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Wines
on Turtle Island Our
philosophy on wines is similar to our philosophy regarding guests - a
diverse variety from many different places and with many different
characteristics. We
have selected an exciting range of wines, often from small, award
winning vineyards in Australia, New Zealand, America and France.
We are constantly adding (and subtracting) from our cellars - so
some of the wines listed below may change and be replaced with something
equally interesting from somewhere else.
We have put a lot of effort into the selection and continue to
research and, of course, sample. For
most meals, we select wines we feel complement the food served.
Naturally, guests are not restricted to that selection - you only
need to ask for a particular wine and it is yours.
At the start of a your stay on Turtle you are shown the range of
wines so you can browse before a picnic or dine-out. We
welcome guests' comments. Like all great pleasures in life, wine is
very subjective. Below are descriptions of wines currently on our
list. But please note - we
keep a moderate size cellar so occasionally the wine on the list may be
on its way to Turtle Island, rather than actually on the Island. Champagnes
- Sparkling Wines
Domaine
Chandon Brut - USA As
expected, this wine is very much in the style of Moet & Chandon.
Dry yet soft on the finish.
This champagne style wine has excellent bead and mousse and the
deeper yellow colour reflects the presence of Pinot Noir in the blend. Laurent-Perrier
Brut - France The
Reims registry first recorded the name of Laurent-Perrier in 1812 and,
although still privately owned, Laurent-Perrier is today the fourth
largest producer of Champagne. This
Champagne is elegant, delicate and fruity with a perfect harmony between
finesse and refinement. The
quality of this Champagne is assured as a result of Laurent-Perrier's
large stock of reserve wines. A beautiful Champagne well suited to the
island. Taittinger
Brut Reserve - France Founded
in 1734, Taittinger is one of the few remaining Champagne houses to be
managed by people who bear its name, so quality and respect for
tradition are a constant priority. This Champagne has a light golden
colour, with a slightly floral nose and hints of citrus and vanilla.
The palate displays chardonnay fruit, elegance and finesse with a
creamy mousse. Incredibly stylish with wonderful length. Piries
Sparkling Wine – Pipers Brook, Tasmania, Australia
Only
just been released in Australia, Pirie’s is sourced from specific
sparkling vineyard sites which are based on basaltic soils and are
east-southeast facing. This translates to a ripening potential which
compares very favorably to conditions in the French district of
Champagne; and most sparkling wine connoisseurs will find it difficult
to tell the difference! The bouquet exhibits traces of honey, vanilla,
lemon, malt and dried fruit with nutty, biscuity baker’s yeast smells.
Hailed by wine writers in Australia as the finest sparkling ever made in
Australia. White
Wines
- Chardonnays
Austins
Barrabool Chardonnay - Victoria, Australia The
nose of this wine is rich and full, with very strong evidence of
malo-lactic fermentation. Softened by hints of creamy vanilla there are
also notes of grapefruit and passionfruit. Although quite a fresh, zingy
nose, the palate holds lots of surprises. A weighty middle palate
carries rich peach and kernel nuances and the length goes on and on.
Coupled with oak characters and persistent acid, this wine is a winner
for drinking now. Edna
Valley Chardonnay - San Louis Obispo, California, USA Gentle
winemaking techniques are used at Paragon Vineyards to create this
Chardonnay. Soft but evident acids and a variety of spice and fruit
nuances are the result. A gentle fining with natural ingredients adds a
richness and depth leading to an impression of peaches and pineapples
with an underlying tone of butterscotch, and a slight hazelnut note. Try
this one with Asian, Greek or Mexican cuisine. Fermoy
Estate Chardonnay - Margaret River, Western Australia Good
rainfall and a mild summer in the Margaret River region allowed the
grapes to reach their full potential. The fruit is 100% barrel fermented
in one and two year old French oak and allowed to remain on lees for a
further 5 months before bottling. The resulting wine is full-bodied,
dominated by aromas of stone fruit and savoury oak. The palate has
flavours of grapefruit and lychee with lingering acidity giving a crisp,
tangy finish. Ninth
Island Chardonnay 198 – Tasmania, Australia The
cool but sunny grape growing seasons in northern Tasmania are very
suited to production of Chardonnay grapes for this unwooded style. The
grapes are harvested in late April from grapes mainly grown on trellises
which helps to expose the ripening bunches to the sun. Ninth Island is
very pale gold in colour and has an aromatic pear bouquet with traces of
pineapple and passionfruit. Wonderful with shellfish. Seresin
Chardonnay - Marlborough, New Zealand A
pale lemon to straw colour, the Seresin Chardonnay shows grapefruit and
citrus aromas, with hints of nectarine to the nose. The palate displays
fresh peach and white currant aromas, with well balanced savoury oak and
plenty of almond and cashew fruit characters with some aromatic honey
characters and a long but clean finish. Seven
Springs Chardonnay – Oregon, USA This
wine shows huge sweet pineapple, ripe pear, ginger, and toasty oak
aroma. Balanced acidity and a toasty finish support the flavours of
caramel apples and kiwi. The Chardonnays from Seven Springs Vineyard
manage to achieve a depth of flavour and texture that few American
Chardonnays can claim. It
matches well with a variety of full flavoured foods. Vinum
Pointe Blanc – California, USA A
medium bodied, crisp white wine that has intense floral, apricot and
honey aromas with flavours of pears and minerals. It is a complex,
multidimensional dry white wine with good acidity, palate and balance.
Although excellent as an aperitif, this wine compliments a wide range of
foods. Only 900 cases produced. Sauvignon
Blancs
Cloudy
Bay Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand This
Sauvignon Blanc is aromatic of ripe tropical fruits. Waves of mango,
pineapple and papaya mingle with the gooseberry and herbal notes so
typical of Marlborough. The fresh aromas and flavours are harnessed by a
rich, mouth-watering palate, and crisp lingering finish. Delatite
Sauvignon Blanc - Mansfield, Victoria, Australia
Harvested
in late March from grapes hand-pruned and hand picked from the Delatite
property, this finely balanced wine shows ripe tropical fruity
characters of gooseberry and passion fruit with a tinge of herbaceous
ness. The rich aroma, full palate and fresh acidity match perfectly with
seafood, especially char-grilled prawns, lobster and scallops. A great
wine to drink on a lazy Island picnic.
Frog’s
Leap Sauvignon Blanc – USA A
pure and balanced wine and one of the most asked for at restaurants in
the USA. This crisp and vivacious wine boasts unique characters of
herbs, liquorice and light melon fruit. The wine is made from the best,
the freshest, the most naturally grown ingredients, and is presented in
the simplest, most natural way. Hesperos
Sauvignon Blanc - Margaret River, Western Australia Hesperos
is a Greek god who was carried away by the wind and transformed into a
star to be seen from the western extremities of the earth.
The Hesperos Sauvignon Blanc is made from a blend of 85%
Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon. It
has been vinificated and aged on lees in barriques resulting in a great
complex wine with flavours of cassis, apples and vanilla. It has a hint
of smoke and a soft round pallet with a crisp finish. Lenswood
Sauvignon Blanc - South Australia The
grapes for this wine were picked in early April, with the juices then
filtered and fermented cold using natural yeast to retain as much fruit
flavour as possible. The wine itself is pungent and intense with both
tropical and herbaceous characters and has the usual crisp, lingering
flavoursome palate of a wine of this type. Merryvale
Sauvignon Blanc - Napa Valley, USA This
wine has a brilliant straw colour and bright aromas of vanilla, lemon,
straw and grapefruit. On the palate it is very round, rich and broad.
The finish is refreshing with good acidity and the flavours of lemon and
vanilla seem to linger on and on. Peerick
Sauvignon Blanc - Pyrenees District, Central Victoria, Australia
The
vineyard borders the stunning Pyrenees State Forest (hence a unique
microclimate) and shares an environment with a plethora of natural flora
and fauna. This unique location, combined with the addition of a small
amount of Semillon (12%), gives this wine the tastes of ripe intense
fruits, hints of grassiness and a slight chalkiness. A tropical aroma of
pear, guava, gooseberry, passionfruit and freshly cut lawn, it has a
full, medium bodied, long crisp finish - perfect with green leafy
salads. Pegasus
Bay Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon - New Zealand The
sauvignon juice for this wine was extracted using an airbag press, and
then fermented in cool conditions in stainless steel to ensure maximum
retetention of sauvignon character. The Semillon was fermented in oak
barriques and both were aged separately on their lees for 8 months. The
two varieties have complementary, but distinct flavours resulting in a
complex wine. The characters are of vibrant passionfruit and gooseberry,
with ripe tropical flavours enriched by oaky vanilla. An ideal
accompaniment to seafood. Reisling
Allan
Scott Marlborough Riesling - New Zealand Vintnered
from grapes planted in 1980 that are now near their maturity, the grapes
produce consistent quality and elegance. The Riesling has strong
floral/citrus aromas and flavours that promise to develop in strength
and complexity as it ages. A luscious, aromatic wine with weight and
concentration that displays a delicate balance between crisp acidity and
moderate residual sugar. Celtic
Farm Riesling – Victoria, Australia The
fruit for this Riesling was sourced from a number of growers in the
Clare Valley of Australia. Exceptional juice has produced a wine with a
zesty lime/grapefruit character on the nose, underpinned by floral
hints. The palate is elegant and shows a lively, juicy, zesty freshness,
and the typical Clare lingering finish. Ideal with fresh seafood and
lightly spiced Asian dishes. Grosset
Polish Hill Riesling - South Australia Meticulously
crafted, every nuance of this wine is by design, not accident. The
Polish Hill is extraordinarily aromatic, recalling intense citrus,
grapefruit and minerals. The taste is lively, zesty and lingers
remarkably long.
Heggies
Riesling - South Australia Innovative
viticultural practices in conjunction with good soil, a high altitude
and 787mm of annual rain, combine to produce wines of full flavour and
balance. Powerful lemons and limes dominate the nose with an underlying
herbaceous note. Long and lasting citrus flavours produce a good middle
palate boosted by the alcohol. The finish is clean and dry, a balance of
fruit flavour and piquant acid. Howard
Park Riesling - Mount Barker, Western Australia Winemaker
John Wade uses only free-run - first, best quality - juice to produce
this bright, pale straw-coloured Riesling in the Great Southern, a cool
climate Western Australia region. This wine has intense lime/citrus
characters with great vivacity. Its full and persistent flavour is
enhanced by crisp, refreshing acids and exquisite balance. Jasper
Hill Riesling – Heathcote, Victoria, Australia Established
in 1975, this winery is one of the most respected in the country. With
the rare attention and care given to each of the yields, it is no wonder
that all of Jasper Hill’s wines are highly sought after. The Riesling
is no exception with the fruit flavours showing Central Victoria at its
best.
Knight
Granite Hills Riesling - Macedon/Sunbury, Victoria, Australia Established
in 1970, Granite Hills is nestled in the boulder-strewn country of the
Great Dividing Range on the northern edge of the Macedon Ranges wine
region, 85 kilometres North/Northwest of Melbourne. This wine, which
received a honourable mention at the Sydney Riesling Symposium, has
characteristic lemon lime aromas and underlying hints of stone fruit.
The palate is mouth filling, with lively citrus and fruit flavours, and
a touch of spice, lingering into a very refreshing natural acid finish.
Great with shellfish, smoked salmon and Mongolian barbeque.
Smith-Madrone
Riesling - Napa Valley, California, USA Still the only winery in America to win a major tasting in Europe, Smith-Madrone consistently produces one of, if not the, best Rieslings in America. The vintage strikes a perfect flavour balance between sweet and tart. When smelling this wine, sliced peaches and apricots jump to mind but there is also a hint of clove. Dry to the taste, the palate has a long lingering fresh fruitiness. Again, wonderful for picnics and outdoor dining.
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