How many times have we been completely wowed by a wine the first time we taste it, only to find that when opening a second bottle with friends, after raving about how amazing it is, the wine is not quite as we remember it? This is not uncommon and could often be down to the unexplained phenomenon of bottle variation, which sees a wine differ very slightly, from bottle to bottle. There are also any number of uncontrollable variables such as mood, company, food, weather etc. that may affect how we experience a wine from one bottle to the other. 

It is common to be asked as a wine merchant if we can “source the local wine” that a customer has been drinking on their holiday, as “it was just sublime and far better than anything that’s exported.” Clearly not understanding that everything tastes better when relaxing under the Mediterranean sun than on a drizzly autumn Tuesday in the UK! These are factors that we have little control over but there are many things that we can control, that are paramount in ensuring we enjoy a bottle of wine to its fullest. The factors within our control are simple steps, such as; storage, serving temperatures, decanting and most importantly - glassware which can elevate a wine and ensure that every bottle is showing as well as it can.

As we are now well into summer, it couldn’t be more important to think about serving temperatures for both red and white wine. We all too often serve wine at the wrong temperature, tending to chill the life out of a bottle of white wine, be it an aromatic Riesling or a buttery Chardonnay. Then as a rule, always serve a red wine at room temperature, regardless of what that temperature actually is, often resulting in a jammy red. Too low a temperature can subdue the fruit characters of a wine and in the example of a rich, oaky Chardonnay can make the wine seem overly oaked and unbalanced. If the wine is served a little too warm, this will minimize a wine’s acidity, causing it to lose structure and appear flabby. Richer whites such as Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne or an oaked Chardonnay that have a riper profile, showing peach and apricot flavours shouldn’t be served too cold as this can cause them to appear a little muted, masking the stone fruit character. Taking a bottle out of the fridge for half an hour before serving is a good way to ensure the wine will show at its best. This slight rise in temperature will make a huge difference towards bringing out the wine’s full complexity.

An unoaked Chardonnay, or one that demonstrates citrus fruit or stony mineral qualities, as well as naturally aromatic wines such as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc will benefit from being served chilled. The high level of aromatics will stand up to the low temperatures which will also help to emphasise citrus and mineral qualities. It is usually recommended to fully chill a sparkling wine as low temperatures will slow the release of carbon dioxide, resulting in the wine being unpleasantly frothy if served too warm. However, from personal experience, letting a bottle of Champagne come up in temperature a little will help to bring out those much desired bread and biscuit aromas that can be slightly masked by serving a little too chilled. If finishing a bottle between two or more people in a sitting, I prefer to chill Champagne right down to full fridge temperature, then leave it out of the fridge after the first glass is poured, usually around an hour maximum… The wine won’t warm up too quickly this way, but the smallest changes in temperature help to open up the wine’s full aromatics and this is definitely a worthwhile experiment.

Red wines are almost always served too warm, especially during the summer months when ambient “room” temperature is at its highest. A full bodied red doesn’t have to be chilled but tends to be enjoyed more in the winter months than the summer. If the serving temperature is too warm, especially at 20 degrees or above, a full bodied wine can often appear jammy and overly fruity. If very youthful, the tannins will help to give structure, but if not, then a very light chill will help emphasise the wine’s acidity, helping to give structure and also rein in the fruit slightly, bringing the components back into balance. Therefore, wines such as Shiraz, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, ideally require a natural serving temperature of somewhere between 16 and 19 degrees.

Lighter wines will often benefit from a light chill, especially light Pinot Noir which is at its most enjoyable when served semi-chilled, with cooler temperatures supporting its natural structure and texture. Our optimum temperature for serving Pinot Noir is what we have begun to call “warehouse” temperature. This happened mostly by accident to begin with when we have taken a bottle to sample straight from our warehouse stocks and we began to note how good Pinot is at that temperature. Now we will always open a bottle of Pinot straight from the warehouse!

If we open a fuller bodied wine such as Shiraz or Cabernet, we will bring it into the office to warm up and always decant. Decanting is another essential part of serving correctly and will almost always benefit a wine. Decanting is not just about removing a wine from its sediment but is incredibly important in helping a wine to open up. Young wines, especially the fuller bodied grapes, require a good four to six hours in the decanter for them to be able to fully open up. When tasting the Standish Schubert Theorem,

we decanted in the morning and didn’t sample it until towards the end of the day which made a staggering difference. If serving a full bodied wine, straight from the bottle, it will often not be showing its full potential, appearing too closed and lacking full complexity. It’s a great experiment to do if you’ve never decanted a wine before and is highly recommended. Have a small glass straight from the bottle and decant the rest, going back to it a few hours later. I promise that you will be amazed at the difference it makes.

To be absolutely certain that you are serving your wine at its best, the final and probably the most important factor, is the glassware. This fact has been made evident by our recent visit to the IWC Awards with the shocking standard of glassware that was provided at the tables. Given that this was a wine event, we found it rather surprising. Particularly at a cost of £250 per head!  We brought with us a few of our own special wines to enjoy throughout the evening, the glassware came as quite a disappointment. Thankfully, 67 Pall Mall only use Zalto glassware. This way, we know that our wines will be served at their best for our September tasting and we feel that this is crucial for a wine event!

We took with us to the IWC Awards; two bottles of Lanson Noble Cuvee 2000, one bottle of Paul Lato Le Souvenir Chardonnay, one bottle of Paul Lato East of Eden Chardonnay and two bottles of Songlines Shiraz 2004 which are all incredible wines but to be completely honest, all but the Lanson fell significantly short of their potential.  This was purely down to the glasses they were served in. The Lanson was sublime and given that it followed two bottles of Krug that we’d had in the bar before the awards, punched well above its weight. The entire team feeling that it was either just as good, or even better than the Krug. The Lanson was poured into wine glasses as opposed to a flutes which for the rich, biscuity style of Champagne it is, we do recommend and it certainly benefited from it.  However, the Paul Lato Chardonnays and Songlines Shiraz were no way as good as we know they can be. Perhaps we have just been spoilt as we serve every bottle of wine in Zalto glassware both at The Vinorium and at home, and may have got used to that, but to experience the difference when these wines are served in poor glassware was quite remarkable.

We have said it before but it is worth saying again, that good quality glassware is probably the most important investment for anyone who is serious about wine, a fact that we are seeing more people begin to understand. For us, the glassware is perhaps as important as the wine and should be a first step. As we discovered at the IWC Awards, correct glassware doesn’t just enhance a glass of wine, but poor glassware can also cause a great wine to show well below its potential. There are several brands out there and for a long time, Riedel were considered to be the leading name. In fairness, they should be credited as being the first to seriously investigate the concept of designing a glass to suit a particular wine. We sell both Riedel and Zalto glasses but we have to say that the Zalto glasses are by far the most superior and it would seem that many others agree. 

To put it into perspective, we have been stocking Riedel glasses since we started The Vinorium back in 2013 and have only been stocking Zalto glassware since 2017. In that time, we have already sold three times as many Zalto glasses as we ever have Riedel, a figure that will only continue to grow. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise to us given that two glasses of Riedel’s handblown Sommelier range sell for £125, which is double the price of the Zalto handblown glasses. However, it is not just about the comparative affordability of Zalto compared to Riedel. We have drunk wine out of both and can say with confidence that quite simply, all wine tastes better out of Zalto glassware. Tasting Pinot Noir from the Zalto Burgundy glass is an experience that any Pinot lover should insist on. The glasses only have to be bought once to improve every bottle that is enjoyed thereafter and will essentially add value to any bottle of wine, be it a £10 or £100 bottle. 

If we had to choose, there are just three essential Zalto glasses, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Universal that are needed to cover the entire spectrum of wine. Although it doesn’t really suit any other type of wine, the Burgundy glass is absolutely essential for Pinot Noir. The Bordeaux glass is probably the most versatile, not only being perfect for all medium to full bodied reds but also fantastic for oaked Chardonnays. The Universal glass will cover all light and aromatic white wines as well richer styles of Champagne.

These steps are all quite simple but can make a tremendous amount of difference to your drinking experience. Slightly chilling a light red or decanting a full bodied one, letting a rich white wine come up in temperature a touch and decanting will ensure your wine is served at its best.  However, the one thing that we would emphasise is the importance of investing in glassware.

We have experienced both inferior glasses reducing the perceived quality of a wine, and the correct glass enhancing the experience of a wine. The wrong glassware, even Riedel, can potentially devalue your wine but the enhancement that the Zalto glasses make to a wine can be enormous. Put simply, there is no point in buying great wine without having first purchased great glassware!

With seven generations of your family having roots in the Barossa, it seems as if you are part of the region’s history. How did it all begin for the Angas family in Australia? What has been the journey from the first settlers to winemakers?

South Australia was settled on a vision of free settlement with careful thought around planning of the built form for townships and how they relate to each other. The foundation values were of religious freedom, education, health, food production and a caring society. George Fife Angas (GFA) was Chairman of the London based South Australian Company, leading the charge to deliver settlement of South Australia in the early 1830s. It was not all smooth running. GFA was vigorous in his commitment to this vision, sending his son John Howard Angas (JHA) to South Australia in 1843 to deliver on his vision. Ultimately, GFA had to sell all he owned in England to meet his commitments to South Australia and moved there in 1851.

His land purchase in South Australia was extensive, he sponsored persecuted Lutherans from Silesia  (now part of Germany) free passage to South Australia. Many settled on his land, eventually leasing or purchasing from him in their own right.

His son John Howard Angas was outstanding in delivering his father’s vision and using the wealth of income from agriculture and land sales for building the new colony, with schools, hospitals, churches and societies helping those in need. He also travelled the world collecting the best horticultural and stud breeding material for agriculture. His access to the Busby vine material contributed to the Barossa vineyards. While much of GFA & JHA’s work was done in Adelaide, they both chose to settle in the Barossa close to a town named in their honour, Angaston.

Closer to present day our journey to becoming wine producers really began in the late 1980s when a good friend; John Duval (then Penfolds Grange winemaker) encouraged us to recognise the quality of our fruit and helped us make one barrel of Shiraz, he was right and the rest has grown from there.

Given your ancestry, you must have a deep understanding of the culture. Is there anything that you feel is unique about the Barossa culture?

For 1,000s of years, before European settlement, the landscape was cared for by the Peramangk Aboriginal people with soils recognised as some of the oldest in the world. European settlement brought quite a change. Both the English and Silesian (German) migrants brought their own culture. This culture is evident today in the buildings, vineyards, wines and the longest continuous food culture in Australia. Much of our landscape reflects a mixed farm with stone buildings, wood ovens and smoke houses.

Hutton Vale Farm is not only a vineyard but also a working farm. Can you tell us about the whole farm? What else do you grow or rear there and what farming methods do you promote?

Hutton Vale Farm has been a mixed working farm since 1843. While there has been changes in the mix over the 176 years, some things have also continued. Our focus is to farm with the lightest footprint to the soil, with everything we do weaving together for the strength of the whole farm. Cereal crops producing straw mulch for the vineyard, sheep grazing in the vineyards in winter for no spraying weeds and grasses, a permaculture orchard for our poultry (chooks) to graze and deliver eggs for the farm kitchen.

Our Merino sheep have always played a part and are as generational as the family, with their mothers, grand-mothers and great grandmothers being born on Hutton Vale Farm, contributing to a natural genetic vigour.  A small selection from the 100% Merino wool is knitted into beautiful woollen throws

and the rest is sold to specialist buyers. Our prime lambs are given the most natural caring life before paying the ultimate price and delivered to high quality restaurants respecting a no wastage approach to all parts of the animal.

Most impressive! As one of Australia’s oldest remaining working farms - do you hope for your children or grandchildren to continue running the estate?

Currently we have two of the seventhgeneration stepping up to running the farm business and three little eighth generation living on the farm. So there is opportunity, for which we take great care to plan together.

Clearly, family life is central at Hutton Vale Farm. Is everyone part of the day-to-day running of the estate and involved with the Harvest?

The whole family is very important. Being part of Hutton Vale Farm business is about desire and commitment. As luck would have it, the seventh generation have good energy and passion, while complimenting the current strengths and gaps to take us into a strong future. Harvest time is always exciting and naturally busy, all hands on deck as everyone is involved somehow, there is no escaping harvest time!

Do you have a strong philosophy with regards to what you’re trying to achieve at that farm, whether it’s growing food or producing wine?

We have a very strong commitment to our land and lead with brave hearts and patient hands, indebted to all who have gone before us and respectful for those who are yet to come.

For the 7th generation, Cait and Stu’s approach to their roles is to ensure a healthy future for our farm and ultimately to remain a farm. We are excited by the chance to change and evolve, we are not stuck entirely in heavy tradition but we are committed to the philosophy of quality that has been a hallmark of Hutton Vale Farm since 1843.

·       How important is the food element to the estate? Do you have any advice to those wanting to grow their own food, to get the best out of their produce?

We grow food, fibre and wine, not commodities that will be processed for food and wine production. Working with the season and natural environment is the most honourable way to have a sustainable future and deliver the best quality mother nature will allow.

Can you tell us about some of the dishes you like to create? Anything that is typical of traditional Barossa cuisine?

The flavour of what we grow is central to what we cook, meaning keeping it simple prevails. Slow lamb roast, rubbed with home grown lemons and rosemary is a regular feature with seasonal salad or vegetables. Jan, who does most of the cooking, believes in a minimum of 7 vegetables accompanying any roast. She is also legendary for crispy lamb spare ribs served outdoors around a warm red gum fire.  A Barossa winemakers favourite!

We’re fascinated to hear more about the Collingrove property. What can you tell us about it?

John Howard Angas built a home when he took a wife, Susanne Collins, naming it Collingrove honouring her surname.

Unlike his father GFA’s home; Lindsay Park, Collingrove was of more humble proportions. The importance of Collingrove was that it was the headquarters of a large proportion of South Australia’s agriculture lands being managed by JHA. The home is modest for the scale of business and visitors it hosted. A true reflection of the man himself.

Your relationship with the Henschke family began generations ago and you’ve been neighbours ever since. Are you close as families, getting together from time to time to share great food and wine?

The Henschkes reflect the very strong German (Silesian) history with the Angas Family a very strong English history.  The Barossa settled with a healthy respect of German and English but they retained their own social entities. This has slowly changed over the last century or so.

Ronald Angas planted the Mount Edelstone vineyard in 1912. His son, Colin continued managing the vineyard and began working with Cyril Henschke, Stephen’s father, in the 1950s. Colin planted another vineyard with cuttings from the Mount Edelstone, in the 1960s. Colin sold the Mount Edelstone vineyard to Cyril Henschke in 1973

Mount Edelstone has continued with a single pedigree and a strong future, managed exceptionally well by the Henchkes.

Today we both have great food and wine to share as well as interests. Last month Stuart (Angas) flew Stephen (Henschke) interstate for a wine makers’ meeting. A few days later Andreas (Henschke) took Jan (Angas) for a quick lift off in a hot air balloon flight!

Tell us about the walks between the Hutton Vale Farm, Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone vineyards.

Together our families host the little Barossa Camino on the first Sunday of May. We celebrate the effort of generations, our parish of settlements in Eden Valley most notably the Hill of Grace church and vineyard, before walking across the beautiful open landscape sharing stories. Hutton Vale Farm land connects the threevineyards, Hill of Grace, Hutton Vale and Mount Edelstone. The actual peak of Mt Edelstone alongside the vineyard, (hence the name) provides 360-degree views of the countryside and the backdrop for tasting the threewines. A short walk back to the farm buildings for lunch, sharing in everything we grow, warmth of families, new and old friends.

(We would be delighted for you to join us)

As you’ve already whet our appetite – tell us, what is typically served for lunch following the vineyard walk?

Local produce grown on the farm and by our neighbours. Smoked Roo with Quandong chutney, Silesian fowl soup with hand-made pasties, braised lamb with parsley dumplings, cauliflower and red onion cake, roasted root vegetables. Followed by the Gnadenberg Church ladies classic sweet slice selection. All with a background of local music. Last year Justine Henschke sang a few favourites!

We’re intrigued by the airfield in the middle of the vineyard. How did this come about?

 Our family has had a varying history associated with aviation, a handful of pilots and a few enthusiastic aviation friends along the way have helped. Stuart’s Great Uncle Bob learnt to fly in England with the Royal Air force at the beginning of WW2.  He was shot down twice over enemy territory and was awarded a DFC. He returned after the war and settled at a neighbouring property. It was Uncle Bob who first landed in the paddock in a Tiger Moth. Stuart has gone on to be a commercial pilot and with that encouraged the upgrade of our paddock to an airfield! One end is indeed adjacent to the Mount Edelstone vineyard, whilst the other end stops short of the Hutton Vale Farm Shiraz vineyard.  We cater for light to medium sized single or twin engine aircrafts on an ad-hoc basis but charter and private transfers are available for our guests too.

The Hutton Vale Farm vineyard has produced fruit that has gone into some of Barossa’s greatest wines. What can you tell us about the vineyard itself and what makes it produce fruit of such quality?

It all starts with the soil. Our vineyard is in the northern end of Eden Valley with rich chocolate loam over deeper clay. The clay tends to hold moisture and using mulch on the surface helps to keep soil temperature down on hot days. Being planted with no irrigation nearly 55 years ago the spacing between individual vines along the rows is larger. The rows run east to west either side of a natural creek bed. The width between the rows is wider than the norm and all sod sewn with a green pasture mix. The sheep graze this in winter, it is mown in late spring leaving a dry mat over summer to hold the soil. The vines fruit in balance with the season. They are not force fed with fertilizer or water. Cane pruned by hand on a single wire trellis. We aim for the canopy to be in balance with the vine, as well as the season to reduce heat stress while letting in enough light to allow a slow even ripening and to bring out the flavour. Mother nature is not always fully compliant with our desires, which we have to accept.

The vineyard is planted with cuttings that your Grandfather took from the Mount Edelstone vineyard that he planted. Are there many similarities between the Hutton Vale vineyard and Mount Edelstone vineyard?

While the two wines are made by different winemakers in different wineries, it is undeniable how similar the fruit profile is in the wines and it is always a privilege to taste the wines alongside each other.

Can you tell us a little about each of your wines?

Riesling: Our single block of Riesling was planted in the mid-1960s on a gentle slope alongside a natural watercourse. It is a relatively large block for a single variety and was established by fifth generation Colin Angas with great encouragement from Peter Lehman who was a fierce advocate for the Eden Valley’s ability to grow Riesling that could be amongst the best in the world.

Hutton Vale Farm Riesling is known for beautiful aromatics and citrus zing, whilst not sweet it is mouth wateringly moreish.

Grenache Mataro: Planted in 1968, it was originally 100% Grenache.  When approximately 10% of the vines failed in the first year; they were replanted with vine stock that time revealed to actually be Mataro. A brilliant mistake of luck saw this blend born in the vineyard not in the winery, the grapes are grown together, harvested together, processed, fermented, aged and bottled together; a true vineyard blend.

A lighter style for the Barossa, it is sort of a “Barossa Pinot”, generally described as a wine, “greater than the sum of its parts”.

It is an excellent lunchtime wine, and if the sun goes down and you’re still enjoying it, so be it!  Cellaring potential is good, 10-15 years.

Cabernet Sauvignon: This is a great example of a well-ripened variety. A more recent planting, (1998) by 6th and 7th generations during the children’s school holiday break (instead of holiday away!) and expanded Hutton Vale Farm.

Very low yields but delicious, mouth filling flavours. A mid-range between the Grenache Mataro and the Shiraz. More of a dinner wine although a hearty lunch on a cold day, red meat, baked vegetables, perfect accompaniment. Cellaring potential, 15-20 years.

Shiraz: Planted 1967 by Colin Angas, Our Shiraz has always been approachable even soon after bottling, but so much better if it can be put aside for a few years. We release our Shiraz at 4-5 years of age and recommend cellaring for as long as you like within reason, but we don’t think 25 years is out of the question. Probably longer.

It is a rich, full-bodied wine typical of high end Eden Valley Shiraz, a well-balanced restrained wine with elegance that truly speaks to the sense of place from which it came.

Do your farming values carry over to your winemaking? How do you feel this translates through the wines?

Yes, we aim for the wines to reflect the true flavour of the fruit with minimum intervention. Sometimes less really is more, and when accepting lower yielding crops (of anything) often we see the quality remain consistently high. In terms of winemaking; we agree with Kym that when the grapes are ready to harvest, the prospective wine is as good as it can ever be right at that point. The challenge is to process it, age it and package it as gently as possible to maintain the quality of the fruit from that day it was harvested.

As well as your own wines, fruit from the Hutton Vale Farm vineyard was responsible for Wolf Blass’ single vineyard wine that won World’s Best Shiraz and also Dan Standish’s 99 point scoring Lamella 2016. Does it make you feel just as proud when hearing about these accolades as it does with your own wines?

Absolutely, as the winemakers are always complimentary of the job done in the vineyard. You can’t make good wine from bad grapes!  Other winemaker’s success with Hutton Vale Farm grapes is always a celebration.

Are you continuing to sell fruit to other Barossa producers as well as producing your own wines? Are Dan Standish and John Duval still sourcing grapes from you?

Yes, we continue to work together as it keeps us brave and objective in what we do. Better accountability than just thinking we do things well. We really enjoy working with great people and it is truly a pleasure to be able to share and work together with what we achieve collectively and on our own.

To share good food and good wine with good people is always a grounding reminder about how lucky we are to do what we do, we pay that forward by sharing it with people who want to value it too.

Given that the John Duval, Standish Lamella and your own wines all use grapes from the Hutton Vale vineyard, how do you feel the wines all differ?

We have specific areas of the vineyard picked for each of us. We do not pick everything at once and send a portion to each winemaker respectively. So the different nuances in the vineyard can show through, and each has a slightly different method of time on skins, in barrel or types of barrel. Nothing thrills us more than when the flavours speak to the Hutton Vale Farm vineyard in a recognisable way.