A Visit With Jane Ferrari From Yalumba

by Gary Faust

On April 1^st, 2015 we were visited by the Force of Nature that is Jane Ferrari of Yalumba Wines, Australia. Over the course of an hour, Jane regaled us with stories of her adventures, travels and personalities she has encountered in the wine business. It was surprising to learn that she has quite the knowledge of American history and loves the American people and our culture. She enjoys a visit to Graceland, drives Route 66, partakes in concerts and will take in a game at Yankee Stadium. In fact, for her holiday (vacation) this year, Jane will be visiting the South and enjoying the people, food and culture of Mississippi.

Jane began her career as a cellar rat at Yalumba doing any odd job that needed to be done. Over the years, her knowledge grew and she took on varied assignments with more responsibility. Eventually, she became head winemaker for Yalumba, which has a multitude of wines. Although she was an excellent winemaker, the owner of Yalumba, Robert Hill-Smith asked Jane to try a new assignment. He wanted her to represent Yalumba and be the international face of the company-a brand ambassador, if you will. Jane resisted, but finally agreed to try it for a year. Thirteen years later, Jane is very happy traveling the world, extolling the virtues of Yalumba wine and meeting people. It turns out her boss was right; Jane is a natural people person who gets along with anybody she meets.

Fortunately, Yalumba is an easy sell. They’ve been making wine for more than 165 years after being founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, a British migrant and brewer who brought his family to Australia in search of a better life. Smith purchased a 30-acre parcel of land and began planting vines. He named his patch Yalumba, which is Aboriginal for “all the land around.” Six generations later, Australia’s oldest winemaking family owned winery has achieved great success.

In the short time we had with her at the store, we learned that Jane is a human quote machine. She talked about the savvy consumers of today, referring to them as, “Bloody Google Machines using their 'scary apps'.” She meant that as praise, stating, “They are not dunderheads!”

It is obvious when people are passionate about what they do and Jane’s passion comes through loud and clear. We tasted through the wines with Jane, talking about each of them. Starting with the whites, we enjoyed the first vintage of their Eden Valley Roussanne. This is still a very small production wine, but with its beautiful aromatics and mouthfeel we will undoubtedly see more of it going forward. Yalumba 2012 Eden Valley Roussanne $17.98 [382417]

The Viognier is always one of our favorites and this was no exception. Floral notes and notions of Juicy Fruit leap from the glass. On the palate, the wine is clean, crisp and dry. Jane noted the Viognier goes exceptionally well with shrimp tacos, and pork belly with cilantro. Yalumba 2013 Eden Valley Viognier $15.98 [377296]

The hallmark of the red wines is their exceptionally silky texture. It is also noteworthy that they are very fresh and pure without the jamminess you find in some Australian wines. Jane is very excited about the 2012 vintage in Australia. Although the country is still dealing with drought issues, the growing season largely cooperated with the resulting wines showing excellent fruit and balance.

We tasted and discussed their version of the Rhone-styled GSM blend called “The Strapper.” A Strapper is an Aussie term for a stablehand or horse groomer and is a nod to the horses the family enjoys. In discussing the wine, Jane said the Grenache supplies raspberry fruit, the juicy Shiraz supplies the “Woooo Factor” while the Mataro (Mourvedre) provides the drying “oomph factor.” We couldn’t have said it any better- the Strapper melds together nicely in a well knit, nicely textured wine. Yalumba 2012 GSM Strapper $16.98 [377854].

She is also rightly proud of their “Signature” wine, which is only produced in very good years. In fact, Yalumba did not release the Signature in 2011. This is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz with the Cabernet showing the varietal hallmarks of cassis and blackberry, while the Shiraz “...comes rolling out like a velvety red carpet.” Yep, another Jane-ism. Note: We tasted the 2012 (not released yet) but still have some of the delicious 2010 in stock. Yalumba 2010 "The Signature" Shiraz $37.98 [381189] Wine Advocate 93+ Points.

We can’t wait for another visit from Jane, but in the meantime we’ll have pleasant thoughts of her whenever we enjoy a nice glass of wine from Yalumba.

 More Yalumba!

YALUMBA 2013 GRENACHE "BUSH VINE" $16.95 [378925]

ANTONIO GALLONI; VINOUS MEDIA 90 POINTS - "Brilliant ruby-red. Fresh strawberry and raspberry aromas show good energy and focus. Energetic red fruit flavors gain sweetness with air, picking up a suave floral quality. Lively, appealingly pinot-like grenache with very good finishing lift and smooth, harmonious tannins arriving late." Josh Reynolds

YALUMBA 2008 SHIRAZ OLD VINES "OCTAVIUS" $89.98 [378616]

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "Deep garnet with a hint of purple in the color, the 2008 Octavius Barossa Shiraz displays intense notes of creme de cassis, dried plums and kirsch with hints of meat, smoky bacon fat, soy, black olives, allspice and licorice. Full bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, the concentrated blackberry and savory flavors are nicely structured with a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and enlivening acidity. The finish is very long, layered and complex. Approachable now, it should drink well to 2021+."