Waupoos Estates Winery

Following a brief interlude wandering Picton's main street (called, I think, Main Street), we took off to the west end for Waupoos Estates.

This is a pretty, little building suffering under a heavy rain that set in as we arrived. We were greeted by a young fellow who set up our first glass while we gazed out the windows to the vineyard. I have to say, though, that this was the end of our idyllic visit. Almost immediately, Ed, the owner/curmudgeon, noticed that I was taking notes and decided he'd better involve himself. His grumpy demeanour only distracted from his product.

Despite this, we made it through a few vintages, and even found one or two we liked.

Waupoos Pinot Gris 2007
The overripe-melon, apple and mineral aromas held a lot of promise, but the mouthfeel was overwhelmed by the acidity and the medium sour finish.

Waupoos Seyval Blanc 2005
Hard to find any aromas at all in this, it had a green apple flavour.

Waupoos Unoaked Chardonnay 2006
Light pear and apple aromas; sour apple taste.

(Can you tell I was maybe a little distracted?)

Waupoos Geisenheim 2006
Finally, a County Geisenheim worth drinking. Clean melon, apple and mineral aromas, with a lot of sweet apple and melon flavours. The wine is quite dry, with just enough hint of citrus.

Waupoos Pearl Noir 2007
Actually a blend of Baco Noir and Gamay, it has heavy tobacco, chocolate and sweet red fruit aromas, with a secondary aroma of coffee. And the taste? Just like a chocolate-covered espresso bean. A good coffee-cherry finish. Very complex and interesting, this should mellow out in the bottle.

Waupoos Honeysuckle 2006
A blend of Chardonnay, Vidal and Seyval (the owner adamantly refused to tell me the per centages, in case I leaked them on the Internet or something), it has a light mineral and melon aroma and a taste of grapefruit and peach with a long tart finish. His secret is safe.

Waupoos Baco Noir 2007
A simpler version of the Pearl Noir, this still has the dark coffee and leather aromas, along with some dark red cherries. It tastes lightly of chocolate and coffee, without the boldness of the Pearl Noir.

Waupoos Winter White 2006
100% Vidal, harvested after the berries have frozen, Waupoos is unable to call this an Icewine because it was picked before they achieved their appellation status. Still, that's what it is. With a nice honey, floral and apple aroma set, it has a surprising if slight tart mouthfeel and lots of honeyed apple flavour. A very nice take on a not-to-be-called Icewine.