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Hankering for Wine Times Past

Prompted by my neighbour's house having been burgled recently, I decided to put a house-sitter in place during my recent summer break. Keeping the business in the family, my niece, a twenty year old student, was employed to do the job. It's only natural that I should leave a few bottles of wine out for her and her boyfriend.

Tim Adams bottles I selected a few bottles from just inside the cellar door. Having heard her recently make a favourable comment on the Tim Adams Semillon 1998, which she had hunted down following a taste of the 1996 at my house, I pulled a couple of bottles of this. Among other bottles I pulled were some Penfolds staples, the Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2001 and Rawsons Retreat Semillon-Chardonnay 2001. These choices were also prompted by favourable comments, this time regarding the Rawsons Retreat Riesling 2001, which again she had recently tasted at my house. I'm glad to say that I picked up all these bottles in the recent Tesco 20% off Australian offer, just for this sort of occasion. Despite being informed "she only drinks white, you know" I also threw in a few reds, including the superb Tre Uve Ultima 1999.

On my return I was glad to be informed that the wines had gone down a treat. It was clear that my niece, with no particular knowledge or interest in wine, and who doesn't really have the funds to indulge regularly, had really enjoyed the bottles I had left out. It may even be that, like her previous expedition in search of Tim Adams Semillon, these tastings may imbue a touch more confidence when making a selection at the local supermarket. Who knows?

More importantly, however, my niece's enthusiasm for some of these wines reminded me of how I felt when I first tasted them. Full of tropical fruit, perhaps more than a modicum of oak, and plenty of fresh acidity, I can remember times when wines like Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay knocked my socks off. In fact it made such an impression on me that I can even remember exactly where I was sitting, back in my student digs in the 1980s, when I first tasted it. Perched on the end of the sofa, surrounded by student chums carrying out important student activities (probably watching the 5:35pm Neighbours) I recall being rendered speechless by the glass of Aussie sunshine in front of me.

It's never wrong to look back and reflect on where we have come from. Nowadays I seek out whites from the Mosel, Alsace, Chablis, Condrieu and, to a lesser extent from the Cote d'Or (where I still think my knowledge is pretty rocky). Other less obvious pleasures include unoaked Semillon from the Hunter Valley (Tyrell's Vat 1 is a classic example), Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, Semillon-Sauvignon from Western Australia and even the odd white Rioja (although a good one can be hard to find). In the past, however, particularly when funds were more limited, white wines like those above from Penfolds, and the once similarly successful Rosemount Diamond Label Chardonnay, were a major part of my drinking. I enjoyed them, and they were enjoyed by my friends. Nowadays, although I would doubtless still appreciate the positive aspects of these wines, I also see them for what they are - industrial wines made to a recipe and a price. Whilst I weigh up the pros and cons of which en primeur purchases I'll be making this year, sometimes I hanker for those days when I could find so much endless pleasure in an inexpensive glass of tank-fermented, oak-chipped, acid-adjusted Chard. (18/7/02)