WITH the canes woven in continuous circles to form a basket, vines in part of the Jim Barry Lodge Hill vineyard must be among the weirdest sights in Australian wine.
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Not only are the Greek-origin vines unique in Australia, but so are the assyrtiko whites they produce.
The assyrtiko vineyards on the island of Santorini hold some of the world's oldest vines and the koulara method woven-basket cultivation is protection from strong wind, arid climate and harsh summer sun.
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When vines approach 75 years old, grape yields get so low that the baskets are cut off at the base.
This allows a new plant to sprout from the old rootstock's dormant eye, eventually bringing a new harvest of grapes.
The remarkable saga that brought assyrtiko to Clare Valley began in 2006 with a visit to Santorini by Jim Barry Wines' managing director Peter Barry and his wife Sue.
There they tasted and loved assyrtiko and were even more hooked after Peter went to the 2007 London Wine Fair and tasted a wide range of the variety.
Peter decided he just had to add assyrtiko to his renowned Jim Barry Wines portfolio at Clare and began a 10-year tussle to bring that about.
The big first hurdle was getting cuttings from which to propagate assyrtiko vines.
That was overcome when Peter returned to Greece in 2008 and, with the help of a leading Santorini wine company, he got cuttings and brought them back to Australia to be struck and to undergo the mandatory two years of quarantine.
With quarantine lifted in 2010, Peter was able in 2011 to graft assyrtiko onto riesling rootstock in Lodge Hill vineyard. From there, enough grapes were produced in 2014 to make 15 litres of wine, and since then Peter has established 6.87 hectares of plantings in four of his vineyards.
The Jim Barry inaugural commercial release of Australia's first assyrtiko was made in 2016 and 2017 and 2018 vintages have followed.
The current-release 2018 is reviewed below and is available at jimbarry.com and the Craig Hill Road, Clare, cellar door.
Only a handful of the vines are grown and pruned by the koulara method and most are on trellises, but Peter believes his company has produced some similar characteristics of the Santorini assyrtikos.
"The wines' fresh, crisp, acidic qualities are perfect with contemporary Australian food," he says.
"With the advent of climate change and global warming, assyrtiko is a variety well suited to the changing landscape of Australian winemaking."
WINE REVIEWS
ASSYRTIKO AROMATICS
THE Jim Barry 2018 Clare Valley Assyrtiko is a very different experience with its brassy hues, aromatic preserved ginger aromas and fresh, crisp nashi pear front-palate flavour. The middle palate has apricot, apple peel and gunmetal elements and steely acid refreshes at the finish. It's at jimbarry.com and cellar door.
PRICE: $35.
DRINK WITH: Moroccan spiced cuttlefish.
AGEING: four years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
ROUSSANNE SPINS WEB
LIKE Jim Barry's assyrtiko, this d'Arenberg 2018 The Money Spider Roussanne is from a variety rare here. This is green-tinted light gold, custard apple-scented and with smooth loquat front-palate flavour. The middle palate has gooseberry, lemon curd and mineral characters and a flinty acid finish. At darenberg.com.au, shops and cellar door.
PRICE: $20.
DRINK WITH: pizza.
AGEING: four years.
RATING: 4 stars
GAMAY THRIVES HERE
GAMAY is home to Beaujolais, but the De Bortoli 2018 The Estate Vineyard Gamay is from the Yarra Valley. It has 13.5% alcohol, bright garnet hues, violet scents and vibrant cherry front-palate flavour. Raspberry, spearmint, briar and spice show on the middle palate and earthy tannins at the finish. It's at shop.debortoli.com.au and shops.
PRICE: $30.
DRINK WITH: a paella.
AGEING: six years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
