Vintage report

As the weakening sun drifts north on its annual equinoctial journey, the vineyard gradually winds down for another year. In one last hurrah, the fading yellow canopy applies it’s lipstick-red hue in defiance of the quickening chill in the air, takes one last gasp of energy from its vanishing chlorophyll and confetties earthward. Ahead, for the grapevine, is mostly silence. When the SW gales arrive, as they always do, the bare canes of this vintage past stand whiplash tight against the approaching click and flick of the secateurs. Another Bloodwood vintage is complete. Another vinous story to tell as the work begins in preparation for the distant return of the vanishing sun.

So what is the report for our Fourtieth year here on Griffin Road? Well it’s mixed. In the done-well to-excellent category, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are favourably mentioned while in the tried-hard across-a-difficult-growing-year class, the Cabernet and Shiraz have shown signs of improvement and may yet make the grade. The intermediate class of Cabernet Franc, Merlot Noir and Malbec will definitely not have to re-sit the oenological examination for 2023. Even with all the moisture about, a less-than-perfect set and two late-season hail storms reduced the crop to the smallest this decade, while the coolest growing season this century challenged ripeness levels in later varieties.

As a result this vintage, all of our reds have been gently hand-plunged in small batch open fermenters and pressed earlier than usual to highlight their varietal fruit. It will be fascinating to see the results.

Winter warmers offer

Looking for the perfect wine to warm you up on a cold winter night? Look no further than the new release Bloodwood Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

These bold and flavourful red wines are the perfect companion for those chilly evenings, with rich and complex aromas that will transport you to a cozy fireside. Each sip is a warm embrace, with velvety tannins and a lingering finish that will leave you feeling satisfied and content. Whether you're curled up with a good book or hosting a dinner party with friends, these reds are the perfect choice for those who appreciate the finer wines in life.

Spoil yourself or your loved ones with this special offer and let the warmth of these delicious wines spread some winter joy.

This new release offer includes:

• 4 bottles of 2018 Cabernet Franc

  Rich fruit driven some pepper and spice medium bodied and voluptuous mouth feel

  Goes with

  • Bread, oil and dukka (Snacks)

  • Greek lamb mince pie by Janelle Bloom (Homely)
    https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/greek-lamb-pie-feta-and-hummus

  • Slow cooked lamb leg with cumin and pomegranate molasses (A bit fancy)
    
    

• 4 bottles of 2018 Shiraz

  Along with the 2016, this Shiraz is the richest we’ve made. White pepper, red berries and plush tannins

  Goes with

  • Black olives, Comte cheese (Snacks)

  • Grilled pork chop with pepper sauce, duck breast with red wine beetroot risotto (Homely)

  • Beef brisket slow cooked in Chinese masterstock for 5 hours minimum (A bit fancy)

  • Lentil burger (Vegetarian)

  • Roast whole celeraic with sumac and ras el hanout (Vegetarian)

• 4 bottles of 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon

  Cabernet from a hot dry year in a cool climate is revered by the critics. Intense blackcurrant, cedar cigar notes with a richer mouth feel

  Goes with

  • Charcuterie plate with walnuts (Snacks)

  • Braised beef cheeks with red wine sauce & mashed potatoes (Homely)

  • Slow cooked leg of lamb with rosemary, bay leaves (A bit fancy)

  • Rocket salad of warm roasted beetroot, butternut pumpkin and hazelnuts (Vegetarian)

The normal price for these 12 wines is $480. We’re offering them to you for $440 delivered unto your door.

Cool climate winemakers

Cool climate winemakers are not necessarily insane; in fact, they are often highly skilled and passionate individuals who have chosen to work in challenging conditions in order to produce exceptional wines.

Cool climate regions are those where grapes are grown in areas with cooler temperatures, shorter growing seasons, and a greater risk of weather-related challenges such as frost, hail, and rain. These conditions can make it more difficult to grow grapes and can result in lower yields, but they can also produce wines with unique and complex flavors, aromas, and textures.

Winemakers in cool climate regions must be highly skilled and attentive to every detail in order to manage the challenges of their environment and produce high-quality wines. They must carefully monitor the weather, adjust their viticultural practices to suit the specific conditions in their vineyard, and use sympathetic winemaking techniques to bring out the best in their grapes.

While the challenges of cool climate winemaking can be daunting, the rewards can be great in terms of the unique and complex wines that can be produced. Cool climate winemakers are often driven by a deep passion for their craft and a desire to create something truly exceptional, which can sometimes lead to the perception that they are "insane." However, this perception is often a reflection of the dedication and commitment that is required to excel in this challenging and rewarding field.

Food and wine matching

Tell us which of our wines you enjoy with what food. I am looking for more inspiration to dig me out of my comfort zone. I have my go-tos like the Cabernet Family is best with lamb, mostly because the tannins cut through lambs fattiness. Shiraz is more versatile in matching with a range of foods because of the softer tannins earlier in its development. Naturally suited to beef first though.

So please share your ideas if you have the time, including vegetarian and vegan recipes.

You could be knighted for your contributions.

Email Rhonda on jamtarts@bloodwood.biz

The Bloodwood Winery

Bloodwood Winery is a family-owned and operated winery located in the heart of the Orange wine region. The winery has been producing cool climate wines since its establishment in 1983, and its focus on sustainability has earned it a reputation as one of the leading wineries in the region.

Like many wineries in Orange, Bloodwood benefits from the region's unique climate and soil conditions. The high elevation and cooler temperatures contribute to producing grapes with higher acidity and more complex flavours. The soil pH at Bloodwood is around 6.0, which is ideal for growing grapes, and the winery uses sustainable farming practices to maintain the health and vitality of the vines.

Winner of the Women’s Day competition

In the last newsletter I asked for a recipe for a morsel of one or two bites (either savoury or sweet) given a 10 minute break with a cuppa, coffee or glass of wine that you would enjoy and name after a woman who has influenced you.

The winner was Denise Watts of Orange. Her prize is a bottle of Bloodwood and a $120 gift voucher for Birdies Eatery and Bar. The recipe she came up with is Lotti-Jenni-Scotti (Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti)

These biscuits have become a family favourite. They are enjoyed with a quiet mid-morning coffee or served with a sticky or with an affogato dessert. Denise also uses locally grown hazelnuts from Orange's Fourjay Farms.

All thanks to Jenny for inspiring this quirky name and sharing her recipes with Denise and now us.

The Trials of Wine Making

While much of the quality of each wine is determined by the season and the vineyard, in preparation for bottling, the winemaker is responsible for “polishing” the wine. Given that fermentation and maturation has been successfully achieved, the final dash to the bottling line involves some quite intricate winemaking, particularly for white and pink styles. Wine lovers like you, (and me) demand that whites and pink wines be bright and stable in the bottle. Any hint of crystals floating about and our “thinking fast” minds automatically assume glass shards are about to serrate our palates. If the wine appears hazy, it must surely be “off” in the first instance or micro-biologically threatening to our well-being.

As with almost everything in this life, these observations could be entirely true and wholly false.

While it is extremely unlikely in the modern Australian wine industry that glass “shards” and microbiological contamination are things we need concern ourselves with, if Bloodwood was a winery making orange wines and not an Orange winery, then unstable hazes would be seen by some as some sort of quality factor. However, for me, (and I would hope you too), cold and protein stability leading to bright and attractive wines to enjoy will remain a core part of making Orange wines at Bloodwood. The most common haze leading to cloudiness in a young white or pink wine is caused by unstable proteins denaturing with temperature change post bottling. Australia can be quite warm and wines are not always stored as cool as they should be leading to these proteins becoming opaque in the wine. We winemakers run a series of bench trials over the weeks leading up to bottling. Various concentrations of bentonite clay are added to samples of each wine which are then heated to 80 C over 6 hours or so in a water bath. Upon cooling, we use various technical and visual assessments to determine the smallest effective amount of bentonite clay to add to the wine to assure stability in Australian conditions. The appropriate amount of bentonite clay, (usually between 0.2 and 0.5 g/l at Bloodwood) is mixed thoroughly with the wine to allow it to bind the troublesome proteins and settle out over a week or so. The wine is then tartrate stabilized to remove those pesky glass shards by cooling it down to minus 4 C over that week and then sterile filtered off the resultant tartrate and protein-binding bentonite to bottle.

So no, you don’t just put a hose in a bottle and bang a cork in..at least not at Bloodwood.

Vombatidae Vombatidae Vroom Vroom

There is a winery in the Upper Hunter Valley which has a problem with toilet doors. (Indeed, in so far as one can allocate a gender to a securely hinged reinforced protuberance, this particular winery has a problem with male toilet doors.)

The history of this strange and disturbing case is as follows.

Last July, during a howling southerly gale, a male staff member was caught short in the vineyard, and couldn't make it to the staff-designated ablutions block, and so was obliged to detour to the very isolated and substantial convict-built public convenience. This tastefully presented facility in laborious sandstone block and rustic corrugated roofing normally promised double comfort because of the efficient provision of a substantial convict slab door complete with an obtuse catch which, when closed, provided colonial protection against mice, men, and importantly on this occasion, anatomically freezing, southerly winds.