All in the family

Two of Australia’s best-known family wineries have joined forces to charm New Zealand wine drinkers.

Floral, vibrantly fruity, gently sweet and spritzy with 5.5% alc/ vol, Brown Brothers Moscato ($14) is the winery’s best seller in New Zealand. Dark, robust, dry and rich with blackberry and spice flavours, Taylors Clare Valley Shiraz ($18) is also deservedly popular here. It would be hard to imagine two more dissimilar wines.

That hasn’t stopped the two well-known, family-owned

Australian wineries from leaping into bed together. In 2014, they launched Taylor Brown New

Zealand to promote their wines around the country, dubbing the move “coopetition”.

Founded in 1889, Brown Brothers lies at Milawa, north-east of Melbourne. Almost 1000km away, Taylors, established in 1969, is based in the Clare Valley, north of Adelaide.

So what led such geographically remote wineries into this rare collaborative venture? “A shared philosophy of producing outstanding-quality Australian wine, a love of winemaking and a belief in family business,” they say.

On the export front, Australia’s wineries are celebrating intensifying demand for their top, high-priced wines, especially in Asia and the

US. They would also like Kiwis to consider them as producers not only of good value, sub-$20 bottlings for everyday enjoyment, but also prestigious, truly world-class wines.

Brown Brothers Patricia Pinot Noir & Chardonnay Brut 2011

This rich, vivacious bubbly is from a cool, high-altitude site and was disgorged after six years’ ageing on its yeast lees. Light straw in hue, it’s a medium-bodied (12% alc/vol), very high-flavoured style that is citrusy, peachy, yeasty, biscuity and long. Fine value. $35

Brown Brothers Patricia Victoria Shiraz 2013

Highly approachable now, but still youthful and vigorous, this fragrant, generous red is dark and fleshy (14.5% alc/vol), with deep berry, plum and spice flavours and a smooth, very harmonious finish. $55

Taylors The Visionary Clare Valley Exceptional Parcel Release Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Built for the long haul, this very refined red was matured for an unusually long period in French oak barrels. Enticingly fragrant, it is complex, dark and robust (14.5% alc/vol), with notably concentrated blackcurrant, plum and nut flavours. $220