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WINE REVIEW

Two years ago I had the fabulous opportunity to visit Austrailia and Tasmania . Not only was it my inaugural visit but it left me wanting. This land was so vibrant, the worklife stuff was the thing of dreams and its winemakers were pretty cool too !

in the wine world this is land is the birthplace of the word “skinzy’ (skin contact) , home of kangeroos and dingos but also to some outrageously fabulous wines.

I only had 4 days in Tasmania but packed so much into it. Lots of wineries and lots of sights. Tried oysters for the first time, drove to the top of Hobart town and emraced the culture.

Moorilla winery was one such place that offered all of the above and left me wanting to come back…..

The estate is home to MONA ; an art and exhibition site, accomodation, live music , wine, bars restaurants cellar door and a recording studio. So much is here and so much to do. Its supposed to be just a vineyard. When your finished with the wonder of Moorilla …. the most enticing thing thing about the estate is the wines.

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Amongst all the wines in their estate I managed to try half of them. One of the wines that stood out above all others was the 2018 Pinot Gris St Matthias. Now here i am 2 years later trying the second Pinot Gris from this wonderful island on the other side of Earth. quite surreal really. But thats the love of wine. A memory , a grape, a time and a reflection.

Moorilla own 2 vinyards one in the south (Moorilla) and one in the North of the island (St Matthias.) The wine is wild fermented so skins of the grapes are kept in contact with the fruit -this process has become very trendy in the few years with consumers looking for something different, something new. More often than not this Natural wine / less intervention/ orange wine envariably leads to nectarines or clementines coming through as a main characteristic.

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If its not for you…. move on to another grape! (there are over 10,000 of them )

My surprise then and now was just the same. I reconised the smell the taste like i was back there on the island surrounded by all this wonderfulness. The classic nectarines and clementines were there like i was standing sniffing an orange tree. Wafting in just after was some elegant Japenese white blossom and peach. For a minute I could of been in Willy Wonkas factory experimenting with sights and smells. Two years on and the wine had got better. Im glad i saved it and waited.

for those that kind of asked for a tasting note… here is look, smell and taste bit for geeks !

In the mouth was something different – stewed fruits (apples) and spice – imagine eating an apfel strudel without the filo pastry : all fruit and cloves together with saltiness and a bunch of refreshing acidity. A wine thats devine is a wine to remember. All views are subjective and im hoping i can be as objective as i can This wine was well put together. This dry wine is dangerously delicious!

Although not available in UK and only seems to ship to Austrailia this is one wine i would import. you can get other equally fabulous Pinot Gris’s but this is a discovered bucket list wine. To list it in my top 3 P.Gris’s is a certainty. If you live in Austrailia or are going there. you have to try it. Order it !

The History bit – ORIGINS OF MOORILLA

The word ‘Moorilla’ means ‘rock by the water’ in various Aboriginal dialects. For thousands of years, the Moorilla site was home to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Mouheneenner People.

In 1948 an Italian textile merchant Claudio Alcorso purchased a 19 hectare plot of land ( ‘a neglected orchard’ of ‘unkempt, unpruned apple and pear trees’ ) with a riverbank overhung with local trees.

This would become Moorilla with the first grapevines planted in 1958 and first vintage in 1962.

A businessman , David Walsh, purchased Moorilla in 1995 and Canadian ‘wild child’ Conor van der Reest took the helm as chief winemaker in 2007, championing the terroir of Moorilla’s vineyards, kick-started an ambitious cellaring program (cultivating wines with maturity) and helped design Moorilla’s new winery (a state-of- the-art facility).

All in all a funky trendy kind of place – and one of my top 20 vineyards of choice.

What a wine.

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Find your Grape – this is a great place to start.

Grape wizard top tip : If its white and has a slightly pinky hue to it – it could be a Pinot Gris from New Zealand or Australia / Tasmania.

SUSTAINABILTY

APPROX COST	£	Website Link
SUPPLIER UK	😥	x
SUPPLIER USA	😥	x
SUPPLIER AUSTRALIA	AUS $36	https://www.gasworkscellardoor.com.au/pinot-gris-grigio/1140156-moorilla-muse-st-matthias-vineyard-pinot-gris-2022.html?search_query=moorilla+pinot+gris&results=1

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