Old Fashioned Cocktail

1 lump sugar 2 dashes Peychaud or Angostura bitters 1 jigger rye whiskey 1 piece lemon peel 1 chunk pineapple 1 slice orange peel 2 maraschino cherries

Into a heavy-bottomed barglass drop a lump of sugar, dash on bitters, and crush with a spoon. Pour in jigger of rye whiskey and stir with several lumps of ice. No shaking allowed! Let mixture remain in glass in which it is prepared. Garnish with a half-ring of orange peel, add chunk of pineapple and cherries with a little of maraschino juice. Twist slice of lemon peel over all and serve in mixing glass with barspoon.

It is suggested by some that it is best to dissolve sugar into a small amount of water first since sugar does not dissolve well in alcohol.

The appearance of additional fruit became commonplace after days of prohibition.

Try both versions and decide which you prefer.

Spain's answer to Sangiovese is Tempranillo. It is growing in popularity in many Australian wine regions. To a large extent jury is still as many of plantings are still quite new. Among champions of variety are James Halliday and Mark Walpole of Brown Brothers. Tempranillo matures a little earlier than Shiraz or Sangiovese so it can be grown in slightly cooler regions, Indeed Manton Creek Vineyard in Mornington Peninsula is one of more highly regarded producers.

The Durif variety is regarded as a warm climate variety, indeed it seemed as though Rutherglen held a monopoly on variety. But in fact is relatively early ripening, as demonstrated by John Vale at Balnarring on Mornington Peninsula. The outstanding feature of Durif is high level of tannins, but if these can be mastered then

There are a few other varieties attracting attention which will figure in mix over next decade or so. Petit verdot is becoming much more popular in warmer areas. It was pioneered in Australia by Pirramirra in McLaren Vale but it is now grown extensively in Murray Darling and Riverina.

Barbera and Nebbiolo are two other Italian varieties which are highly regarded in Australia. Lagrein is a little known Italian variety, in fact it is from North East of Italy. It is an early ripening variety and as such can be grown in cooler climates. Cobaw Ridge in Macedon Ranges region has a wonderful Lagrein.

So what is verdict? Which red winegrape variety will be next Shiraz? It seems to be a contest between Sangiovese and Tempranillo, with both camps having some firm adherents. My money at this stage goes with Sangiovese, it has runs on board.