BH Updates

by Brash Higgins Catch up with the latest news about exciting McLaren Vale project McLaren Vale Scarce Earth in this month’s Gourmet Traveller Wine — a celebration of unique South Australian single block shiraz, including Brash Higgins SHZ of course! The June/ July issue of Gourmet Traveller Wine is onsale now.

by Brash Higgins The storm clouds they gathered and as a grape grower, it was white knuckle time again for Brash Higgins Wine Co. So much of the harvest is out of the grower’s control; the weather, disease, insects and birds clearly have a mind of their own. On the heels of a healthy, dry…

by Brash Higgins Tyson gave the Brash Higgins 2009 SHZ a great review on his online wine review site, Wine Taste. For a look at the review click HERE.

After returning from Vietnam and admiring the weathered nobility of their farmers, I was looking forward to working in the vineyard. I bought some waterproof gear: a pair of gumboots, a Rainbird jacket, some rainpants, a pair of gloves, and was ready to head into the trenches. With the help of some key friends, mainly…

There are many icons in the world of wine, and it takes a little luck and the right connections to meet them. I’d been intrigued by Wendouree Cellars in Clare Valley for some time. In a region known for its mouthwatering rieslings, Wendouree is known for its deep and tightly wound reds. The vineyard has…

The first day we rode the Minsks for hours, slowly beginning our climb into the mountains. Hung, an experienced guide and rider, led the way to a small village of Black Thai’s. We spent the night with a curious and friendly family. Mui was the matriarch and, man, could she drink. Her husband was dead…

After a 10 hour night bus ride from Doc Let to Hoi An, I was in no mood to be hassled. I found my hotel, the perfectly situated Hoang Trinh, and collapsed for a beautiful 3 hour nap. It’s good to suffer, it makes the simpler creature comforts more enjoyable. Hoi An is a beautiful…

After saying goodbye to the cool pine forests of Dalat, and yet another new friend, I was ready to enjoy a few peaceful days somewhere remote along Vietnam’s extensive coastline. I’d heard tales of beautiful, isolated beach retreats, and after a few days of hectic Saigon, and a cold hailstorm in the Central Highlands around…

One step into Ho Chi Minh City and you realize that it’s nuts. Motorbikes are everywhere, a howling fleet of girls with bandanas driving together in giant schools along the beat up roads. Observe with awe as they swerve in unison, riding double, triple, or loaded up with absurd cargo like a refrigerator or a…

Vietnam is a country that’s newly wide open to the West. It’s intensely green and wherever possible, and I mean wherever, it is festooned with rice paddies. These people can farm with the best of them, along the mountains they coax corn out of the rocky ground and work the vertical slopes like acrobats. Occasionally…

Currently, I’m sitting in a garden in Hoi An, Vietnam. The parched vintage in Oz is over and the dampness in the air here is palpable and pleasant. The weather is sunny and humid. There is a flute being played in the pagoda adjacent to my garden. Vietnam has one wine region in Dalat. The…

I have moved from the commercial winery, Belvidere, to the small scale winemaking facility at Clarendon called the Woolshed. The difference between the two couldn’t be more striking. Belvidere is an industrial plant and the Woolshed is, well, a former woolshed. Of course it’s been rebuilt, but it still is no more than a big…

I’m winding down in Australia. The vintage will be coming to a close in a few weeks, at least for the growers and viticulturists. The winemakers have much to do still, as they consider how to divide up the many different parcels of grapes resting in tanks or barrels. In 10 days I’m off to…