Currently at the entrance of Carrefour (Plaza Sing) there is a massive big display for one of the best wine contest to hit Singapore - the Brown Brothers "Win Wine for a Year!" contest.
12 lucky winners will win 6 bottles of wines for 12 months of selected Brown Brothers wines - and it could even be a supply of a TLN recommended wine (the Brown Brothers Sparkling Pinot Noir - Chardonnay) as it's included in the offer. If you don't know this sparkler, forget that the festive season is over! Buy and try it particularly since you could win a prize for your purchase!
Prizes aside - I have to admit to my own snobbish bias here. Prior to tasting the BB sparkling in the TLN tasting I had only known Brown Brothers sweet, fruity supermarket range of wines from when I lived in Australia. I had never really given the wines a chance. Now living on the equator, I drink a lot more sparkling wine and though I'm partial to drinking champagne (who isn't?), I can't afford it all the time. This unfortunate fact keeps me on the look-out for alternative, good quality sparkling whites. This sparkler brought a pleasant surprise (and alternative purchase!) to my attention when I tasted it.
What makes it special?
I liked the Brown Brothers Sparkling mainly because it has super-refreshing acidity that carries right through to a thirst-quenching finish. This is unusual for an Aussie sparkler since there aren't many cool climate growing regions that can produce grapes with the all important natural acidity that a quality sparkling wine demands.
Another qualitative difference is the winemaking. Ross pointed out that their sparkler is made using the traditional Champagne method - which means it has time to develop those honeyed, brioche flavours as a result of 18 months aging on the lees (before disgorgement). To boot, they also throw in a little pinot meunier - the third grape in the traditional "champagne blend" trio. A very classy touch for an Aussie sparkler!
The result is a really nice quality wine that is not too expensive. This attention to quality - even at the entry level - is something Brown Brothers prides itself on. "We put the same effort into an inexpensive, fruity wine as we do our top end wines," says Ross. They also pay attention to what consumers want to drink.
Listening to consumers
Ross points out that most consumers first educate their palates with Cola, fruit juices and beer. These are the flavours that educate most consumer palates, so naturally this is the easiest style of wine to start drinking. "Wine is a journey - a journey of discovery," Ross says. "You have to first get people on the bus with wine. Start fruity and then eventually end up at the dryer, high end." Ross continues, "the wine industry is so up itself that they don't make these wines seriously."
Fine wine or not...consumers like these wine styles and the attention to quality makes a difference in consumer enjoyment.
To keep the Brown Brother offer exciting and new they built a "kindergarten winery" in 1989 that is a dedicated research winery where international winemakers come and expriement with styles and blends. "We are the only winery in Australia to do this," Ross explains. "We take a portion of each year's crop and experiment to add more flavor, or more acidity, or to do 10 different trails of the same thing - one parcel at a time." They even have mini-fermenters - It's sensational.
One really successful product from this process is Cienna - a kindergarten graduate crossing between Cabernet Sauvignon and Saumur. As Ross puts it, "Cienna is a game changer. It's red, fruity, juicy and really easy pairing with spicy food." This wine appeals to the beginner palate and Chinese are surprised to discover it.
The Matriarch with High Standards: Patricia
Ross also treated me to a tasting of the Patricia Chardonnay 2008. It was the second surprise of the tasting. The wine is named after the brothers mother - Patricia. Ross shared how she brought up four boys and served the family business without ever seeking any of the sunshine it brought. She was always out back - entertaining everyone and no one ever really acknowledged her incredible contribution.
"We had family reserve wines to name, so as we searched we fell on calling the wine 'Patricia'" Ross said. "When I told her she burst in to tears and said 'it better be bloody good!' "
"The Patricia is only released if it passes the internal benchmark tasting with our family - and we are stupidly critical about these wines," he said. "This is the first chardonnay we've produced in 5 years!"
Entering the contest is easy - just buy $50 of Brown Brothers wine (in a single receipt) and SMS your details to enter (see point-of-sale for details). If you win you just show them the receipt when you collect your prize.
Contributed by Sarah Mayo, TLN Editor
