On Monday I was lucky enough to be invited along to a wine masterclass at Sydney's Longrain restaurant aimed at showcasing what are known as multiple varietal aromatic white blends. Also called 'Field Blends' or 'Super Whites' in the industry these wines are simply white wines that are a blend of three or more grape varieties. These wines are commonly made in Austria, Germany, the Rhone in France and in Northern Italy, however both Australian and New Zealand wine makers are exploring these styles more and more with some promising results.
Also held at Longrain Melbourne, the concept behind these classes was to educate those in the industry about these wines as restaurateur and wine lover, Sam Christie, realised that despite being wines that pair so well with Asian flavours, sales of these wines at his restaurants was poor to non-existent. Industry panelist and well know wine writer, Nick Stock, made the interesting comment that Australian consumers seem to have little problem with trying and buying red wine blends but are not so adventurous when it came to the same concept being applied to white wines.
Over 20 wines were tasted during the two hour session which was then followed by a delicious lunch at Longrain. We were then able to request glasses of the wines we enjoyed the most during the tasting and experience them in the normal environment of being enjoyed with food.
The wines were broken up into the categories, Rhône style blends, Italian Style Blends - Savory, Italian Style Blends - Aromatic and Alsatian Style Blends. To be honest, even a semi-educated wine enthusiast such as myself struggles to instantly recognise the differences in these styles and if the focus of the session is to increase consumer sales I don't see any large benefit into going in depth on each style. All the average consumer needs to understand is that many of these wines are typical of the white wines found in these regions. Even if a wine was made by an Australian or Kiwi winemaker, the winemakers who do understand these styles in detail were attempting to emulate in some way, these classical old-world whites that have influenced wine makers all around the world.
The wines from the tasting that I've noted as my favourites are listed below in no particular order:
Guigal Cote Du Rhone Blanc 2009 (France)
A five way blend of Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Clariette and Bourboulenc I found this wine pleasant and easy drinking. RRP $25
McHenry Honen 3Amigos 2007 (Australia)
As the name suggests we have three varieties here, Marsanne, Chardonnay and Roussane. I was at odds with the panel experts on this one who didn't seem to like it at all. I gave it the thumbs up for having an interesting aroma and the oak for me made it just as interesting to drink. The panel thought it had too much oak. RRP $24
David Hook De Novo Bianco 2010 (Australia)
A blend of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Viognier this wine had a light fruit aroma with plenty of hallmark Sauvignon Blanc notes coming through despite it being only the third largest variety at 25%. This wine was high in palate cleansing acid but was very pleasant in many ways and I enjoyed it.
RRP $30
Jermann Vinnae 2008 (Italy)
A blend of Ribola Gialla, Tocai Friulano and Riesling many would be excused for saying "It's got Riesling and what?", however, this was the star wine of the day for me and the expert panel. It had a range of interesting things happening on the nose and in the flavour profile. I definitely insisted on having a glass of this with lunch as did many others! RRP $59
Zuani Vigne Collio Bianco 2009 (Italy)
A blend of Friulano, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay I was hampered a little on this wine having received a rather pathetic pouring size. It had a nice aroma of fruit and floral notes and the two tiny sips I did get were rather lovely. RRP $39
Freeman Fortuna 2006 (Australia)
A blend of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Aleatico led to this wine being referred to as "a bit of a fruit salad". I found it had an aroma profile very similar to an aged Semillon and it had nice flavours that included noteable citrus. I actually ranked this as equally enjoyable as the Zuani 2009 above. RRP $25
Hugel Gentil 2008 (France)
A blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat and Sylvaner. I just found this a totally no fuss, clean and easy drinking wine that for the price no one would complain about. RRP $22
Te Whare Ra Toru 2009 (New Zealand)
A blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling. Despite an aroma that had a slight rubber like smell to it I enjoyed this wine for its combination of both sweetness and tartness to its flavour. RRP $25
Knappstein 3 2010 (Australia)
A blend of Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris. The expert panel actually said this wine lacked complexity but I found it had a pleasant aroma that was rather floral and an equally pleasant flavour and was rather easy drinking. RRP $24.99
Click here to view a complete and detailed catalogue of all the wines tried at the masterclass and offered for tasting at a trade tasting that afternoon
The interesting thing looking back at my list of favourites is that the wines come from a pretty even mix of countries and given that New Zealand had so few entries in the lineup it would be fair to say every country included contributed equally.
The whole point of this excercise though was to help increase awareness of these great wines in the hope that more consumers are willing to venture out of their comfort zone and be willing to spend their hard earned cash on them either at a restaurant or when in the bottle shop. This is the exact type of challenge/purpose I thrive on. I certainly don't propose to be any marketing guru or have all the answers. I certainly hope sommerliers and retailers shy away from trying to sell these wines as 'textural' marvels as to do so, in my opinion, would only alienate many consumers. Focus on taste and the fact that these wines are some of the most food friendly white wines you can enjoy, particularly with asian foods!
I would certainly encourage you all to give these wines a try as there is far more to the world of white wines out there than just Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon and Pinot Gris!
Thanks and credit for putting on this event go to Jane Adams from Jane Adams Communications, Sam Christie from Longrain, our panel experts - Nick Stock, Brian Freeman and Andreas Puhar and Garrett Robinson for the great photographs.
