Young Guns of Wine – Part 5

By Alex Russell on June 16, 2015 in Food

Welcome to the final part of my five-part series on the Young Guns of Wine Awards (younggunsofwine.com), which highlights some of the best young winemakers coming through the ranks in the Aussie wine industry.

Andrew Marks (Wanderer)

One of the most interesting Pinots I’ve had in recent years is the Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir. There is some whole bunch fermentation, giving it a funky character. At $55, it might be a stretch for some, but if you’re into Pinots, you’re probably used to that.

He also makes a red in Spain from 100-year-old Carinyena (Carignan) vines. Carinyena is a fascinating grape. Have it with a juicy steak. $50.

Other wines include a lower Yarra Pinot and a Shiraz (both $35), along with a Rosé ‘with attitude’ for $22. They’re all great, of course, but don’t miss out on the white. A Chenin Blanc, pressed in whole bunches into old oak. It’s a fascinating textural wine that is an absolute steal for $25. The oak is very subtle, adding more to texture than to flavour. Seriously, try this wine.

They’re available from www.wandererwines.com.

Rory Lane (The Story Wines)

When I first came across The Story Wines, he was focussing on Shiraz. His flagship wines were $50 single vineyard Shirazes from various places in the Grampians (think cool climate loveliness), and a $28 Shiraz that was a blend of a few vineyards. The single vineyards vary depending on vintages. You may also find Pinots, Rieslings, white blends and various other bits and pieces from year to year.

The Grampians region is home to some of Australia’s best reds, including the likes of Mount Langi, Seppelt Great Western and Best’s Great Western.

Rory’s wines stand up incredibly well to these famous names. Try them. Sure, I know $50 is a bit of an experiment, but I’ve pushed a lot of Shiraz drinkers to try these over the years and every single one of them has come back to buy more.

But there aren’t many of them available (as little as 40 dozen for some wines), so get in quick.
Purchase them at www.thestory.com.au.

So Many More …

There are so many other producers that have been recognised by these awards that I would love to mention, such as Nick Glaetzer (Glaetzer Dixon), Dave Macintosh (Ar Fion and Salo), James Esrkine (Jauma) and Mac Forbes (Mac Forbes). And if you really want to see some funky, out-there winemaking, have a look at Brendan Keys (BK Wines).

These awards are showcasing some awesomely talented winemakers who are making some wines that make you sit up and think. You’ll see a lot of wines from these producers in various restaurant wine lists.

Keep in mind that the wines that many of them produce are different and experimental. If you find that one of their wines isn’t to your taste (and that’s perfectly OK), don’t let that turn you off.

Remember that all of my wine articles are available at www.thebeast.com.au, so if you want to read the other parts of this series, check them out there.