Sixty Second Swirl
Just when I think I’m across all the labels produced in the Yass Valley region, another one pops out from behind the veil of obscurity. Ironcutter Wines is situated down in the Wallaroo sub-region, and an operation worthy of watching out for. The owner and winemaker of Ironcutter Wines waved his winemaking wand for 19 years at Brindabella Hills Winery and is now turning out his own delectable drops.
This week’s ‘swirl’ – the Ironcutter Sherwood Park Shiraz 2017 – is a great example of all that is good about cool-climate Shiraz.
This Shiraz is a deep, ruby red in the glass with purple hues. A swirl invites energetic and fragrant aromas of ripe blackberries, black cherries, a swipe of olive tapenade, and a fresh crack of cloves and pepper. The palate is medium-bodied and flushes the tongue with ripe black fruit flavours with a lovely lick of acid and smooth tannins.
In keeping with the family heritage theme of the label, Winemaker Brian Sinclair has named wines after family-owned properties however the fruit is sourced from Yass Valley vineyards. The Sherwood Park Shiraz fruit came from Wallaroo Vineyard.
We enjoyed our bottle with chargrilled lamb kebabs with spicy hummus and flatbreads – a knock-out combination but would go really well with BBQ’d lamb cutlets or a slow-roasted shoulder of lamb.
We sourced our bottle from the wine selection at the Yass Valley Information Centre, but you can also buy it for $30 online.
Brent Lello
Yass Valley Times Wine Columnist
From the Winemaker –
Ironcutter is a translation of theGerman surname ‘Eisenhauer’. Three generations of the Eisenhauer family migrated from Germany in 1854. They established a vineyard and continued their occupation of wine grape growing and winemaking after acquiring a 46-acre block near Albury, NSW. As the years passed members of the family moved to Tumbarumba, Coolamon, Junee and eventually to Temora transitioning from winegrapes into stonefruits and potatoes to grazing and cropping. As a fourth-generation descendant of that pioneering family, I have proudly re-connected with that winemaking history.
Traditional methods combined with new technologies.
Throughout the winemaking process beginning with grapes in the vineyard to the finished wine, I have been implementing new technologies that not only significantly reduce the winery’s carbon footprint but ensure a more environmentally friendly work practice. Wineries are traditionally heavy consumers of electricity. Cold settling of juices to prevent early onset of fermentation and cold stabilisation to prevent tartrate crystal formation typically consume huge amounts of electricity. I incorporate new, sustainable technologies in my winemaking that promote fresh, clean ferments whilst avoiding those high electricity consumption practices.
I don’t encourage frogs in the winery, but sometimes they come in to check that I’m looking after their environment!