“I chose a wine that I believed was worth more than $50, but I had no proof of value, as it is shown in my spreadsheet as a gift. Mystery giver, I profusely thank you…,” writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.

DURING lockdown lots of us are trying to bolster the spirits of family, friends and colleagues, sometimes with uplifting affirmations. 

For example, a friend said: “Cheer up mate, you could be much worse off, like if you were stuck underground in a hole full of water.” I know he meant well.

So, for a self-bolstering treat I dived into Box 5 in my wine-storage area (a wardrobe, nothing fancy) where I keep my 104 bottles of wine. Box 5 is where I keep the dozen wines that I had bought or are valued at $50 or more. 

From this pool of extravagance, I chose a wine that I believed was worth more than $50, but I had no proof of value, as it is shown in my spreadsheet as a gift. Mystery giver, I profusely thank you for the 2016 Capital Wines Kyeema Vineyard Shiraz Viognier. 

I called Capital Wines post my consumption of this sumptuous wine to first ask about its further production and to inquire about its cost. Bill Mason, one of four new owners of Capital Wines from February 2020, spoke with me. He confirmed that the wine, when available, was $52 a bottle but Capital Wines no longer makes this wine as Kyeema Vineyard had been sold to the Four Winds winery before he and the other new owners had bought Capital. I indicated my appreciation of what a fine wine it was, up there with the Canberra District’s Clonakilla and Ravensworth examples of this blend. Unfortunately, I had not been able to compare the local examples of shiraz viognier with the Cote Rotie French brands, mostly because I baulked at the cost. I had seen, behind security glass at Vintage Cellars in Manuka, a French Cote Rotie for $700 a bottle and my lockdown madness hasn’t extended to that level of devil-may-care. 

Bill explained that they had produced a 2021 line up of wines, not including a shiraz viognier, but that the first year of steering the Capital Wines ship had seen bushfires “put us under a cloud, literally one of smoke”. I wished Bill well and said I would make it a post-lockdown priority to visit the Hall cellar door of Capital to taste their new line of wines. 

In the meantime, I chose an affordable McLaren Vale shiraz viognier as a useful comparator. I purchased a d’Arenberg 2016 Laughing Magpie for $33 from BWS Kingston. 

The d’Arenberg was complex. But the finish was not the liquid velvet that the Kyeema exhibited. Both wines had a very pleasant floral, black fruit bouquet but the mouth feel on the Canberra District wine was fuller, richer and it finished longer and smoother. The Laughing Magpie had a peppery element. The white viognier added to the bulk that is shiraz, tempers the big bold Aussie shiraz flavours and provides a wine that reminds me more of fine pinot noirs than the meaty styles that we are used to, especially from the Barossa. It is a wine type that sings of Canberra District cold-climate influences and the Kyeema (hopefully the Four Winds version, too) provides the crowning glory of the local winemakers’ skills.

As well as doing comparative wine tastings, I decided to examine the internet for uplifting examples of self-care to apply during lockdown. My advice is to stick to the comparison or even just the consumption of wines rather than taking some of the advice proffered:

“Remember to practise self-care: Take a walk, meditate, try yoga, paint a picture, murder someone, burn a body, clean a crime scene…” –Ramblin Mama