Hunter Food

Brokenwood Wines
When an enterprising group of hobby winemakers teamed up in 1970 to start a
small Hunter winery, they had little idea their modest venture would flourish into one
of the leading examples of it’s kind in Australia.
Today, under the guiding hand of chief winemaker Iain Riggs, Brokenwood sits at
the forefront of premium Australian winemaking. From their flagship Graveyard
Vineyard Shiraz to the popular Cricket Pitch range, the same creative flair and
innovation that launched these no famous labels has ensured Brokenwood Wines a
dedicated following.
BROKENWOOD WINES TASTING NOTES
2003 Graveyard Vineyard Hunter Valley Shiraz 2003
Excellent colour, not overly deep but with youthful tints. True Hunter Valley aromas! Charry briar wood, clove and red cherry.
Background oak - some vanillin evident. Good weight to the palate, initially soft to mid tannins but then red berry and spice
flavours. Excellent structure that has earthy, briary, savoury characters and grape/oak tannins. Tastings of previous similar
vintages ‘95, ‘97, ‘99, have shown classic Hunter Valley characters developing at approximately five to six years.
Screwcap: Our belief in the screwcap as an alternative closure to cork remains as high as ever and every bottle of this ’03
Graveyard Shiraz is sealed by screw cap. How will reds age under screwcap? Red wines spend between one and two years
in 225 litre oak barrels – a moderately oxidative environment. While dissolved oxygen gas is kept to a minimum at bottling,
oxygen is present in many compounds such as phenolics, so beneficial oxidative change will still occur. The rate of ageing is
affected by many factors, with temperature particularly important. Brokenwood believes that ageing under screwcap will
be at a rate similar to the very best cork, although some characteristics may be different. Importantly, it will be consistent
across bottles, while the rate under cork is very variable.
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