This June long weekend Brown Brothers invites you to join them for a Feast Fit for a
King to celebrate our new vineyards in Tasmania. With King Neptune in mind, you
can indulge in a five-course degustation of Tasmanian seafood, matched to our
stunning new wines. The feast will take place on Saturday 8th June and Sunday 9th June.

Our Head Chef, Douglas Elder, and his talented team will take you on a seafood
journey, with our impeccably matched cool-climate wines.

Enjoy wines from our Kayena and The Hazards vineyards, including Devil’s Corner
Pinot Noir, Brown Brothers Tasmanian Sauvignon Blanc and Tamar Ridge Botrytis
Riesling.

If you’re not able to spend a full afternoon at the winery, then enjoy the open fire and
music in Cellar Door along with a taste from our range of wines including Prosecco,
Pinot Grigio and Vermentino. Enjoy a tasting plate of regional produce including
salami, marinated olives and cheese served with crusty ciabatta bread.

The Feast is a part of the Weekend Fit for a King, the annual wine and food
celebration with winemaking families of the King Valley.

Brown Brothers Cellar Door is open for tastings from 9am. Bookings are essential for
the feast. Call 03 5720 5500.
As an exclusive offer to Brown Brothers Epicurean members, you can stay two nights
at boutique hotel Lindenwarrah in Milawa with breakfast and a complimentary bottle
of Prosecco in your room, plus our Feast Fit for a King lunch for just $778*.

*Packages are limited, call 1800 248 to book now. Epicureans only, minimum of a
two-night stay with two people. Includes five-course degustation lunch and matched
wines at Brown Brothers.

Guest enjoying last year’s Roman-themed Feast Fit For A King

By Emma Porter, Epicurean Club Manager

At Brown Brothers we have long been advocates of enjoying a spot of chocolate and wine and since discovering Sisko Chocolates our boundaries have seen no end!

Sisko’s Chocolatier Christina Tantsis founded Sisko Chocolates in late 2007. Specialising in creating custom-designed sculptures, centrepieces and flavours by combining both the artistic and culinary worlds, Sisko chocolates are a perfect partner for Brown Brothers’ wines. With over 60 wines now available across our range, we are trying to see if there might be the perfect chocolate match for each one!

Back in September 2012 we took 60 lucky adventurers on a wine and chocolate ride, matching Sparkling Shiraz with Manjari Madagascar and Rojo 75% chocolate from Spain with our Cienna Rosso, to name a few. The response from everyone was so great we created a more intimate Master Class to let Andrew Harris, Brown Brothers Wine Ambassador, and Christina, our chocolatier, take the journey a little further.

Brown Brothers Wine Ambassador Andrew Harris.

And wow what a journey it was! On a perfect warm autumnal evening at the Readings Bookstore in Hawthorn we all took a seat and floated off to choccie heaven!

Perfect Partners No. 1:  Lemon Poppy Seed White Chocolate with 2012 Brown Brothers Cellar Door Release Half Dry Riesling

The citrus notes in the Half Dry Riesling brought out the lemon flavours of the chocolate while the poppy seeds gave a gentle texture that perfectly balanced the slight sweetness of the riesling. Christina took us through the rules for real white chocolate – as long as it contains cocoa fats it can be called white chocolate and it is delicious, unlike the supermarket white ‘chocolate’ confectionery which contains vegetable fats. So now we know!

Exclusive Team No.2: Tarrango Truffles with 2012 Brown Brothers Tarrango

Anything with truffle in the name is a winner in my book but when you take the much loved Brown Brothers Tarrango with aromas of red berries, cherries and a hint of spice, and put it into a rich truffle, you have a marriage made in Heaven! The chocolate really brought out the cherry across the truffle and the wine. For those of you still to try our Tarrango, it is the wine that turns all the rules of red on their head! A lighter style, chillable red, this unique Australian grape variety was bred by the CSIRO in 1965 by crossing Touriga – a Portuguese variety with the versatile white sultana. A great introduction to red wines for those with a fruitier palate, the racy acidity is perfect for spicy Indian food and the bitterness from the dark chocolate dusting around the outside of our truffle!

Half Way Point Partners: Cuba 70% with 2008 Brown Brothers Patricia Cabernet

Our flagship wine and a 70% chocolate – this is the big one! The tobacco and dried herb, smoky flavours of the chocolate are perfectly balanced by the generous fruit intensity of the Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine displays a deep crimson colour and complex aromas of dark berries and currants, while the French oak influence offers a gentle ‘cedar lift’. The palate is rich and concentrated with sweet fruit and hints of nutmeg. The tannins of both the wine and the chocolate combine well for smooth, dry finish. This was the sort of combo that made you want to take the bottle and a box of the chocolates and go and sit in a big comfy armchair next to the fire and just be for a little while!

But there’s more!

Light & Fruity No.4: Madagascar 50% with 2012 Brown Brothers Dolcetto and Syrah

A cocoa pod with cocoa beans.

The Madagascar milky, fresh berry flavours complement the fruit of the Dolcetto and Syrah.  Dolcetto is an Italian grape variety that is little known or planted in Australia. The variety hails from the mountainous Piedmont region of north-west Italy. Translated literally, “Dolcetto” means “little sweet one”, although the Italians generally make dry red wines from the variety. Dolcetto and Syrah is a fantastic light red wine that is served slightly chilled and is a good match with a wide range of foods, from spicy Asian to desserts. The honey sweetness of this chocolate balanced by the light tannins and slight frizzante of the wine make this one a perfect pleasure to enjoy.

Finale No. 5:  Caramelia with 2008 Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling

Saving the best for last – bit of a cliché but in this case it was absolutely the truth! Amazingly intense caramel flavours of this chocolate require a wine of intense flavour and palate weight. The much awarded 2008 Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling is the perfect match with honey and citrus flavours and a rich mouth feel. The caramelia chocolate is naturally flavoured with the most luscious caramel tones, the chocolate nibs hold the buttery, sweet flavours and once transformed into creamy, smooth chocolate they are the absolute perfect partner for our Patricia Noble Riesling. This is one I fully recommend you do try at home!

A wonderful way to spend an hour and with the company of our experts I think we all learned something new about chocolate, wine and maybe even a new joke or two!!

You can visit Sisko Chocolates at their Melbourne store at 330 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn or call on (03) 9818 5772.

Working hard: the Wine and Chocolate Master Class.

By Andrew Harris, Brown Brothers Wine Ambassador

Experimentation has been the backbone of the Brown Brothers philosophy since day one and our small-scale Kindergarten winery allows us to try out a range of different varietals and offer Cellar Door visitors something really special.

In 1989, the year Brown Brothers celebrated its centenary of winemaking, John Graham Brown realised a dream with the opening of the Kindergarten winery. Some might call it a research and development winemaking facility, but I prefer to think of it as a winemaker’s playground. It’s a place where we can trial, blend and develop new wine varietals to bring to our consumers.

This is where the magic starts as we never quite know what we will come up with!
We have produced some wines that are immediately successful at cellar door – new varietals such as Montepulciano, Durif and Vermentino.

The 2012 Cellar Door Release Montepulciano is the third release of this wine for Brown Brothers and has been an opportunity for our winemakers to see what they could craft from this Italian varietal grown in our Heathcote vineyard in Central Victoria.

Montepulciano is a vigorous variety that is planted throughout much of central and southern Italy. It is thought to have originated in Tuscany and is a permitted variety in 20 of the 95 provinces of Italy. It is most famous in the mountainous region of Abruzzo where Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane is the only DOCG wine from this variety.

It is permitted in DOC wines in varying percentages of Umbria, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo and Tuscany.

Confusingly Montepulciano is also a town in central Tuscany. The esteemed wines of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are often confused with the variety although these wines are made using predominantly Sangiovese. While the town is thought to have some ties to the naming of the variety, extensive searching has not uncovered the variety in the area.

Montepulciano is a late-ripening variety that has a tendency to over crop. In DOC Abruzzo it is regulated to 14t/ha as a maximum yield. The grapes can be quite large giving a low skin to juice ratio. However, the heavily pigmented skins are quick to release their colour to the wine.

Abruzzo is the most mountainous of the southern wine regions and the Montepulciano is grown throughout. In the south the land becomes flat as it reaches towards the Adriatic Sea. This warm fertile area is the workhorse for DOC Montepulciano producing around two-thirds of the vintage. In the higher altitudes of northern Abruzzo the soils are less fertile and the sun-drenched cooler micro-climates produce deeper, darker and more concentrated wines.

Montepulciano is rarely found in the north of Italy due to its late ripening and in cooler climates it will produce green flavours.

DOC Montepulciano must be at least 85% Montepulciano and the balance can only be Sangiovese. DOCG must be at least 90% Montepulciano.

The wines must be at least 5 months old before release. This sounds strange to us in Australia because most red wines would spend at least 12 months in oak prior to release. In Italy wine is often sold very young. Wines labelled ‘Vecchio’ (old) must have at least two years in oak prior to release. The wines must reach a minimum alcohol level of 12%.

The heavily pigmented grape is quick to release it’s colour to the wine so rosé can be produced with only 24hr skin contact. The red wines are fairly traditional in their winemaking. Fermentation and maturation is usually carried out in large oak. The price of these wines is traditionally very low and hence new oak is for most producers uneconomical.

The fruit for our 2012 Montepulciano was harvested in early April at a baumé level of 13.0. To retain the fresh aromatics of the Montepulciano the wine was fermented and stored in stainless steel tanks and was bottled with an alcohol of 14.5%. This has resulted in a wine that is a bright purple hue with aromas of mixed red and black berries and integrated fruit and spicy notes. These characters follow through to the palate which is savoury and very fine in tannins.

You can sample this wine at our Milawa Cellar Door or enjoy a glass with an entrée of red-wine marinated venison, chestnut puree, pumpkin and cocoa brioche crumb at Patricia’s Table in the Epicurean Centre.

By Caroline Brown, PR Manager, Brown Brothers

I’m now sitting, well kind of slumped, on a chair in Milawa, after just devouring half of the new menu at Patricia’s Table at the Epicurean Centre. Tough job.

As always, I was absolutely blown away by Head Chef Doug Elder’s new Autumn menu but I must warn you all that if you’re planning on a visit to Milawa any time soon, bring clothes that stretch with you. Wear your comfy jeans. I just ate the venison, the salmon, the lamb and the gnocchi and I am already trying to work out how I can get myself back in to try the rest of the menu.

Congratulations to Head Chef Doug and the team, there’s a reason why everyone is raving about lunch at the Epicurean Centre.

Confit salmon, eggplant and freekeh salad, wasabi, daikon and snow peas was matched with the 2012 Chenin Blanc.

The 2012 Pinot Grigio was perfect with poached chicken, rabbit and goats cheese brik, cauliflower and pickled beetroot.

Buttermilk ricotta gnocchi, oyster mushrooms, hazelnut brown butter and garlic cream were matched to the 2011 Limited Release Banksdale Chardonnay.

Chicken and prune ballontine, toasted farro and chestnut risotto, heirloom carrots was matched with the 2010 Tempranillo.

Caroline Brown

Brown Brothers is pleased to announce that a fourth-generation family member, Caroline Brown has joined the business in the role of Public Relations Manager.

Caroline is following in the footsteps of her elder sister Katherine, who has held the Public Relations Manager role for nearly 3 years, and will now be moving into the position of Brand Manager, with a focus of the fruity wine range including top seller Brown Brothers Moscato. Her cousins, Eliza and John are both Brown Brothers board members.

Having family members involved is imperative to Brown Brothers ongoing success. Executive Director and Caroline’s father, Ross Brown, said “We’re a family business and it’s just so important to have the passion and enthusiasm of the next generation. It creates a sense of new energy and determination.”

Caroline has a degree in Communications (Business) from Bond University and an advertising background having worked with brands such as Nintendo, Latina Fresh, 7-Eleven and ANZ. She began her career in account management with Leo Burnett in Melbourne and has also worked at Whybin TBWA. More recently, she swapped city life for country, donned the work boots and joined the Brown Brothers 2013 Vintage crew, working in the experimental winery, The Kindergarten, on the family’s Milawa property.

It’s not a simple right of passage for the next generation of Browns to be employed
within the business. There are rules and guidelines in place that state family members
must be employed outside of the business for at least four years, and have relevant work
experience.

Brown Brothers is one of the 12 families involved in Australia’s First Families of Wine
(AFFW), a group of family owned wine businesses who work collectively to promote
wine made from the family heart and soul. Brown Brothers will celebrate 125 years of
winemaking next year.

I apologise for my long pause between posts, I’ve had a serious case of writer’s block. Well, it’s been over a month and I’ve had an incredible vintage adventure, and very proud to be part of the very successful 2013 harvest, but I’m also a tad upset. It’s going too quickly because the weather has been too ideal, so it’s been a hard yet super fast vintage. There’s possibly only a week or 2 left.

Potential Patricia wine

My sister, Katherine, giving me a hand with pumping over in the Kindergarten winery

I’ve had a few close calls in the winery.

Another close call – red wine always looks a lot worse! That’s a tiny overflow!

Brown Brothers and Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine invite you to an evening celebrating 10 years of Patricia wines.

Enjoy a five-course dinner matched to the latest Patrica wines as well as some that have been cellared by the Brown Family. These will be benchmarked against fine wines from Australia and abroad. The dinners in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide will be hosted by wine writer Peter Bourne and members of the Brown family.

Bookings are essential: Details below:

MELBOURNE
Wednesday 29 May
Circa The Prince
2 Acland St, St Kilda
Cost: $130
Bookings:  (03)9536 1122 or email

PERTH
Wednesday 5 June
The Trustee
133 St Georges Tce, Perth
Cost: $130
Bookings:  (08) 6323 3000 or email

ADELAIDE
Wednesday 12 June
Celsius
95 Gouger St, Adelaide
Cost: $120
Bookings:  (08) 82316023 or email

SYDNEY
Wednesday 19 June
The Bridge Room
44 Bridge St, Sydney
Cost: $130
Bookings:  (02) 9247 7000 or email

BRISBANE
Wednesday 26 June
Esquire
145 Eagle St, Brisbane
Cost: $140
Bookings: (07) 3220 2123 or email

Brown Brothers and Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine invite you to an evening celebrating 10 years of Patricia wines.

Enjoy a five-course dinner matched to the latest Patrica wines as well as some that have been cellared by the Brown Family. These will be benchmarked against fine wines from Australia and abroad. The dinners in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide will be hosted by wine writer Peter Bourne and members of the Brown family.

Bookings are essential: Details below:

MELBOURNE
Wednesday 29 May
Circa The Prince
2 Acland St, St Kilda
Cost: $130
Bookings:  (03)9536 1122 or email

PERTH
Wednesday 5 June
The Trustee
133 St Georges Tce, Perth
Cost: $130
Bookings:  (08) 6323 3000 or email

ADELAIDE
Wednesday 12 June
Celsius
95 Gouger St, Adelaide
Cost: $120
Bookings:  (08) 82316023 or email

SYDNEY
Wednesday 19 June
The Bridge Room
44 Bridge St, Sydney
Cost: $130
Bookings:  (02) 9247 7000 or email

BRISBANE
Wednesday 26 June
Esquire
145 Eagle St, Brisbane
Cost: $140
Bookings: (07) 3220 2123 or email

Katherine Brown: About a year ago I took a group of people to our family cellar and to my delight they were amazed by this cobwebbed hole in the ground. With this in mind I set to the task of give the cellar some love, a coat of paint and some new fixtures to make it a place that we now feel proud to host VIP wine tastings and share our family stories with our guests.

My uncle John has many stories about past 50 years of the family business and his recall of the building of the family cellar shows the passion our family has for our business. You can view the video of the opening and read his story below:

But to properly age bottled wine an even storage temperature is paramount and an underground cellar was the traditional place to do this. So, in 1964 I put the bull dozer to work to create a pit while my father negotiated the purchase of a truck load of bridge timbers from the old Tarrawingee bridge that was being replaced with concrete at the time.

The timbers were used as shoring for the excavation and to make a solid frame on which to support the roof. The roof itself was constructed from used railway sleepers and the soil from the excavation was pushed over them to give a good protection from the summer heat.

Bottle bins were built inside for storing unlabelled bottles lying on their side to keep the corks moist. They were stacked layer on layer right up to the roof.

In 1974, following a very wet season, the ground water table rose into the cellar submerging the lower layers of bottles. A canoe proved useful to retrieve bottles for labelling and sale!

A catastrophic spring frost on 27^th November was the trigger for the construction of the upper level underground cellar.

The frost ruined the grape crop for the 1968 vintage and left our loyal and very skilled vineyard staff without work. We were most anxious to find a way to keep them employed and retain their services for future years. Several of them were young married men working two jobs so that they could build their own homes.

It was at a time when the old cellar was fully stocked with aging bottled reds and more space was required. The vision was for a new underground cellar with a bottling hall above and the old orchard site was to be the location.

While my father negotiated with the bank (the crop loss was to be a huge financial hit) I began drawing plans on some old school graph paper. Assuming the development would proceed several truck loads of sand were purchased and the vineyard staff set to work making concrete blocks with a domestic style concrete mixer and a manual block making machine.

On presenting my draft plan to the Oxley Shire engineer for advice about the steps to gain approval he commented “It already looks OK. Give me 10 quid and I’ll sign it.” How building approval regulations have changed?

Delighted, I returned home, reported the success at Patricia’s morning tea next day, mounted the bull dozer, and began the excavation.

Boxing to form the walls was made from hardwood frames faced with flat galvanised iron sheet. River gravel was used to make the concrete and it was mixed by the vineyard staff in two domestic concrete mixers which were converted from hand to petrol driven for the job.

The concrete blocks were used to build the internal wine bin walls – my first and last brick laying experience! Fingers worn almost to the bone!

 The cellar roof was cast on the forms which had been used for the walls. Stringy Bark poles, which had been cut from the Everton property, were used as props.

The roof trusses for the bottling hall were made in our own welding shop and the supporting columns were recycled railway telegraph poles from somewhere near Urana in NSW.

 At last, we had our first dedicated bottling hall with a lowerator/elevator to transport the banana cases of bottles to and from the cellar below. The bottles were cellared on their side, layer upon layer until the entire bin space was taken up.

A time capsule was laid during the opening ceremony which was attended by many wine lovers and industry personnel.

The building survived, unscathed, through the tornado in 1977 that wrought destruction on most buildings in the vicinity, including the local church. Apparently not an act of God!

The Shire Engineer’s judgement was good!

With more than 50 years of service between them, we talk to two of Brown Brothers’ most cherished employees – Cobi Howden, Customer Services Experience Officer, and Cellar Door’s Ernie Menichelli.

When did you start at Brown Brothers?
Cobi: I began my journey with Brown Brothers at the tender age of 19. To tell you the truth, it was the only place in town to get a job. I arrived here, newly married from Melbourne, applied for a receptionist position and landed a job! I have come and gone from the company three times over 34 years (due to other adventures) but happily, they keep taking me back! This last stint has lasted 20 years and I love it all – the family, the wines, my treasured workmates and, of course, our customers. What’s not to like? You will have all seen the beautiful gardens, our Cellar Door and Epicurean Centre, and experienced the friendly faces.
Ernie: I started out in November 1988, which for me was an eventful year. My wife Karen and I left Melbourne and welcomed the arrival of our first child, Tara. After completing a 10-week viticulture course, my lecturer mentioned a spray operator job at the Brown Brothers Whitlands vineyard. I applied and to my great surprise, I got the job!

What changes have you witnessed over the years?
Cobi: How long do we have? Well Ross Brown still has a mustache, so that hasn’t changed! I was Ross’ secretary in the late 1970s, when he wore crotched vests and I had big hair.
Seriously though, one of the biggest changes was the advent of the Kindergarten, which allowed us to experiment with new varieties. It sets us apart and means nothing is left to chance. One thing that hasn’t changed is the team’s passion for good wine – that never leaves this place.
I like talking about the wines and the many layers of care and interest that go into its making. I have great confidence in all of these talented people who have nurtured this wine, from all facets of its existence.
Ernie: Brown Brothers is a lot bigger these days, but somehow it still maintains the ideals of a small family-owned company. The fact that I still work with so many people who have worked here for 15 years or more helps to sustain this feeling.

What has been your proudest or most memorable moment?
Cobi: Winning last year’s best-dressed competition at our annual conference (my teammates and I dressed up as characters from the TV sitcom Kath & Kim) was a high point, but really, my proudest moment was when Mrs Brown came for a girls’ dinner at my house. She was to me, as my mother would say, a ‘Great Lady’. I was so proud to have her at my home. I loved her.
Every day I feel proud to be part of Brown Brothers wines. Phil, Sam and Langy, our gardeners, are some of our best ambassadors. When you come here you get infected – we all share immense pride in what we do. Of course it’s about the wine, but it is also about people – our customers and our staff.
Ernie: I was quite fortunate to have known John Charles and Patricia Brown – both legends of the wine industry. When I started working at Cellar Door, he was often around and he loved a chat. I got my love of shiraz, mondeuse and cabernet (or SMC) from him. He was oblivious of his high standing in the industry and was always down to earth. Patricia was a wonderful lady and justifiably has our benchmark wines named after her.

What was your wine background before starting at Brown Brothers?
Cobi: No wine background at all. I didn’t even drink at 19!
Ernie: No formal wine background to speak of. I guess my Italian upbringing meant there was always wine with dinner, so I learnt from a young age the allure of the humble grape. My dad made his own wine and he was quite proud of it, even though it was often awful!

How would you describe your job and what do you enjoy about it the most?
Cobi: I talk and I listen to our customers. I love it! Ok, so sometimes deliveries go wrong and things aren’t perfect, but we work it out.
Ernie: My job is simple, I meet, great and entertain people at Cellar Door (and taste the odd wine or two). I also like catching up with people on return visits, they often say things like: “Remember me? You served me 20 years ago.” It also helps that I work with some amazing people.

What are you drinking at the moment?
Cobi: Right at this very moment I am sipping a Pirie Sparkling 2006, just one of the perks of the job. Lucky me.
Ernie: Now that summer is becoming a distant memory, I’m looking forward to enjoying a few of our more generously flavoured wines, some of which are only available at Cellar Door. Sparkling shiraz comes immediately to mind. Spicy, rich and alluring, our current Heathcote Sparkling Shiraz is a cracker! And of course my favourite, the iconic Brown Brothers Shiraz, Mondeuse and Cabernet, John Charles Brown’s lasting legacy. Big, bold and brimming with flavour, I always have a few bottles to hand for when my Karen prepares her signature winter dish of lamb shanks with roasted vegetables, yum!