PART 2: Great Aussie Wine Trek 25 years on

It was raining this morning in Melbourne. Bet that's made a lot of people, especially the firefighters, very happy. Flew – along with half a planeload of exhausted firemen – to Adelaide, where it was sunny again. Turn left out of the airport on Sir Donald Bradman Drive and in two minutes you're on Henley Beach. It’s the only way to arrive.

Hot white sand, chilled white wine... and Great White sharks that eat people (they filmed Jaws here). It’s only fair fish get their turn I guess. After all, I ate a whole Barramundi today without any guilt and it was lovely. This with the Scarpantonis. Lovely boys. Among the most award-winning winemakers in the game. They'd just won two Trophies that very morning. Outstanding! Phil does the viticulture and Michael the winemaking. Dedicated and meticulous to an extreme. Can look fierce, the boys, especially in the shades and on the bikes but that's a joke, like their professed hobbies of concreting and deep-sea fishing. All a joke! I think. Yes, must be. Their place is in McLaren Vale, south of our Red Heads, near Maslin Beach. They get a couple of their antique bikes out that evening.

After lunch at Stella’s (Greek/Italian – highly recommended) we met some cute, small mummy Kangaroos and some frighteningly big daddy Kangaroos.

In the evening, some Big Wine people at 'A dinner for Tony Laithwaite' (I have the menu to prove it.), put on by the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation. Guess I've been coming here so long now they think I might know something.

Lots of great wines. Astonishing. Revelatory.

'New Look' – or 'New Wave' Wines? Whatever. More complexity and character, less alcohol. Keen Aussie wine drinkers got bored with Aussie wines about five years ago. So the brightest winemakers have seriously changed their ways and in many cases completely reversed old practices. There's a war on between play safe Big Fruit Bomb traditionalistas and revolutionary cool-climate (where possible) winemakers pursuing the wildly complex, cross-blended and risky wines just like they've seen in Europe, that have re-ignited interest at home.

But, so far not abroad. Hence reason for my free dinner, I guess. Hence a big campaign Laithwaites are planning to introduce customers to more of Australia's regions, secrets and quirks.

The value for money is amazing! You can get meticulously crafted gems from top estates in top regions at below half what they cost last year (there's a glut of quality wine whilst there isn't a glut of cheap wine because no-one can afford to make it now.)

For the price of a little French Vin Du Pays you can now get an Aussie wine you'd think was real, fine Burgundy! I kid not! (The A$ exchange rate is just wonderful for us!)

ABSOLUTELY THE PLACE TO BUY GOOD WINE RIGHT NOW IS AUSTRALIA!!!! Go to it.

A couple more hectic long days – rather a blur – seeing people like the Lehmanns; Peter, (still leaning on the bar where I left him last time, and all the times before that since 1985. He's my hero I tell him. He tells me to Something Off. Which means he loves me really.) Son Doug, and dear Margaret. Even bumped into some Laithwaites customers from near Canterbury!

Then to the quite new Bird in Hand – premium small family run winery of brothers Justin & Andrew Nugent with veteran Flying Winemaker Kym Milne as consultant. This new wave set up is producing some great wines (finer, more complex, wonderfully concentrated).

Onto Neil Pike (again family affair with duck hunting brother, Andrew). He does our Prospectors wines from Clare. They’re an old Woodside family who also had a brewery, and now have prime sited vineyards in Lenswood, Adelaide Hills (all netted to prevent birds eating fruit).

Then to Simon Wicks (and brother) with consultant winemaker, demi god of Clare Valley Riesling, Tim Knappstein. Back on the 1985 wine trek route again! Cup of tea with Robert Hill Smith at Yalumba - he doesn't look a day older, and we vow to get together for a wine project very soon. Quick drive out to Heggies Vineyard and sensationally pretty Pewsey Vale.

Then catch up with David Hickintbotham and a tasting of the original 1976 wine we bought. (Our first or second Oz wine) and our latest wine (watch this space).

The last day before catching plane, is yet another early morning … Petaluma, crèche to so many of today's top winemakers. It’s the place that most aspire to work at. We caught a fabulous bunch of harvesters at dawn. They were fabulous bunch – a whole world of wine people in one little vineyard: Iranian, Iraqui, Vietnamese, Somalian, British, Aussie and on and on … Yves took a lovely shot of them all. Joyous! A great way to end the trip.


... goodbye sun and warmth and home to cold, wet Britain. But at least the crocuses are out.

PART 1: Great Aussie Wine Trek 25 years on

It’s 3 a.m. I’m lying fully clothed on my bed at the 'Harvest Home' pub in Avenel. In the bush fire zone of Victoria! We are hoping to see Andrew McPherson's harvesters bringing in the Sauvignon at dawn. Why? We have Yves the great photographer with us and he wants to shoot us at dawn! We got here too late to shoot at a civilized hour; dusk, hence the uncivilised dawn (ordinary sunshine isn't good enough for Yves).

I set my phone alarm to wake me for four am but got it wrong again (it’s still on UK time … so am I) so I’m lying here ready and wide awake. Might as well write diary! It’s cool outside. But apparently this isn't going to last. 40 degrees, hot winds and more fires are expected soon. We shall have to be careful. We've seen the charred bits of landscape and yesterday was a National Day of Mourning for those killed in the fires.

We were in Sydney yesterday. We had a subdued lunch on Circular Quay with John Casella, Bill Calabria and the whole Sydney Office team. Our Sarah MacLean came. Her family just lost their home and old Yarra winery to the fire. But they are alive. I do hope we can buy their wine. We must do what we can to help.

Strange cries in the night. Possums apparently. Outside in the pitch black. Earlier, the noises were partying girls in the corridors; much more frightening! The Southern Aurora Sydney to Melbourne train came hooting and clanging past at 1.30; a very long train.

Andrew McPherson has arrived so time to move.. …

He drives us to the Nagambie winery all lit up and buzzing in the dark. POW! The first whiff of fresh crushed grapes in 2009 hits my old cortex. Sauvignon Blanc without a doubt. That noseful has the effect (I guess!) of cocaine or something on others. Am wide awake now, hibernation over, vintage is on! Fire up the engines!

Andrew’s Sinclair Vineyard is vast. Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Verdelho … and a bunch of bouncing grey shapes in the mist. Or is it dust? Kangaroos! Is there a weirder-looking animal in motion? They panic before our headlights, every now and then bouncing extra high over the fence to escape, till there's only one left. Not a jumper obviously. He finally bounds into the vineyard. Mmm. Not clever. An hour later we hear a rifle shot. Poor Skippy.

We find a tractor loading bins in the dark and follow it through the dark vineyard maze to the harvesting machine. Still pitch black. And bloody cold in just a shirt. In this huge vineyard under a huge, spectacular Milky Way … we wait. Quick lovely hot coffee in the shed with the guys. They only harvest at night. By nine they'll be home in bed. Or down the pub for 'breakfast'.

Where's the sodding dawn? Ah! (looking the wrong way). First hint of red. There's an hour’s difference with Sydney here. Back to the big machine for a ride in the dim light. Like being on a ship high above the green waves. We finished up the photo shoot with the harvesting machine as it got light. Some astounding images.

Then off to see the McPherson winery where we clambered over a lot of tanks, and across to the oldest winery in Australia; Chateau Tahbilk. I realise my route is beginning to bear a resemblance to a great wine trek I did here back in 1985. Back then, Australian wine was not exported. But there was a great buzz around the industry. They were beginning to realise that their wines could compete very well in Europe, but it was difficult to persuade some to take the plunge.

Since then, the wine world has changed dramatically. Mostly by Aussies. Two leading stars back then were Brian Croser at Petaluma and James Halliday at Coldstream Hills. I went to see them both, sat at their tables and learnt a lot. Since then, whilst they both continue to have enormous influence, they both had their wineries bought from under them by multinationals. This happened to so many who had raised capitol by floating on the Stock Exchange. I thank my lucky stars we never did that.

Click here to check out my original Great Wine Trek. It’s interesting to see what has and what hasn't changed in the intervening quarter century.

Anyway, after wandering the dark sheds and cellars – older than most in Europe – and photographing the 150 year old vines, Andrew took us home for coffee and toast on the veranda. It was then decided that the old guy (me) needed a rest having been up since 3am. So back to hotel to crash out. Then back to Andrew and Nikki's again for lunch on the veranda with a couple of the winemakers and all the dogs. Then back to the pub for a shoot in the bar with bottles of Coopers Ale! (Breakfast). Winery workers and craggy barman Eddie. But the light's changing!

So we pack it in and leave for the Yarra Valley …

An hour across country and suddenly all goes black and there's a smell of wood ash. Not nice. Police divert us. Fires are still burning. Black bits intermingled crazily with bits that look fine show how unpredictable the fire was. Eventually to Healesville, Dr Tony Jordan – The Doctor – and the wacky winery called Giant Steps. The dreamchild of a guy called Phil Sexton who has an odd imagination like mine but with no one to restrain him.

Phil qualified as a Master Brewer at Birmingham (UK) and started a brand called Little Creatures in Perth (Oz). Sold out. Started this revolutionary winery in the middle of town. First he built the overhead crane, then with this crane he built the winery. The crane makes the whole winery flexible, so there’s no need for pumps. Just gravity. As little handling/bashing grapes as possible. Lovely Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Bolted on the winery behind glass wall is the cellar door that is RedHeads times ten and very popular. Except no-one’s coming to a fire zone just now. Place is dead. But it’s wacky and hippy. With a wood fired pizza oven, cheese cellar, HUGE wine list, brassiere food, shop and that old Monty Python audio sketch about Aussie Wine playing on a loop in the gents.

We have a great dinner. After, Doctor Jordan takes us to a B & B in two cabins in the dark. Collapse. Wake at 2:30am so start writing. Can hear Yves doing something photographic next door. Otherwise the night is silent. And I like that. Because if the wind got up we would have to run. Fires were still burning in the hills above us. Nowhere was safe if the wind blew hard. Those fires can move at over 100kph if it blows. But it didn't. The fires are moving away from us apparently, it’s not hot and there's still no wind I can hear. Anyway, time to try for more sleep …we're to be up to watch harvesting by actual people at seven.

Up at dawn and drove to Phil Sexton’s vineyard …

Brown patches in the green. The fire had stopped right at the edge but flying, burning bark embers had rained down and started grass fires under the vines. Those grapes had had it, but the pickers were harvesting anything untouched. And it was amazingly aromatic. Picked a row just to show I could. The Doctor came and took us off to meet James Halliday at his Coldstream Hills eyrie. Just as he had 24 years ago! James is two days off the deadline for his annual book. Looked a bit exhausted.

This time Greg was there though. Greg Jarratt was a great Flying Winemaker for us in Bordeaux through the Nineties. The best, but best remembered for leaving the St Vivien hill road in such spectacular fashion the hire car had to be retrieved from ten feet up a tree! Looked well, did the boy. Amazed he's still alive really.

More visits, more wine …

De Bortoli's were inspiring, and Chandon just amazing. I want cases of all four wines tasted there sent to my home as soon as they arrive. The Doctor (who retired from Chandon last year) left his mark alright! Bloody genius. Stroppy sometimes but that's genius for you! He and Michele gave us a lovely lunch

On way to central Melbourne we went to look at these young guns who are experimenting with foot stomping and I finished the day up to my knees in cool Pinot Noir … cold Coopers in hand, of course. Very Australian.

Part two coming soon …