Wolfgang Blass still has golden touch

HE may have offloaded his multi-million dollar equity more than two decades ago, but Wolfgang Blass remains at the heart of the eponymous brand's roaring success on the world stage. 

Wolfgang Blass

HE may have offloaded his multi-million dollar equity more than two decades ago, but Wolfgang Blass remains at the heart of the eponymous brand's roaring success on the world stage.

Now 78, the German-born vigneron travels the world extolling the virtues of the Wolf Blass label he founded way back in 1966 after migrating here five years earlier with virtually only a degree in oenology to his name. Three back-to-back Jimmy Watson trophies in the mid-1970s rocketed the master blender to stardom.

He still does a wonderful job promoting the Wolf Blass portfolio, almost as though he still owns it, observes Caroline Dunn, one of two winemakers responsible for the current Blass line-up.

Taking centre stage during the release of the latest Wolf Blass Luxury Collection was the man himself, loading praise on the red efforts of Dunn and the whites shaped by her sidekick Matt O'Leary.

Over Peter Gilmore's exquisite food at The Quay, the 2011 Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay ($24) and 2010 Wolf Blass White Label Chardonnay ($33) - both from the Adelaide Hills - focused further evidence on how this classic variety has regained storming consumer appreciation. They're gloriously elegant and fruit-focused.

The red line-up kicks off with 2010 Wolf Blass Gold Label Barossa Valley Shiraz and 2008 Wolf Blass Gold Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (both $27) and finishes with the single-vineyard 2009 Wolf Blass Medlands Estate Platinum Label Barossa Valley Shiraz ($175).

In between are some striking offerings: the 2010 Wolf Blass Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Shiraz and 2010 Wolf Blass Grey Label McLaren Vale Shiraz (both $49) and 2008 Wolf Blass Black Label Langhorne Creek/Barossa Valley/McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Malbec ($125).

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