Bush Telegraph: Wine on the Wireless

Tasting the final product

After 18 months, Bush Telegraph's Wine on the Wireless project has reached the final step. The wine is bottled and ready for sale. Rob Geddes, master of wine, has completed a tasting and all the players gathered for a final hurrah.

The Project

Wine on the Wireless began on Friday 17 March 2006 and culminated in a "taste off" in August 2007 by professional wine tasters to determine which wine—that made by the Bush Telegraph listeners or the one from the Orange winemakers—is the better drop.
Each group made a barrel of shiraz with the help of professional winemakers.

Michael Mackenzie and expert guests each month discussed aspects of grape growing, winemaking and tasting. A blow by blow account of the entire process - from decisions about timing the picking of the grapes to addding sugar, ageing and bottling is documented online.

Bush Telegraph listeners were then asked to vote online to contribute to some crucial decisions in the winemaking process.

You'll find feature articles with additional information here.

Ian Davison runs the Orange winery, Galens Tor and grew the grapes for the two teams making their own barrel of shiraz with the help of professional winemakers.

Alison Eiserman made the wine for Bush Telegraph listeners based upon the results of the online listener polls. Alison is the winemaker at Monument Winery at Cudal, 30km west of Orange.

Leading the students from Orange TAFE was their teacher Robert Black. Robert is chief winemaker at Printhie Winery in Orange.

"Orange Red" the name of the Bush Telegraph shiraz by the Radio National audience was overseen by winemaker, Alison Eisermann.

'The Graduate' was developed by TAFE students in Orange under the guidance of lecturer and winemaker, Rob Black of Printhie wines.

Wine judges at the 2006 Orange Wine show, Celine Rousseau and James Halliday, tasted the rival wines and declared a slight preference for the spicier drop made by Rob Black and the students. Bush Telegraph winemaker, Alison Eisermann says that the choice between spicy and fruit is a style difference and simply means the judges have opted for spicy wine while the Bush Telegraph team and audience prefers the fruity style.

The Bush Telegraph Shiraz garnered two bronze medals at the show. The wine has now aged and is ready for drinking or further cellaring.

You be the judge! 'Orange Red' and 'the Graduate' are on sale as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and available through Printhie Cellars at $25.00 a bottle plus postage.