TAWNY NV Victoria, Technical Notes About this Wine The grapes for this Tawny are harvested Buller Wines has been making some of the between 16-18 Baumé when raisining has just finest fortified wines in the world since started to occur. Once harvested, the grapes 1921. These great fortified wines are grown are crushed and destemmed to tank. These on a band of red sandy clay loam soils. vines yield roughly 2 tons/acre. The grapes are This unique soil type snakes its way around allowed to ferment on skins for 24 hours and the center and extends to the east, west are then fortified with a high quality grape and south of the township of Rutherglen. brandy spirit. After being fortified on skins, Rutherglen has a long ripening period and a the grapes are pressed, stabilized, racked then mixture of warm days and cool nights which filtered. The wine then begins the matura- allow fortified grapes varieties to develop tion process. It is aged in oak vats and barrels full and concentrated flavors. Aussie NV which range in size from 25,000 liters to 125 Tawnies are aged for 5-7 years and yet still liters. They use a modified solera system for all marketed at affordable prices. Compare that their fortified wines, that allows them to blend to Portuguese NV Tawny Port, which is aged a complex of wines from bases of varying 4-5 years, as a result of annual inventory tax- ages. The younger material adds freshness ation borne by the producer. Further to this and lightness whereas the older material pro- curious fact, it is worth remembering that in vides weight and depth of flavor. During the Portugal, a port producer is forced by law, to maturation process, which in this case ranges buy average quality, distilled spirit (for the between 7 and 10 years, up to 8% of wine is fortification) from the government. In Aus- lost per year through evaporation which fur- tralia the producer can easily purchase, from ther concentrates the sugars and flavors. artisanal producers, high quality pot-stilled brandy to use for their distillate. This makes UPC CODE: 858441006262 for a better quality product.

Wine Analysis The Key to Making Scores/Reviews Alcohol: 18 % Great 92 pts The Wine Advocate (RP) - These Acidity: 3.65g/l blends represent the newest bottled of- Making great fortified wines takes pH: 5.8 ferings from this Rutherglen producer, an significant skills and key ingredients. Residual sugar: 115 g/l area that produces spectacular fortifieds, They start with sourcing the best qual- especially the Muscats and Tokay’s (actually ity fruit in the Rutherglen wine region Muscadelle). Their freshness, good acidity, VEGAN FRIENDLY and high quality, clean spirit for forti- soaring aromatics and unctuous flavors must SUSTAINABLE fying. They then use aged oak barrels be tasted to be believed. The real values are and meticulously monitor these over the less expensive cuvees generally pro- ORGANIC the maturation years. duced from 5- to 6-year-old solera systems... BIODYNAMIC The Victoria Tawny exhibits a medium garnet Cellaring Recommendations color in addition to sweet, unctuous straw- As this Tawny has already undertak- berry and cherry fruit. It is a blend of four en the maturation process at Buller grapes, Carina, , Gren- Wines, there is no need for further ache, and Shiraz cellaring. It is perfect for immediate . consumption. 92pts James Suckling

90 pts Steven Tanzer