The Orange region’s Patina Wines has released their benchmark Chardonnays comprising the Patina Chardonnay and Patina Reserve Chardonnay. The Patina vineyard was planted in 1999 on the eastern foothills of Mount Canobolas. The maturing vines continue to yield outstanding quality, confirming Patina’s founder Gerald Naef belief in the site. “ It’s not something you can … Read more
We had a touch up from frost this spring as the overnight temperature dropped to -2.7 degrees overnight 27th September.So, this seems like a good time to talk about the effect of frost on vines. The vines we grow for wine are Vitus Vinifera, of which there are between 5000 to 10,000 varieties originating from … Read more
I borrowed this drawing from Washington State University. You can Click this link if you’d like to learn a bit more about grapevine buds as relates to frost damage. The options available to limit the damage frost can cause to grapevines are either passive or active. I use passive management in that I have planted … Read more
96 Points “Gerald and Angela Naef have quietly gone about their business in Orange for a couple of decades – crafting wines of finesse and immense longevity. By using the natural acidity of the cool-climate of the region, their chardonnays outlive most examples in Australia. Importantly, they simply don’t release wine under the Patina label … Read more
Wine fining is little understood outside the winemaking community. When someone reads the back label, they often get a confused look with “Do you really put milk in wine?” We do in fact put a few things in wine that sound quiet strange but once the process is understood is really quite simple. Wine fining … Read more
Merlot is notably softer than Cabernet Sauvignon particularly when grown in warmer areas. It is known to be of lighter colour than Shiraz and is generally considered an early drinking red. Merlot does well in heavier clays and better in poorly drained soils than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the most planted grape in Bordeaux with … Read more
I thought it very topical to write about the drought in my Long Dry Finish as it is pretty much impacting everyone. It has an impact on wine as well but I will be focusing on historical droughts in this article. By comparison the drought hasn’t been too bad in Orange when considering the poor … Read more
It’s much more expensive to establish and grow grapes in cool climates than in warmer climates. So apart from beautiful views there must be some substantial reasons to grow grapes here… There are and I’ll discuss a few of them. There are a number of phenological changes that occur within the ripening berry; sugar increases, … Read more
Cork taint is primarily produced by fungi and can ruin wine in very low doses. I rate Cork Taint in four stages as it increases in concentration: at very low levels it simply masks the fruit of the wine, turning a wine that should be quite spectacular into a very ordinary wine. at medium levels … Read more
Why we dislike H2S H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide) is a rotten egg gas. I suppose I could stop here and everyone would know why we dislike H2S, however its personality is a little more sinister. A little Chemistry: In bottled wine H2S is a byproduct formed when there is a lack of oxygen. Young wines (especially … Read more