24 May A sneak peak of what’s to come with Edwin’s Wine Program
Edwin’s wine list and rotating wine tasting program has been expertly curated by Wine Consultant and Sommelier Dan Sims (of Revel Global and Pinot Palooza) to be overseen by our venue Sommelier Yu Kurosawa. The wine list at Edwin is truly unique as, not only is it all Victorian, but it showcases the balance across all aspects of wine from varietal, process, and style to location and winemaker (a balance of male and female winemakers).
Each month, the program explores a new region of Victoria with the accompanying winemakers from this region being profiled and present for weekly wine tastings.
Here’s a taste of the regions and wineries upcoming at Edwin:
YARRA VALLEY
One of Victoria’s trendiest – and most visited – wine regions, the Yarra Valley produces a broad range of wines from many different varieties, due to the variation of altitude and climate. The best performing varieties for this region include chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, and cabernet sauvignon.
Friends of Edwin from this region:
Goodman Wines https://www.goodmanwines.com
Winemaker Kate Goodman established Goodman Wines in 2012, having called the Yarra Valley home since 2000. While the hallmark varieties of Goodman Wines include chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, Goodman takes great joy in evoking the sights, smells and tastes of Italy in Italian classics Vermentino and Negroamaro wines.
Yarra Yering https://www.yarrayering.com
Yarra Yering is one of the oldest and most beautiful vineyards in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, with 28 hectares of vines located at the foot of the Warramate Hills.
Frequently named among the top Yarra Valley wineries, Yarra Yering’s proud tradition is being continued to great acclaim by current winemaker Sarah Crowe. Sarah, who was recently named James Halliday’s 2017 Winemaker of the Year, focuses on giving individual blocks and varieties the time and attention they deserve to continue making high-quality wine.
TarraWarra Estate http://www.tarrawarra.com.au
Founder Marc Besen and his wife, Eva, planted the first 10 acres of vines at TarraWarra Estate in 1983 with a vision to create something beautiful for others to enjoy. Forty years on, the 400-hectare vineyard sits on prime Yarra Valley farmland, defined by heritage and a deep sense of place.
Best known for exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, alongside other single-block heritage varietals and estate blends, all of TarraWarra Estate’s wines are meticulously grown, handpicked, vinified and aged on the estate under the watchful eye of winemaker Clare Halloran.
MACEDON RANGES
Another region with significant variations in altitude is the Macedon Ranges. With wind chill affecting vines in this region, wind is a key factor in determining the quality of vines in this region. The best performing varieties in the Macedon Ranges include chardonnay and pinot noir, and sparkling varieties and blends.
Friends of Edwin from this region:
Curly Flat https://www.curlyflat.com
The cool climate of the Yarra Valley produces fruit of innately high natural acidity and intense, yet elegant structure, hence there is little need to meddle with what the vineyard delivers.
Curly Flat’s sustainable agricultural model of farming practices led to the cessation of herbicides in 2006, and has seen a marked improvement in the soil micro fauna. The resulting increase in organic matter bodes extremely well for the future of the brand. Since 2002, all fruit processing and winemaking – including bottling – occurs on site.
Silent Way Wines https://www.silentway.com.au
Silent way is a plot of earth 550 meters above sea level in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria. Wines are produced are in small quantities, expressing the soils they are grown in and are styles truly loved by the winemakers.
Named after the Miles Davis album, In a Silent Way, the record is regarded as one of the most inventive recordings of all time. This originality is echoed in the wines produced by Silent Way wines.
Athletes of Wine https://www.athletesofwine.com.au
Melbourne sommeliers Matt Brooke and Liam O’Brien, jumped at the opportunity to tend and nurture a plot of vines in the Macedon Ranges when the opportunity came up in 2007. Creating wines that speak of time and place – the season and the site, the vintage and the vineyard – rather than winemaking technique, the team believes that great wines start with grapes grown with huge attention to detail in the vineyard, that are then treated with the same notions of respect, skill and restraint in the winery.
Managing the vineyard along organic principles, with all other fruit grown with the absolute minimum of chemical inputs (water, herbicide and fungicide), and a minimal approach to the process of winemaking.
Latta https://www.lattavino.com.au
Experimental wines, produced with sustainably grown fruit, without additions; Latta is really getting wine lovers excited. Founder Owen Latta was named 2018’s Gourmet Traveller Wine Young Winemaker of the Year, described as having “shown his mettle as one of Australia’s most thoughtful and daring winemakers.”
Latta Vino is a complex range: skin-fermented whites, pure and precise white blends; rosé produced from nebbiolo; joven-style sangiovese; earthy nebbiolo table wines, and various blends have joined the fray. The 2017 Latta Vino Tranquil Nebbiolo is one of Australia’s finest examples of the style. It’s a finely wrought, tannin-shaped, deeply flavoured and wildly aromatic light red.
GIPPSLAND
Described by Pinot Palooza as, “Victoria’s dark horse”, Gippsland is arguably one of the most exciting regions to watch. Currently undergoing a real evolution of style, many small – yet brilliant – producers are making some incredibly exciting wines. At heart, though, Gippsland is Pinot Noir country, with some fantastic chardonnays coming from the region as well.
Friends of Edwin from this region:
Moondarra http://www.moondarra.com.au
Situated in the foothills of Mt Baw Baw, Moondarra comprises vineyards of grassroots viticulture and exceptional terroir. Far enough to the east to get the gentle summer and autumn easterly breezes that roll down from the New South Wales cost, conditions are ideal throughout autumn for optimal ripening.
Home to interesting grape varietals such as Picolit/Mendoza-clone Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Friulano, there are also a few Petit Meslier vines on the property, to preserve this ancient Champenoise vine in Australia.
Fleet https://fleetwines.com.au>
The team at Fleet believe, “Wine is not stationary. It is always moving, evolving. A fleeting moment. An expression of a time and a place.“ At Fleet, the winemakers don’t own vineyards – rather, they buy fruit from different growers in the Gippsland region, blending them together to come up with unique and surprising blends such as Pinot Gris Reisling.
Fleet offers bright, flavoursome, finely wrought wines with a gentle winemaking overlay. Fruit purity and freshness is key. “We’re not interested in masking anything in these wines,” Justin says. “But we are layering in some winemaking technique to build texture, complexity and personality.”
Dirty Three https://dirtythreewines.com.au
Located in the township of Inverloch, between the Penguins and the Prom, you’ll find Dirty Three Wines, driven by husband and wife team Marcus and Linda.
The name ‘Dirty Three’ is a nod to the three different dirts in South Gippsland: DIRT 1(Berrys Creek), DIRT 2 (Tilson) and DIRT 3 (Holgates Road). Dirty Three run three beautiful vineyards, producing Pinot, all run lovingly with care and passion.
The Wine Farm http://thewinefarm.com.au
With 20 to 25-year-old roots trucking up the all-important minerals from deep within the soil profile, The Wine Farm produces blends of the finest quality. The wines speak of the crisp, bright, freshness of the climate and the delicate, crunchy, multi-layered soils.
Farmed without the use of insecticides, and a focus on soil rejuvenation and controlling weeds with nothing but a whipper snipper, the essential micro-organisms are allowed to thrive and aid the transfer of minerals from soil to vine and ultimately glass.
All wine is bottled on site using a gravity-fed hand-bottling unit, sealed with natural cork and cellared carefully until they’re ready to release to the market.
Each of these regions will have an entire month of tastings dedicated to it, so be sure to sign up to our mailing list for details of visiting wineries.