Vino d'Auge: Vino d'Auge Veraison

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Vino d'Auge Veraison

I spent a Sunday with Anton Van Klopper looking at the Dean's sangiovese and the Dal Cin's prosecco. After seeing devastated vineyards in other regions, it was a relief to see such healthy looking vines with excellent fruit set. There is another week or so to go for the prosecco and probably around 3 weeks to go for the sangiovese.

This photo establishes the 'opening shot' for the Dean's sangiovese vineyard - underneath Mt Lofty House and on an easterly aspect protected from the harsh afternoon sun.

Sangiovese with quite some ripening to go

Spider webs keeping the grape-loving birds off the sangiovese

This is Anton using his 'taste-spectrometer 2000' apparatus to measure for ripeness

I'll ask Judy and Duncan next time I see them...

oii!

Lucy Van Klopper - Artist in residence and zucchini farmer

Dry grown pinot noir from the 'Lucy-Margaux' vineyard at Anton's farm.
Read what Max Allen has to say about Anton's 'natural wines'.

The natural energies of Lucy-Margaux pinot crystallised.
The Van Klopper's use this natural image for their Pinot Noir labels.

Nigel's 'Little Creek' vineyard that forms the Domaine Lucci 'Little Creek' Pinot Noir.
Such a beautiful setting amongst the eucalypts at Norton Summit.

Ever seen prosecco before? This essentially organic vineyard in Norton Summit has the oldest prosecco in Australia and is owned and cared-for by the charming Dal Cin family of Basket Range.

I'm really looking forward to hauling in some grapes over the next month and getting stuck into some quasi-experimental winemaking.

BACKGROUND TO VINO D'AUGE

Italian grape varietals have been cultivated in Australia for over 50 years but have remained on the fringe of acceptance until now.
A few suggestions why;

improvements in clonal material that concentrates flavours and enhances finished wine-structure;

Growers are looking for alternatives out of curiosity and economic opportunism;

Many Australian wine makers experience vintages overseas returning home enthusiastic to experiment with different grape varietals and techniques and;

wine retailers and restaurants are challenged to provide their clientele with unique experiences.
This is where vino by Auge was born.

Adelaide's vibrant restaurant scene carries a heritage of creativity and drive. At Auge we strive to provide new and creative experiences.
Chef Tom Robinson focuses on reinterpreting Italian classics, sourcing the best produce possible.

My job as sommelier is to support Tom's food with a range of wines that heighten gastronomic and intellectual stimulation. To do this I focus on Italian wines and wines made from Italian varietals grown in Australia.

For 2009 the Vino d'Auge project is concentrating on utilising more 'italianate' wine-making techniques to create true Italo-Antipodean wines.

So what wines will be made?

For your aperitivo, we a making a dry and frothy PROSECCO. The prosecco vines are probably the oldest in the country and are cultivated by the charming Dal Cin family at Norton Summit in the Adelaide Hills. We'll make the prosecco using a true 'transfer method' to ensure that the wine retains fidelity to it's Venetian heritage.

To accompany your antipasti, we will again make SANGIOVESE ROSSATO. With the Dean family, their perfect plot of sangiovese in the Picadilly Valley (Adelaide Hills), and James Erskine's surperb precedent, we'll give an '09 expression to secco-style rossato.

With your secondi piatti et formaggi, may I recommend our NEBBIOLO SFORZATO. A truly exciting project based upon the majestic nebbiolos of Lombardy's Valtellina DOC. The role model for this wine is Nino Negri's 'Cinque Stelle' Sforzato (Thank you Maurizio Ugge for importing this wine ). Sforzato, meaning 'forced', are wines that have a component (or entirety) of grapes that are apassimento or rack-dried. The wine is fermented to dryness but retain a glycerol richness and resounding depth of flavour - typically the flavour is somewhere between Barolo and Amarone. I look forward to working with Tom Shobbrook and making Australia's first sforzato.

To create a diverse range of wines requires a diverse range of viticultural and winemaking expertise and experience. My role is as project co-ordinator, stylistic 'director', student, cellar hand and executive (read 'scape-goat' if my enthusiasm runs too far from my abilities!). The true blood in Vino d'Auge are the winemakers and grapegrowers whom have taken their time, passion and expertise to facilitate the project and to gently coach our fledgling efforts into truly unique vinous expressions.

A role call:

Thank you Arturo, Silvio and Jules of the Dal CIn Clan who form 'Team Prosecco'.

Thank you Judy and Duncan Dean of 'The Deanery' who provide the most beautiful sangiovese grapes outside of Tuscany

Thank you Tom Shobbrook for expertise in all things Italian - let's make the sforzato extraordinary.

Thank you Anton, Sally, and Lucy Van Klopper for all of the inspiration, hard work, expertise, laughs, vino et mangare. I hope it never ends!

Dave Scott
Auge
d.scott@auge.com.au

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Vino d'Auge Veraison

VINO D'AUGE PARTNERS

BACKGROUND TO VINO D'AUGE