Well do I remember hacking into the canopy of Riesling vines at Lindemans’ Padthaway vineyard with a chainsaw buzzing just inches from my ear at neck level. Prior to some fairly justifiable reforms in the way that people manage large vineyards, this was how you used to prepare miles of vines for grafting. Looking back, it’s a wonder at least five of us were not decapitated as a result. All of which explains my obvious delight at the new Knappstein Sparkling Shiraz, named Chainsaw. No matter if it seems they got Zar Brooks over to think of the concept (he’s the guy who turned the d’Arenberg back labels into not insignificant literary and creative achievements), it appears that the heart of this wine comes from a vineyard familiar with – to say the least – a brush with the chainsaw. Planted to shiraz in 1969, the Stobie Vineyard in Clare was hacked back in 1981 to be grafted over to chardonnay. Fifteen years later was it again put to the blade, as the vines were grafted back again to shiraz. While it’s a wonder they know whether to produce white grapes or black, the vines are now largely responsible for this new sparkling red, which at $28 retail is darned good. Its intense, briary red and black berry fruit has a decent whiff of spice and pepper, a lively, fresh and clear palate, fine tannins and a savoury finish unencumbered by excessive sucrose. Included in the dosage was a decent shot of 2001 vintage port, all of which makes the Chainsaw Spark-ling Shiraz 1999 exactly the sort of drink those of us at Padthaway should have been opening daily to celebrate our continued existence…
