On The Grapevine

with David Ellis

A wine with a platter-tude

Mark Lane is the sort of bloke to have around when it's party time - he's a cheese-maker turned winemaker, so if anyone knows just what goes with what when it's time for the party platter and the corkscrew, it's him.

And after stints at various other wineries in the West, including building Flying Fish Cove, that's the State's largest contract winery, he's now turning heads at Willyabrup at Margaret River where he's making Swings and Roundabouts' range of super-premiums, premiums, and what he calls a purely 'fun drop.'

Margaret River needs little introduction: one of our 'newer' wine areas, its unique micro-climate that sees cold, wet winters followed by warm summer days cooled in the evenings by afternoon sea breezes, has gained a quick reputation for premium reds and whites in its relatively short history.

Swings and Roundabouts has three labels, the Swings and Roundabouts super-premiums, Kiss Chasey premiums, and slurp-friendly Laneway. And if you're wondering about the name, it derives from the give and take between growers and winemakers as they negotiate annual fruit prices.

The Swings and Roundabouts 2004 Shiraz ($19) is our pick, with forward black cherry fruit flavours, typical Shiraz spiciness, toasted oak, and vanilla bean; one-time cheese-maker Mark suggests putting it on the table at Christmas with a platter of hard cheeses including Aussie cheddar, Italian Parmigiano Reggiano, unsulphured apricots, dried figs and fresh rock melon.

One for the cellar: If you've something big to celebrate in 2010, put a few bottles of Kirrihill Estate's 2002 Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in the cellar while it's a great deal at $21.95. It's loaded with classic ripe berry and plum flavours with suggestions of black olive, French oak and nice tannins, and has rich fruitcake aromas. Already one of those 'Oh yeahs', it'll age marvellously.