From Stacy Slinkard,
Your Guide to Wine.
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This fall saw the debut of Jacob’s Creek Heritage Range in select U.S. markets, the Heritage Range is a series of premium wines from Australia, produced by Jacob’s Creek and imported by Pernod Ricard. The 2002 Steingarten Riesling ($28) and the 1998 Centenary Hill Barossa Shiraz ($35) constitute the current U.S. Heritage Range with plans for a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon to join the series next year.

At a winemaker’s dinner, Philip Laffer, chief winemaker for Jacob’s Creek and Australia’s 2002 Winemaker of the Year, presented his latest series of premium wines and provided thorough background information on the philosophy behind the series and the brand in general.

Q&A with Philip Laffer:

Q – Tell me about the 2002 Steingarten Riesling and the 1998 Barossa Valley Shiraz?

A – Steingarten Riesling is named after a vineyard that was planted in 1962 by an Australian who had visited Germany and wanted to plant a vineyard similar to the famed Mosel region. This crisp, citrusy Riesling has been enormously successful in the Australian market for the last 38 years and this is the first time it is available in the U.S. The Jacob’s Creek Centenary Hill Shiraz comes from a vineyard that was planted in 1922 on the banks of Jacob’s Creek, a small creek that flows about 6 months out of the year. This Shiraz offers white pepper, prunes, plums and a smokiness with light fruit and a light finish.

Q – What makes Jacob’s Creek wines unique?

A – First off, Jacob’s Creek as a style is intentionally different from other Australian wines. At every level and within every varietal our wines need to be supportive and complementary to a variety of foods. As a winemaker, you cannot forget that wines need to be food-friendly and appeal to your consumers, you need to have an appreciation of what people are looking for in a wine and then have the capability of delivering. We pride ourselves on providing consumers with great wines at affordable prices.

Q – Why are Australian wines so popular?

A – A large part of Australia’s wine success is that we’ll make the wines you would like, rather than tell you what wines you should drink.

Q – As a winemaker, how would you coach someone new to the world of wine in pairing food and wine?

A – If you’re passionate about wine, you’re bound to be passionate about food. The primary and overriding rule is flavor. Your goal is balancing the flavors of both the food and the wine so that you may taste them both. If the wine is either too delicate or too bold in comparison to a particular food, then it will do little to support the food and will either overpower or undermine the food’s character. The white wine with white meats and red wine with red meats philosophy has its place; yet a contrast can be attractive and quite complementary in its own way. For example, Salmon is oily and fatty and a Riesling is crisp with citrusy flavors and would provide a suitable contrast to the fish. A Chardonnay, however, would not complement the Salmon, it would add a fattiness to the fish. Another example, is offering a rich dessert with a sweet wine, this is setting up for disaster due to the sugar overload being contributed by both the wine and the food. However, a sparkling wine, like the new Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rosé would be a wonderful contrast to the sweetness factor found in many desserts. A fruit tart would be perfect for a sweet dessert wine because the contrast again becomes attractive. The bottom line is trial and error, see what combinations appeal to your palate and go from there.

Q – What is the difference between “Old World” and “New World” wine?

A – The Old World styles are made in traditional fashion. The New World shows a willingness to innovate and be contemporary – if there’s a better way to grow a grape or make wine then we’ll try it.

Q – What are the biggest markets for Jacob’s Creek wines?

A – Close to 50% of Australia’s export market goes to the UK, with the U.S. being the fastest growing market. Jacob’s Creek sales are in line with this.