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Brown Brothers enters Wine Innovation 2010
d=”standfirst”>Brown Brothers has entered the drinks business Wine Innovation awards for the second year running.
The Australian winery won a silver medal last year for its Zibibbo low alcohol sparkling wine and is entering a raft of similarly original wines in 2010.
Brown Brothers was founded by John Francis Brown in 1889 and is still owned and run by the Brown family today.
The Australian winery produces the largest varietal range in Australia and arguably the world.
It prides itself on wine innovation and is renowned for its Kindergarten Winery – a mini-winery designed as a research and development winemaking facility.
The Kindergarten Winery was opened in 1989 adjacent to the main winery at Milawa. It is so called because like a real kindergarten, this mini-winery was designed to nurture small things with great potential.
The winery is dedicated to assessing new winemaking techniques, reassessing traditional methods, exploring new vineyard sites, wine styles and varieties, and feeding back information to the company’s viticulture and marketing teams.
Many of these experimental wines have now become widely available – such as Dolcetto, Moscato and Tarrango.
“If the team doesn’t completely ruin at least one sizeable batch of wine each vintage, we’re not trying hard enough to broaden our horizons in the way we make wine,” said John Graham Brown.
This year Brown Brothers is entering the following wines into the Wine Innovation awards:
Cienna Rosso NV
This is the only sparkling Cienna in the world and its release follows on from the great success Brown Brothers has had with its frizzante Cienna. This full sparkling wine is lower in alcohol (7.5% ABV).
Cienna is a grape variety bred by the CSIRO Plant Industry by crossing Sumoll, a grape variety from Spain with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sumoll has its origins in the Catalonia region of Spain and is highly suitable for the type of warm, dry growing condition found in many of Australia’s grape growing regions.
Crouchen Riesling Rosé 2009
Crouchen Riesling has been a stalwart in Australia since the early 1970’s and Brown Brothers’ first release of a Crouchen Riesling Rosé is an exciting extension to the range.
Thanks to the addition of a small amount of Cienna to the classic Crouchen Riesling blend, this wine has a vibrant salmon pink colour.
Crouchen is a white grape variety that originated in the western Pyrenees of France but, due to growing difficulties in the region, is no longer planted in any quantity. However, it can now be found in parts of South Africa and Australia where it is a vigorous variety, producing a wine of flavour and body with hints of ripe melon and a delicate finish.
Crouchen Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Brown Brothers’ first Crouchen Sauvignon Blanc brings a new twist to this long time favourite. This wine has a bright straw colour with youthful green tinges and lifted aromas of asparagus and green pepper (courtesy of the Sauvignon Blanc) and passionfruit and ripe pear from the Crouchen.
Last year’s entries included:
Zibibbo NV
Made using a winemaking technique that is new to Brown Brothers. It relies on the natural grape sugar to produce the secondary ferment resulting in a low alcohol sparkling wine with natural grape residual sugar. No cane sugar is used in this vinification.
Zibibbo Rosa NV
Vinified in a similar way to Zibibbo but incorporating some Cienna – an innovative grape variety developed by the CSIRO in Australia – to achieve a pale pink colour that also adds some strawberry aromas and flavours.
Moscato Rosa 2008
Frizzante style wine that is an extension of the low alcohol Moscato product. This wine incorporates some Cienna – an innovative grape variety developed by the CSIRO in Australia – to achieve a pale pink colour and a slightly drier finish with natural grape sugar used to achieve the residual sweetness.
Pinot Grigio Rose 2008
The Pinot Grigio grapes used to make this wine were largely grown in the upper reaches of the King Valley, however some fruit was sourced from other regions in Victoria. A small amount of Cienna was added to give the fantastic strawberry colour. The Brown Family was one of the first Australian wine producers to embrace the variety.
For more information or to enter the Wine Innovation Awards 2010 please visit www.wineinnovation.co.uk
db, 11.03.10