Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi of Ballandean Estate on the Granite Belt has been honoured with the prestigious Samuel Bassett Award at this week’s 36th Queensland Wine Awards. One of Australia’s most influential woman in wine, Leeanne is the third Puglisi family member to receive this award, which recognises a major contribution by an individual to the Queensland wine industry.
I am truly humbled by this. To stand in the company of industry greats such as Terry Morris from Sirromet and my wine pioneer parents is awe-inspiring. Educating national and international consumers about the quality of Queensland wines is what drives me. That and expanding on my family’s legacy to the Granite Belt.
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi
Leeanne’s father Angelo Puglisi, Ballandean Estate’s founder and industry pioneer was presented with the inaugural Bassett award in 2003. Estate Matriarch Mary Puglisi was the first female to be recognised for her contribution to the Queensland wine industry with this award in 2015. Estate manager and sister Robyn Puglisi-Henderson collected the award on Leeanne’s behalf in Brisbane on Tuesday 4 September.
We just live and breathe fine wine! It’s great to see Leeanne recognised for her advocacy. She’s worked tirelessly as an industry ambassador for decades.
I picked up the award on her behalf, as Leeanne was at a board meeting of Australian Grape and Wine in Adelaide. This is yet another place where she is the voice of Queensland wine, making sure we are not forgotten.
Leeanne loves a chat at the cellar door, as she does the opportunity to talk strategic Australian wine industry direction with politicians and industry heavyweights.
Robyn Puglisi-Henderson
Ballandean Estate has a rich history of empowered women in wine. Business and Export Manager Robyn Puglisi-Henderson developed the export trade from zero to 20% of business turnover in just five years, and has opened up export trade to China, where there is significant demand for Ballandean’s premium reds.
Leeanne and Robyn’s grandmother Josephine was a true Australian pioneer and business woman. Arriving in Australia from Sicily at just 12 years of age, she went on to build the foundation of Ballandean Estate with her father and husband over four decades. She stared down the Australian army demanding to put her husband and father in internment camps and surrender of farm machinery during World War 2, and instead, she negotiated a deal to supply their crops to feed the Army as an alternative.
At just 19 years of age, estate matriarch and wine pioneer Mary Puglisi visualised opening a cellar door and being the catalyst for Queensland’s Barossa and Hunter Valley on the Granite Belt with husband Angelo Puglisi. She spent 50 years building the Granite’s Belt’s thriving tourism industry.
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi was recently voted onto the Winemaker’s Federation board, and is Queensland’s first female voice and vote.
The Bassett Award is named after wine industry pioneer Samuel Bassett who established Bassett’s Winery at Roma in 1863 and went on to win many medals for his wines, including 10 of the 11 awarded at the 1901 Royal Brisbane Show.
ENDS
For all media enquiries please contact:
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi or Robyn Puglisi-Henderson
Ph: (07) 4684 1226
Ballandean Estate is set to release its latest Strange Bird™, a 2019 Moscato Giallo to coincide with the father of Queensland wine’s 76th birthday on Monday 29 July 2019.
Angelo Puglisi, estate owner of Queensland’s oldest family-owned and -operated winery, planted his first acre of Moscato Giallo vines in 2014. A wine pioneer, Angelo’s vinicultural vision has delivered 13 new Strange Birds™ for the Granite Belt Geographical Indication.
Fourth-generation vigneron and daughter Leeanne Puglis-Gangemi says,
First you need to understand the Italian! Moscato Giallo means ‘yellow muscat’. Now you might be thinking this a sweet wine. Not this time! This Strange Bird™ variety from northern Italy is capable of making elegant table wines with emphasis on the aromatics.
Dad harvested the luscious golden fruit in March 2019. Our winemaker Dylan Rhymer has delivered an elegant twist on the varietal. Think medium-dry, a light and luscious mouthfeel, with a hint of lemon and gentle citrus overtone. Best of all, be blown away by the aromatic bouquet!
Our 2019 Moscato Giallo Strange Bird™ has just 9% alcohol, and is a match made in heaven with an afternoon cheese platter and Asian flavour profiles. It’s a big, fruit-driven delight, somewhere between a Gewertztraminer and our Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.
Ballandean Estate’s 2019 Moscato Giallo retails for just $19 a bottle, and can be ordered online and at at the cellar door. We wil be showcasing this wine at The Ekka. You can also buy it at Bacchus Brewing, Schulte’s Meat Tavern and Pantry360. Only 200 cases were produced. This Strange Bird™ will be gone before you know it!
Leeanne Puglis-Gangemi
Mr Puglisi’s remarkable vinicultural legacy was celebrated at the Royal Queensland show last week. He presented the inaugural Angelo Puglisi Grand Champion Wine of Show award to a Tasmanian pinot noir producer. The award is a perpetual acknowledgment to Puglisi’s influence and respect in the industry.
Ballandean Estate will soon release its 2018 Opera Block Shiraz, the 50th Anniversary edition of the Shiraz planted 50 years ago. It is available now at the pre-release price of $50 per bottle. Keep your eye out for the 2019 vintage release of the estate’s ever popular Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and Rose wines.
Angelo Puglisi, the Father of Queensland Wine, today returned to the Ekka to present the inaugural Angelo Puglisi Grand Champion Wine of Show. A Tasmanian Pinot Noir took out the accolade, and is the first red wine to win the wine of show in six years.
The Giant Steps Nocton Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 is a top drop. Chief Judge Jim Chatto reckoned as soon as he tasted it, it was going to be a tough one to beat. Its clarity of fruit, exquisite perfume and profound structure made it an absolute standout.”
Angelo Puglisi
Angelo and his wife of fifty years Mary were presented their first winemaking gold medal 45 years ago at Royal Queensland Wine Show (RQWS) Awards. Back then, Angelo was swaggering about wearing Elvis Presley sideburns, a purple safari suit and pointy shoes, a seventies style-meister!
The Angelo Puglisi Grand Champion Wine of Show award is a perpetual acknowledgment to Puglisi’s influence and respect in the industry.
This is such an honour for me, my family and the Queensland winemaking fraternity. We’ve come a long way since the sixties, when my neighbours warned me that the vineyard would fail because only wogs drank wine in Queensland!”
Angelo Puglisi
Angelo’s fighting spirit has seen him repeatedly triumph over adversity. According to Granite Belt winemaker Mike Hayes,
The Puglisi family, I believe, embody the Queensland fighting spirit like few others. They have done it really tough from the start. But they survived and prospered. Once they were hit with four or five frosts in a row that just about wiped out their entire crop. Then came the hail … But Angelo kept his chin up. He just keep working and working as hard as ever. He drove the same car for 600,000km and he wouldn’t put any of the workers off even though there was little work.
Angelo has been a real battler for his family. For that he has been rewarded with a rich life. He inspires me. I have got nothing but the highest respect for that family and what they have achieved.”
Granite Belt winemaker Mike Hayes
Ballandean Estate will soon release its 2018 Opera Block Shiraz, the 50th Anniversary edition of the shiraz planted 50 years ago. It is available now at the pre-release price of $50 per bottle.
Ballandean Estate has a rich history of empowered women in wine. Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi was recently voted onto the Winemaker’s Federation board, and is Queensland’s first female voice and vote.
At just 19 years of age, estate matriarch and wine pioneer Mary Puglisi visualised opening a cellar door and being the catalyst for Queensland’s Barossa and Hunter Valley on the Granite Belt with husband Angelo Puglisi. She has spent over 50 years looking after tourists and has won the prestigious Samuel Basset award for her contribution to the Queensland wine industry.
Angelo’s mother Josephine was a true Australian pioneer and business woman. Arriving in Australia from Sicily at just 12 years of age, she went on to build the foundation of Ballandean Estate with her father and husband over four decades. She stared down the Australian army demanding to put her husband and father in internment camps and surrender of farm machinery during World War 2, and instead, she negotiated a deal to supply their crops to feed the Army as an alternative. Inspirational!
Ballandean Estate’s Business and Export Manager Robyn Puglisi-Henderson has developed the export trade from zero to 20% of our business turnover in just five years, and has opened up our export trade to China, where there is significant demand for our premium reds. They just love our Shiraz!
Meet our new vineyard manager Robyn Robertston
Ballandean Estate continues to break new ground with the appointment of a female vineyard manager, Robyn Robertson, former vineyard managed at Sirromet Wines. She brings over 30 years of viticultural expertise to the estate, and has spent her entire life on the land at Ballandean.
I am thrilled to be at Ballandean Estate, the Puglisis have welcomed me into their family. When I heard that there was an opening, the opportunity to learn in the presence of Queensland’s father of wine Angelo Puglisi was just too good to pass up.
Robyn Robertston
Granite Belt wine pioneers
Twisted Gum Wines owner Michelle Coelli has been an outstanding support to the local industry. She’s great to talk to, and runs monthly farm walks at different vineyards. Sue Smith from Pyramid Wines is another Granite Belt woman in the industry I admire.
Robyn Robertston
Why Robyn made the move from Sirromet to Ballandean Estate
Sirromet’s founder Tony Morris was really supportive of the move across to Ballandean and the chance for me to pursue my viticultural passion. One of the Sirromet properties I managed was my family property. I’ve worked on that property for over 20 years, and it was once our family orchard.
Nurturing Ballandean Estate’s Strange Birds™ was another drawcard, as the grapes at Sirromet are mainly traditional varieties. Fiano, Saperavi, Malbec, Durif, Tempranillo, Viognier … so many new challenges! I am most excited about the Durif 2020 vintage—it is such a temperamental Strange Bird™ , as it produces a heavy crop. If we don’t prune enough now, it will over-fruit. Given the drought conditions, it is critical that we prune hard to ensure a low yield of high quality.
Every day is different at Ballandean Estate—I could be pruning, tasting fruit, showing a tour group through our vines, maintaining irrigation lines or running harvest teams. I spend a lot of time with Angelo on the vineyards. Such a privilege to work with a master viticulturist. It is in his blood and mine.
Robyn Robertston
Robyn came on board mid-vintage and experienced a baptism of fire in an incredibly challenging season, with the Girraween bushfires blazing. Her influential position is made even more remarkable when despite gender-equal enrolments in wine and viticulture courses, women make up less than 10 per cent of the wine industry workforce, according to a large-scale Australian study by the Curtin Graduate School of Business, Women in top roles in the wine industry: Forging ahead or falling behind? Representation of women in leadership and senior roles is even smaller.
ENDS
For all media enquiries please contact:
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi or Robyn Puglisi-Henderson
Ph: (07) 4684 1226
Opera in the Vineyard 2019 dazzled at Ballandean Estate on Sunday 5 May. Over 550 people attended the charity gala, co-hosted by Rotary Stanthorpe, with all funds raised going to charity.
Sunday was our first frost of the season, and from a chilly start of 1 degrees in the morning, the day blossomed into a crisp, cool day, bathed in sunshine and cerulean skies.
2019 is our 27th Opera event, and we are thrilled to work in partnership with Rotary Stanthorpe. Over $1 million for charity has been raised since the event’s inception. This year’s fundraising will be distributed by Rotary to charities End Trachoma 2020, Hummingbird House and several more.
This year’s theme was Diamonds Are Forever. Guests bedazzled in black tie, kilts, we even had a Lady Penelope! A huge thanks to our major sponsor Stanthorpe Jewellers, who donated a spectacular champagne diamond ring worth over $2500.
Leeanne-Puglisi-Gangemi’ daughter of Ballandean Estate owner and event founder Angelo Puglisi
Opera attendees were delighted by husband and wife operatic stars Rosario La Spina and Milijana Nikolic, who lit up the stage with a passionate performance. It was a rare opportunity for Serbian-born mezzo-soprano Milijana Nikolic to perform with her real-life husband, powerful international tenor Rosario La Spina, as tenor and mezzo is an uncommon pairing. The sizzling duo fell in love at the Academy for Soloists at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
Glenda Riley took some glorious photos on the day, see our gallery below.
Don José’s Flower Song was an audience favourite, an aria sung as Don Jose’s relationship with Carmen reaches its first crisis, high drama indeed!
Rosario’s tenor brought goose bumps to the skin as it reverberated through the valley, Nessun Dorma—the thrill! He soars with breathtaking clarity. Incredible acoustics!
To witness Milijana bring Carmen to life onstage was extraordinary, her voice just oozes elegance and passion. Brazenly seductive, unrepentantly exotic, recklessly strong-willed: the character of Carmen has enthralled the world’s imagination for more than a century and a half.
Our stage certainly got heated when Carmen (performed by Nikolic) discovers Jose (La Spina) Is heading straight back to the barracks instead of frolicking in the boudoir at the tavern to celebrate his release from prison. Carmen throws an almighty tantrum, to which José responds with the most heart-rending aria about how a withered flower she flung at him helped him through his miserable month of incarceration.
Carmen was mollified, then used her femme fatale powers to persuade him to run away completely and become a smuggler!
Musical director Mark Taylor, Opera Queensland’s Head of Learning, Regional and Community and compere on the day.
The program of songs ranged from iconic tenor arias to sparkling melodies from the world of operetta—complemented by musical insights, personal stories, and a few surprises.
Opera in the Vineyard was born of a friendship between Angelo and his neighbour, the late David Pugh. Listening to opera and watching the sun set over the vineyards with a glass of Angelo’s shiraz was a cherished tradition, From humble beginnings, this event is now the jewel of the Granite Belt’s social calendar and one of South East Queensland’s premier cultural experiences. The 2019 performance was created and directed by Opera Queensland.
Husband and wife operatic stars Rosario La Spina and Milijana Nikolic will be lighting up the stage with a dazzling performance at Opera in the Vineyard 2019, a gala charity event held in the spectacular vineyards of Ballandean Estate on the Granite Belt this Sunday 5 May.
Mezzo-soprano meets tenor
This is a rare opportunity for Serbian-born mezzo-soprano Milijana Nikolic to perform with her real-life husband, powerful international tenor Rosario La Spina, as tenor and mezzo is an uncommon pairing.
The sizzling duo fell in love at the Academy for Soloists at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Rosario was asked to interpret for the Belgrade beauty, who had won a scholarship at the academy—two weddings, Carmen and certain-to-be-gifted progeny later, this talented couple treasures every moment together.
There will be some true classics performed that everyone will know, so it’s a joyful way to experience opera with celebration of Granite Belt food and wine.
Event founder and Ballandean Estate patriarch Angelo Puglisi
La Scala lovers
Milijana is a femme fatale blessed with a voice that oozes elegance and passion. Her most recent performances include the title role in Carmen for Opera Australia; Amneris for Seattle Opera and Opera Australia; and Jane Seymour (Anna Bolena) for The Metropolitan Opera New York.
Australian-born international tenor Rosario La Spina was trained at the young singers’ academy at La Scala, Milan. In 2002, Rosario won first prize in the Mario Del Monaco International Opera Competition and made his principal role debut at La Scala as Riccardo (Oberto) reprising the role in Genoa. Since then, he has taken leading roles in the Italian and French repertoire around the world. His tenor is exquisitely pure and soars over an orchestra with breathtaking clarity.
Diamonds are forever
The glittering duo will be joined on stage by pianist providing a luscious accompaniment on grand piano. The program of songs ranges from iconic tenor arias to sparkling melodies from the world of operetta—complemented by musical insights, personal stories, and a few surprises.
Rotary Stanthorpe raises over $1 million for charity
Event founder and Ballandean Estate patriarch Angelo Puglisi is looking forward to the 27th iteration of the gala event which has raised over $1 million for charity in partnership with Rotary Stanthorpe. Funds raised will be distributed to Rotary charities Ending Trachoma, Hummingbird House in Brisbane and several more.
Opera in the Vineyard was born of a friendship between Angelo and his neighbour, the late David Pugh. Listening to opera and watching the sun set over the vineyards with a glass of Angelo’s shiraz was a cherished tradition, From humble beginnings, this event is now the jewel of the Granite Belt’s social calendar and one of South East Queensland’s premier cultural experiences. The 2019 performance will be created and directed by at Opera Queensland. For more information visit https://ballandeanestate.com/events/opera-in-the-vineyard/
Love is in the air at Ballandean Estate. Meet French lovebirds Afef and Thomas!
Ballandean Estate’s harvest season has been sweetened by the addition of honeymooning French couple Afef Idoudi (24) and Thomas Relizani (28), who have spent the last few weeks hand-picking much of Ballandean Estate’s fruit for the season.
Vineyard valentines
Our vineyard valentines hail from Nice in the south of France, and have been honeymooning in Australia since their late November wedding.
“Travelling the east coast of Australia is our lifelong dream, and we are lucky enough to be doing this for the next two years. Thomas and I are both nature-lovers. This is our first job in Australia, and we feel so blessed to be helping the Puglisi family bring their fruit in with tender loving care.
The Granite Belt is such an incredible food bowl—grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuces, and all of the beautiful fruit orchards. Such abundance! We hope to spend several months here working on the land,”
says Afef Idoudi.
People, place and passion
Estate manager Robyn Puglisi-Henderson says.
“We just love giving these young people the opportunity to experience harvest, to share our people, place and passion. This year we’ve had 15 backpackers help us alongside our local crew. We get a range of nationalities, predominantly French, Italian and German this season.
“Our local harvesting office makes it so easy to engage with these adventurers. They come from such diverse backgrounds. Thomas is a tailor at home in France, he has offered to make Dad (Angelo Puglisi) a bespoke suit while he is here!
“You often expect them to be students travelling before they head to university, but sometimes they are older and just taking a break from their career. This is a great opportunity to travel and make money while seeing the best parts of our country.”
Girraween bushfires and a blessing
“This harvest has been challenging. The raging bushfires at Girraween National Park have struck terror into every vineyard family. We’ve spent the last three weeks picking most of our crop by hand to minimise risk to the fruit.
However we are pleased to report that our chief winemaker Dylan Rhymer says we are free of smoke taint at this stage with all of the fruit he has tested and tasted. Look at our glorious Shiraz in the crushing machine!”,
says Robyn.
Taking Provenance Seriously: Will Australia Benefit from Better Legal Protection for GIs? Colloquium at Bond University on Monday 12 February saw the Granite Belt weigh in to a Geographical Indications (GI) debate with EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan. Organised by the Centre for Commercial Law, the event investigated how the European experience can inform the local debate about more effective protection for local brands and rural communities and was attended by over 80 stakeholders. Image credit: Bond University Newsroom
Fourth-generation vigneron Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi represented Ballandean Estate and the Granite Belt with her insightful presentation on The experience with GIs: Benefits for wine and other industries in a declared GI region.
“Wine drinkers want to know where their wine comes from, and wine producers want protection against competitors who take a free ride on the hard-earned reputation of their unique products. Australia has yet to adopt the EU’s twin GI model for food and wine—as it stands, only the wine industry has registered Geographic Indicators, around 109 at last count,” says Ms Puglisi-Gangemi.
GIs, or geographical indications, identify a product that originates in a specific region where a particular characteristic is attributable to its geographical origin. In Australia, GIs are only applied to wine regions at the moment: 109 Australian wine GIs are already protected in Europe under a longstanding, mutually beneficial agreement sealed in 1994, The GI system is designed to protect the use of the regional name under international law and is governed by the Geographical Indications Committee, overseen by Wine Australia.
European Union Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan is visiting Australia to lay the groundwork for an EU-Australia free trade agreement.
What is the value of Geographical Indication to Granite Belt wine producers?
One of Australia’s most influential women in wine, Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi gets excited when she talks about the value of the Geographical Indication to Granite Belt wine producers.
“We are the Granite Belt and we are proud! Well, it is our sense of place and most producers in the region are proud of the wines being grown and made in the Granite Belt. So much so, that the Granite Belt Wine Tourism association took the notion one step further with the creation of our Strange Bird™ Wine Trail 13 years ago. It is a kind of appellation with strict rules applying to the wineries if they want their wines to be known as Strange Birds™: Wine to be produced on the Granite Belt, Fruit to be grown on the Granite Belt, Fruit must be alternative—representing less than 1% of the total annual crush as prescribed by Wine Australia.
How has Strange Bird™ benefited Granite Belt wineries?
“Today, the Australian wine consumer is ready and willing to taste wines they have never heard of—the rarer the variety the better. Twenty years ago, this was not the case as Australian wine drinkers were not so brave. Consumers today are also willing to pay premiums for such rare finds.
“If your cellar door does not have a Strange Bird™ on the list you are missing out on sales. And with approximately 75% of all wine produced in the Granite Belt sold directly to tourists, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
“Another benefit of trademarking our Strange Birds™ has been renewed enthusiasm by local producer. Vignerons are on the hunt for new varieties to grow in the Granite Belt. This planting frenzy seen our grape growers searching for new varieties that suit our terroir – grapes that grow well in our unique climatic conditions and soils.
“As a result, the Granite Belt has been winning international awards at an exponential rate. So with the success of Strange Birds™ and the potential of our food trail, the importance of our GI cannot be underestimated.
“I tell our cellar door visitors that we make fantastic Shiraz in Ballandean and have done so for 50 years. But in just 14 short years of growing Saperavi in Ballandean we have been named in the top three producers of the world (outside of its native Georgia). From grapes grown on our Ballandean vineyard in the Granite Belt.
Along the Granite Belt’s Strange Bird Wine Trail with Leeanne-Puglisi Gangemi
GIs loom as a sticking point in FTA negotiations next month with Australian producers concerned they could be forced to give up the right to use certain names such as prosecco and feta.
How can GIs bolster rural communities?
But Mr Hogan said GIs were “not one-way traffic”.
“There is a clear potential to extend GI protection to high-quality Australian food products (in the EU),” the Commissioner said.
“I have been told a number of potential Australian candidates for GI protection are on their way, such as King Island dairy products, King Island beef, Tasmanian whisky, Tasmanian lobster, Huon Salmon and Bangalow pork.
“The price obtained by a producer of a traditional product is two-and-a-quarter times the price received for a comparable non-local product.
Mr Hogan said the European experience showed GIs bolstered rural communities and netted higher incomes for producers.
Ballandean Estate’s world-class Sylvaner is set to make a splash on the international stage yet again as this dry summer is delivering optimal growing conditions for a temperamental Strange Bird variety. This decadent dessert wine has had international wine judges raving since 1985, with 15 trophies, 7 gold, 22 silver and 54 bronze awards.
An immaculate pedigree
- The 1991 Ballandean Estate Sylvaner received global acclaim from Alsace wines world expert Tom Stevenson, who declared it “the greatest Sylvaner he had ever tasted”. This accolade was published in his international book The Wines of Alsace. Stevenson profiled over 300 producers and analysed 118 wine villages, 50 grands crus, 84 lieux-dits, 28 clos and 4 wine producing chateaux.
- Rated 93 points by James Halliday (2002 and 2006 vintage), he describes it as “glowing gold; the Granite Belt’s most famous wine, made on and off over the past 25 years when vintage conditions permit; a gentle mix of barley sugar, lime and vanilla, it has excellent balance, and its history shows it cellars surprisingly well.”
- Oz Clarkes Grapes and Wine: the definitive guide to the world’s greatest grapes decreed Ballandean Estate (Australia) as a world-best producer, ranked alongside France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Deliver thee the nectar of the Gods!
The last Sylvaner vintage release was in 2014 and sold out quickly. Sadly, the only remaining bottles of Sylvaner in existence are carefully cellared in private homes and within Ballandean Estate’s museum collection. The good news? Ballandean Estate has decreed 2019 the best growing season in a decade.
A Strange Bird that needs the stars to align and the sun to shine
“Ballandean Estate winemaker Dylan Rhymer says, “Sylvaner is a sensitive Strange Bird! We only make a Sylvaner in perfect years. It is easily damaged and very susceptible to rain.
“Harvest is an incredibly delicate process, as we use the cordon cut method. Two weeks prior to picking, we cut half of the fruit-bearing canes. This allows the fruit to dry and concentrate in flavour. The other half that are still attached to the vine continue to grow as normal. These are picked very late in the season, as our aim is to get very high sugars.
“The vineyard method makes the Sylvaner exceptionally hard to produce. Rain in particular can affect the grapes at those final stages prior to picking.
“Inside the winery, the commitment to craft the best dessert wine continues. The Sylvaner juice is chilled to minus two degrees. This, creates water icicles which are removed to leave even more highly concentred flavour and sugar delivering a 40% loss of volume.
“The result of this process is highly acidic fruit. This gives the Sylvaner a crisp finish rather than a sticky sugary finish. When these two parcels are combined, we get a blend of fresh, crisp and intense fruit which develops the kerosene-based aromatics — reminiscent of the great Rieslings. The resulting wine is consistently great, a match made in heaven with cheese, fruit and creamy desserts.”
James Halliday’s 2008 Wine Companion states that “.. the (Ballandean) estate specialty, Sylvaner Late Harvest, is a particularly interesting wine of great character and flavour if given 10 years bottle age”.
“Our Sylvaner vintages wines are on the whole made to be drunk young, with crisp acid and slight spritz. But will still age gracefully with magnificent flavour,”
says Rhymer.
How Sylvaner came to be planted at Ballandean Estate
One of Australia’s leading wine scientists, Dr Bryce Rankin, in a 1973 discussion with Ballandean Estate owner Angelo Puglisi, suggested that Sylvaner and Chenin Blanc would grow well on the Granite Belt. Dr Rankin was principal research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute, which he helped establish, for over 20 years, and author of hundreds of scientific papers.
That year estate owner Angelo Puglisi planted approximately 1.5 acres of Sylvaner on two blocks at Ballandean Estate. The first vintages from 1973 to to 1985 were made as a dry table wine style. In 1985 Angelo employed winemaker Rodney Hooper, whom with some other young winemakers, had become interested in the production of dessert wines. Controlled environment botrytis was experimented with but was not successful. So the cane cutting method was employed and had good results. The 1985 Sylvaner was born.
Is your family feast food modern or traditional? Matching your Christmas menu to divine wines is a pleasure. And to make it a make it a breeze, we’ve put together this easy food and wine matching guide. Let us inspire you with some Ballandean delights.
Starters
We like to keep it light and lovely with amuse bouche, fruit platters, smoked salmon blinis, arancini balls , antipasti and heaving platters of prawns. Getting our amici to mingle as they jingle is our aim, so finger food is ideal — give your guests a free hand to hold their drink! A glass of bubbles is a great way to start festivities. Try our Range Reserve Sparkling – it’s light, medium dry, with a delicate bead.
Seafood
What’s a fresh prawn without a squeeze of lemon? Citrus fruits are perfect with seafood, as the acidity offsets the richness of seafood and the sweetness complements delicate flavours.
Our Semillon Sauvignon Blanc marries well with fresh Queensland seafood—Moreton Bay Bugs, prawns, Hervey Bay Scallops, oysters and sand crabs. Look for citrus flavours, mouth-watering and energetic acidity.
For richer seafood such as baked salmon or barramundi, garlic prawns, oysters mornay you need a medium to full bodied wine—why not flirt with Fiano, Viognier, Chardonnay, or a chilled Rosé?
Baked glazed ham
Your porky centrepiece has three things to consider for a good wine match — the saltiness, the spice of the glaze and the fat content.
A sweet glaze needs a succulent fruit-driven wine to offset the saltiness of the ham. Rosé with its raspberry nuances works well, as does Fiano and Viognier.
What about red wine? Choose a fruit-driven red that’s light on the tannins — merlot, shiraz viognier or our sparkling shiraz!
Chicken
Our oaked Opera Block Chardonnay is a match made in heaven with a simple roast chicken. If you have a slightly spicy stuffing or one with fruit like apricots in it, a rich white wine like Viognier or Fiano is a good choice. As for reds, Shiraz Viognier and Rosé are a lovely choice for chicken served with its own juices or with gravy.
Beef and Lamb
Our single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon’s ripe red fruits, tannic structure and herbaceous notes will make hearty beef and lamb roasts sing. If you are sizzling up some steak or lamb chops on the barbie, the tannins in our Opera Block Shiraz are a joy-filled complement— the berry and cassis aromas will make it sing.
Dessert
You can’t go past our Late Harvest Viognier to serve with Pavlova or traditional plum pudding think orange and apricot blossoms with a honeyed botrytis sweetness. If Mum’s making her marvellous mince pies, try our 15yo Blend Fine Old Tawny or Rum and Chocolate Port.
Cheese platter
Chardonnay loves soft creamy cheeses like brie and camembert. Bitey, hard mature cheeses work well with full-bodied whites and tannic reds. Whether you choose Chardonnay, luscious Viognier or juicy Shiraz Viognier you’ll find an easy harmony between the cheese and wine. When it comes to blue, go for gold! Sweet dessert wines and rich fortified wines make the perfect partner for pungent blue cheeses.
