Viva la Vino Verdelho

It’s a breezy autumn afternoon, and I’m sitting at my friend’s kitchen counter. We are undertaking serious girly chat and she suddenly stops, an AHA! moment clearly etched onto her face. My friend takes out two glasses and a bottle of opened white vino. Efficiently manouevering her kitchen like a bee collecting pollen, various yummy things are extrapolated from cupboards. A rustic baguette sourdough style, Tintilla Estate Caramelised Red Wine Vinegar, Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Vintage Cheddar Cheese, Blueberries, Rockmelon (aka Canteloupe), Olive oil and butter. The olive oil and vinegar mix into our makeshift dipping bowl (3 parts vinegar to one part olive oil). After pouring two glasses of wine, “Try this” she says. My palate experiences the Tempus Two Verdelho 2010. Oh.So.Very.Nice.

Let’s talk briefly about Verdelho. Native to Portugal and with a famous, and colourful Madeiran wine making history, Australia has adopted this variety as one of it’s own. Particularly suited to the Aussie climate, this thick skinned, high yielding grape variety loves heat, retains it’s acidity when ripe, and is disease and drought resistant. It produces a variety of very drinkable wines from early picked herbaceous styles, to later harvest tropical fruity beauties.

Tempus Two Verdelho, Hunter Valley 2010

“Charming upon meeting, then recedes with grace, like a gentleman, who takes you to your picnic seat.”

Upon first waft, I’m sniffing hints of tropical fruits and aromatic sweet grass. Looking at it, the wine is elegantly ghostly pale gold in the glass. Think platinum blonde with riding boots, and a bit of leg showing.

The first swishy mouthful had front palette pear, and back palette guava. Tangy and fresh, the wine made a mellow and easy journey down the throat. It doesn’t linger, rather, it flits like butterflies over the tongue. It is disgustingly drinkable. Evocative of crisp autumn picnics, Jane Austen, wicker baskets, green grassy fields, dappled light, a gentle breeze, fruit flans and freshly squeezed juice. It pairs fantastically with rockmelon and blueberry; it carries the sharp vintage cheddar with ease and grace, and “Hello Balsamic and Olive oil on Rustic Bread! Where have you been hiding lately? It’s so NICE to taste you with this wine!”

Enjoy Tempus Two’s Verdelho as an early autumn picnic drink; serve it chilled with the above menu items, or with spring rolls, chicken drumsticks, fruit flans, light white cheeses and crackers. This Verdelho is mellow enough to carry autumn inwards, and fruity enough to be reminiscent of summer. It wears it’s circa $25 price bracket per bottle well.

(Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org)