S.W. and Rich Hermansen
Guest Writers
wine@lbknews.com
The Australian Open Grand Slam Tennis Tournament has become the highlight of the summer in the land down under, and the Australian sports event best appreciated by sports fans in the USA. Australian rugby and cricket appeal to fans of those sports 
worldwide, while Australian rules football remains an interesting curiousity on cable TV. Australian Open tennis kicka off the professional tennis tennis season, 2025 currently, and showases the diversity, grace, and glamour of the beautiful game.
The Australian Open in Melbourne, in the far southern sector of the east coast of the country about the size of the USA but with a population of less than 8% of its fellow former British colony in the Western Hemisphere, draws Australian fans from all corners of the country and from abroad. A series of tennis tournaments across from Australia and nearby, on a goabal scale, New Zealand, prepare players for the main event in Melbourne. By no coincidence, these regional tournaments have close ties to important wine regions throughout Australia and New Zealand.
During late December, Australia hosts the United Cup in Perth and Sydney, two large cities more distant from one another than New York and San Francisco. Perth, on the far west coast of Australia, has the emerging Margaret River wine region to its south. This region’s Caberent and Chardonnay wines compete with California. The 2019 Moss Wood Amy’s Red Blend
of Cabernet Saugvignon, Mabec,and Petite Verdot ($30) has the classic tastes of a left-bank Bordeaux blend at a fraction of the cost.
On the east coast, the Sydney harbor and its famous Opera House have the look of a cross between Italian red tile roofs and the deep blue water of the Puget Sound outside Seattle. The Hunter Valley wine region north of Sydney near Newcasttle is the oldest in Australia. The Tyrrell’s Vineyard produces the 2018 Vat 1 Semillon ($115). This aged white wine has a special place in a collector’s cellar.
By the way,the United States team won the United Cup.
In Aukland NZ, wine from the South Island had a major role in this event on the North Island. Classic French wines, in particular the Sauvignon Blanc from the Marborough region not far south from Aukland and the Otago Valley Pinot Noir from the distant south coldest (and warmest) wine region in New Zealand, must have inspired the winner of the ASB Classic men’s singles title, Frenchman Gael Monfils, who became the oldest player to win a sanctioned title. Naomi Osaka of Japan regained form and won the women’s title.
Way down in Tasmania, the origianl home of the extinct devil, the Hobart International Tennis Tournament takes place in a firmly entrenched Pinot Noir wine region. Thw cool and windblown Tasmanian climate suits the Pinot Noir grape perfectly. The 2021 Devil’s Corner Tasmania Pinot Noir ($25) offers a modest introduction to the wines of this emerging wine regionn
McCartney Kessler of the United States won the title at Hobart, defeating the tour veteran Elise Mertens. The renowned wine regions of Southeastern Australia hosted the Adelaide International Tennis Tournament. The great McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley regions have a wealth of wine tourism options waiting those who come to enjoy tennis in the lovely city of Adelaide, The region has far too many exceptional wines to limit mention to a few.
In the men’s finals of the Adelaide Open, Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime defeated Sebastian Korda of Sarasota FL in the United States, and Madison Keys of the United States won the women’ssingles title.
The Australian Open venues bring together the best of the wines from the different wine regions of Australia. Many family farms grow wine grapes and add a degree of authenticity to the better wiens from Australia, The fortunes of Australian wines in the international market have risen and waned during the last decade. Look for a reemegence of Australian wines in the near future,
S.W. Hermansen has used his expertise in econometrics, data science and epidemiology to help develop research databases for the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Health Resources and Services. He has visited premier vineyards and taste wines from major appellations in California, Oregon, New York State, and internationally from Tuscany and the Piedmont in Italy, the Ribera del Duero in Spain, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia, and the Otego Valley in New Zealand. Currently he splits time between residences in Chevy Chase, Maryland and St. Armand’s Circle in Florida.
Rich Hermansen selected has first wine list for a restaurant shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Mathematics. He has extensive service and management experience in the food and wine industry. Family and friends rate him as their favorite chef, bartender, and wine steward. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
