ALTHOUGH some vineyards are still picking some red wine varieties, out on the foothills of Mount Canobolas, at the Word of Mouth vineyard, Peter Gibson and his winemaker Will Rickard-Bell, are tasting and testing what could be the last white wine grapes to be harvested in Australia this season.
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Petit Manseng is a variety of grapes that is popular in the south of France, particularly around the foothills of the Pyrenees. Unlike most varieties the berries are very small and loosely bunched, something that has distinct advantages when it comes to maintenance.
“The grapes are so loosely spaced, and the skins are so firm, that it’s really difficult for botrytis to take hold,” Mr Gibson said.
“Between 2010 and 2015 we’ve had a lot of problems with botrytis on other varieties like chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, but not with the Petit Manseng.”
Experimenting with varieties that are unfamiliar is nothing new to Mr Gibson, who was the first to plant Pinot Gris in Orange in 1999. The Petit Manseng was planted in 2010.
“At the time everyone kept asking us what this Pinot Gris variety was, now everyone knows what it is, but now they’re asking about the Petit Manseng. New varieties really capture people’s interest,” he said.
With a hectare under the variety, Mr Gibson expects to yield about three to four tonnes, or around 1800 litres, but the variety’s slow ripening means the fruit is not quite ready.
“We were thinking of picking this week, but the winemaker Will Rickard-Bell and I are thinking that it may be next week sometime,” he said.
Although Petit Manseng is a new and somewhat different variety for Orange, when it comes to turning the grape into wine, the processes are similar to other whites.
“It’s very easy to press, the juice really pops out from the hard skins and we are making a wine that has nothing added, or taken out, totally natural,” Mr Gibson said.
