Appellation Australia

For the one year anniversary of Wine Blogging Wednesday, we return to the founder of the event, as the host of the event at Lenndevours

The theme for this month was to “Drink Local, Real Local”, with the idea being to try a wine from the vineyard that is closest to where you live. I had a number of regions to choose from that are reasonably close to Sydney; the Hunter Valley, Southern Highlands and Mudgee to name a few. However, after some research, it turns out that there are a small number of vineyards remaining in the Sydney basin area, about 30 minutes travel from my home.

Using the Geoscience Australia Location Database, I discovered the very closest vineyard to be Vicary’s Winery at Luddenham, 27.4 kilometres away. So off I went to see what it had to offer. Read on to find out the results.

The Winery: Vicary’s Winery is billed as the longest continually running winery in the Sydney area, having opened in 1923. Most of the grapes used in their wines are sourced from outside the Luddenham area, but 3 hectares of Chardonnay and 1 hectare of Traminer are located onsite. I was informed that the Chardonnay is what this area is known for, and should be the wine that I try if I’m going to try one. Established: 1923 Cases produced per year: 3000 Web: http://www.vicaryswinery.com.au/

The Wine:

Tasting Note: Deep straw in colour. Melon and toast on the nose and palate with there not being much else of interest to pick out. A touch of unbalanced alcohol on the short finish.

Drinking Window: Unlikely to develop greatly with time in the bottle. Best drunk now.

Verdict: 79 points, with a value rating of Poor. At this price, you can do significantly better. This winery is most likely relying solely on the tourist market at this price-point.

So there you go. A somehwat disappointing result, but at least I learnt that there are some wineries close by to me. Maybe I will get the chance to try some of the others in the area.