I was fascinated by a story about female stage performers in the late 1800s and early 1900s and it was such that there were not many of them around. A good example is a lady by the name of Gladys Shaw. At the time, she did a lot of things women of her time were not supposed to do and one of those was whistling, and she was a very talented one at that. She could whistle the national anthem of many countries around the world. The trouble is, this was frowned upon, even to the point of a proverb being penned, “A whistling girl and a crowing hen is loved by neither god nor men.”
There doesn’t seem to be much said or written about women winemakers in the annals of the Australian wine industry, that I could find anyway. This was until Pam Dunsford ‘broke the shackles’ at Roseworthy College in the early 1970’s and became the first female to be enrolled there. These days, there are many talented, highly skilful and respected female winemakers doing great things for the industry. I have it on good authority that winemaker, Penny Jones, is not a whistler, but she and her team can certainly make very special wines.
Region: 100% Tasmanian Price: $61 & $58 respectively Source: Generous gift
2021 Pinot Noir
Delightful on the nose where it exudes confidence and class even before it triggers the taste buds into action. The palate is so so elegant while exhibiting terrific fruit intensity and restrained yet expressive power (a contradiction in terms I know but that’s what it’s like). Generously rich and textural with great persistence, it keeps presenting long before the curtains are drawn with encore after encore after encore.
2021 Chardonnay
Here is a wine that has grace, poise and presence, all in one. A wine that goes about its business in such a humble yet proud way, with an ability to express its abundant fruit flavours, its understated opulence, its toasty characters and bright acidity in a laconic yet concise manner. It will have you unwittingly attracted to its profound generosity while enjoying its company and conviviality right to the very long and memorable finish. A standing ovation and resounding applause from me!
Words from a Wine Glass 