wine words
GREG CLACK
CHARGED with the enthusiasm of youth and a healthy respect for the best of tradition, Greg Clack is one of the exciting new breed of Australian winemakers steering the industry into the 21st century. Having already notched up his fair share of personal success - most recently as a finalist in the 2008 Young Winemaker of the Year Awards - Greg is winemaker for Chain of Ponds in the scenic Adelaide Hills. It's familiar territory for a man who started his career at one of the region's small boutique operations, Koppamurra Wines. Here he worked closely with winemaker John Greenshields before moving in 2003 to Haselgrove Wines, where he honed his skills on a vast array of varieties and styles under the guidance of Adrian Lockhart. Two years later, Greg was being mentored by his predecessor at Chain of Ponds, Neville Falkenberg - discovering the secrets of producing world-class wines. In 2007, Neville handed over the reins to Greg, who has embraced his role with gusto, maintaining the quality expected from the label as well as finding innovative ways to make his own mark.
What's the most memorable bottle of wine you've ever consumed?
It would have to be a 1998 Vintage Pol Roger. Although I'm not a huge champagne drinker, this wine gives everything you would expect and more. I first tasted it at a champagne tasting and proceeded to buy a bottle a few weeks later (you can never be too careful - I had to double check). We proceeded to drink the bottle with freshly shucked Coffin Bay oysters, followed with taleggio cheese and turkey liver pate. It is one of the very few wines I buy more than once.
As winter sets in, name your ideal food and wine match for the cooler months?
Minted rosemary lamb shanks slow cooked in Adelaide Hills cabernet and served with creamy garlic rosemary mashed potato, alongside a generous glass of Adelaide Hills cabernet sauvignon.
Where is the most unusual place you've ever consumed wine?
My mother's womb - that would explain a lot! On the more serious side, it would probably have to be halfway down the watershed ski run at Mount Hotham. It was a few years back now and, if memory serves me correctly, it would have been an Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc (producer eludes me). The situation was ... well, we were thirsty!
In career terms, where would you like to be in 10 years?
Ideally I would like to own a small vineyard with a small label, however this is quite unrealistic at this stage. As long as I am still concentrating on making good quality wine I will be happy.
What's your favourite wine accessory?
Riedel wine glasses; they really do make a difference! Although, if the bottle has a cork in it, it would have to be a corkscrew. What's the point of empty glasses?
What's the one rule you always follow when it comes to selecting wines for your own consumption?
Something I haven't tried before that costs more than I have in my wallet.
What feature do you feel most defines the Adelaide Hills as a winemaking region?
The picturesque nature of the area, along with the feeling of isolation and relaxation - while only being an hour's drive from the city centre - defines the region as a tourism destination. As a winemaking region the cooler days and much cooler nights give ideal conditions to mature the delicate flavours while giving very good balance and structure to the varieties grown in the hills.
Who has been the most influential person in your career to date and what was the greatest lesson they taught you?
I don't think there is one person that has been hands-down an influence on my career. Having worked with and around many talented winemakers, I have learnt there is no real wrong method for making wine - just different journeys to the final product, each of which adds certain dimensions, textures and flavours to the final wine.
What's your favourite part of the whole winemaking process?
Is this a trick question? Sampling the product - of course.
Do you have a soft spot for any particular variety?
I don't really have one single variety that I have a soft spot for. I enjoy the diversity of working with many different varieties, giving rise to a number of different flavours and textures - all of which are unique in their own way.
How would you describe your own personal wine collection and how do you select its stock?
Inadequate! It is selected to give variety in wine styles - however, is limited greatly by my budget.
What's the most coveted item in your wine collection? Is there a story behind this bottle and a suitable time to open it?
Due to the less than ideal cellaring conditions my cellar endures, I generally do not buy many wines to lay down. Most of the wines in my collection will be consumed within a few years! I'd have to say the most coveted item would be another bottle of '98 Pol Roger - I'm not confident this will stay full for the entire year to come though!
Can you recall your first wine encounter (drinking that is!)?
This could get me in trouble! It would have been around 20 years ago or so on Christmas Day. Lunch had been enjoyed and the olds were getting to the point of happiness. Being the troublesome boy I was (and the expert in covering my tracks, being younger brother), I proceeded to top up my glass progressively from each glass on the table, leaving just enough for the owner to think "it must be excessively hot today as my glass keeps evaporating at extraordinary speed". At the end of it, I had one full glass of semi-warm, half-flat sparkling white of some sort. Who would have known that 10 years later I would still be drinking the same thing on the road to making it!
What's been the biggest challenge in your winemaking career so far?
Getting through vintage 2008! We all managed to make it through in the end with a lot of help from the liquid grain industry (the real winemaker).