Happy Vines com, First Singapore Internet Wine & Lifestyle Company

Updated: 24th July 2002
(These pages are updated early/end each month with revisions as news breaks - check-in here often)

This property is one of the new wineries from this region in Western Australia. It is also one of the largest vineyard owners in this region with 1,300 hectares under vine. These vineyards were planted in 1997, thus producing their first commercial vintage in 2000.

I was privileged to attend a tasting of their 2001 releases with Mr. Ted Avery, Managing Director & Mr. Nicolas Olivry of Red & White International (Asia) Pte Ltd, here in Singapore on 24th July.

	Ted proudly offered their Cossack Riesling 2001, an almost colourless wine full of typical Riesling flavours of limes & minerally nuances, however, lacking in floral scents. This Riesling was medium bodied despite the colour. It was mouthfilling on the palate rather than lean & crisp. A good food wine, which will be able to handle white meats like roast pork or creamed chicken, as well as, Chardonnay.
	The second wine was their Estate Chardonnay 2001. Being wines made from young vines, the winemaker oak-aged only about 15% of this batch, then, back-blending the rest to make this wine. A good decision, as the nose hinted of spicy oak but allowing the excellent ripe fruit to shine through. It was an uncomplicated wine but offering refreshment at the end of a hot day.
	The third white wine is a blend of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2001. The mid-weight Semillon was dominant, which subdued any racy character of the Sauvignon Blanc. Personally, I would have preferred the crispiness & herbaceousness of Sauvignon Blanc rather than the weight of Semillon in such blends. In this case, this wine is made for substantial food rather than as a refreshing evening's drink with fresh seafood.
	The Cabernet Merlot 2001 was soft & light but with distinct aromas of softly ripe red fruit. This wine is easy drinking & meant as an all-purpose wine to be enjoyed throughout a meal. Again, only about 15% of the blend underwent oak treatment. This helped put the fruit in the fore rather than overwhelming it.
	The same oak treatment was given to their 2001 Merlot & Shiraz varietal wines. The 2001 Merlot was very attractive on the nose, offering clean & ripe red cherry & cassis fruit with just a hint of cedar, that enticed the drinker to sip. On the palate, the wine was well-balanced with soft tannins dancing among the supple young fruit. This wine was light enough to enjoy on its own but will not be subdued by some juicy red meat fresh off the grill.
	The 2001 Shiraz was typical cool climate fruit. The colour extraction offered up dense but not black red colour dancing in the glass. I whiffed volatile alcohol on the nose, then, found that this wine checked-in at 14%. A little sweetness would not be out of place for this wine in exchange for a little less alcohol. After all, it was not meant to match weights with the higher priced Shirazes. Rather, a hint of sweetness would be actually enticing to novice & casual wine drinkers.

Overall, a good selection of wines that recognises the target market that they intend to compete in. These wines are expected to retail at less than $25 per bottle. At this level, these wines would be rather competitive & good value with the likes of Rosemount's Diamond Label or Jacob's Creek. Being sourced only from the Frankland River region & being Western Australian, they may have an edge over the other two brands, which source grapes from varied vineyards.

A final note: Ferngrove Vineyards are looking for a local distributor, at this time. I am sure some brave soul will take up this winery, which have people behind it that have their feet planted firmly on the real world of wine.