Andy Roediger and Mark Philp, both Cape Wine Masters, recently spent two weeks touring the southern and western wine regions of Australia.
Andy and Mark have a long-standing friendship and possess considerable expertise as wine travellers, particularly with regard to Australia.
The duo stuffed their satchel of wine knowledge with an abundance of new ideas, such as:
- The development of vineyard sustainability programmes in Australia.
- Fruit management.
- Diverse approaches to viticulture and maturation.
Additionally, they discovered that the following regional distinctions were of considerable interest:
- The distinction between the Shiraz of Barossa and Eden Valley is that the latter is more fruity, aromatic, and feminine.
- The propensity of Coonawarra to strengthen their Cabernet Sauvignons with tannins raises the question regarding the potential softening of said tannins.
- The skill of merging Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec and Petit Verdot in Western Australia in order to fill the “doughnut” effect of Cabernet Sauvignon.
They saw old friends, met new ones, and most importantly, they waved the South African flag proudly!
Please click HERE to learn more about their marvellous visit.