Many of us dream of a career as an idolised artist, but Patrick Walsh got so close to pop stardom he could almost taste it—only to have the dream cruelly snatched away.
(For now, at least.)
But there are no hard feelings. When it comes to passions, Patrick’s cup overfloweth; maybe that’s what keeps him grounded.
A lover of Liverpool Football Club, outback land-rovering and futurist music, Patrick and his wife, Virginia, founded CellarHand in 1999.
This Melbourne-based importer and wholesale distributor is known as a specialist in Germany and Austria, bringing in a host of household (for aromatic, high-acid wine-lovers!) names such as Dönnhoff, Dr Loosen, Gunderloch, Koehler-Ruprecht, Emmerich Knoll and F.X. Pichler.
Its portfolio also takes in Australian and New Zealand wines from the likes of Yeringberg, Stefano Lubiana, Deep Woods, Frankland Estate and Burn Cottage.
Our conversation spans decades and far-flung regions, from the first stirrings of the Melbourne fine wine and dining scene to the present-day sommelier zeitgeist; from homegrown Cabernet Sauvignon to obscure varieties in lesser-known corners of Europe.
Context around certain names and wines might be useful.
Patrick’s early career revolved around Melbourne’s restaurant scene; many of the characters involved will not be familiar to everyone—perhaps not even that of the crooning Welsh heartthrob—but their role in that milieu will be self-evident.
One of the French wine anecdotes revolves around a lady named Lalou Bize-Leroy, the formidable woman at the helm of Domaine Leroy in Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. This is one of the most prestigious estates on the planet, and Lalou also makes wines under her Domaine d’Auvenay label (also name-checked). The dog story revolves around the Chambertin Grand Cru—one of the world’s most revered Pinot Noir vineyards.
Ernst Loosen is one of the German winegrowers named. Many will be familiar with the Riesling wines of Dr Loosen in Bernkastel in the Mosel Valley. Philipp Wittmann and Johannes Hasselbach of Gunderloch, growers in the Rheinhessen, are also mentioned.
Austria is a fruitful topic of conversation but Patrick alludes to the darkest days in the country’s wine history—the scandal of 1985. This incident, which caused the collapse of the country’s exports, involved wineries that were found to have illegally adulterated their wines using diethylene glycol. This toxic substance is a minor ingredient in some brands of antifreeze and was used to make the wines taste sweeter and fuller-bodied. The country has worked exceptionally hard since to improve its image and impress upon the world its high standards and exceptional wines. It has been successful in this endeavour.
Staying with Austria is some talk of Federspiel and Smaragd wines. These are two classifications of wines of the Wachau Valley on the Danube River. Smaragd denotes a dry wine from the ripest, most powerful grapes. Federspiel refers to a more medium-weighted, dry wine with around 12.5% alcohol.
The Wachau growers referred to are Prager, F.X. Pichler, Franz Hirtzberger and Emmerich Knoll (what Patrick calls “the fab four”), as well as the excellent cooperative, Domäne Wachau. These are outstanding growers of dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. To dig deeper into the fascinating terroir of the Wachau you can watch this 10-minute video.
Under winemaker Fritz Miesbauer, Stadt Krems and Stift Göttweig ply their trade in the neighbouring Kremstal. The River Kamp flows into the Danube near here, and that’s where you’ll find Weingut Bründlmayer.
The other Austrian topic is Blaufränkisch, the superb black grape exploited by Roland Velich (of Moric) and Hannes Schuster in the Burgenland region. Hannes also makes reds from Sankt Laurent and Rotburger (aka Zweigelt) and a white from Furmint.
This latter is the key Hungarian white grape we discuss, along with Hárslevelű. These are the most important grapes in the famous Tokaji sweet wines, but we discuss dry renditions. We also briefly mention Roland Velich’s brother Heinz, who makes wines from Muscat Ottonel and Welschriesling, among others.
And finally, we have a look at Corsica and the wines of Manu Venturi of Clos Venturi and Domaine Vico (introduced to Patrick by Virginie Taupenot of Domaine Taupenot-Merme in Morey-Saint Denis). Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu and Carcaghjolu Neru are the hard-to-pronounce red grapes.
The final wine Patrick mentions is the Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Riesling, a collaboration between the Barry family of Clare and Ernst Loosen in the Mosel—Aussie grapes vinified the German way!
And football? That’s soccer. Fernando Torres was a fine and handsome player.
You can track down many of the wines mentioned at www.cellarhand.store
I hope you enjoy the show.
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