Three top winegrowers unite to bring awareness to a forgotten variety

Australian Verdelho was found to be ‘the alternative variety we already have’ according to a recent tasting panel for the Wine & Viticulture Journal.

In an effort to bring more consumer awareness to this forgotten wine variety the three award-winning Verdelho winegrowers named for their 2011 vintage - Windowrie The Mill, Bleasdale Potts’s Catch and Tamburlaine organic wines – have banded together to help create an upsurge of interest for a wine that has been described as ‘rivalling the likes of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay’.

In Australia Verdelho first appeared in the 1820’s and was historically grown in the Hunter Valley. According to the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, 12,416 tonnes of Verdelho was crushed in the 2010 vintage1. Winegrowers Windowrie, Tamburlaine and Bleasdale believe its appeal would grow if more consumers gave it a try.

“For the past 20 years winemakers have offered Verdelhos which are too sweet. The unoaked and dry nature of these three Verdelhos rival the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris styles that proliferate the market these days,” says Mark Davidson, winemaker Tamburlaine.

“Verdelho from Canowindra consistently produces great flavoured wines that are beautifully matched to spicy foods. If it were a new variety to Australia it would be giving the likes of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc a run for their money. However, it remains a tough sell. We have success with it in the cellar door, but it relies on the old adage that once customers taste it, they like it,” says Windowrie family owner Jason O’Dea.

These three wines are all made in a similar manner, with the differing styles due to terroir rather than winemaker influence. The fruit was harvested during the cool of the night in order to retain the pristine fruit condition. Racked off solids the wines were then fermented with aromatic yeasts at controlled, cool temperatures, fined and bottled.

The 2011 Tamburlaine Verdelho was made with some of the latest winemaking technologies available, new settling and filtration equipment in their winery delivered a ‘cleaner’ and more sustainable wine, utilising less power and creating less waste.
“
Verdelho is a variety that tends to retain its natural acidity even when fully ripe. It was one of the first varieties planted in Langhorne Creek, and has proven to be well suited to our region. Our 2011 were one of the first varieties off the vine. The cooler conditions saw the fruit ripen with a lower baumé but with substantial flavours,” explains Bleasdale’s winemaker Paul Hotker.

These three dry styles of Verdelhos are perfect companions for lighter Asian inspired dishes of veal, chicken and port. “The contemporary styles are drier than they have historically been, with the varietal fruit becoming the focus,” concludes Hotker.

2011 Bleasdale ‘Pott’s Catch’ Verdelho $18.00RRP is distributed nationally by Negociants Australia and available at its Langhorne Creek cellar door or www.bleasdale.com.au
2011 Tamburlaine’s Verdelho Reserve $20.00RRP is found at its Hunter Valley cellar door or www.mywinery.com
2011 Windowrie ‘The Mill’ Verdelho $16.99RRP is distributed nationally by Windowrie and available at their Cowra Cellar Door or www.windowrie.com.au