Ballandean Estate continues its winning streak with a swag of medals awarded this weekend at a national wine show for boutique winemakers. The Australian Small Winemakers Show is held annually in Stanthorpe, attracting wine entries from across Australia and New Zealand.
Vintage 2022 delivered Queensland’s oldest family-owned winery 3 silver and 2 bronze medals, bringing the tally to 5 medals at one of the most prestigious shows on the annual wine circuit.
Fourth-generation vigneron Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi says,
Ballandean Estate is famed for alternative white varietals, our Strange Birds™! This year, our great Italian whites Malvasia, Fiano and GFM (Giallo Fiano Malvasia) were awarded silver medals, which means they had to score greater than 17/20 points; and be considered exceptional on the palate, with freshness and finesse highly prized by the judging panel.
We’ve just released our 10th vintage of Fiano, a wine we’ve won critical acclaim for since 2012, thanks to its richer Italian style with mouth-watering acidity, grippy texture and mineral undertones. We sell out of this varietal every vintage within weeks.
Malvasia is another of our fastest-moving white wines at the cellar door. People fall in love with its big aromatics, richness and complexity. It is the kind of wine that has you excited before even taking your first sip.
Dad (Ballandean Estate owner Angelo Puglisi) is always keen to experiment with Italian varieties. His interest in Italian varieties is not just about the increased diversity of aromas and flavours, but most importantly about structure: and, specifically, acid. Grapes grown for natural acid balance deliver a fresh expression of our granitic terroir and require minimal intervention in the hands of the winemaker.”
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi
A wine pioneer, Angelo’s vinicultural vision has delivered 13 new Strange Birds™ for the Granite Belt Geographical Indication.
Ballandean Estate’s 2022 Viognier and Bolle Rosa, a refreshing sparkling pink Moscato, were both awarded bronze medals. A remarkably strong line up of wines was presented, with a marked increase in medals awarded for each class at the 2022 Australian Small Winemakers Show, which held its inaugural event in 1987, open to small wine producers who crush less than 500 tonne a year.
Ballandean Estate is launching its second vintage of Malvasia at the cellar door this weekend. The 2019 vintage is a truly rare alternative wine, with only 65 cases produced this year at Ballandean Estate, and less than 200 Australia-wide. Demand will outstrip supply quickly, as last year’s first vintage sold out within weeks and received rave reviews from wine critics.
A word on Malvasia from our Master of Wine Peter Scudamore-Smith
The Italian varietal Malvasia from Northern Italy produced by Ballandean Estate is a delicious crisp Italian-style dry white wine, and textured, set to match the success of the critically-acclaimed Fiano, a fuller wine from the warmer Campania area.
Wine specifications
- Malvasia 100%, Ballandean Estate single-vineyard fruit
- Dry, medium bodied, bouquet of melon and pear with hints of French oak, mellow and smooth finish
- RRP $30
- Alc/Vol 12%
- Colour – green straw
- Cellaring potential – drink now
- Winemaker – Dylan Rhymer
- Viticulturalist – Angelo Puglisi
Malvasia release
Why people are falling in love with Malvasia at the cellar door
According to Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi, fourth-generation family vigneron,
“Malvasia is our fastest-moving white wine at the cellar door. People fall in love with its big aromatics, richness and complexity. It is the kind of wine that has you excited before even taking your first sip. Then it keeps getting better! Our winemaker Dylan Rhymer has performed his alchemy by oh-so-lightly oaking this great Italian white.
The wine has spent just three months in oak barrels, as opposed to 12-14 months for traditionally oaked white such as chardonnay. This has completely changed its structure and aromatics, lifted the nose and intensified its mouth feel, without bringing oak onto the palate. Dylan has delivered a soft, smooth perfumed wine that is fruit-driven and decadent.
Dad (Ballandean Estate owner Angelo Puglisi) is always keen to experiment with Italian varieties. His interest in Italian varieties is not just about the increased diversity of smells and flavours, but most importantly about structure: and, specifically, acid. Grapes grown for natural acid balance deliver a fresh expression of our granitic terroir and require minimal intervention in the hands of the winemaker. said Ms Puglisi-Gangemi.”
Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi
Viticulture
Ballandean Estate’s 2018 vintage was the first Malvasia to be released on the Granite Belt. Originating in Croatia, and widely grown throughout northern Italy, the fruit for 2019’s Malvasia vintage was magnificent, with big, loose bunches of fruit on the vines, berries medium to large, yellowish with thick skin, juicy flesh and stone fruit characteristics. Set to thrive on the Granite Belt, Malvasia has a good tolerance of cold winters, early frosts and windy sites.
In 2015, Angelo Puglisi planted one acre of Malvasia on the Ballandean Estate vineyard. 2017’s vintage yielded just 20 litres, an experimental batch. 2019’s vintage was picked in March after an optimal growing season.
Queensland’s 27th Strange Bird™ Malvasia will be available for tasting and sale at the cellar door and for sale online.
ENDS
For all media enquiries please contact: Robyn Puglisi-Henderson or Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi
Ph: (07) 4684 1226 Robyn@ballandeanestate.com
