Canberra 13.7% Screwcap $19 Source: Sample
Interesting to note that in the August 2010 issue of Decanter, the Canberra District gets a decent sized article, written by Debra Pearce. Shiraz & Riesling get all the attention but Capital Wines have me convinced that Merlot has a future in the region too.
This one is of the soft, cute, cuddly kind but a couple of things make me want to give it a mention. It’s not just plum juice. There are decent, though limited tannins which I would like to see expanded upon in future vintages. Along with some acid, they contribute to making sure the wine is not totally amorphous. Blackberries are centre stage but it’s the tangy yellow plum flesh and sour plum skin which interests me. The sun-dried tomato characters are intriguing as well. Nice regional nutty qualities are present, if in the background.
It’s mostly potential I’m talking about here. It’s not really “there” yet. But the winery is young. With so many talented oenologists and viticulturists within a region committed to working together to achieve success, I can’t see why Four Winds can’t build successfully on what they have done to date. In many ways, this note is intended to encourage them to raise their aspirations & keep working at it. To me, it seems more than worthwhile.
Winery Website- http://www.fourwindsvineyard.com.au/