Did you know that last Sunday was Stir-up Sunday?
Stir-up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent. Traditionally it is the day when the Christmas pudding would be made in advance of Christmas. Even if you’re not making Christmas pudding though, it’s still a good day to start your holiday baking.
I made my very first Christmas cake on Sunday and, as I feed it with alcohol over the next several weeks, I will anxiously await tasting it to see how it turned out. Although I can’t yet taste this cake, I did have the opportunity to taste several new releases from Yalumba.
You may recall that Yalumba began in 1847 with a brewer named Samuel Smith, who moved from England to South Australia with his wife and five children. Smith and his family settled in the small town of Angaston, which is located in the Eden Valley, in Barossa. It was here that Smith purchased 30 acres of land and in 1849 he planted their first vines. This planting was the beginning of the Yalumba legacy which has stretched across six generations.
Yalumba is deeply committed to sustainable winemaking. Their Yalumba GEN Organic wines source grapes from six multi-generational, certified organic growers. These growers are also members of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA). They only use one natural pesticide in the vineyard, which is brewed from tea made using native plants. Another native plant, Salt Bush, is grown between the vines in order to preserve the soil, while straw is placed under the vines to retain water and introduce micronutrients as it decays. All of the winery waste-water is treated onsite and returned to the vineyards through irrigation while 100% of the grape and vineyard waste is used for livestock-feed or under-vine mulch. One fifth of the power needs for the winery are generated by solar panels and for every hectare of vineyard owned by Yalumba, a hectare of native vegetation is preserved or planted.
Yalumba GEN Organic wines are made using 100% wild fermentation and by 2024 they will all be bottled in lighter-weight glass made from 30% recycled material. And, just in case you’re wondering, the labels are also made from post consumer waste.
2022 GEN Organic Viognier $27.99
On the second day after the bottle was opened, there are aromas of apricot, peach, blossom, pear, dried grass and wet slate. This is a dry wine, medium+ in body with medium acidity. The palate offers fresh peaches and apricots, tangerine rind with the pith, wet stone and honey suckle with dried apricots lingering on the medium finish.
2022 GEN Organic Chardonnay $27.99
On the second day, this unoaked Chardonnay had aromas of peach, pineapple and crushed gravel. This is a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity. The palate offers ripe pineapple, peaches and melon with hints of lemon and a medium finish.
2022 GEN Organic Shiraz $27.99
After an hour in the glass there are aromas of violet, black pepper, black plum, blackberry, clove and liquorice. This is a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity and medium velvety tannins. The palate offers ripe black fruit (plums and blackberries), savoury black pepper, chocolate covered raisins, vanilla, liquorice and clove with a medium finish.