Gapsted, Victorian Alps, Coldstone, Tobacco Road
The best shiraz was from Gundagai. The second best from the Strathbogie Ranges. I visited the Victorian Alps winery near Myrtleford in north-east Victoria last week and as always happens when I visit a winery like this - I’m reminded that the future of Australian wine is a very different place to the past. When Len Evans once famously said words to the effect that the best Australian wine region may not have yet been planted to vines (referring to the fact that there was so much vineyard-suitable land still unexplored) I dare say he had regions like Gundagai and the Strathbogies in mind. The vines are in the ground now and have been producing wine grapes for some time … which is why Australian wine is such an exciting journey right now.
The Gundagai shiraz I tasted was from barrel, so there is no tasting note of it here. The Strathbogie shiraz is blended with King Valley shiraz and is reviewed under the Gapsted label below. Indeed, I was so intrigued by the Strathbogie shiraz below that a few days later I sought the region out and drove through it … if ever there was a wine region brimming with quality potential it’s the Strathbogie Ranges. Weathered granite everywhere, jutting from hillsides. Lots of altitudinal variation. But more on that some other time.
The Victorian Alps winery is two things: the producer of wines under its own labels (Gapsted, Coldstone, Tobacco Road etc) and a large scale processor of grapes for larger concerns. Michael Cope Williams is the Gapsted winemaker and Andrew Vesey the winemaker of Coldstone, Tobacco Road and Victorian Alps. The “concept” behind the Coldstone range is to produce “unusual styles at affordable prices” … an idea I very much like the sound of. Wish there was more of it.
I’ll run through my tasting notes here You need a subscription to The Wine Front to see this part of the post
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