Milawa Brown Brothers wine
Claudine Earley
THE AUSSIES have infiltrated our wine market, and I’m not complaining. The instantly recognisable sepia-toned label of Victoria’s Brown Bros can be found on supermarket shelves and in wine shops all around NZ.
Brown Bros have been making wine for 125 years. It all started in 1885, when 18-year-old John Francis Brown talked his father into planting 10 acres of Riesling, Muscat and Shiraz grapes on the family property in Milawa, North East Victoria.
It was a bold move since John Francis had no experience whatsoever in winemaking. But there was no stopping this ambitious lad. Five years later he took up the government offered subsidy of £2/acre to plant approved grapevines, the theory being that there was an unlimited future in exporting wine.
By the end of 1896, he bought out his father’s share of the partnership and called the vineyard Brown Brothers in the hope that his brothers Austin, George and Charles would join him. They never did. It was not until the current generation that the brothers banded together.
Instead, John Francis had to deal with the triple bogey of the 1890-1891 bank crash and the greatest depression Victoria has ever known, a wine glut brought on by the £2 subsidy, and the threat of the wine pest Phylloxera. Rather than give up, however, he soldiered on, buying up equipment as other wine producers folded.
Phylloxera didn’t hit Milawa until 1916, and was a blessing in disguise. For it resulted in his developing a relationship with Francois de Castella, the State Government Viticulturist. Not only did he give John Francis advice that saved his business, but he also inspired in him a love of varietal wines.
You would be hard-pressed to find a winery that produces a more diverse and interesting range of wines. We tasted a selection of these, from both the Brown Bros label, and the special label named after their mother, Patricia, for wine of a particularly fine vintage.
Patricia Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Brut 2005 ($40) pipped top Kiwi bubbles at the post to win the Tri Nations’ Trophy last month. Heritage apple aromas mingle with almonds and yeasty bread to remind you of Nana’s garden, while in the mouth she’s a fairground of caramel, toffee and burnt-sugar sweetness, rich and creamy with a smooth texture. Very Bollingeresque.
Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($55) is a special occasion red. The nose is complex minty eucalypt, with berry and earthy tea tones. We tasted mostly berries with a touch of liquorice root, and were impressed again with the texture, this time of crushed velvet.
Late harvested Orange Muscat and Flora ($16 375ml) is a wine very upfront about its nose. Aromas of muscatels, citrus and manuka herby wood weave in and out. Most would have this with dessert (I’m thinking pav), but sweet wines like this also balance salty appetisers, especially blue cheese.
Wine of the week: Cienna ($12 on special at Woollies) gave me a fright. When I unscrewed the lid it went sfffpop. I should have expected a bit of excitement since the instructions were to serve chilled. A red wine, chilled? And why not, if it works as well as this. It’s an alcoholic (but only 6.5 percent) boiled cherry lolly of a wine, slightly effervescent, designed for sipping in the afternoon sun.
Brown Bros have been making wine for 125 years. It all started in 1885, when 18-year-old John Francis Brown talked his father into planting 10 acres of Riesling, Muscat and Shiraz grapes on the family property in Milawa, North East Victoria.
It was a bold move since John Francis had no experience whatsoever in winemaking. But there was no stopping this ambitious lad. Five years later he took up the government offered subsidy of £2/acre to plant approved grapevines, the theory being that there was an unlimited future in exporting wine.
By the end of 1896, he bought out his father’s share of the partnership and called the vineyard Brown Brothers in the hope that his brothers Austin, George and Charles would join him. They never did. It was not until the current generation that the brothers banded together.
Instead, John Francis had to deal with the triple bogey of the 1890-1891 bank crash and the greatest depression Victoria has ever known, a wine glut brought on by the £2 subsidy, and the threat of the wine pest Phylloxera. Rather than give up, however, he soldiered on, buying up equipment as other wine producers folded.
Phylloxera didn’t hit Milawa until 1916, and was a blessing in disguise. For it resulted in his developing a relationship with Francois de Castella, the State Government Viticulturist. Not only did he give John Francis advice that saved his business, but he also inspired in him a love of varietal wines.
You would be hard-pressed to find a winery that produces a more diverse and interesting range of wines. We tasted a selection of these, from both the Brown Bros label, and the special label named after their mother, Patricia, for wine of a particularly fine vintage.
Patricia Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Brut 2005 ($40) pipped top Kiwi bubbles at the post to win the Tri Nations’ Trophy last month. Heritage apple aromas mingle with almonds and yeasty bread to remind you of Nana’s garden, while in the mouth she’s a fairground of caramel, toffee and burnt-sugar sweetness, rich and creamy with a smooth texture. Very Bollingeresque.
Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($55) is a special occasion red. The nose is complex minty eucalypt, with berry and earthy tea tones. We tasted mostly berries with a touch of liquorice root, and were impressed again with the texture, this time of crushed velvet.
Late harvested Orange Muscat and Flora ($16 375ml) is a wine very upfront about its nose. Aromas of muscatels, citrus and manuka herby wood weave in and out. Most would have this with dessert (I’m thinking pav), but sweet wines like this also balance salty appetisers, especially blue cheese.
Wine of the week: Cienna ($12 on special at Woollies) gave me a fright. When I unscrewed the lid it went sfffpop. I should have expected a bit of excitement since the instructions were to serve chilled. A red wine, chilled? And why not, if it works as well as this. It’s an alcoholic (but only 6.5 percent) boiled cherry lolly of a wine, slightly effervescent, designed for sipping in the afternoon sun.
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