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Tastings

Huon Hooke
Huon Hooke

Mandatory reading for oenologists: <em>Making Good Wine</em> by Bryce Rankine.
Mandatory reading for oenologists: Making Good Wine by Bryce Rankine.Supplied

Vale Bryce Rankine

Wine scientist Dr Bryce Rankine has died in Adelaide. He was 87. Rankine was principal research scientist for more than 20 years at the Australian Wine Research Institute, which he helped establish. He was dean of oenology and viticulture at Roseworthy Agricultural College (now part of the University of Adelaide) until he retired in 1986. His book, Making Good Wine, is considered mandatory reading for wine students.

Sweet smell of success

Never smelt a tank of fermenting red wine? Your life has been lacking something. Having just returned from Henschke, where I sniffed the intoxicating fragrance of fermenting Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone shiraz, I'm feeling re-energised for being reacquainted with this wonderful smell. You can see pinot noir being made at what's claimed to be Sydney's first pop-up winery, at the Bellevue Hill Bottle Shop, from March 20. Adelaide Hills-based winemaker Tom Munro joins Canberra winemaker Frank van de Loo of Mount Majura winery to make a vat of his Canberra pinot at the shop, at 100A Bellevue Road, Bellevue Hill. Munro is billing it as additive-free ''post-industrial winemaking'', where the supply chain is as short as it can be, the wine being fermented at the point of sale.

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Trophies for Centennial

Southern highlands winery Centennial Vineyards performed strongly at the Dan Murphy's 2013 Australian Highlands Wine Show. It won trophies for its 2011 Reserve Orange Shiraz Viognier (best shiraz and best red wine) and 2010 Woodside Winery Block Chardonnay (best chardonnay). Centennial's two 2011 pinot noirs - Woodside and Reserve Orange - won gold medals, while its three non-vintage sparkling wines won two bronzes and a silver (a very fine blanc de blancs). The 2011 shiraz viognier was runner-up to the top wine of show, the 2006 Tertini Crossroads Riesling. I was a judge at the show.

Awesome Angullong

Orange vineyard Angullong was the quiet achiever at the Australian Highlands show. Its 2012 Noble Riesling was best sweet white wine; its 2011 Fossil Hill trio of red varietals all did well - a gold medal going to the tempranillo with bronzes to barbera and sangiovese; its 2012 sauvignon blanc won silver; and its grapes were in three other awarded wines, including Centennial's shiraz viognier.

Huon HookeHuon Hooke is a wine writer.

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