Tag: SubRosa Wine

Top 10 things to do with kids in the Grampians wine region this Easter

Nancy
Bunjil Shelter in the Grampians
Bunjil Shelter

Here are our top ten things to do with kids in the Grampians wine region this Easter.

We love living in the Grampians. We live here because Adam is passionate about working with Grampians grapes (especially Shiraz). It’s a spectacular part of the world and worth exploring. We never leave home without a picnic rug, scooters, a footy, snacks, jackets and our water bottles.

  1. Hike the beautiful Grampians National Park. Our favourite hikes are Venus Baths and Silverband falls. They are both easy walks – even with toddlers and grandparents. Our kids love playing on the rocks and in the water.
  2.  Eat ice cream in Halls Gap. And then walk to the playground in the centre of town.
  3. Eat, drink and play at the Halls Gap Hotel. Playground, it’s all about the playground. The Halls Gap Hotel has an indoor AND outdoor playground for the kids. They also serve great pub grub and local wines.
  4. Relax at Pomonal Estate. With views of the Grampians plenty of of outdoor seating and games for the kids to play – this is a great spot to enjoy a glass of local beer or wine with local produce.
  5. Stretch your legs or use the facilities at Ararat’s Alexandra Gardens. The Gardens Cafe serves coffee, milkshakes, snacks or something more substantial. The walking track around the lake is great to scoot along, there’s a playground, plenty of wildlife to enjoy and in summer the 50m outdoor pool.
  6. Visit Victoria’s largest regional zoo Halls Gap Zoo.
  7. Discover an aboriginal rock art site. The Grampians is home to more than 80% of south-eastern Australia’s aboriginal rock art. Bunjil shelter is just off the main drag near Stawell. It’s easy to access from the car park (max 5 min walk) and is one of the most significant sites in the region.
  8. Drink in the view at Fallen Giants winery, just out of Halls Gap. Sit on the deck and enjoy the spectacular Grampians mountain range with a glass of wine and cheese platter while the kids enjoy the playground.
  9. Swim. There are several pools in the region. We visit the Ararat indoor pool weekly, and in the warmer months, we love Lake Fyans (you’ll need a drill to get your CoolCabana in the hard sand!) the Ararat or Halls Gap outdoor swimming pools.
  10. Stay in. Stay in the accommodation that you have booked. Enjoy the big open spaces and nature at its best. Nature is abundant. From echidna’s to emus, stumpy tail lizards and cockatoos, kangaroos and wallabies – you’ll see it all. Just make sure to visit one of the local wineries or our friend Simon at Grampians Wine Cellar in Halls Gap to stock up on local wine.
Toby enjoying the playground at the Halls Gap Hotel
Toby enjoying the playground at the Halls Gap Hotel

SubRosa stockists in the Grampians:

Toast to the Host: simple dukkah recipe

Nancy

It’s holiday season. Time to visit friends, relax and celebrate.

I’m a big fan of dukkah. I always have it in the pantry. It’s a great for a grazing platter, with eggs on toast, salads or even a stir fry (I picked up that idea from my sister-in-law Brittny). It’s also very easy to make, and is a simple, but great gift.

Here’s a recipe I recently discovered.

simple dukkah recipe
📸 Sophie Hansen

Simple Dukkah Recipe
Prep: 5 minutes, Cook: 10 minutes

½ cup (75 g) Hazelnuts, toasted
½ cup (80 g) almonds toasted
1 tsp sea salt
⅓ cup (50 g) sesame seeds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 Tbsp cumin seeds

Place the hazelnuts in a food processor or mortar and pestle with the salt.

Combine the sesame, coriander and cumin seeds in a frying pan and toast until fragrant and the sesame seeds are golden. Add to the nut mix and blitz or bash to combine into roughish crumbs. Once cool, store in a clean jar for up to a month. In Good Company by Sophie Hansen (p99)

Make sure to try it once you are done. Grab some fresh bread and olive oil, pour a glass of SubRosa wine and relax and enjoy! A simple dukkah recipe for you and those you love!

Have fun,

Nancy

ps. There are plenty of other spices or nuts you can use – so have fun with it.

pps. I always love to make my dukkah a little spicy with some white pepper or hot paprika.

Why wine temperature matters

Nancy

SubRosa Viognier ice bucket

All whites go in the fridge right? Well, not exactly.

Before you fill the bathtub with ice, or buy a second drinks fridge for your next party consider these wine temperature tips.

According to Adam, Viognier is like Chardonnay, but more exotic. Like Chardonnay, Viognier is best served at just below room temperature (11-13C). If it’s too cold, the texture, flavour, acid balance and aromas will be masked. If room temperature in your neck of the woods is more than 15C, pop your Viognier in the fridge to chill it slightly, but make sure to get it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you plan on serving it.

Like a good Brie or Camembert cheese, straight out of the fridge aromatic whites like Viognier are palatable, but not delicious. If you have patience and time to let it come to room temperature you’ll be rewarded with flavour and aroma.

Try it for yourself, pop a bottle of SubRosa Viognier in the fridge and pour a glass. Take a sip immediately after it comes out of the fridge and then try it again after 10-15 minutes, and again after about 30 minutes. What do you think?

2017-Settler-and-Sons_Rosé_Credit_@sophie_iam

Rosé on a sunny day? Yes please! Adam suggests serving Rosé chilled, but not straight out of the fridge. Give it at least 10-15 minutes to come closer to room temperature so you can enjoy its aroma, flavour and texture. It’s amazing the difference 10-15 minutes makes! Ideal serving temperature for Rosé is 10-12C.

Nebbiolo, like Pinot Noir, should be served at room temperature which is widely considered to be about 14-16C, while Shiraz and Cabernet thrive at a slightly warmer temperatures of 17-19C. On summer days when you are serving Shiraz, don’t let it get too hot or it will lose its complexity for which SubRosa is known.

Top wine temperature tips:

  1. Take your favourite white or Rosé out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before serving.
  2. Store your wine in a cool dark place, not on top of the fridge which is likely to be warmer than many other places in your home.
  3. Keep wine out of the sun when entertaining outside.

Mike Bennie – The Winefront, scores SubRosa new release reds 93-95 points

Nancy

 

Adam Louder (L) and Mike Bennie
Adam Louder (L) and Mike Bennie

Mike Bennie’s one of a kind. Wine writer, critic, host, presenter, judge and entrepreneur, he’s an encyclopedia of wine knowledge. If you get the chance, go to an event hosted by Mike, you’re guaranteed to have a fabulous time and walk away a little more knowledgeable about wine and many other things!

We love showing our wines to Mike. He’s a straight shooter and Adam responds candidly to his direct questions. Mike has a way to capture and share Adam’s winemaking thoughts, ambitions and processes in his reviews.

Adam showed Mike our wines on a recent trip to Sydney, here are a few review highlights.

2016 SubRosa Pyrenees Nebbiolo – 94 points

“…Style-wise it reminds me a bit of Olek Bondonio’s wines of Barbaresco.

It’s a vibrant, pure-feeling expression, loaded with perfume, lashed with savoury, iron-filing and graphite-tannins, bright in fruit flavour, dusted with attractive spice. There’s also a distinct vibrancy here, a cheery, cherry-kissed feel that’s easy for earlier access, despite there being cool, amaro-like acidity and a sheath of building tannin. It drives assertively then lingers with sappy fruit and minerally feel. It’s such a pleasure. It’s great.”

2016 SubRosa Grampians Pyrenees Shiraz – 93 points

“Beefy kind of wine but still holds a dedicated freshness and vitality, despite the rich, darker fruits, sense of earthiness, strong lick of dark choc-liquorice. The glossy texture is lovely, a light burr of tannins adds more grunt. It’s not a huge wine, per se, but it is memorable in the way bolder flavour can stain the palate and mind. It’s done well.”

2016 SubRosa Malakoff Estate Pyrenees Shiraz – 95 points

“… if you haven’t cottoned onto SubRosa, you should. You’ll be thanking yourself down the trail when these start commanding higher prices and generally being difficult to find. No doubt.

Svelte, seamless, succulent wine. Dark cherry, sarsaparilla, lavish spice scents, with all this doubling back into the palate. It slips softly over the palate leaving a slick of that spice and blackcurrant fruit character, with tannins just gently holding shape. If you like ‘syrah’, let’s say, with some concentration, this is excellent.”

New release: 2017 SubRosa Grampians Viognier scores 94 points

Nancy

SubRosa Viognier ice bucketOur first Grampians Viognier, released in November 2018, is delicious. Adam sourced Viognier grapes from the Grampians region in 2017 and has crafted a “complex, highly drinkable” wine according to Winefront’s Mike Bennie.

Viognier is an aromatic white wine that has plenty of texture, acidity and flavour and pairs well with almost anything! It’s a very versatile variety for sharing with friends and family. Try pairing it with seafood, spicy Asian dishes, pork, chicken or even lamb.

Red wine drinkers often enjoy SubRosa Viognier as it is a fuller-bodied white wine, has plenty of texture and has had some time in French oak. Viognier is sometimes used to blend with Shiraz to provide additional aroma, texture and complexity.

“Viognier is similar to Chardonnay, but more exotic,” says Adam. “Our 2017 Grampians Viognier has flavours of ripe stone fruit, spicy notes and a touch of citrus.”

Order today to have a bottle on hand for your next gathering.

Top Tips:

  1. For greatest flavour, make sure to take your Viognier out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before your first glass as it should be served at 11-13C.
  2. If you have the willpower, try cellaring a few bottles and observing how the wine evolves over the next five – six years.
  3. Viognier is known as one of the most versatile food pairing varietals as its acidity can complement a wide variety of foods – especially those with a high fat content. Surprise your guests by pairing it with your next lamb roast.

Mike Bennie – Winefront 94 points
Slick texture but keeps things fresh and the finish is surprisingly tight, saline and peppery, at once. Has plenty of pear and apricot going on, but never teeters into nectar or overt, instead, tight and heightened with light nutty-woody spice. It’s awesome. Complex, highly drinkable, should also cellar well.

Points : 94 points
Tasted : NOV 18
Alcohol : 13.5%
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2018 – 2022

12 days of Christmas

Nancy

Christmas is a time for sharing food, wine and plenty of laughs with family and friends.

Whether you are at the beach or in the bush this Christmas we hope you enjoy this special time.

SubRosa 12 days of Christmas

To celebrate Christmas, we are sharing our SubRosa Summer Wine Club dozen with you at our Wine Club price until Dec 12 including free shipping.

Our 12 days of Christmas dozen includes limited edition Rosé (we only made 40 cases!!), Viognier, Nebbiolo and Shiraz.

Valued at $390, you pay $300.

Order here.

Thanks for the write-up The Weekly Times!

Nancy
Benchmark of success: Grampians couple Nancy Panter and Adam Louder, with son Toby, say their listing in the latest Halliday guide is the reward for years of hard work. Picture: Yuri KouzminBenchmark of success: Grampians couple Nancy Panter and Adam Louder, with son Toby, say their listing in the latest Halliday guide is the reward for years of hard work. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin
COUNTRY LIVING

SubRosa wine listed on James Halliday’s wine guide

IAN GILBERT, The Weekly Times
August 8, 2018 12:00am

FOR winemakers, this time of year brings a mixture of trepidation and excitement.

It’s got little to do with the weather; bud burst is still a few weeks away.

No, the midwinter jitters are brought on by the release of the annual Halliday Wine Companion — the holy grail of wine reviews.

An entry in this wine-lovers’ bible can elevate a small independent winery on to a bigger stage, or a decent score out of 100 from author James Halliday can steer an already-established label towards greater things.

For Grampians couple Nancy Panter and Adam Louder, seeing their SubRosa brand listed in the new edition of Halliday, released last week, is the reward for the hard work involved in running a family wine business.

“It’s a benchmark, and it’s the most respected benchmark in Australia,” says Nancy.

“You can use that review as a talking point with wine shops, restaurants and consumers.”

Nancy and Adam’s story starts in the US — fittingly, as Adam was a “flying winemaker” for several years.

At 37, he has completed 32 harvests in some of the world’s finest wine-producing regions, including Margaret River, Bordeaux and the Napa Valley — plus, of course, the Grampians.

He was making wine in the Napa and Nancy was working in global brand and marketing PR for Visa on projects such as the Olympics when they met in 2011.

After they returned to Australia, SubRosa started to take shape.

The Grampians — specifically Eversley, east of Ararat — is now home for the couple and their son Toby, 2.

For Adam, making his own wine in the region is a real homecoming; he cut his teeth under visionary Australian winemaker the late Trevor Mast at Mount Langi Ghiran in 1998.

Adam’s attachment to the winery has turned full-circle with his recent appointment as head winemaker at Mount Langi Ghiran — the “day job” that underwrites his own venture.

As for their own label, Nancy says: “Adam has worked for 20 years making wine for other people and he wanted to use the experience he has and make wine like he wanted to make wine.

“We only make a small amount — we make as much as we can with the funds we have available.”

James Halliday calls SubRosa “one of the best new wineries in the 2019 Companion”, enthusing about the Pyrenees shiraz, which warrants 96 points out of 100, with 95 apiece for the Grampians shiraz and Pyrenees nebbiolo.

(Incidentally, the winery’s name comes from the Latin phrase sub rosa, which means “under the rose” and denotes a custom of secrecy or confidentiality.)

While consumers see only the glamorous end of the business — a beautiful glass of wine and an evocative review — it belies the hard slog required to promote small wine labels such as SubRosa.

“You talk to anyone who works in wine marketing and they’ll say it’s easy to make the wine but hard to sell it,” Nancy says.

It’s hard to overstate, therefore, what a glowing review in Halliday’s guide can mean for a smaller winery without the big marketing dollars to plug its wares.

In 2015, Yarra Valley winery Serrat scooped the Wine of the Year accolade for its shiraz-viognier, a bottle costing about $40 that outpointed the likes of Penfolds Grange (costing in the region of $750).

Serrat sold out of stock the morning the book was released — 4000 email orders were received by noon — and even then buyers were limited to six bottles a person.

A bottle reputedly sold at a charity auction shortly afterwards for $2000; while that was the exception, bottles were selling through wine merchants for a not-inconsiderable $400.

Now, even with that giddy pedigree, Serrat’s wines have risen by barely a tenth in price, proving that James Halliday has an eye for the good guy as well as the good wine.

If the latest edition has anything like the same effect for SubRosa, it will benefit not just their business but Grampians wine tourism as a whole, suggests Nancy.

“Australia produces extraordinary wine and the more that Australia can embrace supporting the local winemaking industry, the more that wineries will be more profitable and be able to make better wine tourism experiences — there’s a flow-on effect,” she says.

For Nancy Panter and Adam Louder, it seems, everything’s coming up roses.

SubRosa – named one of the 10 best new wineries in Australia

Nancy

Halliday Wine Companion 2019 front coverThe annual Halliday Wine Companion is out! And the team at SubRosa is excited to be recognised by James Halliday in his list of “Ten of the best new wineries”.

Excerpt from: Halliday Wine Companion 2019, 10 of the best new wineries

“Each of these wineries achieved a five-star rating for its first appearance in the Halliday Wine Companion guide – no small feat.”

“SubRosa – When Adam Louder and partner Nancy Panter were trying to come up with a name for their winery-to-be, a dictionary fell open at the page reading, ‘happening or done in secret – origin Latin “under the rose” (the rose an emblem of secrecy)’. Cryptic crossword fare, and more wines like those of their first release will steal the limelight.”

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