South Australian 2010 Vintage

Rain and cool weather have favoured the 2010 vintage in South Australia – in contrast to the heat and fire of last year. We've seen slower, steady ripening. It's been a much more controlled and regular vintage - a bit like 2005.

Louise Rose, head winemaker at Yalumba in the Barossa Valley said quantity was down but not excessively so, and the quality of the wines looked 'extremely strong across the board' in all regions. 'Standouts include Eden Valley Riesling and Barossa Shiraz. We had the best rains in the Barossa for five years, filling up the soils and setting up the vines for the coming season.'

Winemakers are reporting excellent quality in all varietals. 'All the crops appear balanced and the red varieties are hugely exciting,' according to Chester Osborn at d'Arenberg, in McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. 'The skins are very thick and dark with a good level of tannin. Early picked Shiraz is peppery with elegance and lots of length. Cabernet shows outstanding varietal character and tannin and, despite low crop levels, Grenache is strong with loose clusters producing dark, concentrated wines with nearly all berries being shrivel free.' Chester said.

There was good acid development in grapes – and in a lot of fruit achieved ripeness without high sugar. Some rain during the vintage didn't hurt as the soil soaked up water like a sponge, but didn’t really get into the fruit. Further detailed assessment of the 2010 vintage will be provided as our tastings continue around South Australia’s premium wine regions.

Tasting Australia 2010 menu

A rich and lingering menu of more than 40 associated events will be on offer for all to experience during Tasting Australia. Here is just a taste of what the associated events program has to offer:

LungoVista - Chianti Classico at Longview Vineyard Friday 30 April; 12:30pm; Longview Vineyard, Macclesfield
Stunning new dishes from Chianti Classico chef Tobias Gush paired with award winning wines from Longview Vineyard will make this lunch a most sought after event.Cost: $150 per ticket including bus transportation to and from Adelaide where requested

Dinner with Ben O'Donoghue - Friday 30 April; 7:00pm; Enoteca, Adelaide
For chef and television presenter Ben O'Donoghue, cooking is a passion and a reflex, it's something he's done since childhood and it never ceases to give him pleasure or stimulate his imagination. He unequivocally believes that food should be simple and distinctive, technically and culturally correct. Cost: $155 per person

The McLaren Vale Olive Story - Saturday 1 May; 11:00am; The Producers, McLaren Vale
Celebrate McLaren Vales Olive Harvest, visit the olive grove, gain hands-on experience of olive picking and oil pressing, learn all about Oil in a hosted Olive Oil tasting, join in our shared Mediterranean lunch full of the good oil. Hear stories on the history of oil in our region and find out what makes a great oil. Cost: $140 per person

The Smelly Cheese Shop presents - The True Taste of Maturity Wednesday 5 May; 6:00pm; Say Cheese, Adelaide
Guests will be treated to a structured, educational tasting by a Master Affineur to experience firsthand the difference in taste between young and expertly matured cheese. This exciting tasting will be followed by an exclusive tour of the Maturing Room, glass of wine and nibbles.
Cost: $75 per person

Barossa Pizza Top 10 in World

The 'smokey on thin crust' pizza from the Barossa's 40s Café in Angaston has been named the seventh best pizza on earth at the World Pizza Competition in Las Vegas. 40s Café owner and chef Damon de Ruiter cooked off against 120 competitors over three days, taking his critical smoked Barossa meat toppings with him. Damon was invited to the world championships after taking out the national title last September.