Yes it’s that glorious time of year

when you receive your Bucket

Society Members pack, lucky you!

Hopefully you are enjoying a few

days off at Easter so you can fully

appreciate your wine packs. A lot

has happened since the last time

we sent you your wines.

Vintage was in full swing from

January through March and as

you will read in Dan’s vintage report, this year in the

Hunter Valley was extremely challenging.

The Ballabourneen winemaking team has also

extended and we welcome some new characters to the

family; Mark Robinson (Robbo) who is helping Daniel

(Buckets) out in the winery and cellar hand Sarah

Clancy (of the overflow) named for her ability to curtsy

and turn difficult situations into plausible ones

(i.e overfilling barrels and tanks to Dan’s dismay!).

We have had continued success from wine journalists

and if you weren’t already aware; James Halliday has

awarded us HHHHH and Peter Bourne has given the

Gamay Noir a big wrap, more on this later.

Bucket Society Journal Autumn/Winter 2012

From all of the Ballabourneen team we thank you for

your support, it means a great deal to us and we look

forward to seeing you throughout the year. Don’t

forget to give us a call if you are planning a trip so we

can really spoil you with a relaxed tasting experience

on the terrace. With advanced warning we can arrange

for you to be able to sample our latest releases along

with a gourmet cheese platter.

Here’s to you ... Cheers!

Hello Bucket Society Members,

The team at Ballabourneen Wine Co.

Th e team at Ballabourneen Wine Co.

You can find all your favourite wines at Members prices online at www.ballabourneen.com.au

Ballabourneen Online Let’s socialise and stay connected

Wet, wet,

wet is all

I can say

about the

2012 Hunter

Vintage.The

rain came

and stayed

causing an

increase in

the amount

of grey hairs

on my head

and also on

Matilda’s.

The Hunter was hit with persistent

downpours followed by the

Riverina, Hilltops and Mudgee,

making this the wettest vintage

since the 70s with around 80% of

Hunter‘s grapes lost... far worse than

the 2008 vintage where we picked

the whites but lost 50% of the reds.

Ballabourneen has sourced fruit from

South Australia and Queensland this

year (hi to all our cane toad friends

and Southern cousins). We were able

to source some Shiraz from the

Granite Belt and thus far it is looking

bloody good!

Between the periods of the deluges

of rain we did manage to hand pick

a small amount of Chardonnay

and Semillon from the Major’s

Lane Vineyard proving that great

vineyards always pull through.

The surprise this year however

was the Verdelho which ripened

beautifully in the tough conditions,

due to its thick skins, open bunches

and tough foliage which helped to

protect it from disease and rot. The

end result is a tropically fragrant

wine that will please all lovers of

Verdelho and convert lovers of

Sauvignon Blanc.

We are also pleased to announce

a new addition to our stable. The

2012 Ballabourneen Pinot Grigio

which will be released in June and

is a perfect food wine with great

texture, slight hint of colour and

a lovely pear aroma. I am very

pleased with it and looking forward

to drinking large amounts of it at

Christmas with the Italian part of

the family, and gaining brownie

points with the in-laws.

Now, onto reds ... I didn’t pick a

single berry of Shiraz for Balla. It

just didn’t get there and I wasn’t

going to produce something that

I wouldn’t drink myself. This was

really disappointing as earlier on

in the year it was looking fantastic.

The non-traditional varieties fared

well and we were able to pick the

Gamay Noir, Chambourcin, Muscat

(Moscato) and another new exciting

wine too ... the “B.N.G” Barbera,

Nebbiolo and Grenache (a mouthful

to say hence the abbreviation to

BNG... a good Aussie tradition of

shortening names). We picked all

the varieties at the same time and

fermented it together producing a

seductive wine with spicy Christmas

cake aromas and velvety tannins ...

but you are just going to have to

wait for this one as it needs a good

year in oak to be a great red. If you

love our Shiraz then you are sure to

enjoy this blend a ... great wine to

enjoy with your mates over dinner

as it is a very unusual blend, sure to

get the discussion going!

Buckets’ Word On Vintage 2012

Daniel Binet Winemaker/Director

Tasting notes for your 2012 Autumn Member Packs

White

s2011 Ballabourneen SemillonFrom a stand-out 2011 vintage generally in the Hunter, this wine won a Gold Medal in the Hunter Valley Wine Show current vintage class before it was even released! And so, once again, the Majors Lane vineyard shows why it has a wonderful reputation for producing wines with a backbone of steel and the power to age. On the nose it is showing flintiness, lemon oil, and fresh mown hay. First impressions on the palate speak a limey smoothness, lemons and oyster shells. The finish says depth and bite with enough zippy acid to see it develop well into this decade and beyond. At 10.8% alcohol, it makes the perfect luncheon wine to partner oysters, lightly pan-fried flathead tails, creamy carbonara or smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis. With this beautiful breeding it is destined to mature into a classic thoroughbred; sleek, classy but with the strength and endurance to run a long race into the future.Enjoy young or cellar for 10 years.

2011 Ballabourneen VerdelhoGuava, apples, peaches, nectarines, pineapple and lemon blossom; a veritable fruit salad in a glass! Wow, what a nose! And such a palate to follow: dry, yet full of stone fruit and so tangy, with a long citrus finish. This is contemporary Verdelho at its best!Try this wine with a classy gourmet omelette stuffed with smoked salmon and avocado or with thin slices of brie and grilled zucchini. Fry up some haloumi and serve with wedges of toasted ciabatta plus a green leaf salad concoction. Feel your taste buds come alive when it is all washed down with this amazingly vibrant Verdelho. Enjoy now or cellar for 5 years.

2011 ViognierNo other way to describe this but classic! Classic Viognier nose; honey and hay, apricots, and pear liqueur. Classic Viognier palate; subtle front palate acid balancing superbly the middle palate of rich, ripe pear with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Soft and mouth-filling, refreshing but satisfying, with a hint of ginger on the finish. Try it with Caesar salad and lots of parmesan cheese shavings, garlic prawns, eggplant parmigiana or honey soy lemon chicken. Enjoy now or cellar for 4 years.

2010 The Stuart ChardonnayThis wine is dedicated to Ballabourneen’s founder, Alex Stuart. Only the very best wines from the very best years are awarded the name that graced our 2003 Stuart Chardonnay, winner of multiple trophies. The grapes for this wine were carefully handpicked from the Majors Lane Vineyard in Lovedale, fermented in French oak barrels and allowed 10 months maturation “sur lees”. The result is a classic Hunter Chardonnay, with subtly integrated oak, balanced with fine acidity to support the vibrant aromas of ripe melon and white peach. Enjoy now or cellar for 5-7 years.

Tasting notes for your 2012 Autumn Member Packs continued

2011 Ballabourneen Gamay NoirImmediately intriguing with its wonderful garnet colour, this tantalising Beaujolais-style red is the perfect entree to Spring/Summer drinking. Aromas of cherries fresh off the tree, mixed with a little tar and violets suggest a road-side picnic in the French countryside! While dry and savoury on the palate, there is a touch of cherry sweetness to ensure the fruit flavours linger all the way to the finish.Throw me a baguette, some herbed roast chicken, home-made aioli, sun-dried tomato with baby spinach leaves, a slightly chilled Ballabourneen Gamay Noir, and I’m in heaven! And if you really have

to stay inside, cook up some sweet chilli salmon and see the sparks fly with this wine.Enjoy now or cellar for up to 4 years.

2010 Buckets Shiraz/CabernetBuckets’ Shiraz is fast becoming an iconic Hunter style Shiraz. Deep cherry red in colour, with rich ripe berry fruit aromas a hint of tobacco and dark chocolate. This savoury red has a fine oak structure and is an

elegant food friendly wine with a persistent mouth watering finish.Enjoy now or cellar for 5 years.

2010 Ballabourneen Shiraz When only the best will do! This is a sophisticated Shiraz, with fruit sourced from McLaren Vale SA and Hilltops (near Young, NSW) and carefully blended with grapes from one of the Hunter Valley’s iconic vineyards. Aniseed and tar, roses with some wild berries,

introduce a wine of power but finesse as well. The tannins are assertive though not aggressive, chalky and supple without being drying. Berry fruit fleshes out a sturdy acid

skeleton, and the wine finishes long and satisfyingly. This is the wine to put with slow-cooked lamb shanks (with potato and garlic mash swimming in loads of gravy) or a “stand-your-spoon-up” minestrone. Finish the night with the same Ballabourneen Shiraz, creamy blue cheese and a bitter dark chocolate. Cellar for 5-10 years (if you have the willpower).

Reds

Tasting notes for your 2012 Autumn Member Packs continued

2010 The Three Amigo’sTraditional red varieties of Bordeaux make up this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot sourced from the exciting “new” region of Orange NSW and McLaren Vale in South Australia. Aromas of blackcurrant, cedar, cherries and cinnamon assail the nose and the first impression is “rich” like plum sauce! Fine, chalky tannins line the palate, and together with a backbone of life-giving acid, provide a framework for all those indulgent fruit flavours. No other word for it, this wine is a “cracker”! A must for lovers of velvety, satisfying berry-fruit-filled reds.The ultimate match for a thick, juicy steak, gnocchi with creamy mushroom sauce or a wonderful cheddar by the fire. If you are really, really strong get a case, cellar it, try a bottle or two every 6 months and watch nature do its magic. Cellar for 5-7 years.

2010 Reserve Shiraz Alexander the GreatThe legendary Alexander the Great was a Macedonian King who established the huge ancient Persian Empire. He loved the flute, the lyre, poetry, and celebrating his victories with excellent wine in the company of good men and women. Our very own Alexander Stuart OAM was a famous builder who established the modern Ballabourneen Empire. He loves rock music, poetry in motion (ie rugby), and celebrating each week with excellent wine in the company of good men and women!Ballabourneen’s 2010 Reserve Shiraz is sourced from 30 year old Hunter vines. Rich and savoury with great length and a robust finish, it is a wine made to age, and as such, a fitting tribute to our very own Alexander the Great! Cellar for 5-10 years and witness the story turning into a legend!

The Brave Liqueur Shiraz NVA rich and luscious blend of Shiraz wine fortified with brandy spirit. The nose is full with plums and spice and the palate abounds with sweet fruit and a long lingering finish. This will warm the cockles of your heart on a cold winter’s evening. This fortified wine is named in honour of our founders Alex and Di Stuart’s Scottish heritage. Scotland ‘The Brave’. Enjoy now or cellar for 5-7 years.

2011 Sparkling Moscato Carrying on the fine Ballabourneen tradition of fabulous wines in this style, the 2011 will not disappoint! Glorious candy-floss pink, the blush colour previews the nose of Turkish delight and rose petals. The palate is not as sweet as you might suspect; strawberries and cream are balanced with fresh acidity and a subtle frizzante bubble. While not technically a dessert wine, this sparkling moscato will sit happily alongside most fruit-based finales. How about some lemon tart with a berry coulis and maybe some thick cream for the cholesterol-unchallenged! But don’t be restricted. Try it with croissants and jam, cucumber sandwiches or strawberry sponge cake. Great with pre-dinner nibbles; little chilli prawn skewers or crushed ice in the glass and a sorbet with wafers. In fact, enjoy almost any time! Enjoy now.Sp

arkli

ng

Alex Stuart (pictured) is the founder of Ballabourneen Wine Co. and was recently awarded the prestigious Order of Australia medal for his services to the Construction Industry, Wine and Tourism industries and Community Service. This month we spend a little time with Alex, getting to know the ‘man behind the wine brand’.

As founder of Ballabourneen, what

inspired you to become involved in

the wine industry?

Whilst visiting the Hunter in 1993 my

wife Di and I were both taken with

the beauty of the area and what it

has to offer. Given it’s two hours from

Sydney, we decided to try and find

a small property to use as a retreat.

Up ‘til then my only experience with

wine was what I’d consumed. After

purchasing the 17 acres I was inspired

to cut out the middle men and grow

and have my own wine made. I am

living proof that any idiot with a

cheque book can get into the wine

industry. What I found out is that it

takes a lot of work and a good sense

of humour to stay in the industry. One

of the most appealing factors is that

there are a lot of real people involved

in the wine industry who have a

passion for their product and for the

area that overcomes the challenges

and difficulties of growing grapes in

the Hunter Valley.

And deciding on the name

Ballabourneen?

The road where our vineyard was

located is called The Ballabourneen.

I found a 1952 mining map with the

name Ballabourneen directly where the

vineyard was located which is opposite

the Old North Road, the convict built

road from Sydney and Parramatta. It

is of Gaelic (Irish) origins and literally

translated means town road or city

road.

How would you describe the style of

wines that Ballabourneen creates?

Both Daniel and I are passionate

about Hunter style wines. The Hunters

new breed of winemakers like Dan,

are producing modern, medium-

bodied,’food friendly’ style wines and

also are attracting the younger wine

drinkers. We are still producing that

classic savoury Hunter wine but it’s

balanced with fresh fruit, softer tannin

and gentler touch of oak.

How did you meet winemaker

Daniel (Buckets) Binet?

I first met Dan when he started as

assistant winemaker for the late Alasdair

Sutherland at Capercaillie. Alasdair

entrusted Dan to make our 2004

Chardonnay which he entered into

the NSW Young Winemaker of the Year

competition. Daniel was selected as a

finalist in the competition with this wine.

We participated in numerous tastings so

that we could agree on a style we could

both live with.

An Inter view with our OAM, Alex Stuart A friendship developed and I thought

that anyone who could drink with

me continually must be a good

bloke. When he decided to leave

Capercaillie he contacted me and we

agreed to go into partnership ... so the

Ballabourneen story continues.

What does a typical week include?

I use the excuse of having to go the cellar

door each day as a reason to escape the

house and the endless list of chores that

never seems to get shorter. Both Di and

I work each Saturday at the Cellar Door

as it keeps us in touch with the business

and more importantly, our customers and

members. In addition I am still involved

in the tourism industry in the Hunter,

though not as much as before, and

this also keeps me fairly active in other

pursuits. Grandchildren and home duties

take up the rest in between a fairly active

social life as that is compulsory in the

Hunter Valley.

What is your favourite food and

wine match?

So many wines and so much food over

many years it is hard to name favourites

but a bottle of 1989 St Henri stands out

and anything with rare meat in it.

What do you drink at home?

Not in any particular order but beer,

wine and scotch and not all at once.

What do you love about

Ballabourneen?

I love the family feeling we have at

Ballabourneen and having my wife

Di involved. We both get tremendous

satisfaction working with Daniel

and Natalie and the Ballabourneen

team in creating a wine company

that produces a quality product

and growing the company with the

involvement of a small number of

passionate, dedicated and fun people.

Who is your fantasy dinner guest?

Any person who has an enquiring

mind, a great conversationalist,

different life experiences, a well

developed and slightly black sense of

humour and is ‘not up themselves’.

Seafood ParcelsIngredients 60g Butter

2 green shallots, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

250g Marinara Mix or fresh - squid, fish, prawns, mussels and octopus

2 tablespoons plain flour

1 cup cream

2 tablespoons dry sherry

8 sheets fillo pastry

60 g butter, melted, extra

1. Melt butter in large saucepan, add shallots, garlic, basil, stir constantly over heat for about 2 minutes.

2. Stir marinara mix into pan, stir for 3 minutes.

3. Add flour to pan stir constantly over heat until combined. Gradually stir in cream and sherry, stir

constantly over high heat for 3 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Cover surface of mixture

with plastic to prevent skin forming, cool to room temperature.

4. Layer 4 sheets of pastry together, brushing each with melted extra butter, then placing the next

sheet on top. Repeat with remaining pastry. Cut the 2 pieces of layered pastry in half.

5. Place a quarter of cooled mixture in the centre of each piece of layered pastry. Draw each corner of

pastry up and twist each form to a rope. Wrap ropes around top of parcels.

6. Place parcels onto oven trays, brush all over with butter. Bake moderately hot oven for about 15

minutes or until browned. Makes 4

Perfect Wine Match These scrumptious little parcels will go swimmingly well with the Buckets of Hunter 2006 Semillon currently on special 6 bottles for $60.

Disy’s Dinner Party Recipes

Welcom e to Th e DairyStay 2 nights at The Dairy (weekend) and receive:

• 2 bottles of Ballabourneen wine

• Gourmet cheese plate

• Private tasting for 2 at cellar door

$500 - Members only offer

Book nowTh e quintessential Hunter Valley Experience

Ballabourneen’s Annual Member

Lunch eonThe Feast of Winter

Members and Member’s Guests very welcome

Saturday 30th June, 12 noon to 5pm

113 Wilderness Rd Lovedale NSW 2320(the new winery)

$130 per head includes feasting on 4 courses paired with Ballabourneen wines and bottle of

Ballabourneen Port (bottled by you).

Join us for a great afternoon of fun and frivolity.By popular demand

Wheeze and Suck will be playing.

To book call 02 4998 6505 or or email Jenny jenny@ballabourneen.com.au • Numbers are limited

Coming soonBallabourneen’s Feast of Spring November 2012

Recent Media Reviews

“Binet has picked up (Len Evans’) fruit,

releasing it under his Ballabourneen label.”

Alex says h e proud of receiving th e Order of

Australia Medal… adding “Anything achieved has not been by myself. Th ere have been a lot of competent and worthwhile people with me.”

>

>

“Which brings us, as an aside, to a few remarks about that rare creature, the ideal wine-waiter. He deserves your appreciation and attention not only because of what you can learn from him. The way a good wine waiter behaves to his customers is the way in which you should behave with your guests when serving them wine at home.Until recently, wine-waiters were generally phonies who knew nothing about the subject, but were prepared to let everybody else suffer in the process. Couple this with a small knowledge of wine in the customer, and you have a tormented situation in which the wine-waiter, concealing his ignorance beneath an overbearing condescension, so intimidates his customer that he takes whatever wine is forced upon him without a murmur.The bad wine-waiter comes in two types. There is the obvious bungler who comes out holding the bottle by the neck, slams it down on the table, sends bits of cork and foil slashing in all directions, and finally sloshes a bottle of wine into the glass for a taste, pouring the rest before anyone has a chance to accept it or not. If it’s white, he will throw it crunchingly into a can of ice and leave it to fester. You might get a bit more

attention from him while you’re drinking the wine; but I would say that you’re lucky if you don’t. After all, restaurants are expensive enough without having to add the costs of incipient ulcers and dry-cleaning bills.The other type is just as bad but in a different way. He is all style and panache. He behaves like wine-waiters do in Hollywood films, and can clearly see himself serving the stars rather than you. He is so obtrusive in his handling of the bottle, and the pouring of it, working with a desperate deftness seen only in the acts of naked balloon dancers working with ping-pong balls, (B - “Yes this is the actual text written!”) that he can ruin the equilibrium of a whole table and destroy an evening. We are not worthy of such consummate and obvious skill, we think. Someone is bound to find out and set us to the washing-up without delay ... The best wine-waiters are like the best doctors, they are expert, well informed, respectful and unobtrusive in their treatment of you. And if they behave like this, they immediately make the meal more enjoyable; which is not such a fatuous remark as it sounds - most restaurants are definitely not enjoyable!

From th e Library

A recent trip to a local second hand book store proved fruitful. Dan discovered a little book called A Businessman’s Guide to Wine published 1971.

THE IDEAL WINE-WAITER

”

Here are the basic rules of wine-waiting; and also of serving wine in the home:1. Wine should be brought to the table immediately as it is ordered, and opened. There are three reasons for this. One is that you can start drinking and appreciating the wine while waiting for the food to come. The second is that the wine chosen may take a little time to breathe and come up to its full quality. The third reason is that if the wine-waiter waits to serve his wine at the same time as the food waiter serves his food, there will be a mad scramble round the table, and neither the food nor the wine will be appreciated when it arrives with anything like the proper respect.2. The bottle should be brought to the table carefully and tenderly, one hand under the base, the neck lying in the palm of the other hand, carried in front of the chest with a certain air of reverence. Carrying wine any other way shakes it up and if the bottle is crusted, this means that the encrustation is going to spread through the wine. It also shows a certain respect for the wine which has been respected in turn by both the waiter, and the lucky drinker.

3. For the rest we can do not better than to quote from Frank Margan’s book The Grape and I: “At the table I want the waiter to appear before me with the bottle carried (as above), the label pointing away from home and towards me. To see it properly I want the waiter to push his bottom hand forward and pull his top hand back gently in the action of proffering the label. Then I want him to retire to the quietest corner of my table, or to a serving table a few feet away and expertly open the bottle. The quick movements of the hands, the swift slitting of the foil cap, the plunging of the corkscrew, the slight turn of the bottle to locate the screw in the centre of the cork, the quick gently levering of the cork from the neck - these are the things I want to see.”4. The waiter should then pour out a half-ounce portion into a glass for the assessment by the host. From this you can check the condition of the wine, that it is clear and brilliant, that it has no off-odours, bottle stink, or acetic odours. It also makes sure that any cork particles are collected by you, and not by your guests.

5. When the wine is approved, the waiter should quickly and quietly move round the table in a clockwise direction filling each glass in turn whether it be a man before a woman or not. He should only fill the glasses two-third full so that you and the guests can appreciate the bouquet of the wine.6. Then he should disappear. He can either leave the bottle on the table, or on a serving table. You can either pour yourself, or the waiter can do it; but if he does it he should keep an eye on the glasses and make sure that you and the guests are not left sitting at the table with large thirsts and empty glasses. That is the way to serve wine, and to use it well in the serving-something wine richly deserves, and seldom gets.

Excerpts from: A Businessman’s Guide to Wine by Michael Boddy and Jason Publications

Please note - you will need a glass of wine after

reading this and thank God for screwcap’s.

Ballabourneen Gallery

Buckets has been creating some exciting new varietiesto add to the portfolio.

Ballabourneen 2012 Hunter Valley Pinot Grigio Release date June

Ballabourneen 2011 Hunter Valley TempranilloRelease date June

Ballabourneen 2012 B.N.G Hunter Valley (Barbera, Nebbiolo & Grenache)

Released 2013 if Dan stops

drinking it out of the barrel!

Wine Releases

April Member Packs Arrive

May 6 Hunter’s Hill Wine Festival 13 Mothers Day Picnic Moore Park, Sydney

June 22 - 24 Sydney Good Food & Wine Show30 Feast of Winter, Hunter Valley Tickets Available Now

August TBA Sydney Member’s Dinner Details to follow14 Ferrogusto, Canada Bay’s Italian Festival

October Member Packs Arrive

November 17 Feast of Spring, Hunter Valley Details will be announced in the October newsletter.

December Merry Christmas

Upcoming Events and Wine Releases