Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/03/06/the-australian-ark-by-andrew-caillard-book-review-a-mind-boggling-masterpiece-about-australian-wine/
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In fairness, Quinn was also keen to develop Queensland to the extent he could, and this included “the cultivation of cotton, the vine, the olive….” He contacted the Queensland Colonial Secretary, Sir Robert Herbert (soon to be Queensland’s first and youngest Premier at the age of just 28 – and apparently a highly respected one) for support for his proposal, but at the time, Herbert was more interested in the threat of mass Irish immigration. What Quinn was offering came via a nobleman he had met in Milan, which was an offer to send to Queensland, “1,000 adults well skilled in everything connected with the cultivation of the vine”.
Herbert procrastinated and the offer and opportunity lapsed. Shortly after, the Granite Belt received a single Italian priest, Father Jerome Davidi (celebrated by a wine in his honor from the Sirromet winery), who did his best, but one amateur vigneron could hardly compare with what one thousand winemakers might have achieved.
Had Herbert moved quickly and accepted the offer, what would the Australian wine industry look like today? One thousand Italian winemakers arriving in Queensland in the 1860s? No one would have ever expected them all to stay in Queensland. Indeed, one suspects that very few would have done so.
Surely, they would have spread across the continent, gravitating especially to regions in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, where grapes were thriving. One also finds it hard to imagine that they would have been happy working with unfamiliar varieties. Impossible to believe that an influx of Italian grapes would not have followed.
It seems very possible, had the offer been accepted, that it would have been varieties such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Fiano, Prosecco, Barbera, Corvina, Nero d’Avola, Vermentino, Sagrantino and others which may have been as dominant as Cabernet, Shiraz, Riesling and more are today.
But, sliding doors…
Returning to the Ark, if this one very minor omission is the only shortcoming, then we are doing very well. Toss in one or two typos – ‘coast’ becomes ‘coat’ on one occasion. Otherwise, the attention to detail and presentation, let alone the content, are simply stunning.
Andrew has talked about how this book began as a small 10,000-word project back in 2005. Almost twenty years later, the final result is nearly 500,000 words.
Those interested, and if you are not then I’d suggest you have no genuine interest in wine, can look to one of four different versions – paperback (A$199), hardback (A$399), Collector’s Linen ($A??) and Collector’s Leather (A$999).
By any standards, what Andrew has given us is indeed a masterpiece. This is the one work on Australian wine which is indispensable. I am in awe.
For more information or to order, please visit https://australianark.com/
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Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/03/06/the-australian-ark-by-andrew-caillard-book-review-a-mind-boggling-masterpiece-about-australian-wine/