Orange is the Colour City

The NSW Food and Wine Festival for 2014 is winding down, and from some mutterings, it may not see the light of day in 2015. Surely the timing of the event must play a part here, 90% of the NSW Wine Industry is shoulders deep in vintage activities: ferments, pump-overs, still some picking of fruit (and even celebrating the end of Vintage if you’re in the Hunter Valley…) Surely this is something the organisers and sponsors of the event must consider when, hopefully, planning for next year’s event.

One of the great things that has emerged from the 2014 NSW Food and Wine Festival is the glorious pairing of wineries and eateries. One in particular is the “pop-up” called Bottle & Beast that has relished the opportunity for such romances and has seen Chef Jared Ingersoll‘s culinary skills with an entire “beast” matched with a handful of NSW wineries such as Alex Reteif , Lowe Wines, Cargo Road. On Wednesday 19th March, Printhie Wines, which I’ll be attending. I’ll try and keep it together throughout the night to create a postscript for this tasting note.

Printhie Mountain Range Chardonnay, Orange, 2012

Pale gold in colour. Attractive nose with warm toasty, nutty notes. White stonefruit skin, refreshing lemon citrus and just enough bread crust for complexity. Whilst this is a completed wine, (that is: Fermentation all done, probably been racked a few times, parcels in tank.. parcels in barrel, blended  together), there’s still a very primary vibrancy to the nose akin to just fermenting Chardonnay in barrel. (Side note: If you’ve never been to a winery during vintage time… if you love wine…. I implore you to get to one! Smell the smells, taste just pressed juice from freshly picked grapes. It’s an incredible experience you’ll always remember fondly).

The palate is workmanlike with solid quality, expressive Chardonnay characteristics: Crisp white nectarine stonefruit, more lemon pith than juice or rind and a little bit of Cashew nuttiness. The oak treatment gives a good canvas on which Drew Tuckwell, the winemaker, paints his picture. His colour palette being fruit sourced from across quality Orange vineyards. Solid, everyday drinking and if you can find it under the RRP, even better.

RRP: $20 Alc: 13%

Wine sample courtesy of Printhie Wines and Define Wine