Yass winery Intrepidus Wines has been named a finalist in the Champion Agricultural Services category for the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards where the winner will be announced at Star Sydney on August 24.
Indrepidus Wines will represent the Yass community, with Chrissie Smith, Owner (pictured above) saying it was a surprise to hear.
“I had a friend send me a link and said I should put Intrepidus Wines forward and I never expected it to go anywhere, so to be a finalist is pretty cool. I have my own wine label and do contract and consulting vineyard work. For me to be a part of the women’s championship business awards is about showcasing women in small business and women in agriculture and wine. We are certainly outnumbered in viticulture and wine-making,” she said.
“For me it is about inspiring other women to get in there and enjoy if it is something they would like to do. It is going to be great to encourage others.”
It was a shock, in a good way, to hear a grassroots, regional business is up for the award as well as the small business in the big city, spreading the love around all walks of life.
“It is always great to showcase small business and also Canberra. A lot of people don’t know that Canberra has such a good wine scene, so it’s good to be able to showcase Canberra and what we are doing here.
“I was really lucky to have some good mentors when I started in the industry. It is a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours. My phone number is always online, so if anyone is interested in starting out in viticulture and wine then reach out as there are plenty of jobs and plenty of opportunities and I’m happy to be that mentor too.
“I want to congratulate anyone in small business at the moment as it really is tough for people to support their small businesses.”
Intrepidus Wines’ motto “to be fearless in the unknown” has never rung so true.
Chrissie in the vineyard with some stunning views in the background.
Sixty Second Swirl
by Brent Lello, Yass Valley Times Wine Columnist
It seems to me that a lot of the winemakers around our region started their work lives doing something other than making wine. Perhaps it was through sheer boredom in their jobs, the romantic pull of the winemaking lifestyle or through pure epiphany, their light bulb moment has seen them lift and shift their lives into the wonderful world of wine. A case-in-point is with a Yass based winemaker – Chrissie Smith. For Chrissie, the switch to wine was made after a chance chat with a winemaker in a wine bar, and the rest as they say is history. Chrissie was recently nominated as a finalist in the NSW Young Gun of Wine Awards an exceptional achievement and two of her wines are the focus of this week’s “swirl” the Intrepidus Sangiovese Shiraz 2023 and the Intrepidus Nero D’Avola 2023 two reviews for the price of one today!
The Sangiovese Shiraz blend has a bright and vibrant dark cherry red colour in the glass with an attractive purple edge. A swirl invigorates fragrant aromas of cherry, boysenberry and blackberry with a hint of sweet, roasted red capsicum, freshly cracked white pepper and star anise. The palate is medium weight and delightfully delicious with generous red and dark berry fruit flavours and a lick of food friendly acidity that leads to a long and lingering finish.
The Nero D’Avola a very rare grape variety in Australia is brightly lit from within with a dark crimson red colour in the glass. A swirl brings on aromas of blackberry and boysenberry with back notes of crushed earth and dried sage, along with a crack of cool climate pepper. The palate is warm, welcoming and attractively voluptuous with forest berry fruit flavours and a lingering lick of acidity leading to a long and enjoyable finish.
We enjoyed our bottle of “Sangio” in full Friday night relax mode with a charcuterie board and the wine was an excellent pairing, especially with the spicy calabrese salami. This wine would go fantastically with a slowly braised lamb and tomato based ragu with pasta, or a spicy salami pizza. We enjoyed our bottle of Shiraz with grilled locally sourced lamb chops sprinkled with rock salt, pepper and dried italian herbs – a top notch match. I bought my bottles online as part of a mixed wine pack and received exceptionally quick free delivery.
Get yours online too here – https://intrepiduswines.com.au/
Sangiovese Shiraz
Nero D’Avola
