We've got a bounty of different Brown Brothers expressions on hand today, so let's get ready to dive in! 

As one of Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW), Brown Brothers is a popular Australian winemaker that's been active since 1889. One of their claims to fame was that they were among the first local producers to bring Prosecco and Moscato to the Australian masses. These days, the brand has a global presence that extends well beyond Australia's borders, and has become well known for their line of sweeter-style wines (usually Moscatos) that are beginner friendly and boast very approachable flavours. 

The Brown Brothers wine making family. (Image source: Brown Brothers)

Fun fact: the brand's name was first coined by founder John Francis Brown, who had hopes that eventually his brothers would join him in his wine making business, though that never panned out. Funnily enough, today, Brown Brothers operates as a 4th generation family winery, under the control of three sisters, Katherine, Caroline and Emma. If you're wondering whether this might prompt plans to change the name to Brown Sisters, Katherine has firmly maintained that the current name ain't going anywhere!

Today, we've got a couple of wines from Brown Brothers ready for a side by side tasting! The first three are Moscatos, a style of wine made from muscat grapes that is comparatively lower in alcohol and tends to be sweeter in profile than most other wine types: 

• The Classic Brown Brothers Moscato
• The Brown Brothers Sparkling Lychee Moscato: which takes the original Moscato wine blend and adds a small amount of naturally derived Lychee flavour to it before it undergoes secondary fermentation
• The Brown Brothers Sparkling Moscato Rosé: which is made from muscat grapes and contains a small blend of Cienna to bring out its pinkish hue.

And as a wildcard, we're also going to be taste testing the Brown Brothers Cienna. Cienna is unique grape variety that was bred in Southern Australia, and is a cross between Sumoll, a grape variety from Spain, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape was created in 1972 by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), as part of a government initiative to champion the growth of more high-quality wine grapes tailored to the Australian climate. When used for winemaking, Cienna grapes are said to produce red wines with cherry, blackcurrant, and plum notes, and relatively low tannins. 

Let's dive in! 

Brown Brothers Moscato 2021 - Tasting Notes

Appearance: Pale green.

Nose: A bouquet of sweet summer fruits. The aroma kicks off leaning tart with a burst of citrus and some fresh apple slices, but gradually evolves with a sweetness of kyoho grapes and pear drops.

Palate: Medium bodied, with a juicy hit of apples, peaches and raisins, brightened by a zesty note of lemon pulp. 

Finish: Short and sweet, with undertones of apple and pineapple gummies.

 

Overall Thoughts

It's a classic for a reason - fresh and fruity with limited acidity and a bright vibrancy that I would happily recommend to any wine beginner or dessert wine lovers.

That said, it might be a tad bit on the sweeter side for some, but I do think there's a time and place for a wine such as this with easy, uncomplicated notes of apple and green grape flavors. I would probably pair with spicy foods or seasoned meats, as it would help cut through the heavier flavors of those dishes. 

Brown Brothers Sparkling Moscato Lychee, 8.0% ABV - Tasting Notes

Appearance: Pale green with lively effervescence.

Aroma: Sweet lychee soda notes are joined by the fruity aromas of mangosteen, duku, and langsat. Lots of fresh, tropical fruity flavors here - enhanced with slight musky accents of white florals. 

Taste: The texture is light-bodied with a gentle fizziness. Opens with fruity, bright apple and strawberry soda notes, with flavors of ripe lychee, yellow sultanas and a hint of mint sprig. Towards the end, here's a citrus zestiness that comes through, reminding me of lemon sherbet! 

Finish: Long with a lingering sweetness of canned lychees and green apple sour gummies.

Overall Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised with this one! While it's still as easygoing as the original Moscato with a delicate fruitiness, I do appreciate that it has slightly more dryness and tartness to balance out the overall mouthfeel. The effervescence also makes it particularly refreshing - great to enjoy with a lemon meringue tart or even some brinier dishes like fish or prawns.

Brown Brothers Sparkling Moscato Rosé, 7.0% ABV - Tasting Notes

Appearance: Scarlet with lively effervescence.

Aroma: Fresh and fruity, punctuated with notes of ripe strawberries, raspberry and rose musk, which gradually transforms into a rather jammy, syrupy quality. There's also mildly toasted bread and yeasty undertone underlying these perfumery aromas.  

Taste: Richer and heavier bodied than the previous expressions. It opens with quite a pleasant and lively fizziness, intermingling with fruity jammy notes of strawberries and raspberries and some zesty citrus pulp - in a way that reminds me somewhat of cranberry soda. Some subtle floral notes of rose kick in at the end. 

Finish: Short, bright and citrusy with green grape notes and a delicate whisper of rosewater.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I think this is a fun and refreshing wine option for hotter summer days. It's packed full of fruity-floral flavors of rose musk and raspberry jam (which I assume likely comes from the small addition of Cienna), which might get cloying if not for the added zesty effervescence of citrus that lifts up the expression and makes it quite quenching! I would pair this with cheeses or more crisp green fruits. 

Brown Brothers Cienna 2022, 8.5% ABV - Tasting Notes

Appearance: Deep ruby red.

Aroma: Aromatic, with rich notes of ripe cherries and stewed blackcurrants; punctuated by dark espresso and mild tobacco.

Taste: Opens with loads of baking spices and blackcurrant! There's a sweet, jammy quality to the taste here, with added notes of raspberries and cinnamon powder. A touch of earthiness and tobacco nuances the richer, fruity confectionary notes. 

Finish: Medium, and packed with stewed blackcurrant and raspberryflavors. The spices gain greater prominence in the finish, with lingering cinnamon, star anise and kola nuts rounding out the finish and imbuing an unexpected yet not at all unpleasant note of cola! 

Overall Thoughts:

Rich and fairly confectionary, the Cienna had very quaffable dessert-like flavors of cherry and currant jamminess, but nuanced with the addition of baking spices and earthiness that lingered nicely into the finish. It would be great as a digestif after dinner, or paired with desserts with chocolatey, espresso profiles for contrast. 

The above wines can be purchased in Singapore at FairPrice, Giant, Sheng Siong, Prime Supermarket, Shell, Cheers, Shopee, RedMart, The Boozy Hub, Wines N Spirits, PandaMart, and are distributed by Platinum Wines.

@lotusroot518