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Muscats and Tokays of the Rutherglen Region
A Taste of Australian Wine
'Muscats and Tokays of the Rutherglen Region'
by Gavin Trott
I must begin by stating a
bias, these wines are absolutely individual, world class and at their best,
ASTONISHING. I make no attempt at being unbiased when describing them. If I get
even close to their unique style, incredible complexity and great age, if I make
you want to run out and buy some, then I have accomplished my goal! The complex
flavours, the length, the age and the mouthfilling qualities of these wines put
Bordeaux, Burgundy, indeed most other wines other than perhaps Vintage Ports and
Madeira to shame.
So how are these astonishing wines made, and what
are they made from?
The answer to both questions is deceptively simple.
Each wine is a style not a variety and each is made from a different grape.
Muscat is made from a brown coloured type of the grape Muscat a Petits Grains
known locally as Brown Muscat, and Tokay is made from Muscadelle, a grape better
known for a small role in the sweet wines of Bordeaux. In both cases the grapes
are grown in this hot sun drenched region and allowed to hang on the vine long
after the table grapes are ripe, soaking up that heat, turning it into sugar,
and then concentrating this sugar and the acid as the grape shrivels. In this
way the grapes often reach 16-20 degrees Baume (each degree Baume roughly
equates to one % alcohol after fermentation) quite naturally which means the
resultant wine will be both sweet and rich.
The grapes are then picked
and crushed. This in itself is a difficult job due to the raisined grapes and
intense sugar levels. Next comes the fermentation, the use of yeast to turn the
sugar into alcohol. Many makers, Chambers included, do not even start fermenting
some wines (Tokay) or in very ripe years. Either way, the short fermentation is
stopped rather like Port by the addition of high quality brandy spirit which
kills the yeast leaving all that rich sugary sweetness and flavour.
The
next step involves time and patience. The young wine is cleaned then put into
oak barrels of varying sizes to age and develop. No new oak is used for this
process as the added flavour would not work with the wine, in fact, most of the
makers feel that the older the oak the better. Most of these wineries are full
of a myriad of barrels of varying sizes and some of great age. The rest of the
process is time.
What happens now is controlled oxidation. Over time,
lots of time, small amounts of air get in through the oak to affect the wine,
and through these same very small openings tiny amounts of the wines evaporate
(locally this evaporated liquid is known as the "angel's share"). The effect is
three fold:
Colour
The oxidation causes colour and flavour
changes in the wine. Muscat when young is reddish brown but time and oxygen
turns it brown, then eventually olive green, particularly on the rim. Tokay
starts out lighter with golden tints but follows the same pattern with very old
Muscat and Tokay looking quite similar.
Texture
Given the loss
through evaporation both wines become noticeably thicker, even oily. In fact,
very old wines, and there are some as old as 100 years and more, look and have
the texture of Treacle or Molasses.
Flavour
Time adds to the
complexity of the wines with older wines showing many aromas and flavours that
were not present in the young wines. Most noticeable among these is 'rancio', a
term much used with Sherries and Ports and which means, at least as well as I
can explain it, a mixture of volatility and other substances (aldehydes for the
chemists amongst us) which stop the sweet wine from smelling and tasting over
sweet or cloying. In fact, all the flavours concentrate and intensify until
older wines are quite literally explosive in the mouth.
So what can I
expect from Muscat and Tokay?
Muscat has an aroma that can be described
as fruity, with smells of grape, raisins, orange peel, rancio brandy spirit and
more plus a palate including incredibly intense sweetness, and many other
flavours that I can't find words for.
Tokay has all of these plus a
characteristic flavour and aroma from the Muscadelle grape that has been
described as cold tea, fish oil, or malt extract, all right, but all wrong ...
you'll need to try the wine to know what I mean.
Producers to watch
for
Chambers Rosewood
Morris
Stanton and
Killeen
Baileys
Campbells
Brown Brothers
All Saints
Wines
to try
Chambers Liqueur Muscat and Tokay (younger)Very Old Liqueur Muscat
and Tokay (very special, very, very old)
Morris Canister Series (younger) or
Old Premium Liqueur (older)
Stanton and Killeen Special Old
Liqueur
Baileys Warby and Founder Range (younger) and Winemakers Selection
(older)
Campbells Merchant Prince
Brown Brothers
All Saints Lyrebird
Range
I once was privileged enough to try some 100 year old Muscat from
Chambers. It was so dark and thick you almost could not pour it! It looked like
treacle and in the mouth was explosive, almost searing in its intensity and the
flavour stayed with me for ages, longer than any other wine experience. It is
this wine, when blended in with medium and fresher wine, that makes these old
blends so sensational to try.
Gavin is the manager
of the Australian Wine Centre (a large
collection of affordable, rare and cult Australian wines) and hosts the very
popular Auswine Forum (An online
discussion forum about Australian wine) .
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