Matt Gant came to wine making because he was a student and wanted to drink. Looking for a source of cheap booze, he opted for a wine appreciation course as a way to complete the credits for his degree. Over the years, via a stint in Burgundy, then New Zealand working for St Hallett's, Matt honed his passion and his skills as a winemaker, to uncover some underappreciated Italian and Spanish varieties. As Young Winemaker of the Year in 2004, he has pressed home his advantage.
The result? First Drop wines.
Gant is good company and a natural bon vivant, and you'd be fooled from his garrulous nature into thinking that the wines he makes are not going to be terribly serious. When you hear a wine described as a 'Dolly Parton of reds', you don't know whether he's taking the piss or not. He's not. The wines Gant makes are really good and worth paying attention to.
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At our wine tasting we are greeted with a Trincadeira Rosé, suitably called, "Lush". From Portuguese root stock, these grapes make a lovely light wine with vodka/cranberry and strawberry notes. It's a lovely drop on the humid afternoon we drink it on.
Other First Drop Wines we are introduced to include Bella Coppia Adelaide Hills Arneis. Made in the style of a coastal Italian varietal, it features cool fermentation, leading to a great fruity wine with a crisp dry finish. It's perfect drinking with summer seafood, as we find when we accompany it to some shucked oysters.
Gant then introduces 'Minchia', an Adelaide Hills Montepulciano. Designed to appeal to Shiraz lovers, this red is rounded and smooth and fruity, the essence of the cheeky red it is named after. Perfect for mushroom tortellini and rustic pork terrines, it's the sort of wine you could happily share over a boisterous dinner with friends.
At this point, Gant gives us a taste of 'Fat of the Land' Grenache, and with it, a sensational glimpse into the depth of his winemaking skills. This is a wine to lay down for a few years, which is a tough ask given just how well it drinks now. With rich blackberry, cherry and liquorice flavours, this is the big red to have with braises and osso bucco, with cassoulet and duck.
The grand finale is a suitably complex beauty, aptly called 'The Cream' Barossa Valley Shiraz. With matching high-end pricing and elegant presentation, it commands respect, and it's got it, from wine writers around the world, who describe it - accurately - as 'age-worthy', and 'utterly captivating'.
Gant and his partner John Retsas have worked hard to promote their wines and to break into tough markets, notably China and the US. They are confident in their product, know what they like and are accomplished wine-makers. By introducing us to little-known varietals and taking the snob-factor out of their marketing - right down to the cartoonish label on a bottle called, 'Mother's Milk' Barossa Shiraz- there's a lot to like about First Drop and even more to look forward to as their vintages start to age. They are certainly worth watching out for at your local wine merchant.
In the meantime, you can find them at
www.firstdropwines.com
