Finch's Line
High-end boutique wines from Australia's Hunter Valley


Miles Corish  - the man behind Finch's Line

Finch’s Line is a small, high-end wine producer in Australia’s Hunter Valley. It’s run by Miles Corish, an Aussie who is currently working in the wine trade in the UK (his company is Bowland Forest Vintners, based in Clitheroe). As an aside, Miles used to be a first class cricketer in Australia.

The wines come from a 70 year old vineyard near Pokolbin that Miles discovered while he was doing vintage at Tyrrells. He makes the wine at Château Pato, one of the Hunter’s leading boutique wineries. The ‘Finch’ in the name comes from the Finch who was the original surveyor of the road from Sydney to the Hunter Valley.

Miles doesn’t use small oak, but instead raises his wines predominantly in large old wood, of which 20% is new each year. The fermentation is with wild yeasts, and a portion is fermented in hogsheads with the ends knocked out and turned on their side. After fermentation the wine is basket-pressed.

Miles points out that contrary to popular opinion, the distinctive earthy/spicy flavour of some Hunter reds isn’t Brettanomyces, but rather a Hunter terroir character. I really like his wines, which show a good deal of elegance. They are available in the UK from Find Wine (http://findwine.co.uk).

THE WINES

Finch’s Line Shiraz 2006 Hunter Valley
Lovely mineral, savoury nose is taut and refined. The palate is earthy and spicy with lovely concentration and freshness. Really elegant spicy style with lovely savouriness. I like this a lot. 93/100 (£16 Find Wine)

Finch’s Line Shiraz 2007 Hunter Valley
Lovely focused red fruits nose with some cherry freshness and subtle spiciness. The palate is fresh and bright with lovely acidity. Fresh and nicely complex with notes of minerals and earth. Great concentration. 93/100 (£19 Find Wine)

See also:

Hunter Valley mini-series based on a visit in 2009

Wines tasted 11/10  
Find these wines with
wine-searcher.com

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