Winner of the luxury weekend at Southern Ocean Lodge

Congratulations to Jacquie Elliott from QLD - you are the winner of the Shaw + Smith luxury weekend at Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island.

Thank you to everyone who has entered our luxury weekend at Southern Ocean Lodge competition.  We have had an overwhelming response and are so pleased to partner with Southern Ocean Lodge  and Habitus to bring you this amazing prize.

08/07/2013 at 10:39 AM Permalink

2013 Vintage Report - Martin Shaw and David LeMire MW

Winter / Spring rainfall - Winter rainfall for Balhannah was 70mm below the long-term average though irrigation dams were full by late July. In Mid-September rainfall virtually ceased. From October through to harvest there was only an additional 80mm recorded.

Flowering – Flowering was underway early, beginning on November 10th, and weather conditions were excellent. This meant 2013 had the potential to be a high-yielding year, and it was important to control yields to achieve ripeness and concentration.

Weather up to and including harvest - The season was warmer than usual with an occasional one and two day heat spike. The positive was the consistently cool nights that tempered the season in general.   It was a year of high irrigation demand to establish adequate vine growth early in the season then to retain it through to harvest. However it was a very easy year in terms of disease risk, with no disease issues at all. Harvest began early on February 16th for clone 777 Pinot Noir, and was underway for Sauvignon Blanc on February 21st.

Stand out varieties  - Some great examples of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. The caveat being that you needed good vine health to endure heat spikes and a moderate yield to allow you to pick at the optimum time. Thinning fruit to achieve our target yields was crucial, and in the case of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, some blocks were thinned twice, and some three times.

Overall quality – taking into account a warmer than average growing season and a compressed harvest window we have been pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of fruit from the 2013 Vintage. The white wines look very solid, but it may be the reds that have the edge at this early stage as they continue to impress in the winery.

15/04/2013 at 4:36 PM Permalink

Meet the Judges: Michael Hill Smith MW

Meet the Judges: Michael Hill Smith MW (Decanter.com, Monday 25 February 2013)

Michael Hill-Smith MW DWWA 2013 Regional Chair
Michael Hill Smith MW works in many areas of the wine trade, including at his own vineyard, Shaw + Smith. Find out about one of our two Regional Chairs for Australia in this interview...

Tell us a little about yourself – where are you based and where do you work?
After passing my MW in 1988, I set up Shaw + Smith in the Adelaide Hills with my winemaking cousin and close friend Martin Shaw. After 23 vintages this still remains my major focus – augmented by wine judging, masterclasses, wine consulting (for clients including Singapore Airlines), and an unseemly amount of travel.

Tell us a bit about your expertise and how you got into wine?
As I was born into a wine family, wine has always been part of my life. Yet it was not until my early twenties that I became aware of the diversity and wonder of wine.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while working in the wine industry?
Always be true to your palate – regardless of the reputation or provenance of a wine. Objectivity is creditability.

Who has been your biggest inspiration during your wine career?
Without question, Len Evans - Decanter Man of the Year 1997. His carrot and stick approach gave me the confidence to move to the UK to study for the MW, and to set up Shaw + Smith on my return.

What are your most memorable wine moments from the last ten years?
It’s hard to isolate any one standout [moment] in a myriad of good bottles, fine food and interesting people. As a mate of mine points out - "Working in wine is work – but not as most people understand the concept".

Which kinds of wines do you think should be given more attention in 2013?
Wines from dynamic and talented people, driven by quality not fashion. In Australia this often equates to small-to-medium sized producers making exciting regional wines with a sense of place.

Which wines are you drinking at home at the moment? Is there a strong wine scene in your city?
Burgundy, both white and red; aged Aussie Riesling; top quality Pinot Noir and the best of Australia's 'new wave' Chardonnays.

And yes, as Adelaide is home to many winemakers so it has a healthy and inquisitive wine scene.

What’s your desert island wine?
1978 DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) La Tache for the evenings and Dom Perignon Rosé on tap during the day.

What single piece of advice do you have for people just starting out in wine?
Drink wine mindfully – think about what you are tasting, and take the time to learn about the wine in your glass.

When judging, what are you looking for in great wine?
Balance, length, intensity, complexity, and a sense of uniqueness.

Finally, what are you looking forward to most about judging at the Decanter World Wine Awards?
Catching up with the old and bold, and the best and brightest. The camaraderie amongst judges is what keeps me coming back."

Read more at http://www.decanter.com/people-and-places/interviews/583661/meet-the-judges-michael-hill-smith-mw#FIjXoxHuxR3YHgTI.99

07/03/2013 at 8:05 AM Permalink

2013 Vintage

2013 Vintage Photo Gallery

From left - (1) winemaker Wadewitz & Creagh talk strategy. (2) the vibrating fruit sorter, and (3) destemmed but not crushed Pinot Noir. 

Hand-picked Pinot Noir from our Lenswood Vineyard, This is the first time we've had this fruit, which gives us clones new to us, 114 and 115, joining our 777 and MV6.

From left (1) Lenswood Chardonnay Clone 76, (2) Woodside Chardonnay Clone 76, and (3)Sauvignon Blanc from Johnson Road East, a south facing block at Balhannah. 

Our presses work hard but press softly. And this sight glass shows the colour of Chardonnay juice treated oxidatively to give a more complex, savoury style. The wine will end up a very pale lemon yellow colour. 

One of 6 new open fermentors that have just arrived in the nick of time. The base is angled to allow easy removal of skins for pressing after fermentation. 

25/02/2013 at 11:14 AM Permalink