Planting a brighter future

Most Barossa Valley vintners will tell you that if you’d like to be seen as a bona fide member of the Barossa winemaking community, you’d have to make a good Shiraz. The varietal, with its sun-soaked ripeness and rich aromas, has come to typify the terroir of the valley, and in a larger sense, the identity of Aussie Shirazes. On that count, no discussion of Aussie Shirazes is complete without the mention of Grant Burge’s award-winning Meshach Shiraz.

The Meshach of today is a different kind of potion: the vintages in the early 90s had a more pronounced vanilla flavour due to the use of all American oak. In 2000, Grant shortened the ageing period by a few months, and introduced a combination of American and French oaks for the Meshach: the latter’s subtler woody character was kinder to the wine’s fruit notes, giving it more balance. The 2008 vintage is the apogee of the Meshach’s journey so far; a dark, luscious, peppery red with a rosy scent. Grant says the Meshach represents “an evolution” of his winemaking practices and his winery’s “strive to make the perfect wine”.

Excerpt from August’13 issue of epicure.