atallah wines
When visiting one of our favourite local eateries - we tried an Orange wine we hadn’t had the good fortune to sample before - 2017 Block 7 Syrah by Matthew Atallah. It may have been our first couple of bottles… but it will definitely NOT be the last - simply superb! How did we not discover this treasure before now!
It turns out Matt has a very long family heritage in winemaking. His family were originally from the North of Lebanon, where they have been grape-growing and winemaking for hundreds of years.
His mother’s family immigrated to Australia in the 1870’s, settling in Braidwood, and set up agricultural enterprises around the Riverina area of New South Wales.
His father immigrated to Australia in 1956, initially setting up a shoe repair business in Sydney, then in 1977, started one of the Hunter Valley’s first boutique wineries.
Matthew’s winemaking adventures have taken him to South-East Asia, the southern Rhône Valley, the Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley, McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek.
It’s his love of love of Syrah and Chardonnay that led him to the cooler climes of Orange in 2012, where those two varieties thrive. After working as the winemaker at the region’s biggest winery, he took the plunge and started his own boutique wine label, Atallah Wines.
You’ll find Matthew’s wines in some of Orange’s and Australia’s top restaurants. But if you want to treat yourself to a tasting of some of the region’s best, you can sample his wines at Ferment, in Hill Street.
…better still - Matthew specialises in personal wine tastings and he can bring everything to you - wherever you’re staying in Orange. So get in touch with Matthew personally [Email: matt@atallahwines.com.au Phone: 0414 318 717]. Tell him The Sampson sent you.
If you really want to raise the bar when you get home and show your friends what a special time you’ve had while visiting Orange… get a dozen or so of your select friends [who appreciate the finer things in life!] and arrange for Matthew to do a personal wine tasting in Sydney. He travels a lot to meet with suppliers and customer and can arrange for you to have your own private tasting.
Now, that really will raise the ‘envy factor’ amongst your friends.
Do yourself a massive favour and try this wine - life’s too short to miss out on something this good!