Wine writer RICHARD CALVER sits up straight and pays attention as he gets a lesson from master winemaker Ken Helm in a former schoolhouse, a tiny wooden structure, built in 1888.

A friend had arranged for us to attend the Helm winery in Murrumbateman for the weekend where Ken Helm, owner and winemaker (with Rory Shingles), provided a tasting of his museum-release wines.

It happened in just the way you organise a visit to a space museum: you planet. The weather was overcast and drizzly, not at all good for the harvest of the Helm crop planned for the next day, a crop already reduced by frost and hail.

But it was an ideal day to sip wine tucked up in the welcoming tasting room. It is a former schoolhouse, a tiny wooden structure, built in 1888, which operated as the Toula Public School till 1940. Its bell features on the Helm label. Ken is on the cusp of picking his 50th vintage and as an octogenarian remains smart as a tack. 

He was in fine fettle as he took us through some of his current release wines before we experienced the museum tasting.

The two current release standouts for me were the Premium Riesling 2025, $70 a bottle, and the unique Riesling Rose’ 2025, $45 a bottle.

Ken was keen to promote that the Premium Riesling would keep for up to 50 years. The bouquet of this wine delivered green apple and white flowers. It was a wine that filled the entire palate, textural with a crisp citric acidity.

It is a wine that Ken said had been made from “perfect fruit”. He indicated that the Premium Riesling is not made every year. “In fact,” he said, “it’s only been made 17 times and is sourced from the two best vineyards in this valley.” This wine epitomises the best of the Canberra District. 

The Riesling Rose’ is unique. Ken said that his daughter, Stephanie Helm, winemaker at the Vintner s Daughter, had prompted him to make a rose’ because of its popularity, which Ken at first rejected saying: “Rose’ is often a bullshit wine.” 

He meant that it is often produced too sweet, too pale, lolly water. 

“I don’t grow any grenache or sangiovese that most rose’ is made from,” he said, “so I played around in 2022 and decided to co-ferment five per cent cabernet with 95 per cent riesling, the grapes that I grow. This is the fourth time I’ve produced this wine and it’s now our second biggest seller at the cellar door.” 

The colour of the rose’ is salmon pink, reminiscent of a Provence rose’, and the bouquet is a mix of strawberry and jasmine. The palate is dry but there’s a hint of sweetness in the finish that embraces the lime characteristics of a young riesling. It’s very different from other rose’s. I bought a bottle. 

The museum-release wines prove Ken’s proposition that his wines can be kept for a long time. This came through in the tasting of the 2006 and the 2013 Premium Riesling.

Neither displayed the petroleum taste that you get from some aged rieslings, a small amount of which can add to the flavour profile but I’ve tasted aged rieslings that are not drinkable because of this.

The 2006 had stewed apples on the nose, still bright in colour. Despite its age, the fruit characteristics were there, well balanced with a hint of citrus. The 2013 was still bright in colour, with toasted coconut on the nose. The textural elements of this wine were enhanced and it was mouth filling with balanced fruit and alcohol. These are wines made by an expert winemaker. 

Alas, I’m only an expert in ice cream, as I went to sundae school.