Small
Wineries Making a BIG Splash!
Ever so slowly, word is filtering out about how
well Ballarat produces Pinot and Chardonnay.
James
Halliday, in his 2008 Australian Wine Companion, awarded the
prestigious 5-star rating to three Ballarat vineyards:
Nintingbool, Sinclair of Scotsburn and Tomboy Hill.
A number of others were awarded an impressive 4 and 4½ stars. Of
note, Nintingbool had their 2005 Pinot Noir placed
among the top 25 in the country – it is now sold out!
Ballarat has just the right climate for
producing extra-special Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Of great
importance, the vineyards are small enough and the Vignerons fussy
enough to ensure wines of highest quality are produced.
Most recently, Tomboy Hill 2006 Pinot Noir
took out two trophies at the Daylesford Wine Show: one for
Best Pinot, and the other for Best Wine in Show. It is
quite rare for a Pinot to come in ahead of the bigger, bolder Shiraz
wines.
Is it any wonder that wines from Ballarat are
finding their way onto the lists of many of Victoria’s top
restaurants?
What’s New?
This revision of the web site has a number of new things to look out
for:
As
some of the newer vineyards start to mature, there has been an
explosion of new labels in Ballarat. There are six new labels
to look out for - these vineyards are included for the first time in
the
wineries
section.
The
wineries of the
region
list
all these new labels along with the established names of the
Ballarat region - and to make it easy to find all the cellar doors,
we have a revised
map.
Over the next few months, you have the chance to experience the
wines of Ballarat for yourself at a number of
events including the World’s Longest Lunch in Ballarat.
Our
featured restaurant,
is Café Lekker
which
provides a recipe for smoked duck risotto.
We
continue with our feature on individual
Ballarat vineyards.
This looks at some of the smaller vineyards around Ballarat, the
people who care for them, and some of the interesting
characteristics that go to make up their terroir.
