Salon des Salut: another Tokyo wine-bar

I am just back from a stupendous tasting of top German wines in Weisbaden in the Rheningau, followed by personal foraging throughout the Pfalz and Baden. My head is spinning and my teeth are zinging and wow; what a whack of tasting notes I had compiled in a brand new Mac Pro 13" to share with you, especially my scribe about the tour de force that is Salwey and his formidable array of Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) and Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder). Yes, these trollopes of grapes can work some magic when the meld of soil, site and man's hand is as fortuitously prescient as at Salwey. Alas, that tale will have to wait! Upon pulling my bloody computer out at a freeway truck-stop to search for an address I heard the ominous beep, beep, beep, beeeeep which a geek on the Apple hot-line told me alludes to a broken hard-drive. I didn't even drop or bump the thing but machines have mysterious ways.

So it is to another wine-bar tale, sordid and late that landed me in a salubrious apartment atop Roppongi's Mid-Town complex, laden with lassies and merrymakers playing cards and singing karaoke around a TV set showing Japanese teen idols and their yet-to-be broken voices, screeching amidst lots of cheap wine. No Western-style debauchery to be seen. Before the witching hour though, there was a wine bar and its name is Salon des Salutations. It is conveniently located next to an American military base in one Tokyo's most fashionable neighbourhoods, Nishiazabu. The quirky juxtapositions of interacting realities in Japan!

Salon des Saluts (Nishiazabu 1-4-20, Tokyo, 03-5786-0141) is open until 3am. or, until the last customer leaves. That is a good thing if one is seeking fine wine at a late hour. It is also within stumbling and/or grappling range of Tokyo's night-club district, Roppongi; another positive for the denizens of the night that suddenly want a tipple of fine Burgundy after lots of beers or whatever else in a club. Better, it is just around the corner from Tokyo's premier house music-oriented club, Yellow. The bar is closed on Sundays.

Salon des Saluts focuses on Burgundy and Champagne with a broad selection of top producers' wines and some aged examples ready to roll. Prices are not easy on the wallet but nor should they be given the opening hours, selection of wine and fine service with brio and a smile from sommelier Itoh. Itoh is cloaked in tuxedo and garb although his easy-going irreverence and passion for wine belies his attire.

The bar also offers good moreish food such as top quality bacon and roasted potatoes with rosemary, pate and the like. There is a table charge of a minimum of JPY 5,000 per per person although if one delves into a bottle of Burgundy that is easily absorbed.

Here is a map to help you find the place:

http://www.mapion.co.jp/phonebook/M01007/13103/G0357860141-001/

Another worthwhile Tokyo wine-bar: Vineria

So what is it with Mejiro, the rather innocuous cubby hole of a neighbourhood abutting the egregious architectural spew of Ikebukuro and its long fringed, spiky haired, frilly-dress-wearing tribes? Not only is Mejiro a part of Tokyo boasting large gardens and older homes of taste, but it houses two of Tokyo's better wine-bars tucked amidst tasteful izakayas and the ubiquitous incandescent glow of Tokyo. I wrote about Le Mont-St-Michel (www.creperie-mont-st-michel.com) in my last post. In this one I will introduce Vineria (http://www.lavineria.jp/index_en.html).

Vineria is situated left out of Mejiro JR station, past le Mont-St-Michel and on the same side of the street about 100 metres further down at 1F Mejiro Core Bldg, 3-5-12 Mejiro, Toshima-ku 171-0031. Tel. 03-3565-0461. As the name suggests, Vineria specializes in Italian fare and wine and is a sort of casual restaurant/wine bar with a long counter and open kitchen behind, as one enters, which empties into a red brick and stucco dining room that reminded me of a well-kempt roadside place in rural Italy. There are wine fridges overflowing and a selection of bottles around the edifice of the ceiling that made we want to wander about grabbing things such as la Fortuna's Brunello, swathed in a morbid looking blue and grey label evoking Visconti's burning backdrops in The Damned. Aside from the label, la Fortuna's wines are among the fine, traditionally hewn Brunellos and are rarely found in Tokyo. Esoteric perhaps, but most importantly, delicious stuff was everywhere!

Vineria's list is particularly strong in Piedmontese wines and southern 'indigenes' with a slew of Fianos and Grecos that made we want to come back with a large group. This I did the following night but rather than boring you with what I drank, allow me to elucidate the moment when I knew that Vineria was worth its weight in gold in a city boasting lots of politesse but frequently, stifled by style over substance.

I had had a rough night before hauling the body back out to Mejiro yet again. I sat down. Greetings from the staff were cordial rather than yelled at ear-splitting volumes, as is often the way in Japan. I wanted a beer. I thought it ill-appropriate to have beer in a wine bar. I didn't want to look too long at the list. I wanted somebody to acknowledge my splitting head, throbbing limbs and sticky hair. I wanted somebody to take control. Vineria's irreverent yet supremely knowledgeable and passionate sommelier, Nobuhisa Koizumi, did just that. Miraculous! He brought a glass of 2008 Pigato Vigneto Isasco from Punta Crena, a fine Ligurian estate. The crux of this dialogue was that my sagging body reacted to the wine as if it was a remedy to all of my ills. It was the rare type of wine that I wanted to drink in aggressive drafts, the pine scented and white pepper aromas reverberating on a full, slightly viscous palate with tingly minerality for verve and refreshment.

I ordered chicken livers grilled on high quality Japanese charcoal, or bincho, doused in good olive oil and served with arugula-the type of simple rustic fare that I like to eat in wine bars. There is much more to Vineria, both on the wine list and menu. However, I hope this anecdote proves good enough reason; a suitably stimulating tale; to get you out to Mejiro. Vineria is not cheap. It is not part of the hordes offering poor quality wine at low prices. What it does offer however, is fine quality wine by-the-glass or bottle and excellent food at reasonable prices, more than justified by capable staff and an effusive sommelier in Koizumi.

Worthwhile Tokyo wine-bars: le Mont-St-Michel, Mejiro

Excuse the post of me in the Nikkei but a friend sent me this only this morning and I had no idea that it had even been published. Then again I had been committing idolatry at the Smashing Pumpkins' concert last night. I went with a scowl as it was only after I had purchased the ticket that I realized Billy Corgan-the doyen of beautiful lyrics in rock and hazy guitar that spoke to the darkness in so many of us through the '90's-was on his own. I wanted at the very least Jimmy Chamberlain on the drums. But what a show! I have seen them seven-times now and this was among the greatest shows. The kid on the drums looks about nineteen but can he play! Tonight, Tonight brought a tear as Billy whined 'The resolute urgency of now...tonight...tonight! 'What an honour! Stream of consciousness be gone....and back to the topic of wine-bars!

It is with great reluctance that I go wine-bar hopping in Tokyo. While there are some fabulous places such as Shonzui in Roppongi and Nuits Blanches in Shinbashi to mention a couple, many are tokenist set-ups selling a smattering of exceedingly dull and inexpensive wines that-despite the punctilious attention to storage in Japan that better bottles receive-are often left in warm alcoves as decorations. It was with exuberance and a grin therefore that I threw myself into the lists at two outstanding wine-bars in Mejiro.

The first is located out of the eponymous JR station's only exit and a left-turn away. It is Le Mont-St-Michel (www.creperie-mont-st-michel.com), about 30 metres down the street on the left-hand side. The first floor is a creperie while the second houses a slick little wine-bar with yes, a holy grail of not the merely drinkable, but wines that make one giddy in the acknowledgment that good wine can be sold even in perpetually recessed Japan as long as there are staff with brio and passion; an owner with vision and good taste.

In fact, Le Mont-St-Michel is fueled by owner Yves Ringler's love of southern France although the list does not end there. Quality producers' Chignin, Cote de Brouilly and Chinons are poured by the glass to accompany charcuterie, while the leading light of the Loire, Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny, is represented across various cuvees. It is the south though that sparks Yves' zeal and wines from the Languedoc and the Roussillon in particular.

Yves has decided to import a select swag of wines from these regions among which, is the particularly impressive Mas Champart 'Causse de Bousquet' 2007. This is a large-framed wine boasting the ripeness of the south and in particular, of the 2007 vintage. Aromas of fig, damson plum, pepper and briar are focused by a ferruginous energy from schistous terrain. You see, Saint Chinian is very much a tale of the right side and wrong side of the tracks. It is kind of like Chapel Hill North Carolina or any other American town really, except in this case, we are not talking about the difference between affluence and the ghetto, but the palpable juxtaposition between schist and clumsy old water-retaining clay! Champart's propitiously located vineyards-all on the hallowed schist-give the wine an energy that sashays and shimmies enough to negate the cloying warmth and sweet fruit that often mars wines from warm to hot regions. Moreover, there is a dollop of Mourvedre in the blend which provides focusing tannins and a moreish brush of tobacco flavour. Looooong!93

Another wine that Yves imports and sells at the bar is Domaine de la Mas Neuf's la 'Compostelle' 2008, a white wine of distinguished refinement from Costieres de Nimes. The nose is akin to lemon curd and truffle with a cool herbal twist. It is very much natural yeast-driven. The palate is broad with reverberating notes of apple, pear, quince and stone fruits, yet not at all sudsy or too blowsy. The wine has been raised in third-use d'Yquem barrels apparently to give it some lift and tang from residual botrytis. Long and persistent and most importantly, very easy to drink. This is not something that I can often say about wines from these parts which is why they have rose. 91

More Orange NSW: Ross Hill Wines

I apologize for this attenuated piece. The picture by the way is of my daughter Matilda and not Jack, my beautiful son and traveling companion. She has nothing whatsoever to do with this story but certainly a great deal to do with me so I thought it best to show you a photo of the bolshy little lass.

Kindly refer to the two previous entries on Mudgee and Orange to establish some sort of context of where this is all leading. Otherwise, put yourself alongside me, my brother Glen and my almost-five-year-old son Jack, buckle up and grab a glass! We are off to Ross Hill (www.rosshillwines.com.au) to meet the highly informative Phil Kearney and taste some finely detailed wines; etched with Phil's brio and Orange's altitudinal zing and transparency.

While Bloodwood has always been at the rugged vanguard of small, independent grape-growing and winemaking; doing things in a sort of free-spirited, carnal and highly individualized manner; Ross Hill boasts numerous manifestations: contract grower, contract producer and now, under Phil's aegis, a winery that represents a sort of cutting-edge cool climate zeitgeist. Perhaps that is going too far! Nevertheless, Phil's commitment to ambient yeasts, quality material, and his intricate knowledge of Orange's vineyards and ripening windows, imbue his wines with an inherent freshness and polished veneer that less proficiently crafted wines lack. For that is what Phil and Ross Hill seem to represent: proficient craftsmanship rather than the zeal and wild yelps of, say, Bloodwood. Phil's wines are polished in the best sense for their purity of fruit flows with a forceful sense of place.

I will get to the wines after the gym and purging myself of the excess inherent in taking traveling chefs around Tokyo......

As I was saying, I hoped to get to the polished wines of Ross Hill after some exercise and rest. I have had enough rest now after trekking about Tokyo with visiting chef Mark Best, of Sydney's 'Marque' restaurant. Marque entered the Pellegrino Top 100 Restaurants this year and Mark received something akin to the hot newcomers award. Bravo! Personally, I think Mark to be the best restaurant in Sydney and have thought so for the last eight-years. Majimup truffles with parmesan cheese; yes please!

Back to Ross Hill where according to geology studies, the richness of the basalt deposits that run through Orange is considerably richer than at the more meager site of Bloodwood. These wines thus, tend to be richer sans overt pepperiness, according to winemaker Phil Kearney.

Sauvignon Blanc 2009: grown at 800-1050 metres at the top of a ridge. The wine is wild-fermented in tank and remains on skins over and beyond a long ferment, for six-months! This is a rather radical approach for any Sauvignon and results in a very chalky, resilient and judiciously phenolic palate due to the balance of rich fruit. The severity of texture took a little getting used to but the wine is incredibly focused, layered and long; bristling with intent and impact. Pow! Dageneau's wines sprung to mind as did Brander's cuvee, 'Au Naturel', out of Santa Ynez. Arguably the finest 100% Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted from Australia and perhaps, from the New World per se. 91

Pinot Gris 2009: hailing from fruit grown at 900 metres, this is made from 100% free-run juice to mitigate the overt chewiness that bothers many Pinot Gris. The wine's complexity lies with the broad, mushroomy funk of the ambient yeast, reverberating with pear and ripe baked apple notes in the mouth. Broad and textured with moderate length and intensity. 87

Chardonnay 2009: steely flinty notes and a lovely green tinged hue lead to a palate that is perhaps a little tangier than the restrained aromas belie, with flavours of nectarine and peach. Quite fruit forward in the mouth and remarkably, for a wine that is nevertheless distinctly of a cooler idiom, the wine has seen 100% malolactic fermentation (MLF). As Phil explained however, and as I recalled in the mind's recesses from my MW studies, wines that undergo 100% MLF and are left to settle have less of the overt buttery aroma, or diacetyl, than wines that have been blocked at less than full MLF. This is because diacetyl is actually synthesized by the malolactic bacteria in due course. This is why therefore, wines that have MLF blocked at say 50%, can taste more buttery and creamy than those that are left to their natural predilections. 88

Pinot Noir 2009: fibrous aromas of wet forest, hints of orange rind, cola and Chinese spices lead to a textural mid-weight palate. Surprisingly, the grapes had been fully de-stemmed. Long and svelte and initially, rather moreish. As the wine warmed in the glass however, sweetness became more apparent. Perhaps some whole clusters in the ferment would do the job, although attaining the phenolic ripeness in the stems in such a cool, elevated site is the conundrum. What to do? Vineyard management techniques to attenuate the ripening window perhaps? Easier said than done. 89

Shiraz '10: an example of the former winemaking regime, according to Phil. Rich, eucalyptus and bourbon-like tones of heavily toasted American oak (likely the A.P. John cooperage that many Australian winemakers blame for the overt eucalyptus tones in certain Australian wines such as this). Not for me. 83

Shiraz '09: conversely, a starkly different manifest of the grape due to Phil's touch. Soaring aromas of peat, violet, smoked meat and ripe blueberries. Very fine! More fruit-scented than the howling Bloodwood wines but certainly of a very similar high quality. In the mouth echoes of pepper keep the wine in line and tamed; while the finish is expansive, multi-layered and formidably long despite what remains, a mid-weight rather than full throttle wine. The alcohol is a civilized 13.5%. 94

Tempranillo '10: handpicked by disabled children in a vineyard behind a local school. Sweet/sour cherry, hints of orange rind and a dusty palate balanced by long, finely grained tannins. Unresolved fermentation aromas but this wine bodes to be savoury and very, very drinkable. 90

Wines from Orange and Mudgee: Bloodwood

This blog is growing so from hereon I will publish it in increments keeping the title intact albeit, indicating the content with key words/producers/wines after the colon (:).

Glen, Jack and I had declined to make prior appointments before arriving in Orange. While that may seem odd, I do find it refreshing to travel at times as a tourist rather than MW, buyer, sommelier or whatever other guise I choose are am made to fit. In this way, one can gauge realities that transcend older wines, special cuvess and a free lunch that are often integral to ‘the prior appointment’.

Thus it was, that I called Bloodwood’s founder, Stephen Doyle and asked if I could pop around to see him. I apologized for calling on a Monday morning. He told me that Bloodwood was always open to those who expressed interest.

Stephen is perhaps more gregarious than the erudite throwback to another era that others, and perhaps his website, portend. He simply asked me what I wanted to know and off we went! I had replied that I wanted to understand his philosophy through his wines and hoped for the best.

After all, I thought that any man who had planted every tree on his property, as he claimed; and anybody who choose thin, meager soils of varying degrees of decomposing basalt, malleable yet barren and cold; must have energy, a vision and most importantly, a passion for discovering what his site could bring to wine.

We tasted from tank to barrel to finished wine. It was hard to keep up at times but these wines spoke of a place-gritty and architected from nothing but a marginal clime and the voice of basalt-and a wonderful character who moves within the margins as the wines take shape, throwing in his two cents’ worth when necessary to ensure that they turn out at the very least highly drinkable but, in many cases, rather magically; doing far more than that by drawing one back for another sip, provoking thought and a little gluttony; which is what good wine does. Stephen adds nothing to his wines unless disaster is nigh albeit, is a firm believer in lab analysis as a forewarning of strife. In some cases, I did not want to spit. As my brother Glen said, ‘these wines make you salivate; they make you hungry’.

Bloodwood ‘Schubert’ Chardonnay ‘08: A tight-fisted expression of Chardonnay relying on the intrigue of ambient yeast aroma, judicious lees work to give a flinty, reductive note of tangerine tang; and substantial oak that smoothes out the wine rather than overwhelming it. Malolactic fermentation is not induced although it occasionally takes off when the temperature, pH and bacteria present in the cellar meld into activity. This wine will age well for a decade. 90

Pinot Noir ’10 (barrel sample): Unforced, highly attractive expression of cola, cherry and mulch with a chewy pliancy, brisk acidity and sensitive oak in the mouth to hone the fruit ripeness into a savoury drink of line and good length. I had thought there to be some whole-clusters in this cuvee due to a chewy sappiness but there are not, Stephen told me. 87

Shiraz ’08: I adored this wine. I wanted to drink more and will once it is released in while when I hope to buy a case or two. In fact, I thought this wine to be the single finest wine tasted during the trip. Aromas of briar, white pepper, violet and peat yet absolutely nothing green about this as was, in my opinion, the case with so many wines during the ‘90’s when Australian critics mistakenly took green peppercorn notes in Shiraz as evocative of the Rhone! Bloodwood’s `08 Shiraz comes in at just 13.2% yet is à point, long, persistent and fibrous. 94-96

Shiraz ’09 (barrel sample): a similar idiom of cool climate Shiraz’s expression yet altogether warmer, more svelte, creamier and less tightly defined than the prodigious ’08. Not at all sweet, however, yet more blueberry. This too is a winner and likely to appeal to many drinkers due to its fulsome texture. The ’09 is equally as long, layered and intense as the ’08 and in a way perhaps, more majestic. However, it lacks the gritty indelible stamp of something more that enamoured me of the ’08. 92

Cabernet Sauvignon ’09 (barrel sample): cassis, cedar and mulch notes exhibit accurate varietal expression although the wine is a little too minty for my liking. The tannins are fine-grained and long however, while the finish is substantial. 85

Cabernet Franc ’06: riper perhaps than what I seek in Cabernet Franc but of course the flipside to that statement, would be that Chinons and the like that I enjoy nourishing myself with are simply too green. In any event, it is a fine line! Notes of ripe berry, some varnish and wet leaf expand on a broad, textured palate. Very long wine. 90

Cabernet Sauvignon ’05: an experimental wine that had been aged for 52 months in old hogsheads. This wine came across as very Bordelais with cedar and lots of wet undergrowth; sweet pliant fruit in the mid-palate; and a long taut-almost classically skeletal-palate of considerable concentration and length. 92

Merlot `06: berry, hint of tomato leaf yet an overall intoxicating juiciness of aroma leads to a plush, cushy palate with modestly brisk acidity and soft yet suitably noticeable tannins for spine and texture. Long and lovely wine! 91

Wines from Orange and Mudgee Part 2

From Mudgee, Glen, Jack and I went to Orange. As a New South Welshman, I have been intrigued by the surge in popularity of all things Orange. The area is famous for apples and yet, as contemporary Australian cuisine became a talking point from New York to Singapore, I became aware that the area also supplied game and most importantly for me, an array of cool climate wine styles that bucked the rigid stereotype of overt ripeness in Australian wine.

I tasted a number of impressive wines in and around Orange, many grown at altitudes of around 1,200 metres- and in that respect, not dissimilar to fashionable idioms from areas as diverse as France’s Roussillon and Etna in Sicily.

The producer boasting consistency across a broad range and exceptional value for money was Logan and in particular, the Weemala range which I focused on in the tasting room due its availability in Japan.

While most of the Logan wines were lessons in restraint and purity of varietal expression, the Weemala range was particularly impressive when all was said and done. In fact, I bought a case or two for my parents to impress upon them that value can be found in the AUD 16/bottle price zone.

Pinot Gris is a variety that I have trouble enjoying. It is either too blowsy and fat or skinny and insipid. The Weemala example however is neither but rather, an exemplary effort boasting notes of pear gelato, apple and judiciously honed phenolics for balance and modest length. This wine needs food. Bravo! 90

The exactitude of varietal expression and altitudinal freshness continues through the range with the Gewurtztraminer also boasting lovely spice and lychee aromas with a grippy palate that is neither too thin nor too ‘bordello’. 88

The Weemala Pinot Noir is snappy, suitably elegant and although not particularly complex, sensational for the money. 88

The Syrah/Viognier exhibits cracked pepper, peat and violet in a relatively restrained and mellifluous manner given the price-point. Wines at this price tend to be round, rather sweet and one-dimensional. 88

Perhaps most startling was the sappy, slinky quaffability of the Merlot that reminded me of the Loire in a sense albeit, with more obvious curranty notes and a higher degree of ripeness. 90

The reality in Japan is that wines in demand are becoming less expensive. In my opinion, a great many Japanese consumers have little idea about quality and simply want to believe that a wine offers ‘value’, or that that mystical grail encompassing the too oft-used term ‘cost performance ga takai’, or ‘good quality for the money’. Unfortunately, most inexpensive wine is poor quality exactly because it is cheap.

Conversely, I would not hesitate to nominate the Weemala series as one of the finest ‘cost-performance’ portfolios tasted in the last two-years. This is ‘cost-performance’ that defines the category and allows the drinker pleasure through finesse, delicacy and attention to detail without charging the earth.

From Logan we continued toward Mudgee, arriving a little bedraggled at the Union Bank Wine Bar. It was getting late and we were eager for food, a slew of regional wines by-the-glass and a bed. Nevertheless, Belgravia wines, a former contract grower for Fosters cum independent producer, had their tasting room inside the excellent Union Bank Wine Store that abuts the bar (1300 721 731. Cnr Sale and Byng Sts, Orange) and Glen and I decided to taste most of their range before going to what we thought would be our hotel for the evening!

Belgravia Apex Chardonnay ’09: tangy cool aromas of nectarine and citrus are echoed on a mid-weighted, textured palate marred by excessive lees work out of whack with the stature of the wine. The wine’s freshness appears to be breaking down because of excessive yeastiness or autolysis, as it is known. 84

Roussanne ’09: lemon oil, tea and ripe apple serve varietal exactitude. The palate offers modest weight and yet, impeccable balance. Rather simple but a good drink and picked at a more optimal window of ripeness than the skinny innocuous Pinot Gris tasted prior. 88

Shiraz/Viognier: it seems that everyone and their dog is making this style of late but in this case, for good reason. Pitched aromas of blueberry, violet and peat expand on a medium bodied, gritty (in the best sense) and moreish palate. This wine avoids the curse of overt sweetness! 89

After chatting with the store’s amiable proprietress, Belinda-a voice etched with urban life’s indelible stamp of savoir-faire and a hint of tobacco-we discovered that our luxury accommodation, De Russie Suites (72 Hill St. 02-6360-0973) was not to be. The place was fully booked!

It was my fault as I had failed to make prior reservations and thinking I was venturing into a rural Australia devoid of people, who demand things like a roof over their heads, had expected to simply walk into the joint’s lobby and be greeted by beaming eager smiles. Alas, there were conferences all over the place apparently. Belinda kindly called every respectable place in town before we settled on a spare and very sparse room resplendent with three single beds, linoleum floors and a heater out back of the Masonic Temple. I kid you not.

While I would not recommend the place, it was at the very least clean and I pushed Jack and my bed together in order to keep him warm while Glen, as per every night, droned off to the commentary of the Tour de France. Prior, we had loaded up on plenty of wine by-the-glass thanks to the very fine and broad selection available at the Union Bank Wine Bar.
I will comment on one of these wines, from Canobolas-Smith, because we did not get to visit the winery as planned the following day.

Canobolas-Smith ‘Natural Yeast’ Chardonnay ’08: I have tasted this producer’s wines before and at the very least, always thought them idiosyncratic and thoroughly deserved of attention. They appear to be made by virtue of whence they hail rather than excessive work in the winery. This Chardonnay, while exhibiting gorgeous aromas of truffle, funky minerality and hazelnuts, was simply too hot in the mouth with my adam’s apple burning from the alcohol. I guess that if you leave a lot to nature’s devices, you cannot win with every wine. Indeed, it is better to have the occasional mishap than to full into the malaise of uniformity. I will return to these wines as I know just how much better they can be. 85

Where were we? I was caught up in a flurry of activity here at my desk in Tokyo and....ah yes! Well, the next day we awoke-Jack and I at the crack of dawn and Glen considerably later. Son and father trekked down to the Hungry Jack’s (Australish for Burger King) to let Glen sleep in. The egregious playgrounds, embellished with tubes and pirate ships, attached to the outside of virtually every fast-food outlet in Australia like architected zits, had caught Jack’s eye when we entered Orange. I had tried to speed past to no avail.

So there we were. Inside Hungry Jacks, a giant grease ball filled with overweight people in the garb of rural Australia- ugg boots and track pants-with rapid-fire eye movements indicating the presence of amphetamines in the system rather than stimulation from the sensationalistic morning shows on the flat screens, mantled at every corner. It was 7am on a Monday.

Indeed, Orange appears rather divided with the side marked by Maccas, Hungry Jacks and KFC blighted by this demographic. Conversely, the other side boasts detailed federation homes, sandstone buildings and a thoroughly more tasteful and gregarious population.

I have not eaten fast food of this nature in more than twenty-years. In fact, this was the first time I had so much as set foot in a place like this. I had a cappuccino. Yes, the coffee culture is so engrained in the Australian ethos that even places like this have espresso machines. It was not bad either and the large lass behind the counter offered me a free refill before I called Jack from Captain Blood’s cove to go and get Glen.

Arguably, the most inspiring visit of the entire trip-Mudgee and Orange together-was Stephen Doyle’s Bloodwood. Here, all that Orange claimed to offer and all that my imagination and zeal to believe in these claims had conjured were fulfilled.

To be continued....

Logan Weemala Range (Japanese)

”ニューサウスウェールズに住んでいた一人として、最近のオレンジ地方の爆発的人気ぶりには非常に感激しています。
同地域は、りんごの産地として有名ですが、さらに、新しいスタイルのオーストラリア料理が、ニューヨークからシンガポールまで、フード界の話題となっています。
そのような中で、食肉の需要・供給はさらに増加しています。中でも私が最も注目しているのは、これまでの”過熟した感のあるオーストラリアワイン”、といった固定観念を覆すべく、冷涼産地のワインスタイルが数多く登場していることですね。


そしてやっとのことで、この活気溢れる同地を訪問する機会を得たのはつい先週のことでした。標高1200m程で栽培されたブドウを使用した、数多くのすばらしいワインを味わいました。その標高の点で、ルーシヨンやシチリア島のエトナ山のワインのような多様性を持つ人気ワインにも負けず劣らず、様々な表情を持っています。生産者は幅広いワインの中で、一貫性を保っているのです。その中でも、ローガンワイン、特にウィマーラシリーズは、並外れたコスパをみせる醸造所だといえるでしょう。

ローガンワインは、各品種の特徴を純粋に表現していますが、ウィマーラは特にずば抜けており、シリーズ全てのワインから造り手の賢明さを感じることができます。
飲み手の私としては、実はピノ・グリをあまり楽しめていませんでした。何か一体感がなく、ぼってりしていたり、またやせ細って味気ない仕上がりになりがちです。しかし、ウィマーラはそのどちらでもなく、例えば洋ナシのジェラートや、りんごのノートと、そして見事なフェノール成分のバランス感は、まさにお手本ともなるべき、ブラボーな仕上がりです。

ローガン・ワインズの、ゲヴュルツトラミネール種のワインは、ブドウ品種の特徴が素直に表現されており、高い標高から生まれるフレッシュさを感じることができ、やせ細っているのでもなく、安い香水のようなものでもなく、アロマが明確で整っています。　心地よいスパイス、ライチのアロマをしっかりと捉えてくれる口当たりです。ピノはいきいきとして、エレガントで特に複雑な味わいというわけではないですが、見事なコスパをもっています。一方で、シラー/ヴィオニエは、品種の持つ滑らかな味わいの中で、あら挽きのコショウ、泥炭やスミレを感じます。
私が味わった中で最も驚いたのは、シルキーな、口当たりの良いメルローでしょうか。ロワールワインの印象も受けつつ、しかしもっと大胆なスグリのノートや、非常に高いレベルのブドウの熟成感を持っていました。

ワインに対する日本市場の現実は、より安価なワインを求めています。私個人の見解としては、ほとんどの日本の消費者はワインの質をわかっておらず、単にワインは“価値”を感じさせてくれると信じたいだけのように感じます。そしてその謎めいた”聖杯”に対して、何度も耳にしてきてきたフレーズ”コスパが高い！“でまとめてしまっています。残念ながら、価格重視の多くのワインは、美味しいとはいえません。それは単に安いからです。

逆に、ウィマーラシリーズは、ここ２年間で私が味わったワインの中でも、最も”コスパが高い!”と自信をもって言えるワインです。　同ワインは、まさに”コストパフォーマンス、”の定義づけであり、飲み手が、フィネス感、繊細さ、そして財布を気にすることなく細部までも楽しめる喜びを与えるものだといえます。”