the not serious Louisa Rose
On this Not Serious Wine Chats, I have the privilege of spending an hour or so with winemaker, Louisa Rose from Yalumba.
Talking to Lou was a right old flash back for me as not only did we slug back a mighty fine glass of Virgilius Viognier as we chatted – a wine I used to sell, but I was imbibing it while sat in the Negociants NZ boardroom - a place where I used to work and have had the good fortune to taste wine with Louisa on previous occasions.
Listening to this vigneron wax lyrical on the virtues of viognier, was one thing. What really resonated was the reminder of the research and development and innovation that is surely a mantle of one of Australia’s oldest family owned wineries.
Yalumba has been family owned since 1849, and as Louisa points out, it’s still what she describes as a medium-sized business. That combination feels important. There’s enough history to understand the value of what’s come before, enough personal investment to care deeply about what happens next, and enough scale to actually put meaningful resources behind it.
Listening to Louisa talk, I was reminded that sustainability research takes more than good intentions.
It takes people, time, money and a business willing to invest in all three — not just for its own benefit, but for the wider wine industry.
Lou was quick to point out how open Yalumba is to share their research citing that the more we learn about farming better, the more useful that knowledge becomes when it’s passed on. As that Aussie crooner Paul Kelly once sang, “From little things, big things grow.”
Lou has been a part of furniture at Yalumba since the early ‘90’s and although she was Chief Winemaker when I first met her, somewhere around 2008, she now spends her time leading the sustainability programme and sharing winery stories with world markets as a brand ambassador.
It was during her tenure as winemaker, that Lou was instrumental in the evolution of Viognier at Yalumba, and we chat about what led to her work with this particular version of our favourite fermented fruit — the hard to say, easy to drink white wine for all occasions.
So, get comfy, grab something fair dinkum from the esky, and give this chat a fair crack. This is the not serious Louisa Rose chat.
Listen wherever you get your ear candy, or click below.
CHAT FACTS
Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier 2023, Eden Valley, Barossa, Australia
1L of the palate refreshing goodness of still antipodes water
Viognier is Lou’s cup of tea. She’s spent a long getting familiar with this minority fruit and it’s safe to say, she’s an authority on it. Yalumba have made it one of their shining stars by years of dedication to planting, watching it perform in the vineyard, and then sharing it with those wine curious cronies out there keen for something fresh and ever so ready for a plate of kai.
You’ll find this wine at top notch fine wine retailers, and you can learn more about it by visiting Yalumba online but honestly, you really should visit in person. It’s a must-do!
Find Louisa and Yalumba @yalumbawine
