Spring wine tasting success

Corks popped as a crowd of wine lovers from the local area and beyond had the chance to taste some of the locality’s most interesting wines as well as meet the makers on Saturday. Producers showcased a line up of close to 90 wine varieties at this year’s Beechworth Wine Region Spring Tasting Weekend in a morning and afternoon session held at the Servicemen’s Memorial Hall. Two masterclasses – one for Chardonnay and the other with traditional and alternative red varieties followed on Sunday at Tanswells Commercial Hotel in town. Hosted by the Beechworth Vignerons Association and rated as another great success, president Jeremy Schmölzer said ticket sales were 45 per cent up on last year’s event. “There is a good following, and we’re seeing many familiar faces year-on-year,” he said. “Masterclasses had good numbers with highly engaged attendees.” Mr Schmölzer added the wine tasting is a great event because it's a chance for vignerons to get together in the one space. “It's not often we're all in the one room together," he said. "It’s a chance to catch up and also learn from each other’s wines. “I sat in on the masterclasses, which was a good opportunity to look at our wines in comparison to our peers in a structured way. “We see the real diversity of how and where our wines are produced, but it is the consistent quality and continual improvement that stands out. “Subtle learning from one another is valuable to show to a wider world, but a good opportunity for us as a motivator to try new things. “We receive immediate feedback and the level of knowledge in the masterclass is excellent. “That immediate feedback from those who seek out our wines is invaluable.” Mr Schmölzer said Beechworth is becoming increasing recognised for the outstanding quality of the wines, particularly Chardonnay. “There's a buzz around Beechworth and as an example, the Chardonnay has a growing recognition amongst Sommeliers for its quality, but the overall quality of the region’s terroir is being seen by a wider audience in all our wines,” he said. “The region’s soils are the baseline, but it’s the diverse terrain, climate and aspect that allows for a range of growing conditions, and hence varieties and styles of wines. “The terroir always shines through regardless of how we grow and make our wines. “It's a fingerprint on our wines, that sits above what we do with our winemaking.” Mr Schmölzer said all events were well received including a first-time ‘Rare Wines’ dinner hosted at the Ford Street Enoteca. "The wines were aged, not typically available for sale and from our museum collections, going as far back as a 2005 Pennyweight Cabernet Blend, which was incredibly fresh," he said. “There was a great spectrum of styles and producers in the room, and the feedback was really positive.” Willem Kurt Wines’ owner and winemaker Daniel Balzer said the event provided a valuable opportunity to engage with the public, and traders who attended too. "There was a high interest level from the public with their knowledge as most people who attend know a lot about wine and it keeps improving,” he said.

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