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Crime report July 2015

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July Crime Report By Catherine Moore

Bribie Island Police were busy this July with a series of search warrants for dangerous drugs including amphetamine and cannabis as well as stolen goods.  The raids came as a response to information received from the local community in concern to drug-related crimes. Officers were assisted by police from the drug dog unit. Nine people have been charged this month in relation to those warrants.

Bribie Island Police also led extensive traffic operations to address continued worries about vehicles speeding, particularly in Bellara and Bongaree. Over 716 drivers were breath tested and 66 infringement notices were issued mainly for speeding. Patrols of the Main Beach were conducted by local police and QLD Parks and Wildlife Service as well as boat ramp patrols. Three people were fined.

Senior Sergeant David Crawford- Raby said police will continue to patrol the boat ramps. “I would encourage all boaties to have the appropriate safety equipment onboard before setting out for the day,” Senior Sergeant Crawford-Raby said. July’s charge list for Bribie Island below:

A 20 year old Banyo man was charged with drink driving at White Patch.

A 40 year old Bongaree woman was charged with drink driving at Sandstone Point.

A 41 year old Bongaree man was charged with Public Nuisance at Bongaree.

An 18 year old Banksia Beach man was charged at Banksia Beach with breaching bail.

A 27 year old Sandstone Point man was charged with drink driving at Sandstone Point.

A 17 year old Ningi man was charged at Ningi with unlicensed driving.

18 year old Caboolture man charged with unlicensed driving at Bongaree.

35 year old Woorim man charged with drink driving at Woorim. Alleged reading .122%

46 year old Bellara man was charged with possess dangerous drugs and drug utensils after a search warrant was executed at Bellara.

50 year old Redcliffe man charged unlicensed driving at Bongaree.

35 year old Bellara man charged possess dangerous drugs and drug utensils after a search was executed at Bellara.

A 28 year old Ningi woman charged possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils after a search warrant was executed at Ningi.

A 42 year old Nambour man was also charged with possessing drug utensils, assault and breach of bail.

A 19 year old Bongaree man was charged with driving unregistered and uninsured at Sandstone Point.

A 51 year old Sandstone Point man was charged with breach of bail at Bellara.

A 24 year old Godwin Beach man was charged with Public Urination at Sandstone Point.

A 44 year old Banksia Beach man was charged with unlicensed driving at Banksia Beach.

An 18 year old Banksia Beach man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils after a vehicle was stopped and searched at Bongaree.

An 18 year old Kingaroy man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs at Bongaree after a search warrant was executed.

A 52 year old Bellara man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Bellara after a search warrant was executed.

A 31 year old Bellara man and a 24 year old Bongaree woman were charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils after a search warrant was executed at Bellara.

A 22 year old Nambour man was charged with possessing a knife in public, consuming liquor in public and un-authorised lighting a fire at Sandstone Point.

A 48 year old Banksia Beach man was drug diverted after being found in possession of dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Banksia Beach after a search warrant was executed.

A 24 year old Bongaree man was charged with failing to leave licensed premises at the Sandstone Point Hotel.

A 26 year old Bray Park man was charged with disqualified driving at Ningi.

A 49 year old Bellara man was arrested on warrant.

A 27 year old Bellara man and a 27 year old Kallangur woman were both charged with possessing dangerous drugs after a search warrant was executed at Bellara.

A 24 year old Bellara man charged with breach of bail at Bellara.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

For all non-urgent police reporting or general police inquiries contact Policelink on 131 444 or Policelink.qld. gov.au 24hrs a day. The information referenced in this article is available to the public from http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/moreton/

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Wines – New Grape Varieties

Tags: Wines. White. Red. Wine. Grape Varieties.

The Bribie Winelander

Remember when you first tried that Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand? It was probably at a friends, at a barbecue, or maybe even a dinner party. You didn’t think you would ever like a dry white wine but the fruitiness of this new wine was something different and you now enjoy it regularly.

But you may have noticed all these strange new names appearing on the shelves and would like to try one, however, what if you don’t enjoy it will you be wasting your hard earned cash? Below I have tried to give some insight into these new grape varieties as the wines can’t talk for themselves on the shelf, as one winery recently reported the largest selling wine at his cellar door, where the consumer gets to try before buying, is his new Gewurztraminer, but if you saw this on the shelf would you feel confident in buying it?

White wines

Riesling

I have included this even though it has been around forever. Forget the awful stuff that was around in 4-litre casks, enjoy the freshness of citrus aromas, perfect with oysters and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Australia makes fantastic Rieslings from The Clare Valley, The Eden Valley and The Great Southern District of Western Australia.

Gewurztraminer

This wine usually has spicy perfumed aromas and is a crisp fruity dry white wine. If you are looking for a wine that goes well with Asian food this could be the answer. Vermentino Again Citrus aromas, more perfumed but a light delicate flavour, very good with firm white fish such as Snapper. Fiano Aromatic stonefruit nose, fresh and crisp in the mouth.

Viognier

Often blended with Shiraz to soften the red wine Viognier is actually a white wine grape. As a stand-alone white wine it often has big ripe tropical aromas with hints of peaches and has an interesting dry fruity palate. Roussanne Usually has hints of green apples and has a crisp mouthfeel.

Pinot Gris/Grigio

Nashi pear aromas with a sweeter pear-like finish. Can produce soft, gently perfumed wines with more substance and colour than most white wines.

Red Wines

Nero D’Avola

Fragrances of fresh red fruits and a creamy palate often with a complexity of tobacco. Fruit and spicy flavours supported by silky soft tannins.

Tempranillo

Delicate spicy floral characters and plums with soft and generous mouthfeel. Usually cellars well and can be quite a powerful wine. Perfect for Australian growing conditions.

Tannat

This wine can be deep purple to black in colour with dark berry aromas. Can have grippy tannins, which will keep for years. A throwback to our reds of yesteryear.

Aglianico

Intense aromas of plums vanilla and herbs, spicy/ leathery notes

Barbera

Nutty/cassis nose with generous flavour and soft tannins.

Sangiovese

The backbone of the Tuscan wine industry is the variety of Chianti. Should make for a very good wine with character.

Mourvedre

Long ageing, also known as Mataro (just to confuse everyone) often blended with other grape varieties in Australia

Malbec

The most important grape variety of Argentina performs there like Shiraz does here and is priced in the same way. There are some very good inexpensive brands and experimenting is the way to go. When matching food and wine the only thing that matters is whether you enjoy it, however as a rule of thumb white wines that have had no oak maturation such as Sauvignon Blanc better suit more delicate fish or poached chicken, whilst barrel fermented white wines such as Chardonnay suit more oily fish such as Tuna and some mature cheeses.

With red wines, there are more tannins extracted from the oak barrels and the seeds when the grapes are crushed and these overpower delicate fish courses and therefore are more suitable to drink with red meat. The bigger the wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo go better with a good steak whilst a bolognese should be enjoyed with your favourite everyday drinking red and use it in the sauce as well.

Organic Wines have been around for some years, I sold a brand called Glenara in the mid-nineties without much success in those days even though they won many awards at wine shows. As there has been a huge increase recently in the availability of organic produce especially fruit and vegetables organically grown wine grapes have suddenly started to find popularity.

Organically produced wines are wines that have been grown in soils that are so healthy they don’t need to be bombarded with artificial pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers in other words with minimal intervention from artificial ingredients, as grapes were grown for hundreds of years before technology lent a hand.

However, to become organic the producers have to be certified and this can take some time because of the paperwork associated with it and it can take three years to convert to an organic vineyard and during this period cannot be considered organic. However recently the government announced the removal of the 12-month pre-certification period and the time can now be reduced to as little as 12 months providing the producer can prove they have been following organic practices over a number of years.

Should you wish to try any organic wines look for wines from Tamburlaine, Bassham, Angove’s, O’Leary Walker and Temple Brewer, they are usually displayed in a separate area in the store, some wines show preservative free on the label and these wines should be drunk fairly young as they do not develop well.

Any questions? [email protected]

Cheers Philip Arlidge

Lily Bollinger was asked “when do you drink Champagne?” and replied: I drink Champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad, Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone, When I have company I consider it obligatory, I trifle with it when I am not hungry, and drink it when I am, Otherwise I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty. And from Napoleon In victory you deserve Champagne, in defeat you need it!

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History – Bribie Island – Bongaree

Tags: History. Bribie island. Bongaree. Queensland. Australia

Take a Walking Tour Through Historic Bongaree

1. Record Rainfall. The greatest daily rainfall officially recorded anywhere in Australia fell near Pumicestone Passage on 3rd February 1893. After 3 weeks of continuous rain, a record total of 907mm was recorded at Beerwah by Inigo Jones, in this one 24 hour period.

2. South Esplanade. From the 1920s many large guest houses operated along here. Proprietors met the “excursion ships” and carried guests’ luggage over creeks and sand tracks, offering the attraction of speciality food and entertainment.

3. Campbell’s Store. In the 1890s Joe Campbell was an oysterman in the Passage. In the 1930s his son, Reg had a General Store & Boat Shed by this creek, when it was much larger and used as a boat harbour by campers and dugong fishermen.

4. Camping Grounds. In the 1920s there were few shops, no services, and less than 100 permanent residents. Many thousands came every week by ship from Brisbane and pitched their tents here to enjoy cheap and healthy holidays.

5. Bribie Island Heritage. “Bribie Island is one of the meanest pieces of country in Australia . . . a howling desert of tea-tree swamps rank aquatic vegetation and unimaginable cussedness”. Archibald Meston (1891) – Explorer, Author and Politician.

6. Ian Fairweather. After a lifetime of travel and adventure, in 1953 at the age of 62, this world-famous artist came to live in isolation in a grass hut inland from here. He created some of his finest paintings in this hut over the next 21 years until his death in 1974.

7. First Shop. A.H. “Artie” Bestmann kept bees and dairy cattle here from 1903. Alfred Hall, a Brisbane grocer, built a house next door in 1913 and together they provided basic goods to visitors from a spare room. In 1921 they built the “Hall and Bestmann Store: on this corner.

8. Bribie Island Heritage. “It might not be too much to claim, Pumicestone Passage and Bribie Island contain more history, written and unwritten, than any other place in Queensland”. Stan Tutt (1981) – Sunshine Coast Historian.

9. First Avenue. Originally named Campbell Rd., for the Director of the Tug Company who had the road built from Bongaree to Woorim in 1923. It was planned to be a four-lane road and steam tramway but this did not eventuate although initially, it was a toll road.

10. Fishing Records. “Bribie Jetty and its environs must be the most remarkable fishing place in Australia. More black groper have been caught here than any other spot in Australia. A man known as the “Groper King” caught many over 500 lbs”. Ted Shields (1947) – Fisherman and Barge Owner.

11. Welsby Parade. This road named for Thomas Welsby, Brisbane historian, sportsman and author, who in 1937 at the age of 80, wrote the book “Bribie the Basket Maker” and thus created a legend about the Island and its name.

12. Bribie Island Wartime. Bribie Island and Toorbul Point (now Sandstone Point) were major training based for Navy and Army Forces during World War 2. Many military structures are still visible along the Ocean Beach and a small arms store can be seen across the road.

13. First Car. In 1918 A.H. “Artie” Bestmann drove the first car, a 1914 Talbot, to Bongaree, with a young Ian Hall as his passenger. They did the 2-day drive from Brisbane along beach and bush tracks, and then by barge from Godwin Beach across the Passage.

14. Shirley Creek. Bill Shirley built the first road from the Jetty to Ocean Beach in 1923. He ran a bus service and a guest house and became Bribie’s First Councillor. A Wooden Bridge replaced a single plank walkway here in 1935 as his first council works.

15. Castaway Convicts. In 1823 three Sydney convicts in a small boat were caught in a huge storm which dumped them close to death on Moreton Island. They walked around Moreton Bay, thinking Sydney was nearby and were the first white men to live on Bribie Island, being there for many months before recapture.

16. Fish Cannery. A fish canning factory operated near here from 1910 to 1914 owned by Mrs Sarah “Mum” Balls. She also had many hotels and refreshment rooms in Queensland and in 1929 built “Santa Barbara”, one of Brisbane’s grandest homes.

https://sites.google.com/site/bribiehistoricalsociety/ Bribie Island Historical Society Inc. – Heritage Plaques – Information Leaflet 2014

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History – Adventurer and Traveller Ian Fairweather

Tags: History. Adventurer. Famous people. Historical people. Traveller. World Famous. Artist.

Ian Fairweather – Historical people.

After a lifetime of travel and adventure, in 1953 at the age of 62, this world-famous artist came to live in isolation in a grass hut inland from here. He created some of his finest paintings in this hut over the next 21 years until his death in 1974. Soon after his birth in Scotland in 1891, Ian Fairweather’s military family departed for India leaving him in the care of relatives.

Featured Image(above): Ian Fairweather.

He did not see them again for 8 years. This may have set the pattern set for his solitary, independent, questing life, often spent in extreme poverty but always exploring his extraordinary artistic abilities. He spent his last 21 years on Bribie Island in peace and creativity.

Ian Fairweather outside his grass hut.

Ian Fairweather Fairweather’s Search for Inner Peace

After World War 1, during which he was captured and escaped more than once, he attended the Slade School of Art. He travelled extensively and went to China, learnt the language and translated Chinese works. After living and painting in Shanghai he travelled on to Bali where he found art and culture were as one. He eventually reached Melbourne in 1934 but found the art scene there disappointing.

Ian at work in his hut, early 1950’s.

He was in India during World War 2, and once again served in the British Army and afterwards returned to Australia.and lived in a boat hull in Darwin. From Darwin, he made an amazing, tortuous and largely inexplicable voyage, in which he nearly lost his life while attempting to reach Indonesia in a leaky, home-made raft.

His raft adventure seemed to be some sort of catalyst. Sent back to England, he eventually returned to Australia, constantly searching for the appropriate solitude for his creative genius. In 1953, at the age of 62, he finally discovered peace on Bribie Island and remained here until his death in 1974.

Ian Fairweather’s Life on Bribie Island

On Bribie Island, Ian Fairweather settled in a grass hut in the bush, lit only by hurricane lamps and sharing his meagre rations with the local wildlife. Using very basic paints and canvas, or cardboard from the local tip, he created many hundreds of wonderful paintings… the fame of which did not seem to interest him. He sent his works away to be sold to dealers, art galleries and collectors around the world. These were always much sought after, but Fairweather was happy to just enjoy his creative isolation, drawing upon the rich experiences of his life.

By the 1960’s his creative genius was being recognized around the world, and it became more difficult for him to maintain his creative solitude. His fame and potential fortune had little impact on him or the residents of Bribie Island who observed glimpses of this enigmatic character, as he went about his simple life among them.

His inner feelings are reflected in his famous statement: “There may be better places than the sunset strip of Bribie Island… but it’s good enough for me.” The Council became increasingly concerned about his health and living conditions and to improve this they built him a small fibro house next to the grass hut.

Using very basic paints and canvas, or cardboard from the local tip, Ian created many
hundreds of wonderful paintings.

He was always more comfortable in the grass hut but used the house to store paintings and materials. After his death, the council burned his grass hut, and the small house was relocated into the garden of Coungeau House, Banya Street.

A stone memorial marks the site of his hut in Ian Fairweather Park on the corner of First Avenue and Hunter Street

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Bribie Island Fishing Report July 2015

Tags: Bribie Island fishing report. Fishing Spots. Tide Times

Fishing BRIBIE

This is Trevor reporting from the Tackle in at Bellara. Well, the weather is here and the fish are here! Large flathead has been caught both sides of the bridge, in the shallows and the swamp.

Winter whiting, were getting good backs of those. Good brim, we had a huge size of bream, we had one in the other day that weighed 2.2kg a huge fish, but everyone has been happy there seems to be fish right through the passage and particularly off the banks.

Crabs, a non-event at this point in time as some of you may realise, but scale fish by the plenty. Call into us at Bellara and we’ll tell you more about it. But as for the amateur fisherman, don’t hesitate to get out there as there’s plenty of bream, flat head and winter whiting available from the shores.

Keep an eye out though as Des Hayes went to get his tinnie to get back onto his boat and it was missing, stolen from the side of the VRM ramp. The guys at the VMR found it drifting and brought it back, they stole my ores, jerry can and used all the petrol.

So I got my boat and motor back looks like kids have gone for a joy ride. The VMR said there had been 4 or 5 boats drifting that morning that have come untied.

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Good luck from all at the tackle inn

Tide Times

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History – Bribie Island Aboriginal Missions

Tag: Queensland. Aboriginal history. Aboriginal settlements. Australian Aboriginal

Mission Point

The book “Mission Point” subtitled “Bribie Island Aboriginal Mission 1890-92”, tells the story of the second aboriginal mission established on Bribie Island for Moreton Bay aboriginals. However, native superstition worked strongly against the location at Bribie Island.

Featured Image(above): Private Richard Martin

Newspapers of the time described it as “adverse heredity superstition”. Why were the Moreton Bay aboriginals so scared of Bribie Island? Similar superstition did not apply to the Myora Mission on North Stradbroke Island (1892-1942) or the Cherbourg mission (established 1900). Those missions were successful and today honour their past in their own museums that are proudly open to the public.

Children from Bribie Mission awaiting transport on SS Miner to Peel Island. To stay there temporarily while buildings were being moved from Bribie to Stradbroke Island Mission and the Myora site set up.

Ron Powell is a friend and honorary life member of the North Stradbroke Island Historical Society and thanks to the society and The Cherbourg Historical Precinct Group, for their help in researching material. Included are some 50 photos including the Cherbourg Ration Shed Museum. We look briefly at the natives’ superstition and the Queensland Government appointing a great number of white people with authority to remove Aboriginal people onto and between reserves.

To take aboriginal children from parents, place them in dormitories, reserves, missions, forbid speech in their native tongue and when they turned fourteen years of age put them out to white persons as household servants or farm hands at a reduced rate of pay. The Australian constitution declared Aboriginal people were not counted in any census, denied them citizenship and all legal rights.

history queensland aboriginal settelments

Cherbourg Ration Shed Museum

Australia prohibited aborigines volunteering for the armed services throughout World War 1, a marked contrast to New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi that granted full citizenship rights to Maori people as early as 1840.

We dedicate this book to the memory of Richard Martin, who successfully joined the AIF on 17th December 1914, by falsely declaring on his attestation papers that he was born in Dunedin, New Zealand. He served at Gallipoli, Egypt, Belgium, and France until his death in action on 28 March 1918.

history queensland aboriginal settelments

The book sells for $11.95 at Bribie Nextra Newsagency and Bribie Island Arts Centre.

The Bribie Winelander – Brandy

Tags: Brandy.  Wine. Cognac. Armagnac. Riesling, Semillon, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc

The Bribie Winelander

When thinking of Brandy many consider France to be the benchmark of quality around the world with such titles as Cognac and Armagnac however here in Australia is a great tradition of Brandy making which rivals anywhere in the world.

The word Brandy comes from the Dutch brandewijn or burned wine and thirty years or so ago every large winery in Australia used to make Brandy as a by-product of wine production. As long ago as 1913 Chateau Tanunda claimed to have built the most pretentious Brandy Distillery and Winery in the Southern Hemisphere and that each season 500,000 gallons of wine was distilled for Brandy.

At this time brandy was regarded as a quasi-medicinal pick-me-up and all brandy producers produced and labelled “hospital brandy” at a relatively low retail cost and were supplied to many of Australia’s hospitals. Moving forward to today and whilst “hospital brandy” has disappeared off the shelves several large wineries continue to produce high-quality brandy even though the market has diminished considerably in recent years.

The Family Owned Wine Company Angove’s is the leader in producing high-quality Australian brandy and maintains in excess of 5,000 barrels of maturing brandy at their Renmark Winery in South Australia.

From these barrels Angove’s produce a series of styles ranging from the commercial St. Agnes 3 star style that spends a minimum of two years in barrels by Australian Law to their seven star St. Agnes X.O. that contains a proportion of 30-year-old material with a minimum age of ten years, in fact, they are probably the only winery in Australia that can produce a brandy of this style. It cannot be called Cognac or Armagnac as these are regions of France but for quality, price and presentation the St. Agnes 7 star X.O. is up there with the very best produced anywhere in the world having won the award for being the best in the world three times at European shows and have won trophies at other shows around the world.

Brandy sales were seriously affected when the government put duty on the product some years ago which adds around $20 to every bottle and unfortunately other spirits have been marketed towards the younger generation such as bourbon, vodka, rum and tequila very successfully and brandy is seen as an older persons drink, but with the resurgence in cocktails brandy could still make a comeback.

brandy

Another wine style produced by several wineries is commonly known as dessert wine which can be late harvested or “noble botrytis” wines. Late harvested wines have been left on the vines longer and develop a higher sugar content and both styles are made from white wine grapes such as Riesling, Semillon, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc. Botrytis-affected wines, on the other hand, are grapes that are exposed to a fungus, botrytis camera, which forms on the grapes in moist conditions.

If the weather stays wet it will destroy the grapes but if exposed to drier conditions the fungus reduces the water in the grape turning the grape to a raisin which produces a fine wine with concentrated sweetness, but because you cannot make a lot of wine from the withered grapes they tend to be more expensive and usually come in 375ml bottles. Although sales of dessert wines are not huge many wineries like to make them as it completes the range and also shows the skills of the winemaker.

The most famous of these wines is Chateau d’Yquem which hails from Sauternes in the Gironde region in Bordeaux in France. The wine is made from equal parts of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and the wines are known for their longevity, an 1811 vintage was scored a perfect 100 points by Robert Parker when tasted in 1996. After the oil crisis of 1973 demand fell for the wine and it was possible to buy a bottle for around 35 francs, after 1980 prices began to rise and in 2006 a vertical tasting (containing each vintage from 1860-2003) was sold by The Antique Wine Company in London for $1.5 million and in 2011 an 1811 bottle sold for $75,000 and became the most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold.

In Australia our most prestigious botrytis wine is made by De Bortoli and was first created by Darren De Bortoli in 1982, it has gone onto win over 130 trophies and 400 gold medals since then. Although being called a dessert wine I think it is best drank with blue cheese, Gorgonzola, Shropshire Blue and Stilton are perfect. Last month we showcased ports but of course, we also produce outstanding Muscats, Tokays and Sherries.

To make these wines the grapes have to ripen naturally by leaving the grapes longer on the vines for extra sweetness, however in Europe, it is legal to add grape sugar which is known as Chaptalization but not in Australia, and are then fortified with brandy. Sherry is traditionally made from Palomino grapes and classified into various styles, Fino (dry) Amontillado (sweet) and Oloroso (cream) and production utilise the dynamic method we looked at last month known as The Solera system.

Muscat and Tokay styles are made from the Red Frontignac variety and Muscadelle respectively and to make a traditional Australian Muscat or Tokay the fruit has to be picked at a much higher sugar level or baume and after picking the fruit is crushed and allowed to ferment for about 24 hours before pressing and fortifying. Australian fortified wines are made from blending from different vintages to achieve the quality required and below are some outstanding examples to look for, almost anything from Rutherglen in Victoria is worth trying. Muscat.

All Saints Estates Rutherglen Baileys of Glenrowen Morris Old Premium Rare Liqueur Muscat Cambells Merchant Prince Bullers of Rutherglen. Tokay All Saints Estates Baileys Bullers There is a family vineyard in Western Australia that is also worth seeking out and they have been making outstanding fortified wine since 1932 and that is Talijancich of the Swan Valley where growing conditions are perfect for great Muscat and Tokay.

Don’t forget for questions [email protected]

Cheers Philip Arlidge

A couple of ditties from Ovid as far back as 1 B.C. and things haven’t changed!

Wine gives courage and makes man apt for passion But on the other hand Wine prepares the heart for love unless you take too much Whilst Shakespear’s Porter in Macbeth has similar thoughts It provokes the desire but takes away the performance Is there a lesson to be learnt from these I wonder?

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History – Bribie Island Prewar

Tags: History. Bribie island. Queensland. Australia.  Prewar.

Prewar Bribie Island

‘A picture is worth a thousand words,’ may apply to the new book, ‘Prewar Bribie Island’, for it contains over 100 photos of Bribie Island taken about a century ago,” said author Warwick Outram. These pictures of when prewar Bribie’, was.

Queensland’s top island tourist resort are of interest to residents and visitors, for the book gives an indication of the number of people who travelled to Bribie, how they came, their dress, attraction to Bribie, employment, holiday options, and business opportunities.

Featured Image(top): “Koopa” in passage by W & FL Gardner.

The Bribie community is indebted to Vera Campbell (nee Huet) born in 1902 who as a young girl became interested in photography. Vera had the old type camera using expensive film that provided only about a dozen photos. When exposed the film was sent to Kodak for processing and about two weeks later came back as negatives plus black and white prints. Vera later entrusted her snapshots to Ted Clayton and it is a privilege to present these old photos with Ted’s notes plus some information written by Ted’s cousin, Alex Barnett, telling of his pre-war holidays on Bribie.

Today’s Bribie is quite different to the prewar era. Today’s people mention the “Lamington Syndrome”. Do you know what they are referring? The book gives a brief explanation. Warwick mentioned, in 1974 when told that Bribie was ‘The Cradle Site of Queensland’, he asked the Bribie Librarian for further information and was surprised when told neither Bribie Library nor other Caboolture Shire Libraries had any books regarding the history of Bribie Island.

“Doomba” in passage by Mrs Winston.

He went away, wrote some short articles about Bribie’s History, had them printed and handed them out to visiting campers and caravaners. Shortly after Bribie Librarian, Lou Young wrote ‘Information for Students’, the first book in Bribie Library relating to Local History. I continued writing articles for the Chamber of Commerce Holiday Guide, local papers and speaking at meetings about our history as people had told me.

I retired about 25 years ago, concentrated on recording Bribie anecdotal history and have now written, printed and donated some 40 books, to the Local History Section of Bribie Library plus the statutory reference libraries throughout the nation. The object is to provide schoolchildren, local residents, visitors, and researchers with fully indexed reference to information that Bribie Islanders and others have told of Bribie’s past. Ted Clayton congratulated Warwick, saying, ‘This format reaches a wide audience and brings together dates and information that gives the Campbell’s their true place as Bribie Pioneers.’

The book ‘Prewar Bribie’ is available at Nextra Newsagency and Bribie Community Arts Centre RRP $11.95

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Bribie Island Parks, how they got their names

History – The castaway convicts.

Tags: History. Bribie Island. Queensland.  Australian Convicts

The First White Men To Live On Bribie Island

From Glenys Mills. Bribie Island Historical Society Member

In 1823 three Sydney convicts in a small boat were caught in a huge storm which dumped them close to death on Moreton Island.

They walked around Moreton Bay, thinking Sydney was nearby and were the first white men to live on Bribie Island, being there for many months before rescue. The three castaways of Bribie Island were convict John Finnegan and two ticket of leave convicts, Thomas Pamphlett and Richard Parsons. These three convicts and another ticket of leave man, John Thompson, sailed south from Sydney on 21st March 1823 in an open boat to cut cedar from the Illawarra district.

A most severe storm blew them far out to sea on a northerly course. After 21 days at sea, Thompson died and was pushed overboard. After three and a half weeks at sea, on 15th April 1823, Pamphlett, Finnegan and Parsons landed on the northern end of Moreton Island naked, starving and almost dead from thirst.

Their boat was dashed to pieces and only Finnegan’s jacket, some flour, a keg, a tin pot, an axe and scissors were rescued. Castaways on Bribie Island Helped and fed by Aborigines, the weak castaways struggled down Moreton Island to Stradbroke Island, crossed Moreton Bay and landed near Cleveland.

Still thinking they were south of Sydney, the three castaways headed north and reached the mouth of a large river, later called the Brisbane River. They followed this river upstream to what is now Oxley Creek, crossed over and continued north up the coastline. Finally, in late September 1823, they crossed Pumicestone Passage and arrived at Bribie Island. Here the three castaways lived with the Joondoobarrie Aboriginal people.

They continued to travel north, searching for Sydney on trips with the tribe and Aboriginal fights between clans were witnessed by Finnegan in the north and south. Parsons travelled to a Bunya Feast held every three years in the Blackall Range. Pamphlett and Finnegan were lucky to be rescued after a few months and Parsons more than a year later. Rescue of Pamphlett and Finnegan In 1823 Governor Brisbane sent John Oxley in the “Mermaid “to find a new outpost for convict re-offenders.

On 29th November 1823, on looking through his telescope at Pumicestone Passage towards Bribie Island, he saw what appeared to be a white man among the Aborigines, calling out in halting English. This was Pamphlett. The next day Finnegan, who was returning from Kippa-Ring, was rescued at Toorbul Point (now Sandstone Point). Now the castaways found out how far north of Sydney they were.

Australian convicts history

The Brisbane River:

Oxley was told of a large river and he was accompanied by Finnegan in a boat to “discover “this river. John Uniacke wrote Pamphlett’s account of The Rescue of Thomas Pamphlett (J.Ashton 1886, copyright expired) the castaways ‘story. Later, on the voyage back to Sydney, Finnegan would add to the story and much information about Aboriginal culture was included.

Indeed, the castaways would never have survived without Aboriginal help. On 3rd December 1824, Oxley named the river he had discovered the Brisbane River, after Governor Brisbane, Governor of NSW. Little mention was made of the contribution by the three castaways.

Message in a bottle:

As Parsons whereabouts were unknown, (he was still travelling north, trying to reach Sydney), a bottle was left with an explanatory note when the “Mermaid” sailed on 6th December 1823 with Pamphlett and Finnegan back to Sydney. On his return, Parsons found the message in a bottle. However, Parsons was illiterate.

Rescue of Parsons:

Parsons was rescued by John Oxley the next year in the “Amity” on 11the September

Pamphlett Returns as a Convict:

Pamphlett reoffended and was sent to serve time at Moreton Bay (Brisbane) 1826-1833.

The Castaways after Rescue.

RICHARD PARSONS:

In Australia’s first census November 1828 Richard Parsons was living at Illawarra as a bullock team, driver 40 years old. He was granted an absolute pardon.

JOHN FINNEGAN:

He became a trusted government guide exploring the Brisbane River area and was a Moreton Bay pilot.

THOMAS PAMPHLETT:

He re-offended three years after his rescue and as a twice-convicted felon was sent to Moreton Bay (Brisbane) in 1826 for 7 years. He left Moreton Bay in April 1833. He died 1st December 1838 at Penrith, probably aged 50.

Acknowledgements. a. “Through the Eyes of Thomas Pamphlett” by Chris Pearce. 1990. (Now available as an EBook). b. “The Explorers” by J.G. Steele

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Wines – The Impact of Private Labels

Tags: Private Label wine.

Wines – The Impact of Private Labels

When it comes to enjoying your favourite wine do you care where the wine comes from or who owns the label? An area that is impacting on independent winery sales is the development of Private Labels by the major chains, this is a form of loyalty selling because if you connect with a label such as Bowlers Run or Buckle My Shoe, you have to go to a Woolworths Liquor store to buy it, Counting Sheep and Wahu labels belong to Coles Liquor Stores.

But it isn’t just at the lower end of the market you will find these private labels Baily and Baily and Crittenden and Co among others belong to Woolworths, Penola Estate and Robinsons are a couple that belongs to Coles.

Unlike the Private Labels in the grocery department Woolworths and Coles don’t display their name on the label, but on the back label if it says International Liquor Wholesalers (ILW) or Pinnacle Drinks then it belongs to Woolworths and anything with James Busby belongs to Coles. Does it matter that the prime display areas in their shops are full of their own wines or that your favourite label is now on the bottom shelf where it is harder to find, does it matter that Woolworths and Coles are estimated to control in excess of 70% of wine sales around Australia and their major aim is to encourage you to buy their own labels, only you can answer that.

In the past most of the Private Labels were made by independent wineries anyway, however, now that Woolworths own their own wineries this will obviously change and probably Coles will go down this track as well. Aldi is currently the largest seller of private labels nationally having around 60 wines including sparkling, 8 beers, 6 spirits and RTD’s, however because of the quirky licensing laws in Queensland which connects liquor store licences to hotels, and it is unlikely Aldi will ever buy a hotel here to obtain four bottle shops as Woolworths and Coles have done to buy Aldi liquor brands in Queensland you have to go online.

Astonishing figures from the Nielson Surveying Group show retailers are driving this growth through three tactics, premiumisation, price promotion, and innovation and these labels will likely account for a quarter of all grocery sales within the next five years which probably be the same with wine.

impact of private label wines

It is also surprising that almost all households in Australia and New Zealand have purchased some form of Private Label grocery or liquor product over the last twelve months! But loyalty will come at a cost, with the market not increasing it will also be the death knell of many old favourites as wineries will not be able to afford to make them at a competitive price and the chains probably won’t carry them anyway.

Another trick the chains use is to go to a particular winery and offer to buy the whole stock of a particular wine if they can have the product exclusively, initially this seems like a great opportunity for the winery unless at some time in the future they may decide to drop it. The Wine Industry in Australia is going through fairly turbulent times with pressure coming from all sides.

Australian white wine sales have been hard hit by the continued growth of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and have resulted in wineries turning to different grape varieties in an attempt to persuade drinkers to remain loyal to their brand. Varieties such as Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Vermentino, Aglianico, Albarino, Verdejo, and Fiano are just some of the names I have noticed recently, and as the market isn’t growing one has to presume these are eating into proven classics we have made well for years such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Verdelho, Semillon and even homegrown Sauvignon Blanc.

Is this just a knee-jerk reaction to The Sauvignonisation of our market or a genuine attempt to find the elusive answer to the problem because although I find New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs quite pleasant, especially a chilled glass on a warm summer afternoon to me there is an awful lot of same about them.

I have recently tried a Vermentino, a Pinot Gris and a Fiano and in my opinion, they are not a match on a Clare Valley Riesling, A Hunter Valley Semillon, Hunter Valley Verdelho, Margaret River Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend or Margaret River Chardonnay especially if enjoying with food.

At the moment I think at cellar door it provides an interesting opportunity for winemakers to chat with clients about something different but on the liquor store shelves where the products basically have to talk for themselves I think it makes for a lot of confusion and as from experience most wine drinkers who have to part company with their hard earned cash are rarely likely to experiment.

impact of private label wines

The problem is not so severe with red wines as nothing has made such an impact on this market and is unlikely to do so as I believe red wine drinkers are more selective and experimental with their wine drinking habits. While Shiraz still dominates and Cabernet Sauvignon follows look out for these Australian newcomers such as Dolcetto, Tempranillo and Barbera for a change. Names like Grenache, Mataro, Durif and Mourvedre have actually been around for years and have produced some classic table wines and fortified wines. Whilst on fortified wines Australia produces outstanding premium ports, sherries, muscats and tokays although nowadays we can’t use some of these names on the label due to their European connection.

Briefly, we can thank the English for the development of port as it didn’t exist until late in the 17th century. When war broke out between The English and French in 1689 the tap was turned off on the supply of wine so they turned to The Douro region of Portugal as a new wine supplier. The problem was getting the wine to England in decent condition to drink so brandy was added which increased the alcohol level acting as a preservative but it also made the wine a bit sweeter.

The English developed a taste for the new style of wine and Port was born, remember it much easier to make drinkable port than it is drinkable table wine. Port comes in several styles:

Vintage –

In Australia, this is the least popular, in fact very few wineries now make it, but in Europe is the pinnacle of port production, in fact finding vintage ports on our shelves can be difficult but when you do the rewards can be great. Unlike premium tawny’s the winery blends the best of their wines and bottle them after just two years in the cask.

The port then develops in the bottle, which can take place over many years, if you can find a ten year old vintage port snap it up but remember once you remove the cork or unseal it, it should be drunk straight away as it will deteriorate very quickly.

Premium Tawny –

These wines are matured by the winery in what is known as a solera system which is where barrels are stored on top of each other in different vintages the oldest being at the bottom. Each year wine is taken from the various vintages to produce the port, some of the very expensive ports such as Penfolds Grandfather can contain a small proportion of wine that is over 50 years old! Also these wines will not improve in the bottle.

Commercial Tawny –

Even these can have a small proportion of port with some age such as Penfolds Club which has a wine that is aged up to 5 years. However the really cheap ports are just cheap wine that has been fortified with distilled spirit. We shall look at other fortified wines next month.

This month’s suggestions.

  • Penfolds Club Tyrrells Special Aged Tawny
  • Dutschke Old Codger Tawny
  • Bleasedale The Wise One Tawny
  • Premium Tawny
  • Saltram Mr Pickwick
  • Seppeltsfield Para Grand Penfolds
  • Grandfather Tawny
  • Cheers Philip Arlidge

An anecdote from the 19th century updated. A prominent wine taster suffered a fractured skull when his car overturned. He was carried unconscious to a nearby house where a doctor lived and as he had no antiseptic at home began to clean the wine tasters wound with some old wine from his wine cabinet, some of which trickled down to the wine tasters lips.

The wine taster suddenly blinked and opened his mouth and everyone bent forward to hear his last words. Weakly and through the death rattle in his throat he whispered “Grange Hermitage 1974”

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Starting your own wine business in Australia

Tags: Starting a wine business. Wineries. Winery.

The Bribie Winelander

Some years ago when I lived in Perth I decided to have a go and set up my own wine wholesaling business and set off to South Australia in search of some agencies. In the mid-1990’s it was unusual for individuals to go down this track as the larger companies had so much of the market, but in those days Dan Murphy’s and First Choice Estate didn’t exist, and the market was basically serviced by independent retailers.

I chose South Australia because of the number of wineries that existed and the quality of the wines which were at that time the best in the country, Western Australian wines were very good but also very expensive and the local wine drinkers tended to buy from outside the State.

I found some interesting products that I could see opportunities for, Stanley Bros. from The Barossa, Scarpantoni, Richard Hamilton and Woodstock from Mclaren Vale. However one meeting was unusual, to say the least, I stumbled on a large acreage of the vineyard which was being serviced by nothing more than a bungalow and a tin shed, the name on the side was Tinlins which I had never heard of.

I looked in at the house and met two gentlemen Warren Ward and Warren Randall whose names seemed familiar, it turned out they both had been working with Andrew Garrett Wines, winemaker Randall being highly regarded as one of Australia’s best, and left the company together to purchase the Tinlins winery.

The winery had a shed as the cellar door, a very important shed as this is where the public turned up from all over Adelaide and the suburbs in their droves armed with their plastic containers of all sizes looking for refills of red or white wines, with cash in hand. The bulk wines Tinlins produced were also bought by other wineries, Tinlins never sold any wine produced under its own label, and from this humble beginning has now become the largest supplier of high-end bulk wine in Australia.

The cash flow from this winery also provided these two entrepreneurs with enough capital to buy other vineyards and produce premium wines and for a couple of years, I sold their wines in Western Australia. Move forward twenty years and Warren Randall has now purchased the iconic Seppeltsfield winery in The Barossa Valley and more recently Bridgewater Mill the former property of Petaluma.

When I visited Seppeltsfield in late 1980’s one couldn’t help but to be impressed by its history, the vineyard was built on the side of a hill so the grapes could be offloaded at the top and by using gravity the crushed juice would wend its way down to the bottom finishing up as wine. Over in one of the sheds stood the copper still for making brandy, in another shed all the barrels for the famous Seppeltsfield ports and sherries and a room with the names of all the Seppelt family members stencilled on barrels, the atmosphere was electric.

Unfortunately, the owners of Seppelt, Fosters, weren’t interested in historical monuments so the winery slipped into decay. Randall buoyed by the success of Tinlins bought Seppeltsfield in 2009 and set about rebuilding this magnificent piece of Australian wine history and today Warren controls the largest A grade winery in Australia, not bad for a lad who started as a cellar hand at Wynn’s Reynella winery in 1977.

start a wine business Australia

When visiting the Barossa a visit to Seppeltsfield is a must especially with the restaurant Fino at Seppeltsfield forming part of the $3 million dollar restoration programme and is opened daily for lunch and on Friday and Saturday for dinner. According to Dan Murphy’s head wine buyer, the next big thing in wine styles is predicted to be Prosecco which is a sparkling wine originating from an area in Italy on the doorsteps of Venice.

Because Prosecco is the name of the region and the name of the local town it would be natural to think the name could not be used outside the region in the same way as Champagne, however, the grape variety is also called Prosecco which allows the name to be used in other countries.

In an effort to stop the name being used the grape variety was renamed Glera, however outside Europe the name of choice will still be Prosecco much to the annoyance of The Italian producers. The method of production is The Charmat method where the secondary fermentation occurs in large stainless steel tanks, a similar method to most Australian commercial sparkling wines which keeps the cost down, however some of the premium Prosecco’s are made ‘Metado Classico’ meaning in the bottle in the same manner as ‘Methode Champenois’ in Champagne and are more expensive.

The appeal is easy to understand as they are very well priced, most sell for between $10 to $20, and come in several styles from fairly dry to having a hint of sweetness generally with an aroma of apples and citrus, and being Italian the bottle presentation is usually very good. Italian Prosecco’s to look for include Zonin, Mionetto, Ruffino, Sensi and from Australia Brown Bros. Pizzini, Chalkboard, Dal Zotto, Yellow Glen, Yarra Burn and Jacobs Creek Reserve with nearly all the wineries in The King Valley in Victoria producing Prosecco because a lot of winemakers have Italian backgrounds.

Sometime in between 1934 and 1948 Giuseppe Cippriani at Harrys Bar in Venice created the famous cocktail drink Bellini by mixing peach puree with Prosecco and here is a recipe. Bellini 2 ounces of peach puree per glass (use champagne flutes) Chilled Prosecco The peach puree should come a 1/3 way up the glass and top up with chilled Prosecco and serve immediately. For a little difference add a couple of drops of Angostura Bitters or replace the peach with mandarin and it becomes a Puccini, a Rossini uses strawberries, and a Tintoretto uses pomegranate.

The other day I was checking on the results from the National Wine Show, now sponsored by Dan Murphy’s who would obviously advertise the winners in their stores. I suspect one trophy winning wine didn’t make the shelves, The Value Red Wine Trophy was won by The Tudor Shiraz a label produced for Aldi!

On the subject of Woolworths (owner of Dan Murphys) I noticed they have bought The Isabel Vineyard in Marlborough to add to their Australian Vineyard Dorrien Estate Winery in South Australia’s Barossa Valley and 25% ownership in The Gage Road Brewery in W.A., I wonder if the next targets will be cattle stations and plantations? Grow it and sell it, no need for the humble middle man!

If anyone out there in Wineland needs help with wines for a special occasion please drop me a line at [email protected] with the various courses and I will make a couple of suggestions, or if you have any queries.

Wines to look out for this month.

White wines

  • Peter Lehmann Barossa Art ‘n’ Soul Chardonnay
  • Mt. Monster Limestone Coast Chardonnay
  • Spy Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
  • Grant Burge Kraft Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc
  • Reillys Clare Valley Riesling

Red Wines

  • Moppity Vineyards Lock and Key Hilltops Merlot
  • Mojo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Rockbare McLaren Vale Shiraz
  • Shingleback Vin Vale McLaren
  • Vale Shiraz An oldie but a goodie.

The story goes that The Prime Minister of Great Britain Sir Winston Churchill, who was known to favour a few Scotch Whiskies each day, was wandering the halls of the House of Commons one evening when Bessie Braddock a labour M.P., rounded upon him and accused him of being drunk. “Madam,” said Churchill. “Indeed I am drunk and you are ugly. But in the morning I will be sober”

Cheers, Philip Arlidge

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History – Trim – Matthew Flinders Cat

Tags: Matthew Flinders. History. Historical people. Australia

Trim – Matthew Flinders Cat

By Graham Mills

Trim was the much loved and well-travelled cat of Captain Matthew Flinders, the great naval explorer and cartographer. Together they sailed around Australia, around the world and together were shipwrecked and imprisoned.

When the “Norfolk” sailed into Moreton Bay in 1799, Trim was aboard to see his master, Matthew Flinders, be the first European to land on Bribie Island and explore the Pumicestone River (now Passage). Captain Matthew Flinders wrote this book in a biographical tribute to the memory of Trim; “Never will his like be seen again!” The book was written when Matthew Flinders was a prisoner of the French on the Isle de France (now Mauritius) 1803 – 1810.

It is a delightful book, affectionately written about the dearly beloved constant companion to Matthew Flinders’ greatest achievements.

History australian matthew flinders cat

Matthew Flinders

Trim was born in 1799 on board HMS “Reliance” in the middle of the Indian Ocean on her return journey to Botany Bay from Cape of Good Hope with livestock for hungry Sydney. Matthew Flinders named him Trim after a character in the book “Tristram Shandy” and wrote in his book “Trim”;

“It was from a gentleness and innate goodness of his heart that I gave him the name of Uncle Toby’s honest kind hearted humble companion”. “Trim grew to be one of the finest animals I ever saw. His tail was long, large and bushy; and when he was animated by the presence of a stranger of the anti-catean race, it bristled out to a fearful size, whilst vivid flashes darted from his fiery eyes, though at other times he was candour and good nature itself. His head was small and round – his physiognomy bespoke intelligence and confidence – his whiskers were long and graceful, and his ears were cropped in a beautiful curve.

History australian matthew flinders cat

Trim’s robe was a clear jet black, with the exception of his four feet, which seemed to have been dipped in snow, and his underlip, which rivalled them in whiteness. He had also a white star on his breast, and it seemed as if nature had designed him for the prince and model of his race: I doubt whether Whittington’s cat, of which so much has been said and written, was to be compared to him”.

Trim was a good swimmer. He soon learnt to swim after falling overboard and climbed up a rope thrown over to him, “Took hold of it like a man and ran up it like a cat”. He had the open run of the ship and was a favourite of the officers and seamen who soon taught him tricks. One was lying on his back with his paws in the air until given permission to rise. Trim did his duty to King and country by catching the rats and mice that so plagued the ships at that time.

He was admitted to the table of almost every man and officer in the ship and soon grew fat and sleek. When Matthew Flinders returned to England in 1800 on the HMS “Reliance” via Cape Horn, Trim was with him. In 1801-1803 Trim and Matthew Flinders sailed in HMS “Investigator” for their greatest expedition, discovering a large part of the unknown southern coast and mapping and circumnavigating what Matthew Flinders called “Australia”, proving New Holland in the west and New South Wales in the east was one land mass.

History australian matthew flinders cat

Australia had its shape and its name and was circumnavigated for the first time. In 1803 on HMS “Porpoise” sailing to England for a replacement ship for the unseaworthy “Investigator”, Trim and Matthew Flinders were shipwrecked off the Queensland coast. Leaving Trim with the shipwreck survivors on Wreck Reef Bank, Matthew Flinders returned to Sydney for rescue ships.

After two months they continued their journey to England on the schooner “Cumberland”. This ship was leaking badly and they were forced to call into the Isle de France (now Mauritius) for repairs, not knowing France and England were at war again. They were imprisoned, Matthew Flinders for nearly seven long years.

Sadly here Trim disappeared and could not be found despite a reward being offered. Flinders suspected that he had been taken by a hungry, black slave. “Thus perished my faithful intelligent Trim! The sporting, affectionate and useful companion of my voyages during four years.”

In 1996 with a Navy Band playing to 400 guests, a bronze statue of Trim was unveiled at the Mitchell Library, Sydney. It stands on the window sill behind a statue of his master. Also here is the “Cafe Trim”.

A replica of Trim can be found at the Bribie Island Seaside Museum, eyes shut, as though he is dreaming of the adventures with his famous master, one of the greatest explorers, Captain Matthew Flinders.

He looks as though he could wake up, stretch and start purring or scamper up the ropes of one of Matthew Flinders’ ships.

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Winery awards and medals – The Best Wines

Tags: Wine. Awards. How to pick the best wines. Champaign. Chardonnay. Wine Medals

THE BRIBIE WINELANDER

In a past article we briefly touched upon the medals you see on the bottles which you would think would give you some idea of the quality of the wine you are buying and give you more confidence in your purchase.

There are numerous shows around the country and the outside world and it depends on the commercial value of the show as to which one the company enters, for instance in the 1970’s Kaiser Stuhl entered their Rose into The Montpellier wine show and The Ljubijana wine show, both unknown in Australia, and won so many medals the wine became marketed as Kaiser Stuhl Gold Medal Rose and had the medal on the label which was quite a marketing coup for its time, the wine became an enormous seller for the company.

As an example, if the winery is trying to impress on the world stage it may be appropriate to enter shows in China, Japan, The United States and Europe and you will find these medals also displayed proudly on the domestic bottles along with local achievements. Every State has a show for all Australian wineries and many now have a separate show for local wines, the wines are entered into many categories such as style, winery production, which satisfies large and small wineries, red wines, white wines, sparkling and fortified wines.

It is possible to have over twenty different categories but a wine can only be entered into one. Points are awarded by a team of neutral judges comprising usually of winemakers, wine columnists, retailers and people who have a very good understanding of wine quality. There are two judging systems which basically cover the same areas involving colour, smell and taste, one system marks the wines out of twenty points and the other system marks out of 100.

With the twenty point system, 3 points are awarded for colour (anything less than 3 points here and the wine goes no further) 7 points for smell and 10 points for taste. The points are totalled up and 15.5 points to 16.9 receive a bronze, 17 points to 18.4 a silver and 18.4 and over a gold. The other system is 85-90 a bronze, 90-95 a silver and 95+ a gold. In theory every wine entered can win a gold medal, and that would be thousands at most State wine shows, but that is highly unlikely to happen, however there is only ever one trophy awarded in each segment and that is to the highest gold medal, if no wine in the segment wins a gold medal no trophy is awarded.

There is a cost for each wine submitted and a plain label is supplied by the show so the judges have no idea which winery they are looking at. There is, however, one show, The Sydney International Wine Show, that judges the wines alongside food which is very interesting.

I was fortunate to have been invited to the show lunch a few years ago where each of the trophy winners was presented at the lunch alongside the dishes they were judged with and the guest speaker was d’Arry Osborn of d’Arenberg. A great afternoon was enjoyed by all, the gold medals awarded are distinctive for this show being blue (if that makes sense), either a single or double blue gold.

Consumers should note that when a small winery wins an award the medal will probably have been won by a bottle picked out of the stock in the warehouse, however with the large wineries many barrels are ploughed through to find the very best and this is the wine that is submitted to the show and after blending all the barrels the finished wine would probably not quite be up to the original.

Over the years there have been some wineries that have put medals on the labels in a gold or silver colour with words such as “Family Owned Winery” or as I have seen recently on a couple of the larger companies “ 5 Star James Halliday Winery” which of course means nothing about the wine in the bottle.

A good way to learn more about wine is to attend one of the wine evenings held by outlets such as The Surf Club, Pacific Harbour Country Club and I am sure the New Hotel at Sandstone will also be involved. However remember these usually promote one range at a time for a particular supplier, usually with a representative from the winery or winemaker, often the sales representative who calls on the outlet, but at the end of the evening there is often an opportunity to purchase any wine you have enjoyed and at a special price for a quantity buy.

the best wines and wine awards

If the presenter is good there will be some educational content especially when winemakers are involved but from my experience, they often get too technical and many like to hear the sound of their own voices and the evening become tedious!

In the beginning of the 1800’s The Australian Wine Industry was developed by Doctors who used wine for medicinal purposes for their patients and German Immigrants who were then followed by The Italians. Wineries such as Angove’s, Penfold’s and Lindeman’s were all started by Doctors and literally grew to be the powerhouses they have become today, in fact, Angove’s are still an independent family operation has survived since 1886, although they make very good table wines they are better known for making Stone’s Ginger Wine and St. Agnes Brandy.

Now they have adopted trickle irrigation in their Nanya Vineyard in Renmark the quality of their table wines has improved out of sight getting terrific reviews from all of the wine writers. Their “Long Row” Range is well worth seeking out and can usually be found selling for under $10, they have also bought a winery in McLaren Vale which is an absolute stunner, well worth visiting if you are in the area, also by buying grapes from Coonawarra and The Clare Valley they also produce a regional range.

They are also the market leaders in “organic” wines and the future for this family winery looks very rosy or should I say Rose! Many consumers cannot understand why they can buy a bottle of wine for under $5 and see the same variety for $30 or more perhaps the following may explain why.

Lesser expensive wines usually come from massive vineyards and are irrigated by large quantities of water to make the grapes as plump as possible ensuring large quantities of wine is produced but at a thinner quality, they are picked by large machines shaking the vines. After picking the grapes and crushing them the wine juice goes into large stainless steel tanks for fermenting with enough skin contact to develop colour with red grapes or just the juice from the white grapes.

The wine is then released to the market as soon as possible, with the red wines no barrels are used but instead oak chips are put into the stainless steel tanks. With premium wines they usually have very limited irrigation, many have none at all which leads to a more intense flavour, the grapes are hand-picked ensuring no damage to the grapes, and some are crushed using old basket presses or very gentle bag presses.

The juice goes into small fermenters along with the skins for as long as it takes to absorb as much colour as possible. After fermentation the red wines and chardonnay find their way into premium oak barrels of different sizes made from the finest American or French oak costing thousands of dollars each where the wood adds complexity to the wine for anything up to a couple of years.

The barrels are only used for several vintages before becoming attractive flower planters, however, one particular wine is matured in the same barrels as the previous vintage of Grange and that is Penfolds Bin 389 and it’s known fondly as ‘Poor Man’s Grange’ or ‘Baby Grange’.

Here are some of the trophy winners at the 2014 National Wine Show:

  • The De Bortoli 2012 Yarra Valley Section A5 Chardonnay
  • Peter Lehman 2009 Wigan Riesling
  • McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon
  • The Bay of Fires 2014 Pinot
  • Gris DiGiorgio 2011 Lucindale Botrytis Semillon
  • Shingleback 2014 Haycutters Salmon Rose
  • Leura Park Estate 2013 Shiraz
  • Xanadu DJL 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Brookland Valley 2012 Cabernet Merlot
  • West Cape Howe 2013 Tempranillo
  • Domain Chandon 2010 Blanc de Blanc
  • Grant Burge 20-Year-Old Tawny

Mark Twain “A Tramp Abroad” (1880)

The Germans are exceedingly fond of Rhine wines, they are put in slender bottles and are considered a pleasant beverage. One tells them from vinegar by the label.

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