If there’s another wine family in Victoria which has contributed so tangibly to the development of Australian wine, yet looks as earnestly towards its future as the Hickinbothams do, then I’d like to meet them. A family of lateral thinkers and wine scientists, the Hickinbothams have never shunned a challenge simply because nobody else could figure out how to make it work. Andrew and Jenny Hickinbotham, with Andrew’s wife Terryn, constitute the very active third generation of the family, depleted several years ago by the untimely death of Stephen Hickin-botham, one of the most forward-thinking and intellectually provocative winemakers of his generation. Ian Hickinbotham, father of Stephen, Andrew and Jenny, is himself one of the most important innovators in Australian wine, and retains an active involve-ment in wine education and the family business. The latest project at the family’s vineyard near Dromana, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, is the Hickinbotham Wineworks Museum, which not only provides an interactive training in wine-tasting, but presents a historic exposition of the family’s activities in Australian wine. Aimed at children as much as anyone else – for the Hickinbothams are genuine in their efforts to bring the next generation of wine drinkers into the game on an informed and educated basis – Wineworks offers conducted tastings for individuals and groups to illustrate basic concepts of sensorial analysis, such as the basic tastes of acid, tannin, sugar and combinations of the three. Tastings are conducted with non-alcoholic solutions and Andrew says he is regularly amazed at the ability of children to pick different solutions to around 90% accuracy. Visitors can also learn to identify fruit tannins, wood tannins and typical wine essences and learn how they interact to produce complex, balanced wines. The bulk of the museum is based around a carefully catalogued cellar of around 1,000 bottles accumulated by Ian Hickinbotham. No ordinary cellar, it includes examples of rare experimental wines he was involved in making through his long career with Penfolds, Kaiser Stuhl, Wynns, Tolleys and others. The Hickinbothams’ concept is that visitors to the museum are able to buy the historic bottles for tasting on site, accompanied by one of the family to explain its purpose and characteristics, and to replace any bottle interfered with by cork taint. Given that the family re-corked the lot in 1986, that’s an unlikely prospect. Included in the museum are original details concerning the development of the first wine cask, with which Ian was intimately involved. Andrew says Penfolds were terrified Ian was about to package Grange in them! Amongst Ian’s other credits are the making of the famous first two vintages at Wynns Coonawarra in 1952 and 1953, plus the introduction of Wolf Blass to Australia – to make Sparkling Rinegold!! Early concepts, videos and other information about the patented Cab Mac technique for carbonic maceration which Stephen developed are on display, with numerous books, photos, letters and countless other items. Ian’s father, Alan Hickinbotham, himself a State Government analytical chemist, established the first course in oenology at Roseworthy College in 1936. The museum houses the first wine-related theses written there. Never frightened by the prospect of making wine somewhat more evolved and complex than the commercial palate, Andrew Hickinbotham’s approach in the winery is a natural one, with minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Recent releases include a ‘big, voluptuous’ Merlot 1994 ($22 retail), while Andrew is equally excited about the Chardonnay 1996 ($22), to be reviewed in the next issue. The Hickinbothams have switched to the Australian-developed hanging cane system of trellis management, away from the popular modern trend towards vertical shoot positioning, with the results that the vineyard crops at least double the rate and at a fraction of the cost to operate. Their close-planted vineyard produced five tonnes per acre in 1996, far higher than the Peninsula average and is currently bearing 2 acres of each of chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. True to his family’s diverse and renegade streak, Andrew Hickinbotham is also making wines and liqueurs from strawberries and is succeeding developing the winery as a base for jazz and bluegrass folk music. The Hickinbothams’ vineyard, winery, museum, tasting experience and sometime music venue is found at the corner of Wallace’s Rd and the Nepean Highway, Dromana. For further information, call 059 810 355.
