Episode 203 of The Adelaide Show podcast was recorded in the natural habitat of the Between The Vines 2013 Tempranillo near Longwood in the Adelaide Hills.
Guest, Adrian Sherriff from Animals Anonymous, carefully approached the Tempranillo, securely fastened it into a transportation tub, and then allowed us to study it more closely.
Adrian mentioned how the vineyard is truly picturesque, overlooking valleys of stringybark forest.
He also said the owner told him their vineyard is home to koalas, kangaroos, and reptiles, which made him fall in love with the place even more.
The wine was tasted in enamel camping cups because host, Adrian, is not a “sophisticated” wine drinker and loves the way these cups make him feel like he is camping. This might also have influenced the tasting.
Between The Vines 2013 Tempranillo tasting notes
Steve’s first comment was to imagine you are treading on soft undergrowth between the vines, because that is what the wine is like – soft and confident down the centre of the palate.
Nigel noted there is a tightly-stretched tannin pulled across the palate that keeps everything nicely together and in place.
Steve was also struck by two intriguing but subtle flavours; a tinge of minty eucalypt that came unexpectedly from the back palate, and a sense of rusty barbed wire or vineyard wire. Neither of these are dominant at all, they just lead to an experience that warrants further investigation.
Finally, Steve also picked up the trace of plum or dark berries (little poofs of fruit) that appeared at different points in the tasting process, just like the vignerons would find little surprises from the kangaroos scattered throughout the vineyard.
It was agreed this wine is ready to be paired with just about any food you can think of and is a worthy candidate as the South Australian Drink Of The Week.
Listen to the live tasting by downloading episode 203 for free within your favourite podcast player, or by using the player below. It starts about three minutes in.