A contemporary taste and look for Jim Barry Lavender Hill Sweet Riesling

To celebrate the launch of the 2010 Lavender Hill Sweet Riesling, Peter Barry and his family hosted a twelve course degustation lunch at Neil Perry's Spice Temple in Sydney on Friday the 25th of March. Sixty guests from mixed media and the trade enjoyed twelve delicious Asian courses, perfectly matched with Jim Barry Wines Rieslings.

With the release of the 2010 vintage, Jim Barry Wines has repositioned and repackaged its Lavender Hill Sweet Riesling to bring it more into line with contemporary Australian consumer desires.

“Previously, our Lavender Hill carried nearly 35 grams per litre of residual sweetness,” said the Clare Valley family company’s managing director, Peter Barry.

“It was very popular but more recently we’ve noticed that drinkers are looking for something that’s not quite as sweet and shows more of the zippy raciness that our dry riesling styles are so famous for.

“In this wine we’ve reduced the residual sweetness to 22 grams per litre, and also reduced the pH from about 3.3 to 3.0 — which has provided quite a significant boost to the wine’s aroma and its freshness on the palate.”

Peter Barry regards the 2010 vintage as one of best ever for riesling in the Clare Valley, with mild-to-cool ripening conditions allowing slow development of quintessential varietal flavours in the fruit.

“Our winemakers have captured these flavours in the glass and you only have to sniff one of our 2010 rieslings to appreciate how special and exciting the vintage has been,” said Peter.

When they were selecting ferments for the 2010 Lavender Hill, Peter and his winemaking team looked for high levels of flavour, crisp natural acidity and for lower alcohol levels that would make the resultant wine ideally suited to Australia’s alfresco lifestyle.

Peter sees the wine as the perfect partner for many Asian dishes and also as a refreshing aperitif:

“Pale straw yellow with green hints in colour, this wine has lifted aromas of fresh honeydew melon, poached pear and lemon curd, while the succulent palate presents a vast array of fruit characters — poached pear, lychee and guava — with hints of wet slate.

“A welcoming, yet reserved, natural sweetness is finely balanced with some lingering mineral acidity.”