell, Spain’s second most important black grape after grenache. The nose offers wild blackberry, blueberry and glacé cherry with hints of fresh tobacco and sage. Rich and velvety, it’s a big mouthful of red wine.

2004 Houghton Gladstones Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WACassis, dark chocolate and mint combine with savoury nuances of cigar box and aniseed. Rich on the palate, the interplay of fruit and tannins gives both sweet and savoury characters.

2005 John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz – Barossa Valley, SA From the eponymous label of former Penfolds winemaker John Duval, this shiraz is the classic iron fist in a velvet glove (of soft, silky tannins). It’s at once lean and muscular yet has a rich, gentle heart. What seems a conundrum really works.

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2006 Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache – Clare Valley, SAGrenache is associated with the Barossa and McLaren Vale but, nearby in the Clare, it also shines. Old, dry-grown vines offer low yields of concentrated fruit flavours with a hint of vanillin spice. The palate is juicy and fresh with mild tannins and an easy-drinking finish.

2004 Knappstein Enterprise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – Clare Valley, SAThis shows the savoury depth and intensity of the year. Black fruit intermingles with the Clare’s hallmark warm earth and aniseed characters, swathed in a shroud of sumptuous, sweet cedary oak to create a solid, almost chewy red.

2008 La Curio Reserve Bush Vine Grenache – McLaren Vale, SAMade by Adam Hooper, beef stock, raspberry leaf, warm bricks and fresh coffee-ground aromas greet the nose. On the palate dense redcurrant and dark cherry flavours intermingle with star anise and a hint of licorice blackstrap. A substantial red that’s soft and supple.

2007 Juniper Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WA2007 was a brilliant vintage in the west as this top-class cabernet boldly attests. Its rich blackcurrant, ripe plum and blueberry flavours are carefully overlaid by a veneer of fine structural tannins. “Persistent” perfectly describes the finish. A marvellous wine.

2006 Kooyong Ferrous Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula, VicThe Ferrous Block is planted on ironstone soil with low vigour and great depth and concentration. Winemaker Sandro Mosele overlays this dense fruit with spicy oak to create an exceptional wine with dark berry flavours, a fine tannin structure and a minerally character.


2007 Lake Breeze Cabernet Sauvignon – Langhorne Creek, SAThis has deep, dense, dark berry fruit flavours and rich, earthy character, which helps tame the exuberant fruit. A backbone of fine dusty tannins adds both depth and complexity and will help the wine build and grow in the bottle for many years to come.

2004 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WAThis shows all the characteristics of a Margaret River cabernet with blackcurrant aromas and hints of eucalypt, cedar and tomato leaf. Dark berry flavours combine with star anise, vanillin oak and dusty tannins for a savoury complexity.

2008 Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Pinot Noir – Great Southern, WAFrom a miniscule vineyard near Mount Barker, this shows all the exotic aromatics for which pinot noir is famed. Raspberry and wild strawberries leap from the glass with a touch of spice and fresh earth. The palate is fine and supple.

2006 Mount Mary Vineyard Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, VicThe late Dr John Middleton pioneered Yarra Valley pinot. This ’06, made just before his death, is light yet intensely flavoured with floral aromatics of raspberry and redcurrant with a hint of cloves and cinnamon. The palate is juicy and fresh with silky tannins.

2006 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet – Yarra Valley, VicA benchmark blend of the five Bordeaux red varieties, this is fragrant to the point of ethereal, with perfumes of dried cranberry and mulberry, hints of warm spices, cedar and cool undergrowth. Fine-grained, with depth, richness and silky tannins and refreshing acidity.

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2000 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon – Coonawarra, SAThe deep, chalky soil endows Coonawarra reds with a wondrous underlying of acidity, which helps the wines age gracefully. The benefits of bottle age are exhibited with abundant warm, soft flavours of dark berry fruit compote.

2004 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz – South AustraliaPerhaps the most undervalued red in the Penfolds portfolio, Bin 28 is the epitome of a classic shiraz. The bouquet is bold with lots of dark berry fruit and dense, chewy tannins. The palate shows similar characters to the nose, with a touch of licorice and warm earth.

2006 Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz – Coonawarra, SABin 128 sits alongside Bin 28 – the first from Coonawarra, aged in French oak, the latter from the Barossa, aged in American barrels. Intense but not dense, the exuberant fruit flavours are restrained by a firm sinew of fine, dusty tannins.

2002 & 2004 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz – South AustraliaBin 389 is a textbook South Australian red. It’s a traditional blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz given the Penfolds treatment: powerful fruit flavours combined with lots of tannin extract, both from skin and oak.

2004 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon – South Australia A year spent in new American oak embellishes the fruit with sweet vanillin flavours and a dense mocha richness. It has oodles of dark berry fruit and suggestions of blackberry jam and Christmas pudding. A major wine in the traditional Penfolds super-potent mould.


2007 Plunkett Fowles Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz – Strathbogie Ranges, Vic Plunkett Fowles has been making credible wines for eons and this is one of their exciting newer labels. It’s a jolly good shiraz with dark berry flavours, a hint of exotic spice and an underlying savoury character. But keep your head down.

2008 Printhie Mt Canobolas Collection Shiraz Viognier – Orange, NSWFive per cent viognier adds an apricot nectar lift to the raspberry and black cherry aromatics, with a hint of licorice, and gives a silky texture to the palate with its rich spicy shiraz flavours and fine, lingering tannins.

1998 & 2006 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot – Coonawarra, SAThe 1998 has a dusty bouquet of plum conserve, cassis and fresh cedar. Its palate is an amalgam of concentrated fruit and finely honed tannins. The 2006 is brighter, with sweet blackcurrant and mulberry fruit and a layer of sweet oak tannins.

2004, 2005 & 2006 Penfolds RWT Shiraz – Barossa Valley, SAStylistically, RWT is diametrically opposed to its American-oaked stablemate, Grange. It’s an intense, bright-fruited shiraz of great grace and style. Compact yet in no way clunky, with raspberry, dark plum and blackberry flavours and a lift of exotic spice and aniseed.

2004 Petaluma Shiraz – Adelaide Hills, SASpicy aromas of cinnamon, star anise and clove, with a core of dense, dark fruit. A high note of floral apricot perfume, from the minuscule addition of viognier, adds both complexity and interest. There’s a sweet middle palate and a dry, savoury, long finish.

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2004 Saltram Winemaker Selection Cabernet Sauvignon – Barossa Valley, SAAs part of the Foster’s wine portfolio, Saltram has been given a major quality upgrade in recent years. This is a classic cab sav, made on founder William Salter’s home turf, now flush with cassis, mint and a soft-yet-sturdy tannic frame.

2007 SC Pannell Pronto Tinto – Adelaide, SAThis medium-weight red is a blend of grenache and mourvèdre with a slosh of shiraz and touriga. Vibrant red fruits abound with hints of licorice and five-spice. The flavours of raspberry, cherry and mulberry are checked by mild-mannered tannins and a zing of acidity.

2005 SC Pannell Shiraz Grenache – McLaren Vale, SAStephen Pannell’s shiraz grenache shows remarkable character and complexity, with dense and concentrated fruit flavours at its heart, surrounded by an intricate framework of firm, finely textured tannins. An amazing wine of immense weight and inherent style.

2008 Serrat Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, VicSerrat means “close planted” in Catalonian – the region of France from where Nadège Suné hails. Her partner is Qantas Wine Panel member Tom Carson, and this pinot comes from their high-density vineyard. Bright raspberry and ripe cherry aromas lead to a fine palate.

2008 Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir – Adelaide Hills, SAMartin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith have recently accepted the challenge of the capricious variety, pinot noir. Gentle perfumes of soft red fruits and wild mushrooms flow to a supple, full-flavoured palate – dusty tannins adding depth and weight to the finish.


2004 Spinifex Indigene – Barossa Valley, SAYoung gun Peter Schell may look to the future rather than the past, however the fruit for his shiraz mataro (mourvèdre) blend comes from ancient vines – its satin texture indicative of mature fruit and subtle winemaking. Berry aromas lead to a licorice palate.

2007 Stella Bella Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WASangiovese’s spicy flavours are at the heart here, with cabernet sauvignon giving structure and length. Morello cherry and blackcurrant flavours are overlaid with fresh tobacco. Fine tannins lead with a thread of acidity refreshing the palate.

2006 St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz – Barossa, SA2006 was a warm vintage in the Barossa and it shows with oodles of opulent dark plum and wild blackberry flavours wrapped in a shroud of licorice, warm earth and worn leather. It’s bold and powerful with any excess controlled by a positive, finely honed tannin grip.

2006 TarraWarra Estate MDB Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, VicAn impressive pinot from a great vintage with the depth, richness and intensity that only comes from mature, old-vine fruit. Dark berry flavours abound with an earthy chocolaty character and an overlay of dusty oak. With only 1,100 bottles made, this wine is a rare treat.

2008 The Wanderer Shiraz – Yarra Valley, VicAdam Marks’ sweetly spiced shiraz has aromas of Damson plum, blueberry and mocha chocolate. The palate is surprisingly smooth for such a youthful red, with lots of density and intensity yet a freshness and brightness that augers well for its future.

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2006 Torbreck Cuvée Juveniles – Barossa Valley, SADave Powell originally made this Rhône-style blend for Parisian wine bar Juveniles. The mix of grenache, mourvèdre and shiraz is bottled young, without a stick of oak. Sweet red berry dominates the nose, while the palate is as rich and fruity as grandma’s Christmas cake.

2007 Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 8 Hunter Shiraz – Hunter Valley, NSWVat 8 is Tyrrell’s Wines’ more modern shiraz, aged in smaller and newer oak barrels. Rich, red fruits with a touch of spice and mocha chocolate. It’s a typical Hunter shiraz – medium-weight, smooth and silky with juicy fruit flavours, spicy oak and an acid finish.

2008 Voyager Estate Shiraz – Margaret River, WAVoyager Estate Shiraz stands out as one of the region’s best examples. Sweet, generous fruit favours of dark plum and black cherry merge with the mocha-rich tannins to create a multi-layered palate. These finely honed tannins lead the wine to a long, harmonious finish.

2005 Wantirna Estate Amelia Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot – Yarra Valley, VicWantirna was founded in 1963 by a brilliant barrister, Reg Egan. This sophisticated wine has a delightful amalgam of dark berry fruits, dried herbs and old cedar on the nose, and a palate that is long, lingering and immensely satisfying.

2004 Wolf Blass Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec – Langhorne Creek, SAA standard bearer for this famous name in Australian wine, blended from cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and malbec. Crafted with modern hands and an eye on tradition, it is rich with dark fruit, mint, leaves and earthy, sweet tannins.


2005 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon – Coonawarra, SAThis historic iconic winery is in stunning form, as evidenced by its flagship cabernet. Ripe cassis, dark berry, mint and oak lead to an elegant palate. Impressive tannin depth and good balance make this one of Australia’s great cabernets.

2002 Yalumba The Octavius – Barossa, SAYalumba’s top Barossa shiraz has a bouquet of wild blackberry, black plum, coconut and cherry, overlaid with a veneer of charry oak, aniseed and baked brick. The chalky tannins are prominent, but the intensity of the fruit from the cool vintage provides superb balance.

2005 Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, VicThe ’05 Reserve is a wine of incredible depth and intensity with mouthfilling flavours of dried cranberry, dark cherry and ripe Damson plum and a hint of five-spice. These voluminous flavours swiftly mop up the mocha-sweet oak tannins, leaving a pleasing aftertaste.

2007 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula, VicThis wine reflects the terrific 2007 vintage on the Peninsula. Tight and bright aromatics of redcurrant and raspberry with a hint of cedar. The palate is still quite elemental but it’s all there – lush fruit, spicy oak and a gentle squeeze of sinewy tannins.

2005 Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier – Yarra Valley, VicThis traditional Northern Rhône-style blend is a sumptuous combination of ripe cherry and dark plum flavours with a dash of sweet apricot nectar. The deep core of juicy fruit flavour is enmeshed in a framework of fine-grained tannins.

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2007 Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon – Riverina, NSWAromas of fresh apricot and ripe mangoes, with a hint of butterscotch and warm panettone. Luscious pineapple, custard apple and golden syrup flavours are cut by a distinct Seville marmalade character. Fresh-citrus acidity slices through the sweetness, leaving a sustained finale.

2007 De Bortoli Deen De Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon – Riverina, NSWThis astonishing dessert wine is the little sibling to the De Bortoli’s internationally renowned Noble One. Intense stone fruit and apricot flavours abound with just a hint of structural oak. The finish is clean, bright and zesty.

2007 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon – Riverina, NSWRecent vintages show more restraint with less overt botrytis character and a tight, well-defined structure. The 2007, the 25th anniversary release, retains all the fresh apricot and tropical fruit flavours, pulled in line by lemon-bright acidity and a hint of sweetly spicy oak.

2002 Step Road Reserve Selection Semillon – South Eastern AustraliaStep Road is one of Langhorne Creek’s quiet achievers. Their ’02 botrytis semillon is showing the benefit of bottle age with a bouquet of honey, apricot and raisins. Rich and intense, the palate is long and lingering with a clean, citrus finish.

AUSTRALIAN SweeT wINeS

2006 Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling – King Valley, VicA multi-award winning dessert wine, with a bouquet of apricot conserve, butterscotch, wild honey and Seville marmalade. The palate has an unctuous mouthfeel – its citrusy acidity balancing the residual sweetness, for a refreshing finish.


Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Series Liqueur Muscat – Rutherglen, VicA caramel-rich bouquet of orange marmalade, dried fruit and rose leads to candied fruit, toffee and roasted almond flavours. The finish balances sweetness, acid, alcohol and barrel-aged rancio characters.

Penfolds Grandfather Tawny – Barossa Valley, SALight mahogany with a tinge of olive green. It has a rich, complex bouquet of malt, walnuts, raisined fruit, toffee and dusty rancio characters. The flavours are luscious, with a mouthfilling viscosity and a smooth, dry, everlasting finish.

Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Muscat – Rutherglen, VicAn intricate bouquet of brandied prune, spiced plum, crème caramel and a dusty spice cupboard greets the nose here, while the texture has a dense, treacle-like consistency. The gently warming finish seems pleasantly endless.

Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay – Rutherglen, VicThis tokay (now known as topaque) has molasses, cold tea and crème caramel flavours, lifted by a touch of aniseed and five-spice. Qantas won Best First Class Fortified Wine at the prestigious 2009 Cellars in the Sky awards with this wine.

Seppeltsfield Para Grand Tawny – Barossa Valley, SA Para tawnies are richly liqueured in style, the first drawn from barrels set aside in 1922. Deep mahogany colour with a hint of olive green. A rich butterscotch bouquet with lots of raisined fruit and dusty spices. Smooth and complex, the finish cut by clean, spicy spirit.

AUSTRALIAN foRTIfIed wINeS

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2009 Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc – MarlboroughAstrolabe is one of Marlborough’s leading sauvignon blanc makers. This is the best wine they’ve made. A concentrated sav blanc with a mix of passionfruit, mineral and tomato leaf flavours. Impeccably balanced with a lingering finish.

2008 Huia Pinot Gris – MarlboroughHuia achieves flavour intensity through low cropping levels, while the wine’s delicate texture results from minimal skin contact. The result is a beguiling and subtly powerful wine that’s just about as good as Marlborough pinot gris gets. It’s made in a pinot grigio style.

2009 Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc – MarlboroughThis bold, complex and concentrated wine captures the essence of Marlborough sauvignon blanc and multiplies it by a factor of two. It is a pungently aromatic, with passionfruit, currant, red capsicum and box-hedge characters.

new zealand whites

2009 Blind River Sauvignon Blanc – MarlboroughDelicate, lifted capsicum, gooseberry and pretty nettle characters dance on the palate. Added complexity is provided by subliminal oak influence from partial barrel fermentation. A concentrated sav blanc that is pure, fresh and pungently aromatic.

2009 Craggy Range Old Renwick Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – MartinboroughFresh, gooseberry-driven flavours of this pure and powerful wine impress greatly but the rich mouthfeel and ethereal texture are its star features. It is bone-dry but with fine acidity, giving the wine spine and structure.

TasTings


2008 Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir – MartinboroughAta Rangi is arguably New Zealand’s top pinot noir maker. This charming, classy drop is the product of one of Martinborough’s best vintages in the past decade. It’s an elegant wine with gentle dark cherry, plum, spice and nutty oak flavours.

2008 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir – MartinboroughVine age and a no-compromise approach in the winery has produced a sleek, dense and complex wine with black Doris plum, dark cherry, anise and classy French oak flavours. Arguably one of the best examples of New Zealand pinot noir from a very good vintage.

2008 Nautilus Estate Pinot Noir – Marlborough One of the best 2008 Marlborough pinot noirs around. Elegant, perfumed wine with subtlety and poise. Cherry, spice and lifted violet characters. Nautilus is now reaping the benefit for its investment in top vineyards and a winemaking facility that specialises in pinot noir.

2007 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir – WaiparaPegasus Bay makes heroic pinot noir in a normal vintage. In 2007, nature gave them a miniscule crop of grapes, allowing them to produce a wine of even greater than normal intensity. Powerful red with plum, dark berry, toasted nut, mineral and anise/spice flavours.

2008 Wither Hills Pinot Noir – Marlborough Sleek and supple with bright cherry, raspberry, floral and spicy oak flavours. A real charmer with subtlety yet power evidenced by its succulent finish. A perfect match with light to moderately flavoured dishes but can also be enjoyed without the complication of food.

new zealand reds

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QANTAS FIRST2006 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz – Hunter Valley, NSW �� 32 2003 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon – Hunter Valley, NSW �� 242008 Brown Brothers Limited Release Pinot Grigio – King Valley, Vic �� 242005 & 2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier – Canberra District, NSW �� 332008 Eldridge Estate Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula, Vic �� 342008 & 2009 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling – Clare Valley, SA �� 262009 Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Clare Valley & Adelaide Hills, SA �� 262005 Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay – Australia �� 272004 Hardys Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WA �� 342008 Henschke Coralinga Sauvignon Blanc – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 272004 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon – Eden Valley, SA �� 352009 Henschke Littlehampton Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 272004 Houghton Gladstones Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WA �� 352004 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot – Western Australia �� 352006 Howard Park Riesling – Western Australia �� 272005 John Duval Wines Entity Shiraz – Barossa Valley, SA �� 352006 Kooyong Ferrous Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula, Vic �� 362004 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WA �� 372006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay – Margaret River, WA �� 282008 Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Pinot Noir – Great Southern, WA �� 372008 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling – Clare Valley, SA �� 292006 Mount Mary Vineyard Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 372006 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 372004 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon – South Australia �� 382006 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 292004 & 2005 Penfolds RWT Shiraz – Barossa Valley, SA �� 391998 & 2006 Petaluma Coonawarra – Coonawarra, SA �� 392004 Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Valley Riesling – Eden Valley, SA �� 292003 Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling – Eden Valley, SA �� 292007 Pierro Chardonnay – Margaret River, WA �� 302009 Pierro LTC Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WA �� 302004 Saltram Winemaker Selection Cabernet Sauvignon – Barossa Valley, SA �� 402005 SC Pannell Shiraz Grenache – McLaren Vale, SA �� 402008 Serrat Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 402008 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 302004 Spinifex Indigene – Barossa Valley, SA �� 41 2008 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay – Piccadilly Valley, SA �� 312006 Tarrawarra Estate MDB Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 412004 Tyrrell’s Wines HVD Hunter Semillon – Hunter Valley, NSW �� 312006 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay – Margaret River, WA �� 312005 Wantirna Estate Amelia Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 422004 Wolf Blass Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec – Langhorne Creek, SA �� 422005 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon – Coonawarra, SA �� 432007 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir – Mornington Peninsula, Vic �� 432002 Yalumba The Octavius – Barossa Valley, SA �� 43 2008 Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier – Eden Valley, SA �� 322005 Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 432005 Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 43

QANTAS BUSINESS2009 Belgravia Sauvignon Blanc – Orange, NSW �� 242008 Best’s Great Western Bin 1 Shiraz – Grampians, Vic �� 322008 Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay – Beechworth, Vic �� 242007 Cape Mentelle Chardonnay – Margaret River, WA �� 242009 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – Margaret River, WA �� 252005 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel – Margaret River, WA �� 322008 Cassegrain Fromenteau Reserve Chardonnay – Tumbarumba, NSW �� 252006 Chalkers Crossing Hilltops Shiraz – Hilltops, NSW �� 332008 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 332008 Cullen Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – Margaret River, WA �� 252006 Curly Flat Pinot Noir – Macedon Ranges, Vic �� 33 2007 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Reserve Release Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 252007 Domaine Chandon Heathcote Shiraz – Heathcote, Vic �� 332007 Dominique Portet Sauvignon Blanc – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 25

index to wines served onboard


2008 Flametree Cabernet Merlot – Margaret River, WA �� 342009 Fraser Gallop Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WA �� 262007 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 262008 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Merlot – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 342008 & 2009 Grosset Rockwood Riesling – Clare Valley, SA �� 26 2004 Heathcote Estate Heathcote Shiraz – Heathcote, Vic �� 34 2008 Hewitson Baby Bush Mourvèdre – Barossa Valley, SA �� 352007 Juniper Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Margaret River, WA �� 362009 Keith Tulloch Semillon – Hunter Valley, NSW �� 272009 Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Watervale Riesling – Clare Valley, SA �� 282006 Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache – Clare Valley, SA �� 362004 Knappstein Enterprise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – Clare Valley, SA �� 362008 La Curio Reserve Bush Vine Grenache – McLaren Vale, SA �� 362007 Lake Breeze Cabernet Sauvignon – Langhorne Creek, SA �� 372009 Lenton Brae Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WA �� 282008 Mac Forbes Yarra Valley Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 282008 & 2009 Mesh Eden Valley Riesling – Eden Valley, SA �� 282000 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon – Coonawarra, SA �� 382004 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz – South Australia �� 382006 Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz – Coonawarra, SA �� 382002 & 2004 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz – South Australia �� 382005 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 292006 Penfolds RWT Shiraz – Barossa Valley, SA �� 392004 Petaluma Shiraz – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 392004 Peter Lehmann Margaret Semillon – Barossa Valley, SA �� 292007 Plunkett Fowles Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz – Strathbogie Ranges, Vic �� 39 2008 Printhie Mt Canobolas Collection Shiraz Viognier – Orange, NSW �� 392008 Quealy Pobblebonk Pinot Grigio – Mornington Peninsula, Vic �� 302007 SC Pannell Pronto Tinto – Adelaide, SA �� 402008 Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Gris – Henty, Vic �� 302008 Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 402009 Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc – Adelaide Hills, SA �� 312007 Stella Bella Sangiovese Cabernet – Margaret River, WA �� 412009 Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc – Margaret River, WA �� 312006 St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz – Barossa, SA �� 412008 The Wanderer Shiraz – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 412006 Torbreck Cuvée Juveniles – Barossa Valley, SA �� 422007 Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 8 Hunter Shiraz – Hunter Valley, NSW �� 422008 Voyager Estate Shiraz – Margaret River, WA �� 422007 Yering Station Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, Vic �� 32

SWEET AND FORTIFIEDBaileys of Glenrowan Founders Series Liqueur Muscat – Rutherglen, Vic �� 452006 Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling – King Valley, Vic �� 442007 Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon – Riverina, NSW �� 442007 De Bortoli Deen De Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon – Riverina, NSW �� 442007 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon – Riverina, NSW �� 44Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Muscat – Rutherglen, Vic �� 45Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay – Rutherglen, Vic �� 45Penfolds Grandfather Tawny – Barossa Valley, SA �� 45Seppeltsfield Para Grand Tawny – Barossa Valley, SA �� 452002 Step Road Reserve Selection Semillon – South Eastern Australia �� 44

NEW ZEALAND WINES2009 Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough �� 462008 Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir – Martinborough �� 472009 Blind River Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough �� 462009 Craggy Range Old Renwick Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – Martinborough �� 462008 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir – Martinborough �� 472008 Huia Pinot Gris – Marlborough �� 462008 Nautilus Estate Pinot Noir – Marlborough �� 472007 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir – Waipara �� 472009 Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough �� 462008 Wither Hills Pinot Noir – Marlborough �� 47


contacts

ASTROLABE+64 3 577 6794, www.astrolabewines.co.nzATA RANGI+64 6 306 9570, www.atarangi.co.nzBAILEYS OF GLENROWAN(03) 5766 2392, www.baileysofglenrowan.com.auBELGRAVIA(02) 6361 4441, www.belgravia.com.auBEST’S GREAT WESTERN(03) 5356 2250, www.bestswines.comBLIND RIVER+64 3 575 7704, www.blindriver.co.nzBROKENWOOD(02) 4998 7559, www.brokenwood.com.auBROWN BROTHERS(03) 5720 5500, www.brownbrothers.com.auCAPE MENTELLE(08) 9757 0888, www.capementelle.com.auCASSEGRAIN(02) 6582 8377, www.cassegrainwines.com.auCHALKERS CROSSING(02) 6382 6900, www.chalkerscrossing.com.auCLONAKILLA(02) 6227 5877, www.clonakilla.com.auCOLDSTREAM HILLS WINERY(03) 5964 9410, www.coldstreamhills.com.auCOOKOOTHAMA(02) 6962 1822, www.nuganestate.com.auCRAGGY RANGE+64 6 873 7126, www.craggyrange.comCULLEN WINES(08) 9755 5277, www.cullenwines.com.auCURLY FLAT(03) 5429 1956, www.curlyflat.comDE BORTOLIRiverina (02) 6966 0100, Yarra Valley (03) 5965 2271, www.debortoli.com.auDOMAIN CHANDON(03) 9738 9200, www.domainchandon.com.auDOMINIQUE PORTET(03) 5962 5760, www.dominiqueportet.comELDRIDGE ESTATE(03) 5989 2644, www.eldridge-estate.com.auFLAMETREE(08) 9756 8577, www.flametreewines.comFRASER GALLOP(08) 9755 7553, www.frasergallopestate.com.auGIANT STEPS/INNOCENT BYSTANDER WINERY(03) 5962 6111, www.giant-steps.com.auGROSSET WINES(08) 8849 2175, www.grosset.com.auHARDYS 1800 641 637, www.hardys.com.auHEATHCOTE ESTATE(03) 9667 6541, www.yabbylake.comHENSCHKE(08) 8564 8223, www.henschke.com.auHEWITSON(08) 8443 6466, www.hewitson.com.auHOUGHTON WINES(08) 9274 9540, www.houghton-wines.com.auHOWARD PARK WINES(08) 9756 5200, www.howardparkwines.com.auHUIA+64 3 872 8326, www.huia.net.nzJOHN DUVAL WINES(08) 8563 2591, www.johnduvalwines.comJUNIPER ESTATE(08) 9755 9000, www.juniperestate.com.auKEITH TULLOCH(02) 4998 7500, www.keithtullochwine.com.auKILIKANOON(08) 8843 4206, www.kilikanoon.com.auKNAPPSTEIN WINES(08) 8841 2100, www.knappstein.com.auKOOYONG WINES(03) 5989 7355, www.kooyong.comLA CURIO(08) 8327 1442, www.lacuriowines.com

LAKE BREEZE(08) 8537 3017, www.lakebreeze.com.auLEEUWIN ESTATE(08) 9759 0000, www.leeuwinestate.com.auLENTON BRAE(08) 9755 6255, www.lentonbrae.comMAC FORBES(03) 9818 8099, www.macforbes.comMARCHAND & BURCH(08) 9336 9600, www.marchandburchwines.com.auMARTINBOROUGH VINEYARD+64 6 306 9955, www.martinborough-vineyard.com MESH WINE(08) 8112 4210, www.meshwine.comMORRIS WINES(02) 6026 7303, www.morriswines.comMOUNT HORROCKS(08) 8849 2243, www.mounthorrocks.comMOUNT MARY VINEYARD(03) 9739 1761, www.mountmary.com.auNAUTILUS ESTATE+64 3 572 9364, www.nautilusestate.comORLANDO(08) 8521 3000, www.orlandowines.comPEGASUS BAY+64 3 314 6869, www.pegasusbay.comPENFOLDS(08) 8568 9389, www.penfolds.comPETALUMA(08) 8339 9300, www.petaluma.com.auPETER LEHMANN WINES(08) 8563 2100, www.peterlehmannwines.com.auPEWSEY VALE VINEYARD(08) 8561 3200, www.pewseyvale.comPIERRO(08) 9755 6220, www.pierro.com.auPLUNKETT FOWLES(03) 5796 2150, www.plunkettfowles.com.auPRINTHIE(02) 6366 8422, www.printhiewines.com.auQUEALY(03) 5989 8088, www.quealy.com.auSAINT CLAIR FAMILY ESTATE+64 3 578 8695, www.saintclair.co.nzSALTRAM ESTATES(03) 8561 0211, www.saltramwines.com.auSC PANNELL(08) 8299 9256, www.pannell.com.auSEPPELT1800 007 282, www.seppeltwines.comSEPPELTSFIELD(08) 8568 6217, www.seppeltsfield.com.auSERRAT(03) 9730 1439, www.serrat.com.auSHAW + SMITH(08) 8398 0500, www.shawandsmith.comSPINIFEX(08) 8564 2059, www.spinifexwines.com.auSTELLA BELLA(08) 9757 6377, www.stellabella.com.auSTEP ROAD(08) 8300 0900, www.steprd.comST HALLETT(08) 8563 7000, www.sthallett.com.auTAPANAPPA 1300 668 712, www.tapanappawines.com.auTARRAWARRA ESTATE(03) 5962 3311, www.tarrawarra.com.auTHE WANDERER0415 529 639, www.wandererwines.comTORBRECK(08) 8562 4155, www.torbreck.comTYRRELL’S WINES(02) 9889 4450, www.tyrrells.com.auVASSE FELIX(08) 9756 5000, www.vassefelix.com.auVOYAGER ESTATE(08) 9757 6354, www.voyagerestate.com.auWANTIRNA ESTATE(03) 9801 2367, www.wantirnaestate.com.auWOLF BLASS(08) 8568 7300, www.wolfblass.com.auWITHER HILLS VINEYARDS+64 3 578 4036, www.witherhills.co.nzWYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE1300 651 650, www.wynns.com.auYABBY LAKE VINEYARD(03) 9251 5375, www.yabbylake.comYALUMBA(08) 8561 3200, www.yalumba.comYERING STATION(03) 9730 0100, www.yering.com

Australia’s international dialling code is +61.

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inflight guide to w ine - Qantas · of regular and rigorous tasting sessions as well as the...

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