95 Points2023 Halliday Wine Companion “Hand picked from an elevated source, circa 880-900m. Unadulterated styling, aside from some skin contact in the press, imparting a skein of white-pepper freshness, offset by a dollop of sweetness. The perfect amount. A pirouette, rather than a sudden jolt into the splits. Aussie Kabinett exuding green apple, a hint … Read more
95 PointsHalliday Wine Companion “I love the savoury stretch of the chardonnays at this address. The norm of clattering stone fruits, new wood and reductive handling à l’Australienne can be tiring. Here, a defiant stance that somehow feels far more intuitive. Natural. Effortless. Drinkable, sumptuous and detailed. Wines of restraint and a beautiful pulse, the … Read more
Since inception Patina has gone through a number of phases: It began with 100 kg of grapes picked from my brother-in-law’s vineyard in 1999 and fermented in the laundry. Then a big step forward to one tonne fermented in the garage and two wine barrels in 2000. Followed by 5 tonnes and a move to … Read more
Without rain we wouldn’t have a vineyard, but this stuff also causes us a bit of grief. As a rule rain received in Orange prior to Christmas is beneficial and after that… not necessarily. Early in the season the vine canopy is fairly small and airflow through it is reasonably good. After Christmas the canopy … Read more
We were thrilled to hear that we have been awarded the ‘Best Additional Cellar Door Experience (Art & Gardens)‘ in the latest edition of Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine. Read the full article here, along with all the other Orange Cellar Doors to recieve awards. Visit our Cellar Door here.
There is a bit of a love hate relationship between oxygen and wine. For the most part it is thought that oxygen is a detriment to wine… but this isn’t always true. In fact, the lack of oxygen through some winemaking stages produces lower quality wine. Aromatic wines like Riesling that are protected from oxygen … Read more
Patina’s Gerald Naef is a winemaker with a penchant for perfection and experimentation. He is constantly questioning his winemaking in order to keep creating better wines whilst ensuring that the wines are released having some maturation and showing the benefit of time. This release includes the 2018 Patina Pinot Noir ($45) and the 2018 Patina … Read more
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