IN a bold move that will see them set up a new centre of operations, cellar door and winery in the Canberra wine region, Jason and Alecia Brown are extending their Hilltops and Tumbarumba wine empire to Murrumbateman.
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It comes with their purchase last month of the Kerralee vineyard on the Barton Highway, 29km from Canberra.
It's a Back to the Future twist for Moppity owners Jason and Alecia, because Jason was Canberra-born and raised and steeped in wine by his parents, who ran an ACT liquor store chain. He joined the family firm for a time and then went into commerce and accountancy in Canberra with the KPMG group. There he met Alecia, who shared his love of wine, and in 2004 joined a quest for a vineyard to buy.
Last week, Jason recalled that they tried vainly to find a Canberra vineyard before buying out of receivership the 69-hectare, 600m above sea level Moppity property, south-east of Young.
They got Hilltops' second-oldest vineyard planted in 1973, but it needed restoration - a task the Browns plunged into with "a lot of toil, sweat and tears - and a little blood". Their efforts have brought great success - most notably with its 2014 and 2016 Escalier reds winning the 2014 and 2016 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge against big company wines priced up to $300 a bottle.
In 2011, Jason and Alicia added the Tumbarumba Coppabella vineyard, at altitudes up to 650m, to their portfolio.
Planted in 1993 it was area's second-oldest vineyard and, under Southcorp's ownership, looked like having its vines ripped out.
With the purchase of Kerralee, the Browns will move house with their four sons to Murrumbateman, expanding the vineyard to 7.5 hectares and, with new plantings and grafting existing vines, achieving a varietal mix of their two best clones of shiraz as well as grenache, mourvedre, cinsault and riesling.
The Canberra wines will go under the Moppity brand and Murrumbateman will be the headquarters with a cellar door selling wines from the Canberra, Hilltops and Tumbarumba regions.
Moppity and Coppabella wines are now made under contact at the Pokolbin First Creek winery, but Jason says future plans are for a central, purpose-built, winery at Murrumbateman.
Jason says a Canberra winery will give greater control over winemaking and a reduction in grape transport impacts and a smaller environmental footprint.
And having a cellar door on the Barton Highway gave excellent access to the Canberra tourism market.
ESCALIER STEPS HIGH
THE 2016 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge winner, this Moppity 2015 Escalier Shiraz has 14% alcohol, inky purple hues and berry pastille and tobacco leaf scents. The front palate beguiles with intense plum flavour, the middle palate has mulberry, Maraschino cherry, licorice, dark chocolate and mocha oak and the finish savoury tannins.
PRICE: $130.
DRINK WITH: Steak Diane.
AGEING: 12 years.
RATING: 5.5 stars
MEDITERRANEAN MILIEU
THE Cato La Promessa 2017 Hilltops Nebbiolo is from a new Moppity range showcasing Mediterranean varieties. With 14% alcohol, it's ruby red and has bramble jelly scents. The front palate features spicy cherry flavour, the middle palate introduces cranberry, mint, cloves and vanillin oak. Berry fruit and peppery tannins show at the finish.
PRICE: $35.
DRINK WITH: lasagne.
AGEING: four years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
GRENACHE-SHIRAZ MIX
WITH today's other Hilltops-sourced reds, this zingy 14% alcohol Moppity Vineyards 2018 Hilltops Grenache-Shiraz is at moppity.com.au. It's bright crimson, bouquet garni-scented and shows juicy raspberry front-palate flavour. The middle palate has briar, spearmint, capers and savoury oak characters and the finish peppery tannins.
PRICE: $30.
DRINK WITH: chorizo sausages.
AGEING: five years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
