Brown Brothers: Epicurean? Moi?
I really should have got to Brown Brothers way before this.
Actually, I did, in the 1980s on my first trip to Rutherglen.
As far back as I can remember Brown Brothers had a reputation for an impressive array of varietal wines. The opportunity to taste something you’re not likely to see anywhere else was a major factor in the decision to visit.
Over the intervening quarter of a century things have changed rather dramatically. There are an increasing number of interesting varieties hitting the shelves in Australian bottle shops and the Cellar Door at Milawa attracts tasters in their droves, which means that you could be forgiven for thinking it’s the sort of place Hughesy and ‘Er Indoors would tend to avoid.
After all, my preference is for little wineries where there aren’t too many people in the Tasting Room so that you get a good chance to talk to whoever’s working the Cellar Door.
But this is Brown Brothers, and it’s a pretty classy operation. For a start there are plenty of staff in the Tasting Room and there’s enough room to allow you to find a space without getting too cramped. Then there’s the ever-expanding range of wines.
Finally, there’s their variant on the wine club/mailing list, namely the Epicurean Club. You might baulk a bit at the name, which may be a little too upper class for some, but if you do, don’t. The newsletter is one of the better ones going around, and arrives free in your mailbox, while the wines you order arrive freight free on the doorstep.
So, when we were back in the area, a visit to Brown Brothers was an obligatory stop on the itinerary, and while we were there I filled out the paperwork for the Epicurean Club, planning to use it to access some of the Tarrango, which I saw as an integral part of Hughesy’s Summer Drinking Strategy (a.k.a. Reds You Can Stick In The Fridge).
But it didn’t quite work out the way I’d planned. Pfeiffer Gamay and Rockford Alicante Bouchet appeared, took the inside running and installed themselves in the wine rack and Hughesy started feeling the pangs of conscience when the Autumn/Winter Epicurean arrived, bringing with it an offer I couldn’t resist.
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