We all remember our favourite teacher. For Pat Underwood of Little Reddie and Patrick Underwood Wines, it was Wendy Oates.
“Oatesy was a teacher at my primary school, Winters Flat in Castlemaine, where she remains famous for her next-level kindness and ease with kids,” Pat says.
“Her classes always seemed to be having more fun than any other," he adds. "The boys from the rougher and tougher homes would soften and warm in her presence. She was, and is, just awesome, and is still adored by the current school community as she does regular relief teaching.”
Three years ago, after a lifetime of renting, Wendy inherited her mother’s home on Coolstore Road in Harcourt. Prohibitive insurance costs meant that when fire tore through the Central Victorian town back in January, she lost everything.
To raise funds for the rebuild, Pat has bottled “a lovely, medium-weight dry red” made from merlot grown on the now-ripped-out Brown Brothers site in Colbinabbin. The Compassionate Red is sold exclusively as a 12-pack for $150 (equating to $12.50 per bottle), and can be purchased via the Little Reddie website.
"The Compassionate" sets out to make a difference, to raise funds for someone close to the winemaker who lost nearly everything in the recent Harcourt bushfires. The ridiculous little price hides a wine - a once-off release - with a big merlot heart that brings Heathcote generosity to the glass in a finely detailed wine. Lilting blueberry fruits join red berries, damson plums, a nicely nuanced herbal leafiness and a hint of mint against a backdrop of warm, toasted spice. Runs smooth, runs long and 18mths in seasoned French oak allows for some added depth to the flavours and some overall mighty enjoyable drinking. Supple and ready to go. 92 points, Jeni Port.
Pat is also part of a group of 14 producers raising funds for Gilles Lapalus, of Maison Lapalus, Bertrand Bespoke and Maidenii, who also lost everything in the Harcourt fires.
The group, comprising Michael Dhillon (Bindi), Erinn Klein (Ngeringa), Julian Castagna, Ben Portet (Dominique Portet), Ian Rathjen (Whistling Eagle), Tobias Ansted (Tellurian), Chris Catlow (Sentio), Mark Walpole (Fighting Gully Road), Tim Sproal (Minim), Rob Ellis (Hanging Rock), Roscoe Power (Grada), John Davies (Colbinabbin Estate), and Wiremu Andrews (Dearth of a Salesman/Sentio), has rallied to produce four wines under the le vin de mes amis label to help Gilles get back on his feet.
Translating from French to “the wine of my friends”, the range includes the Renaissance White (a multi-vintage blend of grenache blanc, viognier, arinto and chardonnay), the Renaissance Rosé (a multi-vintage blend of syrah, cabernet, grenache and more), the Renaissance Light Red (a multi-vintage blend of syrah, cabernet, grenache, nebbiolo, sangiovese and pinot noir), and the Renaissance Red (a multi-vintage blend of syrah with a touch of grenache).
The wines cost between $30 and $40 per bottle and can be purchased via the Maison Lapalus website.