Barossa Day 1
Last week, Jeff and myself were lucky enough to be taken by the Hill Smith Family Estate to SA to watch the British and Irish lions pummel the poor ANZAC invitational team. But before we get wrapped up in the Rugby, we had some wine tasting to be done!
We arrived into a grey, wet and woolly Adelaide Wednesday afternoon, where we joined the rest of our group, and headed up to the Barossa Valley. First stop Nuriootpa, to find our accommodation and freshen up before the hard work began!
Pewsey Vale Tasting with Louisa Rose in the Family Tasting Room & exploring the Hill Smith Family Wine Museum
Wet and freezing conditions prevailed, and what was supposed to be wine and canapes in the Pewsey Vale Vineyard at sunset in High Eden became a Riesling Tasting in the Family Tasting Room at Yalumba Estate in Angaston. But while the sun didn’t shine, the wines certainly did.
We kicked off with the 2024 & 2025 Estate Rieslings, both looking amazing, but for me the 2025 pipped the 2024 ever so slightly, with the florals and stony complexity showcasing why it is one of the world’s best value wines.
Next, we were onto the Contours with their two current releases, the 2018 and the 2015 10 Year Release. There was quite a bit of discussion around the group about how aged Riesling should taste, and the correct terminology. We have moved on from kerosene in Riesling (which is now considered to be a fault due to sunburnt grapes), now we want to look for toast with marmalade, honey, lime cordial, beeswax and lanolin, amongst other descriptors.
Both wines looked amazing, and whilst I preferred the 2015 with its intense marmalade and butter toast character, others enjoyed the more floral 2018. Why should we have to pick?
We took a brief sojourn to the Hill Smith Family Wine Museum, which Louisa had recently reorganised, so that Pewsey was at the beginning of tour. We were overawed by their collection of (as it was called then) Pewsey Vale Rhine Riesling dating back to the 60s, and overjoyed when Louisa pulled a few interesting bottles of the shelves to satisfy our curiosity.
The first was the 2024 1961 Block Riesling. A reimagining of Pewsey Vale Riesling, crafted from grapes grown on their oldest block, planted as the name suggests in 1961. Handpicked from a north facing vineyard (the Contours vineyard is south facing), wild fermented and aged on lees, the wine has astonishing intensity and concentration. Think lemon and lime zest with orange blossom, jasmine and acacia flowers, a stony minerality and a textural element that sets this wine in a class of its own. It doesn’t come into NZ, but hopefully we’ll get that all changed soon!
Finally, after a few questions about how well the standard Estate ages, Louisa plucked a 2005 Pewsey Vale Estate Riesling off the shelf and blew out minds. Packed full of marmalade, toast, rosemary, elderflower and a fine chalky minerality, it was beautifully aged, with a burnt caramel finish. Definitely my pick of the day.
We returned to the Family Tasting Room, and had a final taste of the 6 wines before we adjourned to dinner at Vintners Grill in Angaston. I highly recommend the ribeye for 2!
Left Image - Jeff with his love of horses and racing was very taken with this display
Right Image - It took a wee while to warm up!Left Image: Louisa Rose and Grace Butler leading the charge!
Left Image: Louisa Rose and Grace Butler leading the charge!
Right Image: 2005 Pewsey Vale Estate Riesling
Left Image: 1970 – 1979 Pewsey Vale Rhine Riesling
Right Image: The 6 wines we tried.
Left image: Smiles all-round
Right Image: Just a cheeky Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Noir next to some of the best wines in the world!
The ribeye we enjoyed later that night!
