There is something stirring down at Bream Creek. The wines from Fred Peacock's vineyard have always been reliably good but nowadays they are reaching another level. This wine, inspired by the dry rosés of Provence, is a case in point. I've tried it several times over the past few months and it has never failed to deliver crispness and freshness with a tangy cranberry/raspberry bite on the palate. Made from 100% pinot noir it has terrific acidity and would probably be best enjoyed well chilled, as a youngster, perhaps matched with some Middle Eastern dips. $29. www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au.
This lovely wine, light and well balanced, was judged the best white at the Bream Creek Show yesterday - and it is one of better Australian gewurzs I've tried; varietal but restrained. The nose alone reveals it as gewurz with its musky, Turkish Delight notes, and those characters follow through to the palate with fresh lychee notes joining in the palate party. Inverquharity, called IQ for convenience, is a 10-year-old,1.2 hectare vineyard, located just out of Richmond in the Coal River Valley. The vineyard is predominantly planted with pinot noir with a few rows of gewürztraminer. The wines are made by Alain Rousseau at Frogmore Creek. You'll need to be quick for this one, as its made in tiny quantities. $30. www.iqwines.com
Joe Holyman is one of the great characters of the Tasmanian wine industry - a former Sheffield Shield cricketer and party boy from way back when. Everyone who is anyone in the wine industry knows Joe. But Holyman's irreverent attitude and love of a beer should not detract from from the seriousness with which he approaches his winemaking - and has done for the past two decades. The wines under his two labels, Holyman and Stoney Rise, are impeccably crafted, the first using estate-grown fruit from his western Tamar vineyard. There's a lot of quality here; plenty of flavour and impeccable balance. This vintage saw 55% whole bunches during ferment and 30% new French oak barrels for maturation. Power meets poise; structure meets seduction. Cellar worthy - certainly. You'd almost swear it was made by some serious old duffer wearing a tweed jacket. $55. www.stoneyrise.com.
