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Our outstanding 2010 Midhill Gewurztraminer, which won trophies and a Gold medal at Daylesford Wine Show in 2010 was chosen by Selector Magazine and rated in the top 14 wines in their 2011 Spring issue, State of Play matching Gewurztraminer with Asian food.
The judges described it as having, “sweet lifted aromas of spicy musk, and a natural, earthy funk with fine talc. It displayed full, zesty flavours of citrus, lychee and talc. Its outstanding character was its crisp, clean, dry finish. It was found to be gloriously harmonious with the soft shell crab, with lemongrass and chilli.”
This wine will be available for tasting and sale at our cellar door during Budburst 12 – 13 Nov.
Midhill Vineyard...rated 4 stars by James Halliday.
Midhill Vineyard is located 2km west of Romsey in the Macedon Ranges, central Victoria, just 1 hr from Melbourne’s CBD. The vineyard overlooks the pretty valley of 5 Mile Creek, (original name "Romsey Creek") and faces towards Ochiltrees Hill. It produces premium fruit, the wines from which have won trophies and several silver and bronze medals in the past few years.
The farm also is home to a herd of quiet Angus cattle.
Hew and Di Richards planted their first grapes in 1993 and the vines are now well established. The cold climate of Macedon Ranges is conducive to slow ripening fruit and harvest time is well into autumn. Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir have now been planted.
Our entry into the wine making world has been accompanied by a few serendipitous events. We were lucky to have as a neighbour, one of the pioneer winemaker/vignerons of the district and his advice was to plant Chardonnay, which we did. Chardonnay is a multi-purpose variety used formaking a range of table wine styles and is a major ingredient in sparkling wine, called locally “Macedon”.
Initially we set out to only grow wine grapes for sale, but we were encouraged to have some of our fruit made into wine for our own label, and in particular sparkling wine, to which this region is so well suited. With only the white grape Chardonnay on hand, we made a Sparkling Chardonnay which the French call “Blanc de Blancs” (white of whites). More commonly traditional sparkling is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, in various proportions according to the winemaker’s whim.
Our Blanc de Blancs Macedon 2008 has turned out to be a delightful, dry, light citrus style which develops creamy yeast overtones after 3 years on lees. It won a Silver Medal at the Daylesford Wine Show in November 2011.
The second happy turn of events was the discovery of 3 dozen of our vines in the first planting which were not Chardonnay. The fruit were pink/brown instead of green, and were very popular with the pickers, and the birds. They ripened a little earlier and so were picked separately. Experts identified them as Gewurztraminer. “Gewurz” is a German word for “spicy”. Traminer is North Italian variety grown best in colder areas. On researching this variety, we found that fruit gave the best flavour and aromas when grown in cold areas with well drained, acidic soils of volcanic origin. This described our vineyard site precisely.
We have since planted a half an acre of Gewurz., propagated from the first 3 dozen. We are finding there are many Gewurztraminer lovers among the wine drinking population. It has the classic Turkish delight palate and floral spice rose petal aromas, is dry and has a lively crisp acidity.
Our third variety grown at Midhill is the Pinot Noir (clone MV6). The vines are now 10 years old and the wine produced is a well structured table wine with good varietal flavour.
The Midhill vineyard site has volcanic basaltic soils, a northerly aspect, and the valley below assists the cold air drainage reducing frost risk. Our yearly production is small in comparison to many, but the resulting wines have proven to be above our expectations.
Our family business aim is to grow good grapes to make exceptional wine alongside Angus cattle bred for tender beef.
"BUDBURST", the Macedon Ranges Wine & Food festival is to be held on on 12 & 13 Nov. 2011.
Midhill will be among 30 wineries opening their cellar doors over the weekend. We will be providing a light lunch and our range of wines to taste and purchase.
Come and relax a while in our shady, scenic cellar door located overlooking the green valley of the 5 Mile Creek (Romsey Creek). Taste our Trophy winning Gewurztraminer and our flagship Sparkling Blanc de Blancs.
Our 2007 and 2008 Pinot Noirs have now some bottle age. They are soft and fruit driven with a nice balanced acidity. Our Pinot Noir Rose is a delightful drink on a warm Summer afternoon.
Talk to the growers of the Midhill fruit and see where the vines are grown.
For more info go to the Budburst website by clicking on the link below.
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your website looks great! Heather and I must find the time one of these days to come up and visit you guys, and to taste some of your fine wines whilst we catch up on all our news. I am still working, but looking forward to slowing down later next year, if not before! cheers for now, Gary Smith
Cheers, Bill
Looking forward to many more visits.
Cheers,
Annabel and Roger
Your websit looks great. You know with something like this you'll be busier than ever!
Cheers
Ronda and David Collins
Thank you in advance.
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