Jul 12

Written by: John Gerum
7/12/2010 10:01 AM 

Originally founded in 1894 the winery fell into disrepair between 1936 and 1969. However an entrepreneurial chook framer, Richard Trott came across the ruined building and began the long and arduous task of bringing the winery back to life. Wirra Wirra translates roughly from the native language as "among the gumtrees".  The centre-piece of the winery is a ¾ ton church bell that was salvaged from a wrecker's yard.

The biodynamic winery is fairly small by Australian standards but the wines they produce are outstanding. Assistant winemaker James Rouse visited the tasting lounge a few weeks ago to taste me on their newest releases. The summer is an ideal time to visit the Lower Mainland as it is the dead of winter in Australia. James had an accent but I detected a bit of a Canadian twist. He has previously lived in Vancouver near Kits beach and told me he enjoyed the West Coast lifestyle.

James poured out a sample of Scrubby Rise, Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon/Viognier 2009. This blend is quite unusual as it adds Viognier to the classic blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. It has a fairly high alcohol level of 15% but that only added to the rich mouthfeel of this wine. I detected aromas of lemongrass, peach, pear, apricot and a touch of grapefruit on the nose. Well balanced acidity and a long finish with a splash of spice added to the overall quality of this white. You could well enjoy this wine on its own but I would match it with a halibut steak or any scallop or shrimp dish.

Next up was the Scrubby Rise, Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot 2008. A classic blend of Aussie style Shiraz/Cab with a small amount of Petit Verdot blended in to add richness and colour to the mix. This dense purple ruby red wine exhibited an intense nose of red cherry and raspberry. Add to this a layer of clove and cinnamon and this fresh wine delivers full extracted flavours that delivers a long finish. This is the type of wine that experienced and non-experienced drinkers would equally enjoy. Match this wine to an aged white cheddar or applewood smoked cheese. BBQ ribs or rack of lamb would be another fine mate to this selection.

We ended up sampling the higher priced Church Block, Cabernet Sauvignon/ Shiraz, Merlot 2008. Outstanding fragrances of black and red fruits followed by fresh tobacco, cedar with a hint of spice and smoke on the finish. On the palate tightly grained tannins and highly extracted ripe fruit and a toasty, roasted coffee finale. This wine was aged in 10% new oak barrels.

We wound up the tasting and James thanked me for my time. I replied in my best Aussie accent," the pleasure is all mine mate, drop around any time!"