"IT'S a complex amalgam of rich, red berries. It's only a medium-weighted wine but it's complex; it evolves on your palate, it dances on your palate!"
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It sounds like just another day at the office for Rutherglen winemaker Ross Perry, except it's anything but typical.
The Olive Hills Estate owner and winemaker is describing the characteristics of his wines for an online audience for the first time since coronavirus public health orders forced many cellar doors to close in recent weeks.
It's just a taste of things to come.
As house parties go online, family members join virtual birthday celebrations via the Zoom platform and FaceTime gets a workout, it's a markedly different world from just weeks ago.
I spend a lot of my time at the cellar door and I've got a wonderful group of clients. Kay (Perry) came up with the idea of the virtual tasting and my son Harry filmed it for me.
Mr Perry said his first virtual tasting on Friday had generated great feedback on Facebook.
He said his clients had appreciated that it was a bit of fun in uncertain times when people were increasingly isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I spend a lot of my time at the cellar door and I've got a wonderful group of clients," he said.
"Kay (Perry) came up with the idea of the virtual tasting and our son Harry filmed it for me."
Mrs Perry said it was a way for her husband to stay connected with their clients.
"Ross is a passionate winemaker and loves the one-on-one interaction he shares whilst tasting wine with his cellar door customers," she said.
"We decided to do virtual tastings on social media with Ross giving a tasting commentary of wines offered in a taster pack of six wines."
Mr Perry said he gave a tasting commentary on three wines, which made up his Autumn Six-Pack.
He said the pack comprised Olive Hills Estate de Cluse 2016, Shiraz 2016 and Semillon 2019, the latter made by Harry, who was studying a Bachelor of Wine Science at Charles Sturt University.
"We've got a semillon, which is fruit from Porepunkah that Harry and I handpicked," Mr Perry tells listeners.
"Harry is No. 1 son and No. 2 winemaker; that's his first wine he has made here at home.
"He's a third year Wine Science student."
IN OTHER CORONAVIRUS NEWS:
Mr Perry said they were about to start bottling again at Olive Hills Estate.
He said any new releases could be featured in future virtual tastings.
"We hope to run them every month or so," he said.
"Our clients come from all over Australia; we only offer our wines by cellar door mail order."
Mr Perry said normally the cellar door over autumn would be busy with tastings and wine sales.
He said it had been a challenging year for winemakers in the North East.
"Once the bushfires started in December, January and February were dead as a doornail," Mr Perry said.
"No sooner had we got back up and running again, than COVID-19 turned up.
"We're all looking for ways to stay connected."
"That's it!" Mr Perry wraps up his virtual wine tasting.
"Put 'em together in a six pack for you?!"
