DAN'S WINE BLOG- THIS WEEK'S WINE REVIEW

THIS WEEK’S WINE REVIEW:

I almost never mention a fortified wine in my weekly review. The reason for this is that so few wineries these days make a noteworthy fortified wine. When I joined the industry in the 1980s almost every single winery made a “Port” and heaps of them made Sherry as well. Names like Lindemans, Seppelts, Hardys, Quelltaler, Morris of Rutherglen, McWilliams, etc., use to roll off the tongue when talking about fortifieds thanks to their superb wines.

Today out of 2,450+ wineries in the country there are probably less than 100 wineries which make noteworthy fortifieds. People don’t drink them, so wineries don’t make them, and many of those which do make a product that is not a patch on the superb fortifieds of last century. Yes, there are a few stalwarts such as Seppeltsfield, Morris, Stanton & Killeen, Chambers, and a few others which still make world-class fortifieds. In fact, it can well be argued that the best Liqueur Muscat and Tokay (Topaque) is produced in Rutherglen. Then we have a handful of newer wineries which are producing top quality fortifieds, like 919 Wines in the Riverland. I just added a new one to my list of magnificent fortifieds –

the LINO RAMBLE ‘SLY FOX’ FORTIFIED ARINTO.

I had only tasted a handful of wines made from the Emerging white Portuguese variety, ARINTO, when I came across this masterpiece while writing an article for WBM (Wine Business Magazine) – it blew my socks off!!! It is light orange in colour, has a very rich bouquet of dried apricots, sweet oranges, candied fruit and just a hint of passionfruit. The palate is lightish, with not quite as much body and depth as say a Muscat. It is ubber-smooth, with lovely, very complex flavours and silky yet tight finish. To quote one of the judges – “Bloody Brilliant!!” Seriously, you should check out this lil’ beauty along with all the other excellent LINO RAMBLE wines on their website (see link below). Winery Link: www.linoramble.com.au