For Steve Naughton , a pinot noir specialist, it was the work of an instant to identify the terms I was seeking in Quiz #22. He had spent enough time with frustrated grape growers in Victoria and Tasmania to rattle off ‘millerandage’ as the French name for what in English passes as ‘hen and chicken’, the presence of tiny, shot-like grapes without seeds in conjunction with normally developed grapes on the same bunch. He also correctly pointed out that my references to accents on the French term were a red herring. Steve’s bottles of Margaret River Chardonnay from Voyager Estate are on their way. Incidentally, given the exceptionally poor flowering experienced in most of Australia’s cooler regions prior to the 2002 vintage, you’ll be hearing a lot of the ‘low crop, high quality’ slogan. Be careful of that. Low crops are not necessarily the most balanced crops, and it’s quite possible to crop too low for optimal quality. Many would have done that in 2002. Over the page is a story about a famous Australian wine, Tyrrell’s Vat 47. As it mentions, the grape variety used in this wine had been described on its label as Pinot Chardonnay from its inception until the 1999 release. The 2000 vintage is the first to be given its varietally correct name of simply ‘Chardonnay’. Bruce Tyrrell recently fessed up that his company’s persistent use of this incorrect name had more to do with legendary Tyrrell pigheadedness than any genuine claim of ampellographic correctness. Australia has enjoyed a long and happy history of calling its wine by the wrong names. Some cases have been deliberate and cynical; others have lingered unknowingly for generations until their errors have been brought to light by visiting ampellographers. According to what may be little more than a mischievous rumour, much of South Australia’s Sangiovese might actually be something else. Given that much of the first ‘merlot’ introduced to Australia was proven to be cabernet franc, there’s plenty of historical precedent for that sort of accident. The OnWine Quiz #23 aims to uncover this sort of viticultural scuttlebutt. I am seeking what you consider to be the best examples of incorrect Australian wine labeling. The sender of the best genuine example to my office by November 1 will receive as compensation an excellent bottle of appropriately and mischievously labeled Australian wine. Post your answer to Reply Paid 342, OnWine Quiz #23, Jeremy Oliver’s OnWine Report, 565 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122, Australia.
