Product Information: Rieslingfreak No.7 Clare Valley Fortified Riesling will remind you of good white port, but somehow with Riesling aromatics and flavours. There's a hint of nutty oak on the nose, supporting aromas and flavours of sultanas, caramel and butter scotch, orange peel and dried fruits. The wine is a perfect match for a sweet dessert, chocolate or a plate of cheese. Grapes for the No.7 are sourced from the family property, White Hutt, Clare Valley. The juice is partially fermented to 7-8 baume (approx. 140g/L sugar) then fortified with a neutral brandy spirit. Stored in old oak casks to develop for 2 to 4 years. The wine was bottled at three years of age, expressing many of the flavours and aromas of a good fortified Riesling. Maker: Established by John Hughes in 2009, Rieslingfreak started as a passion-project, was born from a long-running love for the Riesling variety. Today the portfolio has grown and evolved to include 19 different Riesling styles! Since the beginning, Rieslingfreak's mission has been to produce quality Rieslings that best represent both style and region. They craft Rieslings that reveal the qualities of essential South Australian wine regions, including Clare Valley, Eden Valley and Polish Hill River. It's easy to get the hang of, each of the Rieslingfreak wines is assigned a number, and the number represents both the region where the grape is grown, and the style of the Riesling in the bottle. The Rieslingfreak collection includes dry, sweet, sparkling, and fortified Riesling styles. There are not many grape varieties in the world that provides a winemaker the same level of versatility that Riesling does. To drive it home, Rieslingfreak’s Belinda Hughes, speaks to the versatility of riesling, “I believe Riesling to be the ultimate versatile variety... from dry to sweet, sparkling to fortified, there is almost nothing riesling can’t do – and do well!" Not only that, the variety has natural capability to hold elevated acid levels making it uniquely suited to delicate dry wines as well as perfectly balanced sweeter styles, and also imparts longevity and enables long-term cellaring. The other thing Riesling does well is its ability to effortless accept oak. To argue oak in Riesling, Anne Hughes, John's mum and source of Clare Valley Riesling, takes the mic. While many Australian makers see oak as an affront in riesling, playing it safe to preserve fruit purity at all costs, the reality is that oak is very traditional. “While the use of oak and wild fermentation is relatively rare in Aussie riesling, the Germans have been using oak vessels with riesling for centuries,” says Hughes. Most of the vats used at Rieslingfreak are so old, the oak flavour in the wines is barely perceptible, this subtle influence imparts a distinctive elegance and an old-world charm that truly sets their wines apart from the rest. Riesling Freak are also boundary pushing, respecting tradition, they've learned the rules to break them. While they certainly embrace the classic steely Aussie style and have paid homage to textured German styles, they go further aiming to push the boundaries of what Riesling means in this country. Anne Hughes says, "Riesling is remarkably well suited as a canvas for more exuberant expressions." The variety's high natural acidity is the key factor, that makes it perfect for oak fermentation and maturation - a vinification more commonly association to Burgundian Chardonnay. Anne explains it best, “natural preservation due to low pH and the delicacy of the base wine allows secondary characters to shine. Why can’t riesling be as textural and complex as a top-shelf barrel fermented chardonnay? Why can’t the winemaker embrace the bolder flair of Antoni Gaudi, rather than the restraint of Da Vinci in creating a riesling of great beauty?” You can find this style, that blurs the line between old and new world in Riesling No.1. Only made in the good years, in a way that distinguishes it from any other Rieslingfreak wine. This wine has been wild fermented in a large-format oak barrel, producing a Riesling with texture and unprecedented complexity; combining subtle, spicy oak notes with delicate tropical and heady floral aromas, strewn together by tight, linear acidity that will drive this wine many years into the future and definitely one for the Rieslingfreaks among us. Vineyard: At Rieslingfreak, grapes are sourced from Clare Valley, Polish Hill River and Eden Valley. Each of these regions and specific vineyards are selected based on their own individual microclimate, the history of the vineyard and the grower’s commitment to their vineyards. Their Clare Valley vineyard is the source of No.7 but also Rieslings - No.3, No.5, No.6, No.9, No.33. Situated in White Hutt and is my family vineyard, owned by Richard and Anne Hughes. This is approximately 5.8 kms north of the Clare township, and is situated 500m above sea level. On their Clare Valley property, they have five different Riesling sites. Each site has a different soil profile, where they use multiple clones on the sites. The majority of the sites have deep red clay, over limestone, providing a fruit driven style of Riesling. Nose - Porty Sultanas, Orange Peel, Butter Scotch Bouquet is straw-like and savoury, accented with orange peel, with a suggestion of nutty oak. Palate - Dried Fruits, Caramel, Zest Flavours of sultanas, caramel and butter scotch, orange peel and dried fruits Finish - Nutty Oak, Citrus Pith, Honey The sweetness is quite moderate. The phenolics and apparently high-alcohol accentuate an appealing bitterness on the finish.

Golden in colour with aromas of tropical fruits and citrus. Delicate but mouthfilling, Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut reveals a balanced sweet palate with a hint of lime zest on the finish. A multi-award winning dessert wine over many years, this example of the style is a benchmark in Australia.

Established in 2000, Sons of Eden is intimately involved in all aspects of crafting wines of unquestionable quality, from the vineyard right through to the bottle. Varieties that the Barossa produces to a world standard are hand-picked from 30 unique vineyard sites and handled through Sons of Eden’s minimal intervention small-batch winery. As a result, the wines have a strong sense of individuality. With a combined 50 Barossa vintages amassed between the Sons’, Corey Ryan and Simon Cowham, their focus on crafting world class wines is uncompromising. The High Eden sub-region of Eden Valley is a small and unique region designated by its high altitude, however, it is also defined by the schist soils and rocky outcrops, vast exposure and undulating hillside aspects, enhancing its suitability for growing Riesling. The skies over High Eden are typified by ‘Cirrus’ cloud formations for most of the growing and harvest seasons, making for a picturesque backdrop to the vineyards and a perfect name for this wine. The Cirrus Riesling is made from the very best Single Vineyard wine of High Eden and made in only exemplary years.

Frankland River is one of WA's most respected Riesling producers. This wine shows classic lemon and lime varietal characters with terrific fruit intensity and great cellaring potential.

Grosset Springvale Riesling from the Clare Valley sub-region of Watervale, takes its name from the Springvale Road vineyard located in the highest part of Watervale. Jeff Grosset's six hectare vineyard produces a wine full of ethereal aromatics, fragrant lemongrass and freshly squeezed lime. Pure lemon flavours over wet pebbles show on the palate that is accented by the wonderful minerality that is the signature of Grosset.

AMELIE & CHARLES SPARR Brand Grand Cru Riesling, Wettolsheim 2017 Another outstanding wine from the Brand Grand Cru, this is grown on granitic soils at an elevation of 380 metres. Fermented using native yeasts in stainless steel tanks, the wine is then aged on fine yeats lees which imparts richness and depth. Gold yellow in colour, delicate violet and lemon aromas waft from the glass, while the dry, mineral-accented palate keeps you coming back for more.

An off-dry lower alcohol style, Felton Roads Bannockburn Riesling displays floral lift and fleshy stone fruit richness balanced by taut racy acidity. The fruit comes from Calvert & The Elms vineyards in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. The grapes are whole bunch pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts, with the ferment arrested when the desired balance between acidity, alcohol and residual sugar is reached.

The Margaret Pooley Tribute Riesling is a reserve wine made only in exceptional years from the original Pooley Riesling plantings established in 1985. This is Anna Pooley's most explosive and concentrated Riesling release. Built with cellaring in mind, it's an intensely flavoured, tightly structured wine that is going to reward patience in the cellar. One of the benchmark Rieslings in Tasmania, whenever Anna deems this high enough quality to be a stand alone release, enthusiasts should jump on it. This Riesling is a cut above.

Exotic and expansive Tasmanian Riesling with oodles of tropical fruit and bracing acidity.

Jeff Grosset's Rieslings are amongst the most sought after in Australia. The Polish Hill is superb with intense lingering citrus flavours lively natural acidity and a crisp dry finish. The remarkable think about Jeff's Rieslings are their phenomenal ability to age so very gracefully and will reward the very patient.