The Aussie Chardonnay That Beat The World

Paris, France, 2021.

3,000 wines from 33 countries have been submitted to the famous Vinalies Internationales Wine Show, an event steeped in history and renowned for its strict rules and judging panel of 130 experts spanning 40 nationalities.

All wines are tasted blind, meaning there can not be any prejudice towards labels, brands or even country of origin.

4 days of tasting, judging and reviewing wine.

1 winner.

A humble Australian Chardonnay that beat the world.

2020 Langmeil ‘Spring Fever’ Chardonnay

Australian Chardonnays aren’t supposed to win in French Wine Shows, but this Barossa Chardonnay beat all comers to win the trophy for the “Best White Wine of the Show”, and then it doubled up and also took out the Trophy for “Best Wine of the Show” as well!

JUDGES COMMENTS

“The eye immediately catches on the pale gold color with gray-green reflections of this bottle. The very open nose is a festival of nuances. We don’t have to choose between pineapple, pear, brioche and honeysuckle: they are all there, very present in an expressive freshness. The mouth is a discovery, where the key words are delicacy and balance. This balance is a great art between the fruit, the freshness and the structure of a perfectly balanced and well-balanced oak. Citrus zest notes bring a delicate bitter taste. The whole is very elegant and deserves the crush of the jury.”

This is an accolade that legends are born from. That movies are made about.

Langmeil is a family owned and operated winery. Owned by the Lindner family, whose own mark on the Barossa spans six-generations of farming, food, community and wine.
Langmeil is renowned for its preservation of old vines and making distinguished wines from these cherished sites. They also lay claim to the world’s oldest surviving shiraz vineyard believed planted in 1843.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we gathered our own tasting panel together to have a look at what all the fuss was about. We sat, we drank, we understood.

MAT’S TASTING PANEL COMMENTS

Good concentration of fruit up front, luscious nectarines and white peaches with a hint of fresh citrus. Beautiful minerality and juicy lime keep the mid palate tightly in check, not letting those rounded stone fruit characteristics get out of hand. Well balanced clean and dry acidity on the finish give this wine an elegant, enduring length. A classy little wine, very versatile and easy to pair with foods – fresh seafood dishes, a classic Sunday roast chicken or for the win! – pork and ginger Xiao Long Bao.

This is an accolade that legends are born from. That movies are made about.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we gathered our own tasting panel together to have a look at what all the fuss was about. We sat, we drank, we understood.

Just as much fun to make as they are to eat!

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Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao, or Soup Dumplings as they’re sometime known, are pork dumplings with a ginger broth inside the wrapper. Below is our very own beginners recipe, super simple, easy and fun enough that the kids can get involved and have some fun making them too! Of course, we do highly recommend having a glass of Chardonnay while cooking!

Broth (cheats version)

Make your own broth, your way! We throw some grated ginger, roughly chopped shallots, peppercorns and a little salt into home made stock and simmer away for 10 or 15 minutes.
Add in some gelatine (follow manufactures instructions) and let the broth set overnight in to a firm jelly.
Slice the jelly in to small cubes when set. This becomes your broth inside your dumplings!

*This process is traditionally done using the natural gelatine from pork or chicken fat and bones. If you would like to try this way there are many recipe’s online. One we recommend is https://omnivorescookbook.com/soup-dumplings/

Filling

Combine pork mince with whatever amount of the following you like, according to taste!
Grated ginger
Finely diced onion
Pepper
Shallot
Add in a little Soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine (or dry sherry) for flavour and to keep the mince moist.

Method

Store bought Won-Ton wrappers do the job just fine for this, however if again you want to go more traditional and make your own thinner wrapper jump back online for help.
Make a ball out of filling mixture. Don’t make it too big, remember you have to wrap it up!
Place the filling and a small cube of jelly in the wrapper and seal it up.
8 to 10 minutes in the steamer over a medium to high heat and your done!