Posts Tagged Grange

What an amazing week!

Posted by Lucy in Tutorial on July 5th, 2009

Tutorial Wine List

Tutorial Wine List

What an amazing week!   248 wines, a couple of beers, not enough sleep, and here’s what the inaugural Landmark Australia Tutorial participants had to say:

  • How truly and clearly we see depends on our perspective.  And Landmark has given us a chance to gain an almost unparalleled perspective on the Australian fine wine dimension.  It is a brilliantly devised and near-perfectly executed course in which we’ve been able to access the distilled wisdom of some of the industry greats, while at the same time trying benchmark wines that are rarely, if ever, brought together in this context.  I’m profoundly grateful for the chance to participate in this thrilling exercise. – Jamie Goode, UK
  • It’s a wonderful program and I feel as if I learned more in five days than I would in 10 years in Japan! – Yukari Iwashiro, Japan
  • In spite of the (quite natural) differences in winemaking philosophy, the message from the industry representatives is clear: We are working together to make the best, most individual wines we can and we want the world to know.  The philosophical differences promote interesting discussions and resulting selection of diverse wine styles. – Barbara Philip MW, Canada
  • These days have expanded my horizon on Australian wines dramatically. – Frank Kämmer MS, Germany
  • I predict this to become the most sought-after tutorial in the wine world.  Being able to taste and discuss the best wines of Australia with a great number of its leading authorities and winemakers is a privilege.  This Tutorial has opened my eyes to the direction where top Australian wine is going.  - Essi Avellan MW, Finland
  • Really excellent – or “Ripper” in the vernacular.  The range of wines and consistency of quality is superb and the historic tasting was a once-in-a-life-time experience.  – Dermot Nolan MW, Ireland
  • The Landmark Australia Tutorial is a superb opportunity to learn about and taste through the diversity of Australian wine today–as well as excellent mature wines. The five days went by too fast! - Tyler Colman, Ph.D., USA
  • The Landmark Australia Tutorial has been a rare and exciting opportunity to discuss and reflect on the voice of Australian wine’s past, present and future. – Sean Razee MS, USA
  • This week has been an excellent learning process and provided a completely new perspective on Australian wines. – Bell Pei-Tang (China)
  • I enjoyed the Landmark Australia Tutorial tremendously as it was an absolutely eye-opening experience.  All the maserclasses were extremely well-organised and comprehensive, I have tasted many classical Australian fine wines and learnt so much from the experts.  This is surely a once-in-a-life-time experience. – Rebecca Leung, Hong Kong
  • The Landmark Australia Tutorial is an intense and focused wine program. The amount of information and exposure to the vast depth of Australian wines is tremendously beneficial to promoting and marketing Australian fine wines. From the encounter this week, it shows the seriousness of the Australian wine industry in reaching their intended objective, and it will be my pleasure to be of assistance to their efforts in Singapore and the region. - Mr Lim Hwee Peng, CSW
  • The opportunity to taste this range of high-quality, meticulously selected wines, and to be able to see the diversity and evolution of style and the specifics of regions thanks to the openness and knowledge and experience of the tutors and speakers, is exceptional. The only downside is that there’s just not enough time to taste the wines and reflect on them, though this is hardly unique to the Tutorial and underlines the fact there is so much to taste and see.” – Julia Harding MW, UK

The week concluded with a single positive affirmation: Australia has a diverse landscape within which a range of wine styles can find a distinctive and convincing expression.  Click here for a copy of the Landmark Australia Tutorial - Full Wine List and Overview.

Some of the 248 wines of the Landmark Australia Tutorial

Some of the 248 wines from the Landmark Australia Tutorial

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A Bold Case for Australian Excellence

Posted by Lucy in About on May 31st, 2009

Media Release

Sunday May 31, 2009

Monday 1st June marks the wine industry’s most significant investment to date in telling Australia’s fine wine story to an international audience.  Aimed at celebrating Australian excellence not just in wine, but also in terms of food, hospitality and tourism, 12 of the world’s most influential wine media and educators will be hosted by Wine Australia in the Barossa Valley for five days, before travelling further afield on regional tours across South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.

The inaugural Landmark Australia Tutorial will comprise more than 200 of Australia’s finest wines, presented by the country’s leading winemakers and commentators, and accompanied by an original series of seminars devised uniquely for the event.  Anticipated highlights include an ‘Historic’ masterclass featuring sought-after wines such as the 1954 Seppelt Great Western Hermitage K72 Shiraz, the first vintage of Penfolds Grange (1955) and an extremely rare 1955 Wynns Coonawarra Estate ‘Michael’ Hermitage.  A Slow Food/Slow Wine evening also promises to be an inspiring experience, showcasing the best of the Barossa’s local produce partnered with Australia’s new wave of alternative varietals and sustainably-grown wines.

Paul Henry, Wine Australia’s General Manager Market Development, commented: “The intention of the Landmark Australia Tutorial is to create a forum for people to discover and debate the voice of our top Australian wines.  It should serve as a rallying point for informed wine opinion, and aspires to be the most influential residential wine course in the world. It certainly promises to be the most authoritative and extensive exploration of Australian fine wine yet undertaken.”

The 248 wines chosen to articulate the Australian fine wine story were nominated in collaboration with the guest tutors for each masterclass, and are intended to capture a sense of Australia’s winemaking history, as well as to give an indication of Australia’s intended future direction in terms of style, varietal expression, technical development and regional signature.

“The world should be much more familiar with the contribution Australia can make as a producer of fine wine, and also as a leading exponent of exceptional cuisine, cutting edge hospitality and inspiring regional tourism,” Henry concluded.

Anyone around the world can watch and respond with their thoughts throughout the week, by contributing to Wine Australia’s blog or via Twitter (@winehero)

NOTES:
The Landmark Australia Tutorial will take place at The Louise in the Barossa, between June 1 and June 5 2009.

A complete schedule of the week’s masterclasses can be found online along with regularly updated postings of the wines tasted, dinner menus and interviews with the participants.

The inaugural Landmark Australia Tutorial participants are: Ms Essi Avellan MW (Finland), Mr Tyler Colman (United States), Mr Jamie Goode (United Kingdom), Julia Harding MW (United Kingdom), Ms Yukari Iwashiro (Japan), Mr Frank Kämmer MS (Germany), Ms Rebecca Leung (Hong Kong), Mr Dermot Nolan MW (Ireland), Mr Hwee Peng Lim CSW (Singapore), Ms Barbara Philip MW (Canada), Mr Sean Razee MS (United States), Ms Bell - Pei Tang (China)

The participants were required to apply to the Tutorial Executive Committee in writing last year, and were selected from over 130 formal applications.

Tutors Dr Tony Jordan, Mr Andrew Caillard MW and Mr Michael Hill Smith AM MW, will direct the course and represent an authoritative and yet highly contemporary Australian viewpoint. In addition, winemakers and industry commentators will be on-hand as guest tutors to discuss highlighted varietal styles, the origins of classic expressions, and new areas of winemaking interest that will undoubtedly define Australia’s future landscape.  A full list of tutors is available online.

Wine Australia is the brand under which the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, a Government organisation established to provide strategic support to the Australian wine sector, delivers its international marketing programme.

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