Miss Harry 2005, Hewitson
26th May 2008
One of the charms of wine drinking nowadays is its endless cosmopolitanism. Regular visitors to this blog will have read about Burgundy from New Zealand, Bordeaux from South Africa, Gewürztraminer from Italy and Margaux from New York State. Now we have a delightful Rhône wine from South Australia.
Of course none of these copies is perfect. And the makers would no doubt protest that they are not trying to create doppelgängers of the French classics. But in that case, one is bound to ask what they are doing.
Dean Hewitson, who makes this week’s wine, describes it as “all-Australian”. Does he really hope to persuade us that it is mere coincidence that its grape combination – 55% Grenache, 33% Shiraz and 12% Mourvèdre - happens also to be the classic cépage of the Rhône valley? If so, Mr Hewitson is a very hopeful man.
In point of fact Mr Hewitson’s wine compares well with its, ahem, inspiration. Miss Harry – named after Mr Hewitson’s daughter Harriet – is perhaps fuller of fruit than most Rhône wines, but it shares many of the same perfumes and flavours. Its nose suggests spice, smoke and pencil lead. It tastes of plums, berries and old leather. Its finish is long and pleasingly bitter. You are aware of its (14.5%) strength, but not overwhelmed by it.
Miss Harry costs $24 in the US, £11 in the UK, and is good value. To be fair to Mr Hewitson, I should add that his wine has a distinctive character of its own, and should not really be approached as any sort of imitation. But Mr Hewitson could perhaps help himself by making the grape combination a little less prominent on the label.
