Finch’s Line Hunter Valley Shiraz and Findwine: two great new discoveries

Usually, I’m oblivious about major sporting fixtures but I do know that today sees the start of The Ashes.  So I fully anticipate that, as the games have commenced, my Twitter home page @sarahwine will be deluged with England/Australia cricket scores, not wine scores, as this biennial rivalry takes hold.

I’m not one to participate, but David Gleave MW made me laugh when I attended Australian specialist Liberty Wines’ annual portfolio tasting at The Oval cricket ground a few years back.  The Oval was emblazoned with banners celebrating “where England won The Ashes,” prompting me to ask Gleave if the venue had gone down well with his Australian producers.  With a mischievous smile, Gleave retorted he’d told them to turn left out of the tube and “follow the sweet smell of success!” 

No doubt ex-professional cricketer turned winemaker Miles Corish will be among those glued to the set during the series.  Last week, I tasted Corish’s impressive Finch’s Line Hunter Valley Shiraz at a tasting of Findwine’s classy Australian portfolio (see my blog about their extensive range of Wendouree wines here).  Turns out Corish currently makes his wine at Chateau Pato whose young winemaker, Nick Paterson, I met when I spent a few days in the Hunter last month.  Corish told me the pair have a quid pro quo arrangement that sees him work as Paterson’s assistant winemaker when he’s in the Valley in exchange for Paterson “babysitting” Finch’s Line when he’s not.

I’ll be writing up my Hunter Valley regional report later, including notes on Paterson’s very own Chateau Pato Shiraz Old Polkobin 2007.  It’ll be a meaty one, so I want to do it justice.  For now, suffice to say Corish was delighted when I said I’d been blown away by a new generation of brett-free, gloriously medium bodied Hunter Valley Shiraz given, he says, “the huge effort that the valley has made in terms of ‘cleaning’ up our red wines.”  His is another great example:

Finch’s Line Shiraz 2007 (Hunter Valley) – three (stainless steel) barrels of this wine received extended skin contact for 3 weeks and this shows great intensity, layer and texture.  Long and persistent with lovely lifted fruit (liquorice) spice.  Very good.  £19 at Find Wine

Although Corish describes Finch’s Line as “embryonic at this stage and its size, very much limited to my personal finance,” he hopes one day to expand.  Personally, I’d like to see more Hunter Valley wines in the UK, not just because it’s Shiraz and Semillon are chock full of character Australian classics but also because, with a new generation of winemakers, there’s plenty to excite.