Topper’s Mountain release Australia’s first-ever Tempranillo Blanco

WORDS: Ocean Road Editorial Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Pioneering New England winery, Topper’s Mountain, has released a brand-new wine variety to Australia with the unveiling of the Topper’s Mountain Keeper Tempranillo Blanco 2023.

The landmark release of the first known Australian Tempranillo Blanco comes alongside a total brand refresh for Topper’s Mountain, which involves a characterful new look and a restructuring of its innovative, small-batch portfolio into three new ranges: Seeker, Finder, and Keeper.

Tempranillo Blanco is a natural white mutation of the red Tempranillo, first discovered in Rioja, Spain, in 1988. The release joins the winery’s growing collection of emerging varieties and alternative styles including Manseng, Touriga & Tintas (Tinta Cão and Tinta Roriz – two Portuguese red varieties), Nebbiolo and Gewürztraminer.

Set in one of Australia’s youngest wine regions, New England, high on the Great Dividing Range in northern NSW, Topper’s Mountain has been a pioneer of both the region and NSW winemaking since its first established vineyard plantings in 2000. From its very first days, Topper’s Mountain Founder and Vigneron Mark Kirkby set about showcasing the region’s potential for alternative wine varieties that best suit the local region, climate and terroir.

“Since day one, I’ve experimented with alternative wine varieties that best suit our high altitude, cool climate, and rich, red volcanic ash soils, ” said Kirkby.

“It’s been a long search, but one that’s shown the importance of variety selection and site to wine quality. ”

The family initially planted 22 varieties including 15 varieties in the “Fruit Salad” block, a mixed planting to trial varieties potentially suited to the site, climate, soil and topography.

Today, the Kirkbys have 18 varieties across their 10 hectare vineyard, with the now-famous block constantly guiding which varieties thrive in the family winery’s distinct lineup.

The three new ranges include an array of alternative styles:

The Seeker range offers easy-drinking styles including Seeker White, Pink, and Red, that explore the winery’s minimalist winemaking approach.

The Finder range highlights definitive wine styles from the unique Topper’s Mountain site. Current releases include a Gewürztraminer, Manseng, a Touriga & Tintas red blend, and a Nebbiolo Extra Brut Rosé.

The Keeper range is the peak of Topper’s Mountain’s craft, showcasing its rarest varieties like the new Tempranillo Blanco, Viognier, and Nebbiolo. Each bottle is uniquely numbered.

Kirkby’s vineyard practices on the remote property in Tingha, NSW focus on minimal impact, with management practices including sheep grazing amongst the vines in cooler months, to slashing of under vine and inter-row vegetation promoting soil and vine health. Pesticides have not been used on the site since 2002, with natural methods like the self-seeding of diverse inter-row vegetation providing pollen to allow breeding of ample local predators to prevent pest species damaging vines and the crop.

Located just eight kilometers north of the small town of Tingha, NSW, the Topper’s Mountain Tasting Room offers visitors the chance to immerse themselves into the rugged landscape, with floor to ceiling windows and an expansive deck allowing guests to soak in panoramic views over the vineyard & Macintyre River valley. Only footsteps away from the vineyard, visitors can enjoy a tasting experience and charcuterie boards while they hear from Kirkby or the winemaker, Jan Taborsky, about what’s happening in the winery or vineyard throughout the year.

The new Topper’s Mountain Seeker, Finder and Keeper ranges are now widely available online from the Topper’s Mountain website and the Tingha Tasting Room (by appointment only). The wines will be widely available across select independent bottle shops and venue wine lists soon.

For more information about Topper’s Mountain, visit www.toppers.com.au.

@toppersmtnwines