Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Brown Brothers is one of Australia’s leading family-owned wine companies. Based in Milawa, Victoria for over 130 years, it is the Brown family’s sense of adventure and innovation has led them to where they are now: creating exciting new wines, pushing boundaries, and developing vineyards in some of the best regions in Australia. In 1989, Brown Brothers celebrated 100 years of winemaking and established the ‘Kindergarten Winery’ a mini-sized winery where experimental and innovative wines can be made on a smaller scale. In 2015, fourth generation Katherine Brown joined the winemaking team and became the first female winemaker in the family, working alongside awardwinning winemaker Cate Looney. For a company named Brown Brothers, today they are led by a team of eight women and two men. Their pioneering range of wines includes less known varieties such as Cienna and Tarrango and an alcohol-free duo named ‘Zero’. They are members of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, and all their wines are precisely crafted, with care, attention and consistency.

THE VINTAGE:
The 2022 vintage was defined by a cool, wet spring and a mild, humid summer. Abundant rainfall led to disease pressure, demanding meticulous vineyard management. Despite the challenges, the long ripening season yielded wines with bright acidity, elegant aromatics, and moderate alcohol levels.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
Orange Muscat and Flora are two white grape varieties, little known or planted in Australia, that have been pioneered by Brown Brothers as part of their Explorer Series. Orange Muscat, as the name suggests, is part of the Muscat family and hails from the Southeast of France. The variety is said to have derived its name from the golden hues the grapes take when fully ripe and the strong aroma of orange blossom given off at vintage when the grapes are freshly crushed. Orange Muscat is the flavour powerhouse, in this blend, bringing aromas of orange blossom and a fresh citrus zest to the palate. Flora is a crossing between the white varieties of Semillon and Gewürztraminer. It produces a wine of fragrance, with nuances of ripe apricot and imparts texture and mouthfeel to the palate with a fresh acid backbone. The vines are grown in the Mystic Park vineyard in Victoria, which is certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The grapes were harvested at Baumé levels ranging from 15.0 to 16.0. The grapes were then vinified in stainless-steel tanks with selected yeasts at cool temperatures to preserve the aromatics of the varieties. Fermentation was deliberately halted with an alcohol of under 10.0% and was bottled shortly after fermentation to retain the vibrancy.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
Vibrant gold in colour, with lifted aromas of lemon, honey, spice and musk, through to a fresh and tangy palate with a zesty and balanced sweetness.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Orange Muscat 80%, Flora 14%, Other Varieties 6%.