APPLE TREE FLAT IS VALUE FOR MONEY

ONE reason why customers come back time and again for the wines of Apple Tree Flat

Wc07May12

David Ellis

IN the decade-plus since he released his first Apple Tree Flat wines from the 2001 vintage, Peter Logan has striven to improve upon each vintage while at the same time also maintaining a philosophy of value for money.

And he says it’s because he’s conscious that customers choose to buy his wines a second and a third time as a result of enjoying their first experiences of the label. “So it’s therefore important to honour this initial experience and not change the profile of the wine too dramatically,” he says.

Named after the little hamlet just outside Mudgee in the NSW Central Ranges wine region that Peter and his wife Hannah call home, Peter’s wines are well-priced for their quality, a just-released 2010 Apple Tree Flat Merlot just $12.

With berry, dark chocolate and dried herb and earthy flavours, this is a good drop at the price to enjoy with a roast leg of lamb, mint sauce and baked vegies, or a lamb-based Shepherd’s Pie.

JUST the drop for celebrating Italy’s National Republic Day on June 2.

ONE FOR LUNCH: With Italy’s National Republic Day coming up on June 2, what better way to celebrate than with pasta with seafood sauce or a pasta alfredo, together with a bottle or two of Pinot Grigio – the product of Italy’s national white grape and its most popular white wine.

With Italian ancestry, Lerida Estate’s Jim Lumbers planted his first Pinot Grigio on his vineyard in the Canberra District in 1997. “I believe our 2011 is now our first really authentic-styled Pinot Grigio,” Jim says, “as opposed to the more Alsatian-style we have produced in the past.”

Winemaker Malcolm Burdett coaxed the best of the style’s mineral and herb  characters from Lerida’s excellent fruit, and finished it with nice savoury characters from 5% barrel fermentation. Pay $25 and enjoy with either of those pastas dishes, or your own favourite Italian choices.

(NEED A FOOD/DRINK IDEA? Check out  http://www.vintnews.com )