South Eastern Australia's Grapes: Semillon

Semillon

Semillon is a golden grape variety, which can, in the right places, produce great wine. It is grown over much of the world, but is most heavily planted in France, particularly in the appellations in the south west. It excels in white Bordeaux, as part of a blend. Think great, long-lived, dry Graves and the delicious dessert wine Sauternes � and, of course, the sweet bliss Chateau d�Yquem uses Semillon grapes. On the other side of the world, Semillon also proves what a star it is in Australia�s Hunter Valley when it�s allowed to mature in good vintages. This vigorous grower produces thin-skinned grapes which are inclined, if the weather conditions are right, to develop botrytis, the noble rot which is necessary for the unctuous sweet wines. If Semillon is allowed to fully ripen and is sparsely cropped and grown somewhere not too hot then this grape produces highly alcoholic and extracted wine with relatively low aroma and acidity. Semillon has a lemony character when young but this grape lends itself to oak and ageing to become a deep golden-coloured wine with a rich lanolin flavour, often referred to as �waxy�. However, on the negative side, the wines tend to fatness and have little aroma in youth. This is the reason Sauvignon Blanc is Semillon�s traditional blending partner because its qualities of high acidity and strong aroma fill the gaps. More recently, however, Semillon has been blended with other varieties � Chardonnay became an obvious choice in the early nineties when everybody wanted a glass of the stuff. Outside France, it�s biggest plantings are in Chile, but vines are also found in such countries as Argentina, New Zealand, the USA and South Africa. In fact, in 1822, 93 per cent of South Africa�s vineyards were Semillon, imported from Bordeaux. It was so common then that it was just called Wyndruif or �wine grape�. Subsequently, it became Green Grape because of its foliage, but its importance has declined since and now it represents only a tiny area of vineyard. Semillon also goes by a few other names, including, in France, Semillon Blanc, Malaga and Colombier.