The collapse of part of McLaren Vale's Wirra Wirra winery last week was widely reported - but not widely seen. The visual is far more dramatic than the telling. This is a substantial winery in the middle of vintage - or it was in the middle of vintage.

BREAKING NEWS: 10.54 PM AEST March 7 2008

Message from Andrew Kay - CEO, Wirra Wirra:

'An onsite accident occurred at Wirra Wirra yesterday following the collapse of a fermenting tower at our winery in McLaren Vale. A number of fermenters, tanks and a presses have been damaged, resulting in some loss to our 2008 vintage.

'We are currently working closely with the authorities and SafeWork SA to assess the full extent of the damage.

'We’d like to extend our thanks to all the emergency services whose quick action and professionalism were outstanding. Our thoughts are with our young cellar hand who is currently in a serious, yet stable condition at Flinders Medical Centre. We are pleased to hear that he is making positive progress.

'While it is difficult to determine at this time the full extent of wine lost, it is significantly less than has been reported. Some of the wine in tank may still be salvageable, while offers of fruit from growers to offset the loss have been coming in thick and fast. Whilst the loss of wine is important to our business, clearly the safety and welfare of our staff is of greatest priority at this time.

'Workplace safety for all our staff is of paramount importance at Wirra Wirra, and we are thankful no more serious injuries were sustained.

'We’d also like to extend our thanks to the winemaking community of McLaren Vale and our neighbouring districts who have rallied round with offers of help and well wishes; we have been extremely touched by their support and generosity.

Trott produced the first vintage of Church Block back in 1972 “with a little help from his friends”. It looks like history will repeat itself in 2008.'

BREAKING NEWS: 3.13PM AEST March 6 2008

McLaren Vale winery, Wirra Wirra, earlier today suffered considerable damage to its winery when a number of 45,000 litre fermenters collapsed, causing damage to some tanks and presses, and a significant loss of vintage 2008 must and wine.

One cellar hand sustained minor injuries, however no serious injuries have been reported.

The winery has temporarily been shut down, and staff are working with officials to ascertain the full extent of the damage.

Wirra Wirra is unable to determine when the winery will be up and running again.

This was the third masterclass I attended at this event.

The five wines were served blind, with the only information provided that they were Shiraz and each was from a different region. Wines were revealed at the end of the tasting.

Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2004
Crimson colour. Perfumed with violets, and rich chocolate and vanilla oak. The palate is bold as well, lots of big, ripe fruit depth. Thought that this may be Barossa but it turned out to be McLaren Vale.
88/100

Tin Shed Shiraz Melting Pot 2004
Inky black colour. Chocolate, cassis, raspberry jam and some prunes. Palate is jammy and very ripe with some spice in the background. Guessed at Heathcote but was way off as it is from the Eden Valley.
85/100

Rymill Shiraz 2002
Deep colour. Nose is dreadful, barnyard, medicinal and raw meats. Palate is a bit better but not by much. Guessed Coonawarra correctly.
78/100

Cheviot Bridge Pyrenees Shiraz 2003
Crimson coloured. Spice, violets, red berries and a hint of oak on the nose. Smooth, well balanced palate. A pleasant, drinkable wine. Figured on cool climate so I thought it may be Yarra Valley, but I was wrong.
87/100

Bimbadgen Shiraz 2005
Burgundy coloured. Nose is fairly subdued, some spice and earth. Palate carries across the spice and earth characters. Medium bodied, decent length, just not very exciting. Correctly picked it as Hunter Valley.
86/100

I love Moscato over summer, the best are slightly sweet but the acid and spritz can be so refreshing. The generally low alcohol is also a bonus. With this in mind, I sought out 17 Moscato based current release wins from both Australia and Italy to taste and decide what I would be buying to drink over the next couple of months.

All wines were tasted blind over a couple of nights. Prices are approximate.

Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Moscato 2007:
Peach tinted straw colour. Really good visual fizz/bead. Lovely ripe peach and grape nose. Softly sweet on the palate, but the acid and bubbles come through and cleans the sweetness up in a wave, leaving the desire for another sip inevitable. Excellent.
Crown Seal. 5.5% alcohol. 500ml. $20 - 91/100

Cascinetta Vietti Moscato D’Asti 2006:
Very fine, persistent bead. Very pale straw coloured. Floral, spice, apricot and musk on the nose. Sparkles on the palate. Absolutely delicious.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 375ml. $22 - 90/100

Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Moscato 2007:
Pale straw colour. Fine, constant bead. Floral, citrus and musky characters shown on the vibrant nose. Very clean, crisp flavours. Good acid, only tastes lightly sweet thanks to the acid and spritz.
Cork. 7% alcohol. 500ml. $18 - 89/100

Marenco Scrapona Moscato D’Asti 2005:
Very pale colour. Good fizz with quite a bit of mousse at first. Musky, floral, lemon and lots of peach aromas. Light, fresh and clean palate with subtle sweetness. Very enjoyable, but a bit too short to be great.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $33 - 88/100

Castello del Poggio Moscato D’Asti 2005:
Mid-straw colour. Great bead, very persistent. Intense nose of musk, pear, peach and honey. Sweetness is present but it is one of many dimensions rather than the only one. Acid cleanses the palate. Needs to be drunk now.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $10 - 88/100

Tempus Two Copper Moscato 2007:
Straw coloured. Slow rising, fine bead. Blueberry, tropical fruit and passionfruit. The palate is dry, with only a very slight sweetness coming through. Medium length.
Crown Seal. 7% alcohol. 750ml. $20 - 87/100

Innocent Bystander Moscato 2007:
Pale pink colour. A bit yeasty at first, but that blew off quickly and showed strawberry, musk and citrus. Fine and persistent bead in the glass. Full flavoured palate, fresh flavour but maybe a little too heavy though. Fun to drink, but a glass was enough.
Crown Seal. 5.5% alcohol. 375ml. $11 - 85/100

Kay Brothers Amery Vineyards Moscato 2007:
Very pale, a tinge of yellow. Visibly fizzy only briefly on pouring. Nose is pretty closed, some grape and soft citrus notes only. Palate is dry and a little bit tart in comparison to some of the previous wines. I don’t mind the dry aspect and the acid is good, but there isn’t much depth to it.
Crown Seal, but with a cork inlay. 7.5% alcohol. 750ml. $17 - 85/100

Tosti Moscato d’Asti NV:
Pale colour. Bubbles only stay in the glass briefly. Apples and some floral aromas. Palate is a bit cloying on the front palate, the acid picks up a bit on the middle and the freshness improves as a result. Finishes a bit short.
Cork. 4.5% alcohol. 750ml. $20 - 84/100

De Bortoli Emeri Bianco NV:
Straw colour. Good stream of bubbles on pouring with some mousse. Lemon and floral aromas. Soft sweetness to the palate, with a touch of bitterness at the back.
Diamante Cork. 8% alcohol. 750ml. $12 - 84/100

Stella Bella Pink Muscat 2007:
Pink tinged peach colour. Strawberry, cranberry, cherry. Not very much fizz/frizzante. Very sweet on the palate, probably a bit too sweet, without the acid to back it up it ends up a bit cloying and doesn’t taste refreshing. Alright only.
Screwcap. 7% alcohol. 375ml. $18 - 84/100

Banrock Station Moscato 2007:
Light straw colour. Light fizz dissipates quickly. Nose shows apples and grapes. Simple palate, slightly sweet and with some crisp acid as well. Without fault, but also without any depth.
Screwcap. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $5.60 - 83/100

Brown Brothers Moscato 2007:
Straw coloured. Simple grape and lemon nose. Not much spritz. A tangy element to the clean tasting palate, just a touch of sweetness.
Cork. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $12 - 83/100

Long Flat Moscato 2007:
Bubbles only stay in the glass briefly and are gone. Straw colour. Blueberries, pineapple and lemon on the nose. Quite simple and sweet on the palate and it doesn’t really have the acid to counter.
Screwcap. 5.5% alcohol. 750ml. $7 - 82/100

Dan Murphy’s Cleanskin Private Bin Moscato 2007:
Coarse, lazy bubbles. Nose is mute and boring. Fair bit of sweetness initially but there is some acid that comes through afterward on the mid palate. Finishes very short.
Cork. 6.5% alcohol. 750ml. $7 - 80/100

Grant Burge Moscato 2007:
Muted, grapey nose. Palate is thin and dilute, no carry or even much flavour. Insipid.
Screwcap. 9% alcohol. 750ml. $12 - 79/100

Warburn Estate Stephendale Winemakers Reserve Moscato 2007:
Pale straw colour. Spritz dissipates straight after pouring. Nose is bland, some grape aromas, maybe a bit of peach and not much else. Palate is cloyingly sweet, lacks any vibrancy - misses the point of these wines.
Cork. 5% alcohol. 750ml. $10 - 78/100