Pouring the Penfolds

One of Australia’s oldest wineries and probably also one of its best known, Penfolds, producer of such popular bottles such as Bin 2 and Bin 95, has long chosen October to launch its annual collection of fine wines.
This year was no exception though for the first time, and in recognition of a market that’s hungry for luxury products, the launch was held in Shanghai, where guests from around the world were invited to sip and savour the full Penfolds Collection 2015.
For two days and two nights in China’s most glamorous city, countless bottles of St Henri, Grange, Bin 389, Bin 311 and many more vintages on the Penfolds list were opened and poured to wean China’s wine consumers away from their beloved Bordeaux and partake of the noble Australian grape.
“Last year we did a launch party in Manhattan but it wasn’t with Penfolds complete collection,” Peter Gago, Penfolds chief winemaker, told journalists during the wine-tasting session in Shanghai two weeks ago. “China is the first country, after Australia of course, to enjoy the launch of the full Penfolds Collection.”
You don’t have to finish a crate of Penfolds Bin 95 Grange – the winery’s flagship wine – to figure out why it’s come to the Chinese market.
While the world’s main winemaking regions have hardly changed over the decades, the wine drinking landscape is barely recognisable from 20 years ago.
In short, the Chinese are the new French.
The Chinese have now officially beaten the French in terms of consumption of red and Baijiu, the local rice wine traditionally downed to celebrate the sealing of a deal, has now been replaced by Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. China consumed almost two billion bottles of red wine last year, making it the leading market for wines of all provenances.
For the official launch of Penfolds Collection 2015, Penfolds brought its best people and wines to Shanghai. They included Gago, Scott Huggins, head chef at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant and David Hirschfelder; an Australian musician.
Okay, David Hirschfelder is not a strictly speaking a Penfolds’ man, but the well-known Australian score composer did write the music for “The Story of the Grange” – a short film featuring Penfolds’ legendary chief winemaker Max Schubert – and Penfolds wanted him in Shanghai to conduct the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at the launch party.
The official launch of Penfolds Collection 2015 was organised in two parts – tasting and partying.
In the morning, Gago brought wine writers and journalists to the tasting room and sat them down in front of bottles of water, buckets and glasses of 2013 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz, 2013 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, 2013 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvingon, 2013 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, 2012 St Henri Shiraz and a few other iconic wines. As we listen to the winemaker, we swirled, sniffed, sipped, swished and spat (and, yes swallowed too).
I dutifully spat out most of Penfolds’ luxury collection including the 2011 Grange, but I couldn’t do it to the St Henri, which was so aromatic that swallowing was the only option. I wanted a second glass.
With a first vintage dating back to 1953, St Henri is a beautiful blend of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from several districts, among then the Barossa Valley, Eden Valley and McLaren Vale. Over the last 25 years, St Henri has been described as an old-fashioned and seductive wine with a beautiful scent and it certainly seduced me.
People look for different things in glasses of wine, Gago says, and many love the beautiful scent and aroma in the glass.
The Penfolds Collection 2015 spans five vintages across 20 individual wines of provenance.
“This year’s collection again reminds our winemaking team of the magic and unknowns of wine. There is still so much that we don’t know, a continuum of surprise that is occasionally explained by science, history or experience, “Gago told us.
“Our 2013 reds have significantly transformed in bottle – grown, complexed, fattened … call it what you will. These wines make us smile and remind us of why we do, what we do.”
More than 300 international guests attended the gala event at Shanghai’s China Pavilion, the highlight of which was the global premiere of “The Story of Grange”, a short film showcasing the extraordinary tale of Grange and its creator, Max Schubert. Narrated by Academy-award winner Russell Crowe, the film is set to Hirschfelder’s moving score and he ably led the acclaimed Shanghai Philharmonic in its live performance, afterwards inviting celebrated Chinese pianist Li Quan to the stage for an unforgettable solo performance.
The Collection’s 2015 debut certainly made an impression on the Chinese, who were more than happy to experience Penfolds by numbers – 8, 138, 398, 407, 707 and 95 – and feast on Huggin’s delicious food.
“Thais love Bin 2 but I think wine enthusiasts will move to Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, a multi-region wine aged in American oak. It’s richer,” Gago, told XP
“For Thais who prefer French wine, I would suggest Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz. It’s a single region and it ages in French oak.
The Penfolds Collection is not, however, solely about reds. There are also several beautiful white wines – 2013 Yattarna, 2014 Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay and 2015 Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling among them. To this enthusiast, the white pairs better with hot and spicy Thai dishes.
Gago agrees. “For Thai dishes that are heavy on the herbs, Bin 51 is better than Bin 311. The Riesling from Eden Valley is aromatic and fresh with a hint of lemon and grapefruit, and is the perfect marriage with Thai food.”