If you think you know Australian wine, think again! There’s a winery in the little-known region of New England in northern NSW that
is making wines that will blow your mind with their originality and quality. It’s Topper’s Mountain and it has been shortlisted for the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion Dark Horse Winery Award which honours the best hidden gems in the country.
Topper’s Mountain is not your typical winery. It’s located on a high-altitude site that has the uncommon combination of a cool climate and deep, red volcanic soils which means it can grow grapes and
2021 Manseng
produce wine styles that most other regions can’t. The vineyard was planted over 20 years ago by Mark Kirkby who is a bit of a mad scientist when it comes to grape varieties. He experimented with more than 20 different types of grapes initially, most of which you’ve probably never heard of like Gewürztraminer, Nebbiolo, Gros Manseng, Verdejo, Gruner Veltliner, Tempranillo, Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacionale and Tannat. They also make a few wines from more familiar grapes like Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc but these with a twist.
Maximum attention and minimal intervention is the philosophy in the vineyard & winery. In the vineyard, Mark doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides, nor synthetic fertilisers while the Hill of Dreams block is farmed organically.
In the winery, Jan Taborsky is also a bit of a rebellious non-conformist. He doesn’t follow the main-stream rules or the trends, rather he follows his instincts & passions while drawing on some Old World technique and ideas.
Jan uses natural methods and minimal intervention to make wines that reflect the true character (terroir) of the vineyard and the idiosyncrasies of each variety in each vintage. He uses techniques like wild yeast fermentation, whole bunch pressing, extended skin contact, lees stirring, no fining or filtration and maturation in old oak barrels.
This eccentric but successful approach is why Topper’s Mountain is a shortlisted Dark Horse for the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion Award. It is a winery that has proven itself to be one of the most exciting and original in Australia, with a track record of excellence and innovation.
Go on – I dare you! Have a look at some of their innovative wines made from their unusual varieties at the Topper’s Mountain website.
