WOW: Wine of the Week
I am harvesting the value-for-money end of offerings as we commence the season to be jolly, a time of year that can be delightful on the palate, a strain on the waistline and notorious on the wallet or purse.
Cimicky
The Cimicky story begins with the planting of vines in 1842 in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. Planted by Lutheran immigrants fleeing persecution in their own country, these settlers built a strong community in the bushland north of Adelaide. These pioneers laid the foundations for what is today one of the world’s most famous wine regions.
After passing through the hands of two families, the property was then purchased by Karl Cimicky in 1970, who began to produce his own wines using fruit from the vineyard. Czech-born Karl was a bit of an eccentric, he named the property Karlsburg and built a winery modelled on a medieval-style castle.
Karl’s talented son Charles took over winemaking duties in 1980, and—as well as promptly changing the name to Cimicky—produced many award-winning and internationally renowned wines. In 1995, Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, chose Cimicky Wines to be served at the royal banquet at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Allies’ victory in World War II. This event had the largest number of guests since the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
In 2018, the Cimicky Winery was sold to an investment group that injected significant funding into improvements in the vineyard and winery. The wines are made by Sam Kurtz who also joined Cimicky in 2018 as Chief Winemaker and Winery General Manager; born and raised in the Barossa Valley, he is the sixth generation of his family to work in the region. Previous to joining Cimicky, Sam worked for Pernod Ricard Winemakers for twenty-three vintages in roles such as Winemaker in charge for Group Red and Fortified wines.
Sam is a highly experienced winemaker, and under his leadership, he has steered Cimicky to the ranks of one of the very best wineries in Australia – A Five Star Winery in James Halliday Wine Companion Australia 2021. The Cimicky winemaking team also won two “Best of the Best” – Exceptional Awards – also from world wine master James Halliday AM.
Most recently, Cimicky has embarked on another new chapter with the appointment of Master of Wine Nigel Sneyd MW to oversee operations. Nigel brings a wealth of experience to the company including collaborations with E&J Gallo and Accolade Wines and time serving on the Board of the Australian Wine Research Institute.
Cimicky Eight of Diamonds Shiraz 2018
This is an entry-level range of wines from the much-awarded Cimicky Winery, and it is a wine that has instant appeal with its unabashed rich, ripe, lush red fruit and generous Barossa charm and character. Easy drinking here the wine glides onto the palate like a creamy yoghurt of forest berries, aromas are of violets, plums, boysenberry, and raspberry with a touch of gingerbread spices. The wine is full-bodied with some complexity to accompany the lush fruit, there are notes of licorice, clove, dried herb, and black olive. Tannins are exceptionally fine, the finish lingering and attractive. Here is a wine that is eminently drinkable and wonderfully affordable. Let the uncles and aunties go crazy for it on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, and you won’t be crying to your bank manager when it’s time to clean up the mess.
Pick up a case or three at your local S Liquor store in Phnom Penh or contact them for delivery.
Darren Gall
