By Rob Pickard
Its been a sweaty one here in London over the last week, with some seriously humid weather. Spare a thought for all the poor commuters stuck on the underground in searing temperatures…no wonder London is a ghost town in August as half the city disappears. Well for all of us that are still here, this hot, sticky weather calls for a certain kind of wine, a wine to combat the heat, offering a refreshing end to the day.
It has obviously got to be white, packed full of citrus fruits, without any oak and served really cold…number one choice has got to be a good Riesling. Although I’m big fan of the Riesling’s of Germany and Alsace, for the hot humid weather you’ve got to go with the bone dry, limey juice of the New World.
Today’s wine of the week, Howard Park Riesling 2010, is the ideal choice for such a time of year. Grown in some of the highest vineyards in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, this cracking Riesling offers awesome lime fruit, partnered with that flint and slate minerality which characterises the best Aussie Riesling.
Not as much of a household name as its distant neighbours of Southern Australia, in the Clare and Eden Valleys, Great Southern Riesling can really hold its own, and is both excellent young and following a few years in the cellar. Tucked away in the south-western corner of Australia, the Great Southern is the country’s coolest region, and is blessed with the winemakers favourite of warm days, with long hours of sunshine, and cool nights. Ideal for varietes such as Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Consistently rated as one of Australia’s best Rieslings, there is no question of quality here. Howard Park are known for finding the best terroir in Western Australia, using a variation of soils and climates to get the very best from each varietal, creating a stunning expression of the grape in question.
A few reviews in the press are also in agreement, with this month’s Decanter Panel Tasting calling the wine “Attractive to drink with a lovely natural acidity and a long, moreish finish”, awarding the wine 4 stars. While Australia’s James Halliday awarded the wine 95 points in his Wine Companion 2012, describing it as having “a flowery bouquet with hints of orange blossom, followed by utterly seductive juicy fruit palate” with “minerally acidity on the finish and aftertaste tying all the components together.”
Perfect summer drinking from the masters of dry, limey, mineral Riesling!
Tags: Australian wine, Howard Park, Riesling
Howard Park Riesling 2010
Blue-Gold Medal – Rutherglen Wine Show 2010
Best 2010 Vintage Dry White Table Wine – 2010 Perth Royal Wine Show
Best West Australia White Table Wine – 2010 Perth Royal Wine Show
Gold Medal – Qantas Mount Barker Wine Show 2010
The Howard Park Riesling is listed as Australia’s 4th most collected Riesling from a survey conducted by Wine Ark out of 3 million bottles of wine in cellars across the country. Also listed among some of the world’s finest wines as one of the ‘1001 Wines You Must Try Before You Die’ as selected by a panel of 44 contributors, stated as having received ‘benchmark status…a serious challenger to the supremacy of Clare and Eden Valley Riesling’.
More details on this wine available here : http://www.howardparkwines.com.au/products/icon-wines/2010-howard-park-riesling.aspx
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