Capital gains
The wines of the Canberra District have never looked better, thanks to the long-time makers and newer producers energising this starstudded region.
Long-time and newer winemakers are energising the Canberra District.
HIGH ABOVE the sound and fury of Canberra’s political players, motions of a different kind are emerging from the ancient granitic hills and volcanic slopes of the surrounding wine region. Of course, the Australian capital’s galleries, museums, exhibitions and shows are still well worth a look. But these days they are complemented by an experienced wine industry that liquefies the continental, cool-climate landscape that surrounds the nation's largest inland city.
Wine quality and consistency is now the rule rather than the exception, and good food and dining experiences can be found beyond the city limits. The Canberra District is coming of age.
We all know the story of the CSIRO scientists, digging around the Canberra region back in the early 1970s trying to find a suitable place to plant grape vines and pioneer a new Australian wine region. Fast-forward to today and iconic wineries abound. Clonakilla is synonymous with shiraz, and Helm Wines has been leading the riesling charge in the region longer than
anyone else. Yet, with less than 50 years of winegrowing experience, Canberra’s wine country is positively verdant when measured against wine’s grand arc of time. It’s even younger at heart when you consider the emerging second-generation now taking up the reins.
“There is that pressure to step out from my dad’s shadow and showcase my own abilities as a winemaker,” says Stephanie Helm, daughter of Canberra’s riesling king Ken Helm.
At the end of 2014, Stephanie and her husband Ben Osborne bought a Murrumbateman property, with Clonakilla and Eden Road Wines as their neighbours. By the end of the 2015 vintage, Stephanie had created a wine under The Vintner’s Daughter label that won Best Canberra District Riesling at the 2015 Canberra International Riesling Challenge. She had beat the competition – including her father.
“I was probably more relieved than anything else when we won the recognition for our first-ever vintage,” Stephanie says. “The Vintner’s Daughter is a chance for me to make wines my own way with grape varieties Dad tends to avoid, like gerwurtztraminer and merlot.”
The 2016 Vintner’s Daughter Gerwurtztraminer ($26) is devoid of any cloying, soapy scents that gewurtz can sometimes express. Instead, Stephanie has crafted a wine of delicate aciddriven precision; a breath of rose petal and citrus zest mingles with spiced lychees, pear skin, white florals and fresh honey. It’s lovely.
“I still work with Dad over at Helm Wines, but for now, The Vintner’s Daughter is just big enough for me and Ben to focus on our own thing and explore the possibilities of making wine here,” she says.
Another second-generation winegrower exploring the potential hidden among the hills of the Canberra District is Will Bruce of Wily Trout Vineyard. Will’s parents Susan and Robert Bruce started Poacher’s Pantry, a smokehouse and Canberran foodie institution, back in the early 1990s. On a 700-acre property, they create a range of hot and cold smoked meats, supplying many cafes and restaurants in the region, while also serving up food daily in their Smokehouse Restaurant, which doubles as a cellar door.
“We get a lot of day-trippers from around the region, particularly from Canberra, who’ll bring their families out for brunch or lunch, do a wine tasting and just spend the day relaxing,” Will explains.
Will has taken over the vineyard management on the property with the intention of raising the quality of the Wily Trout wine brand. Between the smart label design and even smarter winemaking, Wily Trout is one of the region’s more delicious secrets. Take, for instance, the 2017 Rosé ($24) made from pinot noir: it’s a soft salmon pink, bursting with crushed strawberries and watermelon. Or the 2015 Shiraz ($28). From an outstanding vintage, this wine is full of violets and charming blue and black fruits, with a silky texture and fine tannins.
“My focus is quality, and that comes from growing good, clean fruit with minimal processing in the winery,” Will says.
“There’s a lot of potential here.”
“The Vintner’s Daughter is a chance for me to make wines my own way with grape varieties Dad [Ken Helm] tends to avoid, like gerwurtztraminer and merlot.”
Stephanie Helm, The Vintner's Daughter
Exciting? You bet. “Canberra seems like it’s absolutely hot property at the moment,” says Lark Hill winemaker Chris Carpenter. “I see such enthusiastic responses, particularly from sommeliers who tell us they notice customers specifically asking for Canberra wines.”
While the region is already highly regarded for producing outstanding riesling and shiraz, a number of producers have been realising the potential of alternative grape varietals. These include winemakers such as Bryan Martin and his thrilling Ravensworth Gamay Noir, Alex McKay of Collector Wines, particularly with his stunning, floral and flint-driven
2016 Lamp Lit Marsanne, and Mount Majura’s forays into Spanish varietals, such as graciano and tempranillo, which seem to particularly suit Canberra’s continental climate.
“Tempranillo is such a good match for the Canberra District,” says Mount Majura’s Fergus McGhie. “The grape’s great regions in Spain are inland and high, with large differences between day and night-time temperatures, which is very similar to our District. The wines we make from ‘temp’ have a real personality and sense of place about them.”
High on the Bungendore escarpment, Lark Hill’s idyllic, biodynamically farmed vineyard has had a reputation for outstanding quality wines for decades now. And while it may not be an ‘alternative’ variety to Lark Hill anymore, their gruner veltliner is a shining example of the Canberra District’s potential for other grape varieties to do justice to the ‘cool climate’ landscape. The 2017 Gruner Veltliner ($49) is beauty in the bottle; honeysuckle and jasmine, fresh fig and melon, needled by a fine incision of acidity that runs through a tight palate of lusciously driven textures.
“In the past, you could certainly find excellent Canberra wines, but you had to know your stuff,” says winemaker Chris. “You had to know the right producers – who to see, what to taste... Whereas now, the quality of wines being made throughout the District is really high. It’s an exciting time for Canberra wine at the moment.”
Coupled with this increase in wine quality across the District, Canberra is becoming a burgeoning hub for food tourism.
In the city, places like XO, Muse and Aubergine are raising the standard of dining out, morning, noon and night. Further out, many cellar doors now offer relaxed dining options to complement and enhance the wine-tasting experience. In this way, Lerida Estate is well ahead of the curve.
“Most wineries are destination locations anyway, so it makes sense to cater beyond the wine-tasting experience and offer something more,” says Alex McFadzean, Lerida Estate’s operations manager. “We find people are keen to spend a relaxing day out in the District, so when they come here, they can taste the wines, of course, but also order some food from Cafe Lerida, relax and take in the beautiful views of the vineyard and Lake George.”
Between the quality focus of the region’s next generation and the inherent elegance of the wines they produce, the brilliant potential of the Canberra District wine region may just make it the future Australian capital of cool.
“I see such enthusiastic responses, particularly from sommeliers who tell us they notice customers specifically asking for Canberra wines.”
Chris Carpenter, Lark Hill Winery
“My focus is quality, and that comes from growing good, clean fruit with minimal processing in the winery.”
Will Bruce, Wily Trout