“Due to their cool climate, high-elevated wine-growing regions represent favourite cultivation sites under current and future global warming,” reports wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.

I was invited to a wine event that was given the nomenclature Altitude and Attitude. 

When I was younger I often felt the need to get high and be different, something that fades with age. 

The rationale for the name was explained to me by Jane Adams, one of the organisers and the marketing manager for Freeman Vineyards based in the Hilltops Region of southern NSW: “The common thread is that the nine exhibitors are all high-country growers or use high-country grapes. 

“Among them are a bunch of Canberra winemakers that are looking at Hilltops wines for quality and diversity, like Nick O’Leary and Collector, and for different wine styles that you get from the unusual varietals that are grown in the region, with about 600 hectares under vines. 

“The event came about through distributors who care about Hilltops wines, but especially as an idea of Matt Quirk, the owner of Quality Estate Distributor, who drove the event.

“We are noticing that these are tough times with possibly more winds ahead. I follow what my grandfather taught me: ‘Promote yourself in tough times and you’ll survive over the long term’. 

“With that in mind, we want to promote the region and today’s collaborators to restaurants, wine bars, caterers and retail liquor outlets. There’s also Eagle’s Rest here, the winery at the highest point in the Hunter Valley, so we are all interested in grapes grown at altitude.” 

After the event, I looked up a scholarly article about the effect of altitude on grapes titled Effects of Altitude on the Chemical Composition of Grapes and Wine: a review by Mansour et al and the summary threw a lot of chemical names at me: “Overall, high-altitude growing sites can favour an increase – albeit at different intensities – in content of many chemical compounds found in grapes and wine, such as total polyphenols, total monomeric anthocyanins, catechins, quercetin derivatives and cyanidin-derived anthocyanins, trihydroxylated flavonols, carotenoids, isoamyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate.” 

Importantly, the study also isolates that due to their cool climate, high-elevated winegrowing regions represent favourite cultivation sites under current and future global warming.

I tasted a few wines at this event, seeking out the different. I especially liked the Mayfield Vineyard (Orange NSW, 880 metres to 956 metres) Block 14 Chardonnay 2022 with its bouquet of butter mushrooms, akin to some expensive French chablis, and its long finish, texture and great mouthfeel with just a hint of oak. This wine won the award as the best NSW and ACT chardonnay at the 2023 Royal Melbourne Show. 

I also enjoyed the vertical tasting of the Eagle’s Rest semillons. The 2016 was the standout, featuring a lovely buttery nose and a nutty, toasty characteristic that showed the wonderful effects of ageing from the 2019 citrus and lemon palate. But the 2013 seemed already over the hill.

I spoke with Jane again, this time to discuss with her the Freeman Vineyard’s wine with attitude: a furmint. This is a white variety that originates from Hungary. 

I remarked at how it had very complex flavours, fruit driven with a floral bouquet. It finished like an arneis with a hint of pear. Jane told me that in Hungary they tend to use this grape in making a sweet wine, but here we were, well, different. 

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” –Zig Ziglar