Tasmania Unplugged

In any given week Melbourne is awash with events to partake in and it seems just as hard to choose what to attend as what not to. For me this becomes especially difficult when it comes to the plethora of wine tasting opportunities that seem to rapidly fill up my calendar. I have the honest intention of attending them all. However, best intentions often fall flat.

With that said, a very choice vino event that is not to be missed is making its way to Melbourne on September 14: Tasmania Unbottled. Some of the best Tassie winemakers will be on hand offering an extensive taste range of varietals from the lil sista down south.

These events are fantastic for several reasons: first, you get to taste a wide variety of wines; second, you get to taste a wide variety of wine styles (getting many takes on what a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir can taste like by different winemakers, from different regions); and third, you get to meet and talk to the winemaker which almost always adds some dimension or insight to the wine tasting experience. You get to hear the wine’s ‘narrative’ so to speak, which can propel your understanding of a wine up a notch or two.

Tasmania has come a long way wine-wise in the last decade or so. It has been and still is a great source of Australian sparkling wine as its cooler climatic conditions favour the bubbly’s principal grape varieties — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. But over the past decade or so, winemakers have begun to seriously explore Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on their own merits as well as adding a few more aromatics — Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer — to their repertoires. Tasmanian Pinot Noir is a serious contender for the best Pinot Noir made in Australia and even offers a credible challenge to our Central Otago cousins in New Zealand with a style that is deep, rich, lush and intense.

So here’s your chance — get on down to Tasmania Unbottled 2011 and tickle your palate with the likes of Bay of Fires, Domaine A and Tamar Ridge!

What: Tasmania Unbottled 2011
When: Wed 14 September 5PM – 8PM
Where: InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto 495 Collins Street
Web: www.winetasmania.com.au/events/tasmania-unbottled