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Twice Gold Medal Challenge International du Vin! Moscatel and Gewürtztraminer grapes, grown to estate vineyards on the mountains of the Upper Penedes, form the backbone of fruit for Viña Esmeralda, a delicate but strunningly fragrant wine. The dry fig and raisin characters of Moscatel de AlejandrÃa give Esmerelda it's luscious and flavourful palate, fleshed out by the orange of Frontignac or Moscatel de Grano Menudo as the Spanish say, further enhanced by the complex aromaticness and spice of the vivacious Traminer.. Torres» |
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De Bortoli hold an extensive collection of barrel aged wines. Stocks of fortified and botrytised Semillon are drawn on from time to time to assemble into a wickedly decadent wine of rare opulence. De Bortoli» |
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Richard Bailey planted one of the first Glenrowan vineyards in the 1860s. The Bailey estate survived the downturn of the Victorian gold rush, the ravages of phylloxera and excesses of the Kelly gang, it endures to this day, producing some of the nation's most intensely flavoured and historically significant wines. Baileys Glenrowan» |
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Classically structured with a well established estate styling, Hunter's have won more than 100 gold at international wine competitions, including Marquis de Goulaine Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc in the World at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Jane Hunter is a highly qualified viticulturist with a long family history of wine growing, she worked closely with eminent Australian oenologist Dr Tony Jordan to achieve the quality of harvests which are benchmarks in the world of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.. Hunters» |
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The historic goldfields at Beechworth are now delivering a different type of gold, in the form of suave white wines with panache and style. Pinot Gris has taken well to the cooler climes and mineral rich soils atop the steeply sloped aspects. Brokenwood» |
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There are two superb high altitude sites in Carey Gully and Piccadilly Valley, which yield an extraordinary quality of Sauvignon Blanc. Knappstein take the top cut of each harvest, crushing the fruit for a long cool vinification, treating a batch to the added richness of oak barrel ferments for texture, complexity and weight. Riposte» |
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Originally planted during early settlement, the sandy loam soils of Haan Vineyard yield an outstanding quality of Shiraz. Fortuitously positioned along the hallowed mile of Siegersdorf Road, mid way between the ancient winegrowing hamlets of Angaston and Tanunda, the heirloom parcels once known as Hanenhof, have claimed significant trophies at the prestigious London International. Haan» |
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Given the scarcity of Best's prestige, limited release, old vineyard icons, Bin #1 affords enthusiasts their first taste of the Great Western Shiraz style and leaves them eager to discover more. A classic, cool climate, aromatic wine, floral and spicy, peppery and elegant, retaining vital Great Western fruit character. Bests» |
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Bedecked with gold medals, significant trophies and countless five star commendations. Clonakilla is a wine that's ultimately determined in the vineyard, where hard work is required to open up the vine leaf canopies, limiting yields and encouraging vines to make grapes with riper flavour profiles. Clonakilla» |
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The quality of Shiraz grown to parched vineyards in Victoria's rugged western districts, has been well known throughout the world of wine since the days of gold rush and early settlement. Taltarni have since established an enviable reputation for vintages of powerfully structured, statuesque red wines, fully exploiting the soft spoken majesty and graceful intensity of Pyrenees Shiraz comes naturally. Taltarni» |
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Positioned half way between Avoca and Ballarat, the modestly sized Amherst have only ten acres under vine. The small yields translate into extraordinarily structured, powerfully intense wines, brimming with fine aromatics and lined with silky tannins. Amherst» |
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From parcels of Pinot Noir, planted to the foot of tailings, left behind by waves of prospectors who pursued their fortune amongst the open pits and mines on Adelaide Hills during the gold rush of the 1850s. Crushed and destemmed straight into the press with minimal time on skins to extract the perfect pink, its blushing lipstick hues presage a cornucopia of lifted strawberry and cherry blossom characters, ruby grapefruit and luscious jube over a length of tasty, toothsome tannins, the perfect Rosé for lazy afternoons or late night soirées. Bird In Hand» |
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About Moorooduc - the Winery
Moorooduc
Established 1982 by Richard and Jill McIntyre, Moorooduc Estate is a small, family run wine business which has developed an enviable reputation for complex, food friendly wines
All the wines are made on site at the estate's rammed earth winery. From a very modest 20 tonne winery set up in 1987, Moorooduc now have a more sophisticated facility with a small but high quality Bucher press and Vaslin – Bucher destemmer. The philosophy of everything that's done at Moorooduc is to make the most of top quality ingredients. Intensive, hands n care in the vineyard, with minimal use of chemicals, produces the best possible fruit for wine. Wild yeast ferments and minimal intervention winemaking, with a nod to traditional Burgundian techniques, allow the wines to express their specificity of site and terroir. Similarly, Moorooduc aim to source ingredients for accompanying foods that are seasonal, local and organic. The emphasis is on gentle winemaking methods with important quality control.
For the red wines, the whole bunches of grapes are cooled and destemmed but not crushed, dropped directly into two tonnes open fermenters, thus avoiding the need to pump the musts. After four to six days of maceration, the primary wild yeast fermentation begins. This takes about a week to complete with the temperature peaking at about 34º centigrade. A few more days on skins completes a total maceration time of 19-21 days when the new wine is pressed, after a day or two to settle out the gross lees, it is transferred to barrel. A natural malolactic fermentation occurs in the following spring. The wine is racked only once when it is assembled and prepared for bottling.
For the white wines the freshly picked whole bunches are gravity fed into the press where a program designed for sparkling wine base is used to separate the juice from the skins, pips and stems. The cloudy juice from the press is not settled but transferred to the fermentation vessel – almost always being oak barrels. Fermentation occurs naturally through wild yeasts and the wine remains on lees until it is assembled for final treatments. More often than not, a natural malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel.
The wine growing regions surrounding the city of Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay are known as the dress circle. These include Mornington Peninsula, Macedon Ranges and Geelong. The overall climate in this part of southern Victoria is temperate, with a moderate rainfall, mainly in the winter and spring. The critical ripening period for wine grapes is in the late summer and autumn, which is the most stable season with, in general, cool nights and dry, sunny days.
Moorooduc's home vineyard is McIntyre, mainly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a small amount of Shiraz. It is an elevated site, about 80 metres above sea level, with a gentle north to north westerly facing slope. The topsoil is very sandy but the subsoil is unusually vine friendly clay with veins of sand running through it. Deep down in this layer one encounters red coloured clay and rock indicating the presence of oxides of iron. Once the vines reach maturity, they require no irrigation, having put their roots deeply into this layer. The oldest vines were planted in 1983. Over recent years, a grafting program has meant that there are now an interesting mix of Pinot Noir clones, some grafted onto original 1983 plantings. The larger Robinson vineyard is a few minutes drive south of McIntyre.
Moorooduc also source parcels of exceptional fruit from viticulturalist Hugh Robinson's superlative site. Of particular interest are some newly available, high quality clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. From this fruit, Moorooduc produce the individual vineyard wines, Robinson Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The estate Garden Vineyard is a small site, a stone’s throw from McIntyre, planted to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The house block Pinot Noir is a small north facing slope. These are all outstanding sites, the very top pick of fruit, vinified in highly traditional Burgundy techniques, for a superior range of magnificent Mornington wines.
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