July 2012 E-Newsletter

The Gundog family grows

On Friday the 29th of June, the Gundog family welcomed

Maddison Lilly Burton to the world. Renee managed to

deliver this healthy pup (3.66kg) with minimal fuss, and

it wasn’t long before mum and bub were home in the

caring arms of big sister Scarlett. So now it seems both

the Winemaker and Viticulturalist positions with Gundog

Estate will be filled in around 20 years....phew, one less

thing to worry about!

(Read more about the Burton Women on page 7 of this

newsletter!) MB

A silver lining to the cloud over the 2012 vintage

In the April E-Newsletter we described the challenges

that faced us in the Hunter for the 2012 vintage, along

with the impending threat of rain and disease in our Can-

berra vineyards. Fortunately, the flood inducing rains that

hammered much of NSW, and south eastern Australia for

that matter, eased by the end of March. The somewhat

delayed ripening of our Cabernet and Shiraz, meant that

we were able to delay harvesting long enough for things

to dry out and for flavours and sugar in the grapes to de-

velop. We picked a considerably reduced yield of both

varieties, but fortunately the quality is strong. In fact, due

to the low yields we sourced additional Shiraz from the

Gundagai region, which was harvested prior to the heavy

rains. The 2012 Rosé, of which there will only be around

120 dozen, will be bottled in late August, just in time for

the September Cellar Club mail-out. At the moment, the

Shiraz is maturing nicely in top notch French oak Pun-

cheons (500L barrels). We expect to bottle a Gundagai /

Canberra Shiraz blend and Estate Shiraz in May 2013,

and hopefully hang on to a barrel selection destined for a

small release of 2012 Marksman’s Shiraz later in the

year. We will keep you posted as the wines progress!

MB

Halliday rates Gundog one of the Hunter’s hottest destinations

In addition to our fabulous five star winery rating, James

Halliday has rated the Gundog Hunter Cellar among the

Top 25 Hot Hunter destinations! Published in the June /

July edition of James Halliday’s Wine Companion Maga-

zine, the hot list is a compilation of great Hunter Experi-

ences ranging from restaurants, balloon rides, and of

course, cellar doors. Here is what they said about Gun-

dog:

“NEW KID ON THE BLOCK. At Gundog Estate, Matt

Burton, who earned his stripes at Wandin Estate, has

opened a cellar door inside an old schoolhouse, where

half the tasting room is given over to shelves lined with

dressings, tapenades, cookbooks, and curry pastes. The

other half is taken up by the tasting bench and a large

table, where charming and exuberant staff dole out gener-

ous pours of Matt’s excellent Semillon, among other

wines.”

July 2012 E-Newsletter

Gundog Hunter’s Retreat now welcoming guests

Just in time for the June Long Weekend, we finally

opened the doors on our freshly renovated Gundog

Hunter’s Retreat! Attached to the Gundog Hunter

Cellar & Gourmet Pantry, in the heart of Hunter Val-

ley Wine Country, the Gundog Hunter’s Retreat is a

luxuriously appointed single-bedroom studio apart-

ment. The fully-equipped kitchen and open plan living

space make the Gundog Hunter’s Retreat well suited

to weekend escapes or longer stays. Local vineyards,

restaurants, golf courses, bike tracks, and day spas are

only a short distance away. Members enjoy the 3rd

night of their stay free of charge. For more information

and bookings, please visit the Accommodation page of

the Gundog Estate website - h t tp : / /

www.gundogestate.com.au/accommodation.

AskMen Australia rates Gundog in Top 5

We recently played host to the editors of AskMen Austra-

lia, Jamie Watt & Co. at the Gundog Hunter Cellar &

Gourmet Pantry. Over a few wines and a selection of our

local cheeses and charcuterie, I gave the guys an over-

view of Hunter wines and an insight into what we are

doing at Gundog. It seems they enjoyed the visit, as they

listed Gundog in their Top Five things to do when com-

ing to the Hunter! Click here for a link to the article.

MB

QR Codes, video tasting notes and a revitalized Facebook page

Never shy of new technologies, we’ve made two recent

additions to our electronic marketing mix worthy of a

mention. Firstly, you will now find QR codes on the back

label of each of our wines. Pictured here,

above the barcode, these handy little

squares allow you to scan the code on

your Smartphone and be immediately

directed to the wine page of our website.

This means you can access tasting notes

and technical information on the fly and

even order wine, with minimal fuss.

Secondly, we have uploaded video tasting notes for each

of our wines on the website. I do tend to waffle on a bit,

so I apologise if your eyes glass over when watching

them! Check the videos out by clicking here, if only for a

laugh at my expense!

Finally, we have updated and revitalised the Gundog

Facebook page. Rather than befriending me (Matt Bur-

ton) on Facebook, I suggest you Like Gundog Estate to

keep up-to-date on happenings

and check out any recent pho-

tos. Please feel free to post

your experiences with (or at)

Gundog Estate on the page.

Click here for a link to the

page.

MB

GUNDOG 2012 WILD SEMILLON

In recent years some innovative Hunter winemakers have

produced an off-dry style of Semillon—with a touch of

sugar sweetness to balance the usual acidity. They in-

variably sell well. Gundog went a step further and threw

in a few winemaking tricks to boot—and the wine

marched out the door. This is the second vintage and has

lemon and sweet apple flavours, chardonnay-like richness

and loads of personality. Interesting, different...tasty.

Friday 15th June, 2012 by Rick Allen

Media Cl ippings

GUNDOG 2012 WILD

SEMILLON

Former Wollongong boy Matt

Burton is the winemaker behind

this funky, out-there Hunter Se-

millon. A portion of it was fer-

mented on skins and the remain-

der in tank or barrel using wild

yeast. It’s vibrant and aromatic

with lemon, lime and peach fla-

vours, a hint of sweetness, lively

acidity and a crisp, dry finish.

Kerry Skinner, 2012

Illawarra Mercury

GUNDOG 2011 ROSÉ

Made from Cabernet Sauvignon which is perhaps the

best use for Canberra Cabernet

Red fruits, a little cream, subtle herb and savoury woody

top notes. It’s quite silky with a firm cut of acidity, at-

tractive squishy red fruit flavours and a high level of

drinkablity. Has a refreshing, almost sweet grapefruit,

flavour on the finish. Stylish.

91 points

Thursday 5th July, 2012 by Gary Walsh

www.winefront.com.au

Huon Hooke, Tuesday, 26 June 2012

GUNDOG 2011 ROSÉ

Glowing hot-pink colour;

strawberry and lightly herbal

aromas, faintly leafy (from

Cabernet perhaps). Crisp,

tangy, fresh flavour with

good intensity and length.

Drive and cut, with a clean,

dry finish and plenty of acid.

Needs food. Best young.

90 Points

Stay in touch with Gundog Estate!

New Releases. . .

2012 HUNTER’S

SEMILLON There’s is no doubt 2012 was an incredibly tough vintage

in the Hunter. Fortunately, for our whites, choosing to

specialise in the particularly well adapted Semillon grape,

means we are able to harvest early, before too much rain

damage and disease sets in.

Our Hunter’s Semillon fits the more traditional guise of

Hunter Semillon, especially when compared to modern

and revolutionary wines like our Wild Semillon and Off-

Dry Semillon (see below). Traditional Hunter Semillon is

all about fruit purity, acid drive, and length of flavour.

The aim for us is to pick clean fruit as early in the season

as possible and basically take a hands off approach in the

winery to let the variety and vineyard speak for itself.

Unlike the Poacher’s Semillon, due to be released in Sep-

tember, our Hunter’s Semillon is made with early drink-

ing appeal in mind. With most of the blend coming from

our dry-grown Mount View vineyard, we are able to de-

liver a bright Semillon showing some very attractive

lemon, lime and passionfruit characters. The palate is

light in body with a fine acid line.

We think this wine is best enjoyed within five years, and

served alongside fresh seafood. Sydney Rock Oysters are

my pick!

2012 OFF-DRY

SEMILLON

In 2011 we named this wine the Semi-Sweet Semillon,

though I feel our new title, Off-Dry Semillon, is more

accurate. This is a very modern take on the classic white

grape, and in actual fact, the style is far more similar to a

good German Riesling than it is to a traditional Hunter

Semillon.

To make the Off-Dry Semillon, we pick the grapes early,

only just ripe, while the acidity is still high. We then gen-

tly press and clarify the juice before kicking off the fer-

mentation. As the ferment approaches dryness, we taste

the wine every few hours. What we are looking for is the

ideal balance between residual sweetness from unfer-

mented sugars, and the rapier-like acidity to bring fresh-

ness to the palate. Once we reach this point, we quickly

set about arresting the fermentation.

With around 35 grams per litre residual sugar, and a great

level of natural acidity, we are looking to deliver you a

wine that might taste like a green apple; a sweet entry,

with a dry, crisp finish. As a side note, because we stop

the fermentation early, the wine is also naturally lower in

alcohol, generally between 8 and 9%.

This style makes a fine aperitif, or even better, an accom-

paniment to spicy Thai dishes or curries. The balance of

the wine is not too dissimilar to the balance we try to

strike in many of the hallmark sauces used in Thai cui-

sine.

As for ageing potential, we aren’t entirely sure as this is

such a new style of wine, though based on the pedigree of

the variety, and the chemistry off the wine, I think it

would be great to try in a few years! MB

To follow Matt on Twitter, click on this logo:

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Now that’s a lie. I’m not writing this letter at the vineyard at all, but from a very pleasant sea-view balcony in balmy

Darwin. When the pre-dawn temperature for the past month or so has mostly been around -5 degrees at Gundaroo

you will understand why I choose to join Sharon in Darwin at this time of the year where the average min and max

daily temperatures are 20 and 31 degrees respectively.

It’s not always this easy to organise a seasonal migration, but because we had an earlier than usual leaf drop after

harvest this year we were able to start the winter pruning earlier so the most onerous winter vineyard work has now

been done and the vines are quietly resting in the very cold soil – an important part of the annual horticultural cycle

of the vines.

This is not to say that winter days in the Canberra region are not beautiful in their own way, but the morning hours

until the sun melts the frost and warms the air are truly difficult for working at farm and vineyard tasks. Even the

rabbits have bunkered down forcing Karl Marx to beg for ball games to keep up his body warmth. Conversely the

same can be said for Darwin, with the present dry season being idyllic, and the coming desperately humid wet season

with its storms and cyclonic risks being very unpleasant indeed.

I have always regarded the tropic regions as having two seasons, a wet and a dry, or monsoon and non-monsoon.

Indigenous Australians with their greater knowledge of this land and environment classify six annual seasons in the

Top End. The Larrakia, custodians of the Darwin area, list them as follows:

GUDJENG – January to March – Monsoon season. The true wet season with heat and humidity generating an ex-

plosion of plant and animal life. Thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding.

BANGGERENG – April – Knock ‘em down storm season. Windy storms flatten spear grass, rain clouds disperse,

clear skies prevail and floodwaters start to recede.

YEGGE – May/June – Cooler but still humid season. Swarms of dragonflies herald the beginning of the dry. With

cooler temperature Aboriginal people begin to ‘clean the country’ by burning patches of woodland to encourage new

growth for grazing animals.

WURRGENG – June/July – Cold weather season. The true dry season arrives with colder weather and lower hu-

midity. Most creeks stop flowing and the floodplains begin to dry out.

GURRUNG – August to October – Hot, dry weather. The temperature and humidity begin to increase and many

animals crowd the ever-shrinking billabongs.

GUNUMELENG – November/December – Pre-monsoon storm season. Hotter weather and building thunderstorms

in the afternoon (the ’build-up’) begin to green the dry landscape. Waterbirds and other animals spread out as sur-

face water and new growth become more widespread.

Applying the Larrakia calendar of seasons to Canberra wine-grape growing we experience: Bud Burst and

Flowering in GURRUNG, Fruit Set in GUNUMELENG, Veraison in GUDJENG, Harvest in BANGGERENG,

Leaf Fall in YEGGE, and Dormancy in WURRGENG.

Definitely makes more interesting reading than my Elders Farm Planner!

** CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

Geoff’s Letter From the Vineyard 16th July

Swapping the seasons around in one’s biorhythm also plays havoc with drinking preferences. On the farm one might

enjoy a slow cooked lamb shank with a glass of superb Shiraz, such as 2010 Gundog Marksman’s Shiraz at this

time of the year, while in Darwin just achieving a sensible room temperature (thank God for Vintec!) becomes a pre-

occupation.

As you would imagine we tend to more often drink white and pink chilled wines in this latitude and, fortunately for

us, Matthew’s skill with the Semillon grape keeps us supplied with really interesting options.

Take his 2012 Off-Dry Semillon, for instance. One of the features of Darwin that Sharon and I enjoy most is the ever

increasing Asian-isation of the place and this is reflected in the diversity of ingredients, and prepared foods, whether

from street-style market vendors or served in fine-food restaurants, now prevalent throughout the city. Any spicy

dish, especially the high in chilli Thai and Indonesian dishes, are beautifully tolerated, even moderated, by the ac-

companiment of the Off-Dry Sem. Mud crabs are all over the place at the moment and I plan to cook some this week-

end with a favourite Singapore style chilli sauce. The wine is already on ice.

For the common-all-garden wild barramundi, whether stuffed with some native herbs and barbecued whole, or grilled

on a hot plate with a little oil and limejuice, the 2012 Hunter’s Semillon is really a perfect match. The Coffin Bay

oysters, flown fresh daily to Darwin, go down just as well with the Hunter’s Sem as with their Port Stephens cousins,

served at the GUNDOG Pokolbin Cellar Door on weekends.

Our favourite wine for the tropics, however, is the superb 2011 Gundog Rosé. Each vintage Matt seems to finesse

this style even further (aided of course by the high quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown by me at Gundaroo and

hand picked by Gundog Members and friends each April), and the current vintage is a real corker.

Huon Hooke recently praised this wine, and acknowledging its food-friendly characteristics, suggested matching with

a Bouillabaisse. He’s quite right, of course, but I want to make another suggestion, a simpler, more spontaneous

choice of a seafood dish that is just superb as a Sunday morning brunch, accompanied by a chilled 2011 Gundog

Rosé.

** During December 1971 I was holed up for some weeks in the Calcutta Grand Hotel, waiting for bomb craters in the

war-damaged runway at Dacca airport to be filled in allowing my film crew to fly into the newly liberated Bangla-

desh. The Calcutta Grand was one of those British colonial establishments, run since 1947 by Indian owners and

staff, but to all intents still providing a Raj service, from white-uniformed and gloved waiters to daily Tiffin and din-

ner service of Mulligatawny soup, roast beef and potatoes. For some reason the foreign Press of the time liked to

stay there and collect whatever newsworthy gossip they could from one another. Much safer than the frontline.

I have two vivid memories of this time at the Grand. The first was the view from my hotel room window onto a nar-

row but permanently busy roadway with a cinema foyer immediately opposite my room. All through the day people

would stream into and out of screenings of Bollywood dramas in numbers that Australian exhibitors could only

dream about. But it was the period after the last film finished that I found most intriguing. As the doors closed sev-

eral families arrived, on foot carrying rope woven stretchers on wooden frames, and set up sleeping arrangements on

the cinema steps, for at least twenty people. By early morning they had gone and been replaced by several tea ven-

dors with their smoky kettle heaters. By mid morning the doors were opened and the daily cinema cycle started

again.

My second significant memory of the Calcutta Grand was breakfast, served daily in the Tiffin Room. It was here I

had the life-affirming experience of discovering Kedgeree. Now I have eaten kedgeree in many parts of the world,

including at the Dorchester in London, but none have lasted in my mind as long as those Calcutta breakfasts. Over

the years since then I have made many fine versions of the dish and now have great pleasure in promoting it as a per-

fect brunch accompaniment to the 2011 Gundog Rosé.

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

Geoff’s Letter From the Vineyard 16th July

Kedgeree is one of those dishes designed to use up left-overs in a nourishing and tasty way so there is no definitive

recipe one needs to follow in order to create the dish – it is very flexible and encourages one to create one’s own

version, to your own taste.

There are however, a few ground rules. This dish existed in India before the British era and was known as ketchcheri,

a mixture of left over rice and lentils, served with some curry spices and roti for breakfast. The mem-sahibs felt this

could be improved upon and suggested their cooks drop the lentils and replace them with smoked fish (Haddock and

Salt Cod imported by the East India Company no doubt) and dress the finished dish with portions of hard-boiled

eggs. This is the basic structure of Kedgeree.

If you want to have a go at creating a kedgeree, I offer the following tips. Quantities are to feed 2-3 people.

Soften a finely chopped onion in some butter with a chopped clove of garlic, a cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon of tur-

meric, a bay leaf, 2 or 3 crushed cardamom pods, 2 teaspoons of a good quality (English style) curry powder.

This is one of the few times I would NOT use a Sri Lankan curry mix as the spices are pre-roasted and produce a

brown rather than a yellow dish, which is not so attractive.

Once the spice mixture has cooked for a few minutes fold in the pre-cooked rice (allow a cup per person), coat the

grains with the mixture and heat through. If cooking the rice especially for the dish think about boiling the rice in a

seafood or chicken stock to provide another taste level.

Basically all one does now is flake the cooked smoked fish you want to use, in the quantity you desire, and stir it

gently through the yellow rice/curry mixture. The enormous advantage we have over the mem-sahibs at this time is

the great choice and ready availability of different smoked fish products we could use. I must say I do like the tradi-

tional smoked haddock cooked for a few minutes in milk before flaking, but smoked salmon and trout work bril-

liantly as well. The Huon Salmon people sell a smoked portion that has chopped chilli on board as well which gives

an extra kick. I have also used smoked eel in Kedgeree by itself, and mixed with other fish, producing a richer al-

most creamy finish.

Serve the fish/rice mixture with halved hard-boiled eggs arranged around the platter and maybe a sprinkling of

chopped coriander or chives on top. And don’t forget the Rosé!

Cheers and bon appétit,

Geoff Burton

Geoff’s Letter From the Vineyard 16th July

The Burton Women As I read another draft of the newsletter I realised that there is a clear focus on the public face of GUNDOG: the Can-

berra vineyard, the Hunter cellar door and the accolades Matt’s wines continue to generate. It will not surprise read-

ers to know that behind the public face, dominated by my son and winemaker Matt and his father, now devoted viti-

culturalist, Geoff, are several remarkable women who hold the future of GUNDOG in their hands.

Matt’s wife Renee, who will be known to many of you from the Hunter Cellar or GUNDOG events, is our wonderful

manager, who monitors and guides, not just the business, but the winemaker – no small task. She also recently

proved her capacity for multi-skilling by transforming our functional but austere Pokolbin Schoolhouse flat into styl-

ish accommodation for GUNDOG members. Two weeks ago, as if she didn’t have enough to keep her busy, Renee

gave birth to Maddison, adding a second beautiful girl, and younger sister to Scarlett, to the GUNDOG clan.

The birth of a child always prompts reflection on how their life will unfold. I pondered whether Scarlett and/or her

new baby sister Maddison might establish GUNDOG as an inter-generational family enterprise. Until very recently

women winemakers were rare, invariably following in their father’s or husband’s footsteps.

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

Widow Clicquot famously took over her deceased husband’s champagne business in 1805 and, thankyou Madame

Clicquot, gave us the remuage system whereby bottles of champagne are stored upside-down on a wooden pulpit.

Now there are hundreds of excellent female winemakers who are part of the new generation producing outstanding

wines. One, Vanya Cullen from Cullen wines Western Australia, is listed as one of Cru’s top ten Modern Female

Winemakers – the only Australian on the list.

Of course there is debate as to whether women bring different qualities to winemaking than their male counterparts.

Browse the web and there are references to the physical demands of the job. I am reminded that as a 16 year old I

was emphatically advised to give up plans to become a vet as I would not be strong enough to manage large animals!

There is also debate was to whether women have more refined palates, or differing sensitivities and subtlety that find

expression in their winemaking. Are their wines less bold, less showy…less alpha male?

Yalumba’s Louisa Rose, who is responsible for all Yalumba’s whites, including one of my old favourites Pewsey

Vale Reisling, which Geoff introduced me to when he was shooting films in South Australia, argues that ‘In Austra-

lia there is no glass ceiling, as long as you can hold your drink and do the labour’.

In another twenty years when Scarlett and Maddison are making career decisions we can only hope that the very con-

cept of a glass ceiling is incomprehensible to them.

We do know however that if they chose to be winemakers or wine managers they will need that rare combination,

that I hope is in their genes, of the capacity to embrace analytical science, to engage in the creative alchemy of turn-

ing the ordinary into the extra-ordinary, to know that our relationships are the soul of our work, and that they have

inherited the courage to take risks and follow their passion.

Sharon

The Burton Women

Scarlett & Maddison SharonScarlettRenee & Scarlett

In April, we hosted our first Cellar Club Members Lunch

at Pony Lounge and Dining at The Rocks. It was a fantas-

tic day, with members given the chance to try our new

releases alongside some great food from Chef, Damien

Heads. Magnums of Tattinger on arrival, a wine options

game featuring a stunning Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, and a

post-lunch “cleansing ale,” rounded out the day nicely!

We are now looking to organise another two events in

Sydney before the end of the year. One of which will be a

dinner, following on from our very successful first Cellar

Club evening held at Glass Brasserie at the Hilton last

year. If you know of any great restaurants that might be

suited to a wine club event, please let me know via email

– winemaker@gundogestate.com.au.

MB

Gundog Events

Bouillabaisse

We couldn’t agree more with Huon Hooke’s recommendation of serving Bouillabaisse with our provincial-style

Rosé. And as we approach spring, our thoughts turn towards the bounties of the ocean, sunshine, and beautiful dishes

such as this French classic. I filed this recipe from a July 2006 edition of Gourmet Traveller. It’s a great dish! MB

Fine Food & Gundog Estate Wines

Ingredients

Serves 4

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks, thinly sliced

1 bulb of baby fennel, thinly

sliced

6 cloves of garlic, finely

chopped

3 sprigs of marjoram

500g whole red mullet,

cleaned and coarsely chopped

1kg white fish bones, coarsely

chopped

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 pieces orange rind

1 kg ripe tomatoes, coarsely

chopped

1/2 cup Pernod

15 mussels, scrubbed and

beards removed

1/2 tsp saffron threads

250g red mullet fillets

250g skinless blue-eye cod

fillets, cut into pieces

250g snapper fillets, cut into

4cm pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped pars-

ley

Slices of baguette, rubbed

with garlic, brushed with olive

oil and toasted

ROUILLE

1/4 tsp saffron threads

1/4 cup hot fish stock

25g white bread, crusts re-

moved

2 red capsicum, roasted,

peeled and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely

chopped

1 small red chilli, coarsely

chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

Method

1 For rouille, soak saffron in stock for 5 mins, pour over bread in a bowl and stand for 10 mins. Combine bread in a

food processor with capsicum, garlic, chilli, and 1 tsp sea salt and process until smooth. Gradually add oil in a thin

stream until well combined, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, transfer to a container,

cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

2 Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, add leek, fennel, onion, garlic and marjoram and cook over medium heat for

20mins or until vegetables are soft. Season to taste. Add mullet, fish bones, tomato paste and orange rind and cook,

stirring occasionally, for 30mins or until fish and bones have softened and flesh has fallen from the bone. Add to-

mato, Pernod and 1 1/2 litres cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 mins or until liquid has thickened. Season

to taste, cool. Discard large bones and pass mixture through a mouli into a saucepan, discarding solids.

3 Bring broth to the boil over medium heat, add mussels and saffron, cover and cook for 5 mins or until mussels have

opened. Place mussels in a bowl. Return broth to simmer, add mullet fillets and fish pieces to broth, cover and cook

for 3-5 mins or until fish is cooked through. Divide fish, mussels and broth between bowls, scatter with parsley and

serve with croutons and rouille.