Brian's Musings

This essay also appears on Jancis Robinson’s site at: http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201311012.html

Barring global financial accidents, geopolitical upheaval or an asteroid strike, 2014 should be a good business year propelled by the gathering momentum of the US economy, which should also tame our dollar. Fine wine is at the forefront of consumption growth and the US has a structural deficiency of grape supply.

 » Read more about: Grape Introspections  »

The following article by Eli Greenblat comes from The Age, 7/10/2013

Australian wine-making legend Brian Croser, founder of Petaluma, has attracted the big guns of champagne to his latest wine venture, with the scion of France’s famous Bollinger champagne house joining the board of his privately owned Tapanappa Wines.

Etienne Bizot,

 » Read more about: Champagne moment for local winemaker  »

The following article by Patrick Schmitt appeared on Drinks Business, 20th September 2013.

Australia should shift its emphasis from the personalities behind the wines to the places where they come from in a bid to further the country’s fine wine reputation.

That’s the view of Frenchman Xavier Bizot, who is general manager of Australia’s Tapanappa,

 » Read more about: Emphasis on winemaker too strong in OZ’  »

Foggy Hill was planted in 2003.

The 2013 vintage just finished was a wonderful way to celebrate the 10th birthday of this unique and lonely vineyard. Dry and warm by virtue of warmer than average nights, the compete description of the great 2013 vintage is on Tapanappa’s web site here: http://www.tapanappawines.com.au/blog/may2013/2013-vintage-report.

 » Read more about: Foggy Hill Turns Ten  »

2013 was a very warm and dry vintage.

2013 was also a wonderful vintage.

Despite near record warmth at all three of the Tapanappa terroirs, there were very few days above 35°C, no extended heat waves and it was night warmth that contributed to the elevated heat summations.

Night warmth is good.

 » Read more about: 2013 Vintage Report  »

The following seminar was presented in London as part of a look at Chilean Cabernet.

Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

This Global Exploration is a celebration of the great quality and diversity of the noble Cabernet Sauvignon.

It is also recognition of the importance of this variety to the Chile where it has flourished on its own roots for more than 160 years.

 » Read more about: Cabernet Sauvignon-A Global Exploration Of One Of The World’s Greatest Grape Varieties  »

While not specifically Tapanappa news, it is nonethless very pleasing to see Brian’s lifelong commitment to Riesling honored by the Canberra International Riesling Challenge, awarding him the 2012 Wolf Blass Award for his contribution to the development and promotion of Riesling.

Brian unfortunately wasn’t able to be present to receive the award, but with good and topical excuse,

 » Read more about: BJC awarded Wolf Blass Award  »

Two blogs in a day! 

Not quite, as the previous one had been under preparation for some time.

Having hailed the 2012 vintage in the great tradition of Murray Tyrrell (renowned for announcing the vintage of the century every year), I feel compelled to defend vintage 2010.

The statistics of heat summation and summer rain for vintage 2010 reveal it as one of,

 » Read more about: In defence of 2010  »

It’s been along time between posts.

The last post was “The Big Stretch”, the paper I wrote on Chile for a seminar on South American wines in London in January.

Since then the 2012 vintage has ripened beautifully, was carefully harvested and is in barriques slowly going through malo-lactic fermentation as winter approaches.

 » Read more about: 2012 Vintage Summary  »

The following paper was recently given by Brian at the inaugural South American Wine Workshop in London.

“THE BIG STRETCH”
THE EMERGING CHILEAN FINE WINE INDUSTRY
INTRODUCTION

I am not an expert on the Chilean wine industry and even less so on the Argentinean wine industry.  

Andres Ilabaca and the team from Vina Santa Rita can put their vineyards and wines into context better than I can and Edgardo del Popolo is a leader of the Argentinean wine industry,

 » Read more about: The Big Stretch – The Emerging Chilean Fine WIne Industry  »

The following article is taken from Jancis Robinson’s website: http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201202131.html

US shortfall may solve OZ surplus by Jancis Robinson, 13 Feb 2012

La Niña and the succession of cool, rainy summers it has inflicted on much of south-east Australia may be making life extremely difficult for grape growers who in 2011 and 2012 are having to combat unusual conditions in the vineyard.

 » Read more about: US shortfall may solve OZ surplus  »

On Monday night (the 21st) in the multi-faceted Leonard French Grand Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria we were treated to a tasting of international Pinot Noirs reflecting and refracting the spectrum of hues, aromas, flavours and palate architecture of this fascinating grape variety.

The 12th Stonier International Pinot Noir Tasting (SIPNOT) was also reflective of the ongoing passion of Brian Stonier AO.,

 » Read more about: Fascinating Pinot  »

Remarkably the sun came out in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and has prevailed over the occasional misty rain drift from the Pacific for the past 16 days.

The coolest and latest vintage of the Oregon wine industry’s short history received the last moment filtered sunlight required to elevate sugars, colours and flavours out of the “failed to ripen”

 » Read more about: Sunshine, Riesling & Qantas  »

Here we are again in Oregon where vintage used to be in September.

Today is the 13th of October, a cool foggy damp day in downtown Dayton and at least two weeks from harvest.

Dayton is a small town at the junction of the Yamhill and the Willamette Rivers, which in turn flow into the mighty Columbia and out to the Pacific Ocean beyond Portland city.

 » Read more about: Whether Weather or Climate Change is More Important?  »

The following article by Huon Hooke appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, October 11th 2011

A super-wet season has prompted a perfectionist to sell off his pinot for a few dollars.

Brian Croser draws three samples of 2011 pinot noir from their barrels, all pale coloured but charming for their floral and cherry-like perfumes.

 » Read more about: Pale in Comparison by Huon Hooke  »

Introduction

John Gladstones has constructed his wonderful new book, Wine Terroir and Climate Change to examine the effect of each element of terroir (the environment) on the stages of growth and fruit ripening of the grape vine. He has proposed hypotheses around the vine physiological responses to these terroir signals and the ultimate effect on grape composition and wine quality and style.

 » Read more about: Review 2: Wine, Terroir & Climate Change by John Gladstones  »

This wonderful book is a book in two parts. I deal here with the Wine and Terroir part of the book, which is contained in the first 11 chapters and then again in chapter 14, 21st century viticulture and its terroirs: a summary. Chapters 12 and 13 deal with Climate Change and its potential effects on viticulture as we know it.

 » Read more about: Review of Wine, Terroir & Climate Change by John Gladstones  »

In the 42 years of my involvement in the Australian wine industry the bad wet vintages prior to 2011 have been, 1969, 1974, 1983 and 1989.

Including 2011 that’s one every 8 years or so. 

It’s been 22 years since the last one so we have been treated well  by climate standards,

 » Read more about: 2011 Vintage Report  »

The following article orinignal formed a response to the Winemakers’ Federations of Australia’s submission to the GWRDC 5 Year Planning process.

Even if the WFA’s new research model is adopted by the GWRDC and is supported by the Australian wine community it is unlikely to discover and implement any paradigm shifting technology,

 » Read more about: The Australian wine community’s biggest challenge  »

This post was originally in response to a question raised by a magazine editor on what is natural wine, and does this description have any real meaning.

This is a subject on which everyone is correct.

It is only relevant to fine wine at the very top end of quality and intellectual interest.

 » Read more about: Natural wine: does this description have meaning?  »

The Australian wine community is allowing itself to be tarred by the brush of climate politics.

Sometimes called the “canaries of climate”, wine regions have emerged and disappeared with the swings of climate over the more than 10 centuries of recorded wine history. For any region, climate decides the choice of varieties,

 » Read more about: Canaries of Climate  »

The following post was originally in correspondance with a UK wine writer.

I am convinced cork has a future as long as its considerable past as a wine closure. That’s not from a “green” perspective but as a closure which contributes to the established expectations of knowledgeable and experienced consumers of traditional bottle ageing character and complexity,

 » Read more about: Closures  »

This will be a long and technical Blog. Even if no-one else reads it, the very writing of it will ease my mind.

The story begins with the rebirth of the ANU University House wine Symposia. The 7th was held last Friday after a 17 year hiatus, organised by Kiaran and Tim Kirk sons of John the founder of Clonakilla .

 » Read more about: 7th ANU University House Wine Symposium  »

BRIAN Croser has a history of surrounding himself with some of the most distinguished and influential names in the wine world.

When the Petaluma founder secured a partner for his Croser sparkling wine project in the mid 1980s, it was none other than Bollinger, the esteemed Champagne house.

This gave his fizz label very serious clout and,

 » Read more about: Brian Croser finds a perfect partner in esteemed Champagne house Bollinger  »