The world market leader in designer wine glassware has mainly been Riedel for sometime now, mainly because there was little competition. Glass was glass and most felt that ISO was for competition judging – and Riedel for the rest.

Of course, there are many fine European glass brands but few owners had turned their minds towards varietal and regional wine glass shapes as Riedel did. The proliferation of glass shapes by Riedel was a simple marketing theory soaking up the world’s wine production through differentiation.

When that was exhausted, the company moved onto new ranges based on new shapes and deluxe pricing – even stem extension.

The worst glass Riedel has ever released was the tumbler shape, often construed as a water glass but widely used as a wine glass. This shape tends to destroy the aroma of wine and also alters the wine palate – my tip is never to use this glass to drink wine. If unsure, test a tumbler model alongside a stemmed glass of any brand with the same wine. The difference can be noted by anyone as it is that obvious.

Plumm glass is owned by Ambient Australia, a previous importer of Riedel glass in Australia for the past fifteen years prior. The company is based in Melbourne while the glass is designed in Australian; however, the crystal glass is manufactured in Europe.

I had an informative session at Brisbane’s The Villager Supper Club recently with Plumm’s Australian chief, ex-New York sommelier John Pfister, demonstrating the brand’s Type A and Type B super tasting and drinking glasses (pictures below).

John served a series of fine varietal wines – chardonnay (white burgundy), wooded sauvignon blanc (Marlborough), sparklings (Champagne Henriot NV and Rose NV), pinot (red burgundy), cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. In each case, I was given the option to enjoy these wines in either glass A or glass B.

Plumm Shape A

White Wine: The wider mouth glass A suited chardonnay and wooded sauvignon; no doubt the more restrained shape B would perform better for riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris etc where an aromatic power of the nose is everything. Lesson 1.

Champagne: Both glasses presented the two champagnes excellently, providing a good aroma and clear complexity from the long residence on yeast as the Reims-based house of Henriot does.

Bear this in mind the next time you reach for a flute. The Champenois will pour you wine from a coup, not a flute (American shape).

Red Wine: The pinot performed better in glass A; as pinot is a grape, it needs to display its perfume. Hence the wider glass made this the most enjoyable drink.

For cabernet and shiraz, there is a preference for the constrained glass B, although I would advise ardent red wine appreciators to test the range of Plumm shapes to determine their best experience.

Plumm Shape B

And forget about drinking good wine from tumblers.

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au

Sydneysiders have recently become more fortunate with their pinot noir supplies.

There are clutches of nearby makers from New England, Orange and Tumbarumba. But recently it was the set of Orange-based pinot noirs which caught my eye.

And such producers are giving the more heralded Yarra and Mornington brands some good style opposition.

The encouraging aspect about Orange is that vines are now passing the 10-15 years-age barrier that lifts the pinosity outcomes up a notch.

At the recent Taste Orange show there were a host of these.

I found a charry Brangayne of Orange 2009; 14.5% (USD 35); ++++; pulpy, streamlined and stunning; an unwooded Logan Weemala 2009; 13% (USD 18); +++, just great, brilliantly fruity and zesty; and a beautiful sappy style at Mayfield 2008; 14.5% (USD 39); +++1/2; lovely line and a touch of minerality with its age.

Then there was the older pinot Philip Shaw No8 2007; 13.2%; (USD 43); shown to me by a talkative Damian Shaw which was appreciated; this has a wonderful mature nose, enticing, foresty, aromatic, touch of sap, oak complexity and a lovely soft footprint, mineral, mouth coating and rewarding to drink.

Shiraz, cool climate style that is, meaning seamlessly soft, no great chunkiness expected of a warm region wine (such as Barossa), so the finish is pure silk and the remaining tannins softly coiled.

A relatively simple but effusive, unwooded shiraz from Philip Shaw, The Idiot 2009, caused quite a stir earlier in the year by taking a major Sydney Wine Show trophy. That was a good result because it underlines just how aromatic and enticing shiraz can become in these growing conditions (without a lot of tannin). I tasted the next vintage 2010-another mouthful of fruit.

Philip Shaw No 89 Shiraz 2008; 13.5%; (USD 52.50); +++++; stood out like a beacon, still intensely purple, primed with spiced fruit and violets, aromatic red fruits with pristine notes, no sign of the oak yet it is there, then that lovely soft, juicy palate. Seamless.

Philip Shaw No 89 Shiraz 2008

The next shiraz was just as intriguing.

Cumulus Shiraz 2008; 14%; (USD 31); ++++; just pure fruit intensity with concentration written all over it; little flowers, cinnamon-clove aromatics and sweet, ripe berries; no smell of oak, the palate then gives you pure beauty, slippery fruit, caressing tannins and a finish of mildness. Easy drink.

Cumulus Shiraz 2008

I also discovered some new drinking flavours at Angullong Wines; Fossil Hill Barbera 2009; 14.5%; (USD 23); +++; great colour and accessible nose, blackberry pips which are a telltale of this variety; super-soft palate, renowned for low tannin, high acid as this is; an easy drink.

Also try this company’s Fossil Hill Sangiovese 2010 and Bulls Roar Tempranillo 2010.

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au

The Orange winegrowers came to town this week. What a bunch of classy wines.

One fact binds them all together – that of elevation. The region is generally depicted as having all vineyards sited above 600 metres.

Now that effectively eliminates most other Australian vineyard regions save the Granite Belt, New England and Tumbarumba – all essentially east Coast Australia with Orange dotted in the Central Ranges of NSW.

These high elevation sites form part of the Great Dividing Range and their wines unmistakably cool climate.

The Orange bunches stood out with riesling, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay whites, importantly pinot noir, then shiraz and the cabernet family with a little new Mediterranean stuff (barbera, tempranillo, sangiovese, savagnin etc).

This is an exciting place-the brands are small but at the high quality end.

Even the sauvignon blanc is not made in the simplistic Marlborough NZ mould, but the opposite, dumbing down the obvious and chasing wine texture. Hooray.

Here I review a range of whites.

Mayfield Vineyard Riesling 2010; 12% (USD 30); ++++; well how pleasant, single vineyard, pale colour, attractive smells in the flower spectrum, just heavenly then the most delicate palate, racy, mineral, lime zest (hints not overdosed), long and ultra-fine for light bodied wine, acid high of course, that’s the animal.

Mayfield Vineyard Riesling 2009

I met Charlotte Gundry, the GM who works with the family brand. Vineyards in Icely Road occupy 800-920 m elevation. The riesling enjoys the terroir, very old, weathered, gravelly soils with a north-east face contribute to its minerality and high raciness. That’s fine riesling.

Patina Riesling 2009; 12.5% (USD18);+++; I encountered an additional style, having one delicious nose, engrossing from the cool growing conditions and preserved aromas in the cool ferment, then the lovely line of sweet salivating acidity, yet plenty and deftly held low body weight.

Patina Riesling 2009

Patina is the business of Gerald Naef in Summerhill Lane, his vineyard is at 930 m, and his wines are distinctive.

Logan Weemala Riesling 2009; 12.6% (USD 16); +++; is decidedly a German parallel, pale lime nose, quite pretty too, then the differing palate, a dab of sugar (9 grams) and counter-balancing acids (7.5 grams), makes for a light wine with a fuller mouth effect from sweetness-very food friendly with Asian spice levels.

Logan Weemala Riesling 2009

Peter Logan is the MD; he has made a study of German riesling, mainly the Nahe and hence the off-dry style which grips the people making wine in those areas. White varieties are grown at 1000 m and reds at 850 m.

Angullong Fossil Hill Pinot Gris 2011; 13.5% (USD 24); +++1/2; is a good example from a tough season, just bottled, very exotic nose, yet restrained on the second sniff, gladly it is not called pinot grigio as it has the slippery palate, is not simple; has the nice texture which drinkers enjoy.

Angullong Fossil Hill Pinot Gris 2011

Ben Crossing is the owner: his vineyard is at the foothills of the mountain, Canobolas, at 600-650m.

Brangayne of Orange Isolde Reserve Chardonnay 2009; 14% (USD 30); ++++; is very good, perfume, oak nuttiness but restrained, the palate ever-so-long, in this climate the chardonnays are slow maturing, this included, crisp, bright and stylish.

Brangayne of Orange Isolde Reserve Chardonnay 2009

I met Marianne Brown; petite and polite, she described her wines’ distinctiveness and reason for enjoyment; vines are planted at 950-1050 m for whites, 850 m for red varieties.

Ross Hill Pinaccle Chardonnay 2009; 13%; (USD 30); ++++; smells succulent then goes towards restraint, has a long flavour, mid-palate subtlety, nuts, limes, fabulous length and still youth, something that only time can alter for the better, still young wine.

Ross Hill Pinnacle Chardonnay 2009

I met James Robson; his vineyards are at 900 m for pinot, 800 m other reds, and 750 m for sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. As is often the case, this is old apple orchard country, and the family winery is a renovated apple packing shed.

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au

Italian week in eastern Australia during June 2011 had an extra note of joyousness – it was also a celebration of 150 years of the Italian Unification.

Italians in Queensland took on a full swag of events which celebrated all things Italian; culture was to the fore as were vehicles, song and dance, dress and costumes, food, wines and water, Venetian glass and travel.

Author and wife Denise toast to the Illumination

The most spectacular start was the illumination of Brisbane’s Story Bridge in green, white and red, while the historic building, Conrad’s Treasury Casino followed suit.

My participation was a no brainer, partnering with Dolci Sapori’s talented Sicilian pastry chef Aladino Pozzebon by pairing his dolci with origins across Italy with my selections of sweeter Italian wines.

The Piemontese-based producer Gancia was another partner-of course why not – it produced Italy’s first sparkling wine in 1865, but not soon enough to toast the Unification so we do it today.

The pairings started with dry bubbles and savoury nibbles at the Commonwealth Bank Flagship Branch, 240 Queens Street in Brisbane. Even if you don’t bank with them, a trip inside enhances the new generation of banking experiences.

Gancia Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene Platinum NV (USD 32) 11%; +++; is lovely wine, unpretentious, pale, subtle, the grape aromatics restrained and delicate, closed fruitiness which expresses a little fresh yeast, then dry and pleasant, mild alcohol and a savoury end to a good drop.

Arancini pairing-Prosecco Platinum

Paired was arancini; served cold, Sicilian stuffed rice balls, rolled in breadcrumbs and in this case filled with a hearty beef ragu to provide the saltiness and the savoury notes to pair with this Prosecco. Bravo.

Gancia Moscato d’Asti 2007 (USD 26.50); 5.5%, +++; barely has fizz but comes over quite reserved to sniff, the taste is mild, grapey yes, but quite restrained, lemony from the fruity white moscato grapes but drying from its high acidity, 100 g/L sugar.

The Tuscan-origin dolce was Cantuccio di Siena paired with the moscato, Aladino’s rendition of an almond biscotti, served slightly soft due to his Sicilian touch, with orange zest cleverly integrated into the biscuit.

Anselmi’s wonderful late harvest wine, I Capitelli made from gargengna in the Soave region (Monteforte d’Alpone where I have visited) was paired with Aladino’s Pasta di Mandorla, a soft envelope of dessert pasta enclosing an almond filling, tacky sweet to balance the racy wine acidity.

Anselmi I Capitelli 2008 IGT (USD 47.75); 12.5%; ++++; pale green, attractive, aromas of the rack drying process, honey, lemon zest and oak-influenced sweetness, rich and delicious in the mouth, more honey, good dryness and minerality from a variety which has high natural acid, 200 g/L sugar.

Pasta pairing-Anselmi I Capitelli

Anselmi has renounced the DOCG status of similar mass-produced wines known as Recioto di Soave, using the more general IGT naming and branding the wine production method as “vino da uva stramature” or wine from dehydrated grapes. This is non-botrytis, withered berry, oak aged white wine making.

Gancia Modonovo 2007 Asti (USD 26.50); 9%; +++; pale, fizzy, grapey and effusive, then light textured, fine, minerally, limey acidity abounds with an expression of the canelli grape without any adornments; pure pleasure, sugars 80 g/L.

Cannoli pairing-Modonovo Asti

The dessert pairing was the most famous dessert of Sicily, cannoli di ricotta, this being fried wafers filled with sweetened ricotta and choc chip in this instance; there are many variations of flavour profiles but they all highlight the importance of ricotta on this large island.

Gancia Brachetto D’Acqui NV (USD 26.50); 6.5%; +++; cherry coloured sparkling red, native to Piemonte, and here in the Acqui area, charming aromas of red currants, a totally juicy mouthful of sweetness and varietal black fruits, ends off dry from the tannin, brachetto grape, 80 g/L sugar.

Chocolate pairing-Brachetto NV

Chocolate and sparkling sweet red are bedmates; the pairing on this evening being Amaretto e Cioccolata; almond amaretto with skin on, moist southern style centre, chocolate dipped. Chocolate plus sweet red fruits is heaven.

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au