An Excellent presentation by Duncan Ross of Berkmann Wine Cellars who are a wine importer, serving mostly the On-Trade. https://www.berkmann.co.uk/
These wines are a selection of their Australian portfolio.
Duncan is actually a New Zealander, and gave us a great presentation. We had a full house for this evening, at the maximum room capacity.
At the end Duncan asked for an impromptu show of hands as to how we might score the wines. It was comforting for me to find that my scores were in line with overall consensus. 6 very good wines, but 2 wines that did not quite hit the spot.
As Berkmann supply the on trade, the wine prices are the wholesale prices. If you were to find them retail the price might well be around 15% higher + Inflation which is rampant right now!
White Wines:
Deakin Estate Viognier 2022 – 12%, £9.60
7.5/10 – A lighter style viognier, not as “oily” or pungent as most.
Jade & Jasper Fiano Unico Zelo 2021 – 12.5%, £15.60
6/10 – Not everyone's favourite, sadly. Rather acidic. An Italian variety selected to need little water.
Wattle Brae Eden Valley Riesling – Langmeil – 11.5%, £16.60
8/10. A classic Riesling, with a tiny bit of classic petrol on the nose/palate. Should last 10 years in the bottle.
Lethbridge Chardonnay 2019 – 14%, £28.40
8/10. A classic mature White Burgundy style, quite oaky. Should be compared to Mersault or similar.
Red Wines
La La Land Pinot Noir 2021 – Langmeil – 12.5%, £11.20
6/10. An extremely light P-N, almost a rosé. Not widely liked.
Brash Higgins Gr/M - Grenache/Mataro 2018 – 14.5%, £20.70
8/10 Mataro is AKA Mourvedre. Easy drinking, not too hefty.
Clementine Cab/Merlot/Malbec/Petit Verdot 2017 – Woodlands - 13.5%, £18.00
8.5/10. Hefty but well balanced. Excellent, but maybe just lacking that magical something.
Shay's Flat Vineyard Shiraz – Tournon – 14.5%, £15.35
9/10. Inky and super hefty. The evenings star wine.
