Tasting Notes

Background:

The lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea have cradled Western Civilization, the grape vine, and wine as a central part of our culture for thousands of years. The influences impinging on the area are diverse. The people have been mobile traders and travellers and acquisitive in habit. Marco Polo springs to mind. Much of the area was dominated by Arabian influences from the seventh century. Equally diverse and interesting is the vine stock. Italy has 2000 varieties in a pool of perhaps 10,000 between Georgia where it is thought the vine originated, and Lisbon. It makes you wonder why we know very little of these varieties in Australia today.

The vines revered in the English speaking world are primarily from those parts of Europe that the English had access to, and motive to promote. The Medoc is close to home and ruled from Britain at one stage. When Bordeaux and Burgundy were inaccessible due to war it was the wines of the Duoro and of Jerez that became well known. The Dutch, having readier land access to the up river parts of Bordeaux knew more about the wines of Libourne and the English very little. It is the Americans who have pushed the price of Pomerols above all other Bordeaux wines. They had been ignored by the English because too far up-river.

The climate of Australia has much more in common with the Mediterranean and North Africa than Western Europe. Australia has embraced Mediterranean cuisine in the last 50 years.

Happ's 'Tintanello' celebrates diversity, and the possibility of discovering new flavours by exploiting a wider selection of varieties. We are on the brink of a new world of possibilities and this wine is a signpost in that direction. The blend originates in some of the many red varieties cultivated at Three Hills.

They are:
Merlot, Cabernet, Tempranillo, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Tinta Cao, Graciano, Malbec, Gamay, Bastado, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Carignan, Mourvedre, Grenache, Petit Verdot, Cinsaut and Melnik.

Current Vintage 2002