According to Master of Wine, Peter Scudamore Smith, “the 2002, 2003 and 2004 vintages of Robert Channon Verdelho [are] probably the greatest lineage of this varietal in the world”.
There are only a few bottles left of these old vintages of Verdelho and Robert Channon Wines are putting on a tasting going back from the current vintage to their first vintage in 2001.
“I have always advocated drinking Verdelho when it is young and zesty like me, as I used to say, but almost invariably when we have tasted some of our older Verdelhos alongside the newer vintages a show of hands has favoured the older wines. So, I am wrong again,” Mr Channon said.
“We are unlikely to have enough of the older wines to be able do this tasting again, so this will be a one off opportunity to taste this flight of trophy and gold medal winning wines and to see how they have aged,” he said.
The 2001, 2002 and 2003 vintages won Mr Channon the trophy for Queensland’s Top White Wine for a record three years in a row.
They are also the wines that wine guru James Halliday said were “the best Verdelhos I have tasted.”
The Robert Channon Verdelho has become an iconic Queensland wine, having been served at official banquets in Parliament House in Canberra and State Parliament House in Brisbane as well as being selected as the Queensland Parliament’s 150th Anniversary White Wine and most recently being served at the Brisbane function attended by the Queen.
The tasting will be held in the Swigmore Hall at the Robert Channon winery in Stanthorpe on the weekend of February 18-19. There will be a charge of $10 for the tasting.
There will also be a very limited number of Old Verdelho half dozen packs for sale on the day.