26 Jun 2012
Everything you need to know about wine - the First (Wine) Sunday of the month
No more brain-fade when faced with the aisles of a bottle shop or a restaurant wine list that looks more like a school textbook; the team at Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove, on the Mornington Peninsula, have put together a program of monthly wine learning sessions that, over the course of the year, add up to an 'all you need to know to wrangle a bottle shop attendant or sommelier' wine education.
These fun, informal yet informative sessions can be experienced on a casual basis, or booked as a complete program, either way participants will taste some great wine (from Montalto, the Peninsula, and around the world), and learn lots about how wine is grown, made and, best of all, enjoyed.
Anthony Jones, from Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove says "we're looking forward to showing our Sunday schoolers the changes taking place each month in the vineyard as the grapes mature and in the winery as the wines develop. We'll also be tasting Peninsula wines against the benchmark wines of the world, with some food and wine matching along the way."
Starting on July 1, the program will cover pinot noirs of the world, food and wine matching, barrel sample tasting in the winery, sparkling wine styles with comparisons of Mornington Peninsula and French examples, a vineyard walk including tasting grapes as they ripen for harvest, wine and cheese matching, and visiting the working winery post harvest. Further program details overleaf.
Each session runs from 10am to 12 noon. First (Wine) Sunday participants are welcome to stay on to practice their new wine skills over lunch at either the Montalto Restaurant (One Chef's Hat, prior bookings essential) or the casual Piazza and Garden Café, overlooking the kitchen garden and home vineyard.
First (Wine) Sunday Program | Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove
First Sunday of each month, starting July 1, 2012
Time: 10am
Location:either the Montalto Cellar Door (33 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South) or the Montalto Winery (29 Tubbarubba Road, Merricks North). See full program overleaf or online for location of each session.
Cost: $10 per person per session, $90 for the year (12 sessions)
Bookings: P - 03 5989 8412 E - wine@montalto.com.au
First (Wine) Sunday Program
The First (Wine) Sunday program is brought to you by Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove, and aims to increase understanding about grape growing, winemaking and tasting local and international wines with great food. Come along for these casual and informed Sunday sessions, hosted by winemaker Simon Black, cellar door manager Justin Crow and/or all round 'wine guy', Anthony Jones.
Time: 10am on the first Sunday of the month.
Cost: $10 per session, $90 for the whole year (12 sessions).
Location: either the Montalto Cellar Door (33 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South) or the Montalto Winery (29 Tubbarubba Road, Merricks North), see below.
July - Pinot Noirs of The World
1 July 2012 (meet at the Winery)
New World versus Old World, aromatic and delicate, dark and brooding, pinot noir has many faces. Flavours and aromas set the scene but it's mouthfeel and intensity that can take it to a new level. We'll show you some new world stars from the key regions of Australia and New Zealand and benchmark classics from the motherland, Burgundy.
August - Food and Wine Matching
5 August 2012 (meet at the Cellar Door)
New world wines can be wonderfully expressive with fresh fruit flavours, but it's the savoury style of European wines that often works best with food. We know about duck and Pinot, so let's take it further, matching intensity and richness, flavours and textures. Sometimes it's the contrasts that work.
September - The Peninsula's other Varieties
Pinot Gris/Grigio and Shiraz
2 September 2012 (meet at the Winery)
Pinot grigio/gris suits the Peninsula climate but with so many differing styles from crisp Friuli-inspired grigio to richly textured Alsace gris, what's the best way forward? And what about shiraz? Does Peninsula shiraz really have a place? Let's check out some spice-laden Rhones and some snappy locals.
October -Barrel Sample Tasting
7 October 2012 (meet at the Winery)
With the 2012 harvest malos through and the dry whites in bottle it's a good time to check out the wines in barrel. The wines have been on lees, slowly maturing, melding with the oak and gaining complexity. Chardonnay and pinot should be showing their true colours at this stage.
November - Single Vineyard Wines
4 November 2012 (meet at the Winery)
So much buzz about single vineyards these days. Yes the Peninsula is diverse with a huge range in environmental conditions affecting different vineyard sites. It's by no means fully understood but that's what makes it interesting. We'll show you some wines that truly reflect the place where they're grown and show you the characters each vineyard bring to the final blend.
December - Sparkling
2 December 2012 (meet at the Winery)
Sparkling wine is a complex world, sort out your Blanc de Blanc from your Bland de Noir and discover the magic of Champagne and some not too shabby locals. We'll explain the nerdy stuff of cepage, dosage and yeast autolysis and show you some exciting wines from the new wave of France's tiny Grower Producers who are really showing the big houses how it's done.
January- Fundamentals of Wine Tasting
6 January 2013 (meet at the Winery)
Getting the fundamentals and the terminology right from the start. Learn to distinguish key varietal flavours and to understand the influence of sugar, acid, tannin, oak, and alcohol. See how it all fits together to give wine body, structure and complexity.
February - Vineyard Walk
3 February 2013 (meet at the Cellar Door)
They say 'wine is made in the vineyard'. Shoot thinning, leaf plucking, green harvesting, getting the perfect crop load and sunlight exposure are all critical to the final result. At this time of year, all this hard work can be seen. Taste the flavours of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, from grapes straight off the vine.
March - Grape Tasting
3 March 2013 (meet at the Cellar Door)
Tasting grapes in the vineyard at this time of year is an exciting challenge for the senses, with sugars, flavours, colour and phenolics all ripening quickly. See how the flavours change and what we look for when trying to nail the perfect time to pick.
April - Wine and Cheese
7 April 2013 (meet at the Cellar Door)
Beautiful artisan cheeses, local and imported can be a wonderful match with wine. We'll explore the classic matches and bust a few urban myths. Let's work our way through the classics; Sancerre/Chevre, Sauternes/Roquefort, Chianti/Reggiano.
May - Chardonnay- an International Perspective
5 May 2013 (meet at the Winery)
Australian chardonnay has been on a crash diet the last few years, slimming down to a tighter, leaner model; restrained oak, minerally acid and floral notes. Is this the way forward? Explore benchmark chardonnay regions from classically edgy Chablis through to powerfully rich Burgundy, we will discover where Australian and Peninsula chardonnay fit in a global perspective.
June - Winery Tour
2 June 2013 (meet at the Winery)
Our Winemaker Simon says, 'good winemaking is about attention to detail'. A tour of the winery will show you how we do it and why, together with the little things that make a difference. Follow Simon with his valanche (fancy French word for barrel sampling device) and sample our new vintage wines from barrel.
For media queries, interviews and images please contact:
Astrid Adamson, RUN FORREST
T: 03 9645 0072 | E: astrid@runforrest.com.au
