Wilson Vineyard | NEWS AND TRIVIA FILE

Considering that it is now ten years since we made our first cabernet sauvignon, we recently tasted our way through the whole lot. Here's what we found. We have given some indication of cellaring potential, mainly for those customers who may have some of these wines put down. These indications tend to err on the conservative side. Conversely, any of these wines with cellaring potential are a delight to enjoy at present.

1982: lovely wood but the fruit is fading. Still soft and-drinkable, but it has passed its peak. Will go well with a curry. This wine should not be used as a guide to the cellaring potential of later vintages, as our subsequent technique has been towards bigger and more tannic wines.

1984: a big solid red that needed a while to breathe; lingering flavours of prunes and tobacco, and wood not dominant. Probably getting close to its peak although another two or three years in the cellar will do no harm.

1985: an enormous wine in all aspects, unquestionably the pick of the lot, and epitomises the style that we aspire to. Still a deep purple colour; rich sweet fruit, blackcurrants and blackberries dominate. Still a little firm on the finish. Should peak between 5 and 10 years.

I recall that when it was first released, that a prominent reviewer questioned if the fruit would hold up until the tannin softened. We are in no doubt.

1986: still a youngster: lighter in body than the 85. Fruit shows mintiness, plums and cherries, balanced by sweet wood. Still needs another five years.

1987: another wine that needed time to breathe, but showed rich and complex fruit. Very well balanced and a delight to drink at the moment; may be a shorter term cellaring prospect - say another two or three years.

1988: another in the mould of the 1985. Still an intensely deep purple colour; a big wine with rich complex berry flavours, full bodied and warm, and still some firm tannin. Needs another ten years.

1989: lighter in body, and still quite a young wine; lingering flavours of stewed cherries and camphorwood, balanced by soft tannins on the finish, making it a pleasure to drink at the moment. Cellaring potential is another 5 years.

1990: this wine has finished oak maturation and is soon to be bottled. A big wine, although showing the clumsiness of immaturity. We have no doubt that it will settle in the bottle, and confidently give it another ten years to reach its peak.

1991: still in wood, but showing an unusually herbaceous character, more often associated with cooler regions. But it seems too early to pass other judgements.

The first winery in Polish Hill River was Nyora, which had an ephemeral existence early this century. Today its ruins stand on a rise, right next to the main Mintaro Road.

The Nyora story began in 189 1, when Dr John Bain purchased a number of sections of land in the area, and set about planting vineyards. By 1896 his vineyard covered 100 acres, of which 30 acres were cabernet and 45 acres shiraz.

Bain clearly had intentions to build his own cellar however it seems that these plans were thwarted by financial losses that he suffered in speculative mining ventures. Bain died in 1903, and later that year, the property was sold to brothers George and Hugh Main, whose occupation was described as horticulturists. Main Brothers immediately built the winery, which was ready for the 1904 vintage; that vintage was expected to exceed 10,000 gallons.

The Nyora winery failed, although for what reason, and how quickly we do not know. Main Bros. quit the operation in January 1908, and in subsequent years the winery building functioned as a fruit packing shed in conjunction with extensive apple orchards grown in the area. Even today the building is known by locals as "the packing house" and the adjacent bend on the Mintaro Road is the "packing house comer".

Today the building is derelict; the stone walls are still true, and the structure is not yet beyond redemption.