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From parcels of Pinot Noir, planted to the foot of tailings, left behind by waves of prospectors who pursued their fortune amongst the open pits and mines on Adelaide Hills during the gold rush of the 1850s. Crushed and destemmed straight into the press with minimal time on skins to extract the perfect pink, its blushing lipstick hues presage a cornucopia of lifted strawberry and cherry blossom characters, ruby grapefruit and luscious jube over a length of tasty, toothsome tannins, the perfect Rosé for lazy afternoons or late night soirées. Bird In Hand» |
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Given the scarcity of Best's prestige, limited release, old vineyard icons, Bin #1 affords enthusiasts their first taste of the Great Western Shiraz style and leaves them eager to discover more. A classic, cool climate, aromatic wine, floral and spicy, peppery and elegant, retaining vital Great Western fruit character. Bests» |
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John Glaetzer is the winemaker behind Australia's most legendary sequence of Jimmy Watson Trophy winning vintages. Langhorne Creek is a place of spectacular editions Cabernet Sauvignon, powerfully structured, beautifully aromatic wines of edifying regional eloquence, gorgeous dark fruit flavours and lusciously gummy tannins. Gipsie Jack» |
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Tim Knappstein began his apprenticeship under the family owned Stanley Wine Company. Within a decade, Tim had won more than 500 show awards, gold medals and trophies for the premium Leasingham range. Riposte» |
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Mandoon are a Swan Valley operation of great provenance, their homestead vineyard being an ancient block established on the first rural grant in Western Australia, circa 1929 at a property named Sandalford. Always on the lookout for exceptional parcels of fruit, the highly decorated Mandoon team have focused on a northern block of Research Station Vineyard in Margaret River. Mandoon» |
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Originally planted during early settlement, the sandy loam soils of Haan Vineyard yield an outstanding quality of Shiraz. Fortuitously positioned along the hallowed mile of Siegersdorf Road, mid way between the ancient winegrowing hamlets of Angaston and Tanunda, the heirloom parcels once known as Hanenhof, have claimed significant trophies at the prestigious London International. Haan» |
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The highly opportune Pinot Noir vines at Bird In Hand are planted on the site of an ancient gold mine, a godsend of fortuitously fertile soils, magnificent growing conditions for stellar quality Adelaide Hill wines. Fermented in own bottle and aged five years on lees in true Méthode champenoise, the term of extended maturation imparts luxurious biscuit notes, chantilly crème and frais de bois. Bird In Hand» |
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The Moppa district was a flourishing settlement of pioneering farmers and gold miners. When the Kalleske vineyard was established in 1853, there were few schools in the region, so local parents established the Moppa Public School to provide their children with a formal education. Kalleske» |
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Vintaged from a single block of magnificent old vines on the cooler climes of Eden Valley high. Heirloom are all about identifying and rejuvenating superior parcels, a patient and painstaking approach to the resurrection of venerable elder plantings, for the realization of profoundly structured, powerful yet elegant wines. Heirloom» |
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There are two superb high altitude sites in Carey Gully and Piccadilly Valley, which yield an extraordinary quality of Sauvignon Blanc. Knappstein take the top cut of each harvest, crushing the fruit for a long cool vinification, treating a batch to the added richness of oak barrel ferments for texture, complexity and weight. Riposte» |
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Coriole is one of McLaren Vale's most eminent, artisanal estates. Consecutive vintages of Coriole Shiraz have claimed a remarkable back to back San Francisco Double Gold. Coriole» |
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Twice Gold Medal Challenge International du Vin! Moscatel and Gewürtztraminer grapes, grown to estate vineyards on the mountains of the Upper Penedes, form the backbone of fruit for Viña Esmeralda, a delicate but strunningly fragrant wine. The dry fig and raisin characters of Moscatel de AlejandrÃa give Esmerelda it's luscious and flavourful palate, fleshed out by the orange of Frontignac or Moscatel de Grano Menudo as the Spanish say, further enhanced by the complex aromaticness and spice of the vivacious Traminer.. Torres» |
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Bethany
About Bethany - the Winery
Bethany
Johann Gottlob Schrapel and his family arrived in South Australia from Silesia on the ship George Washington in 1844, just eight years after the colony was settled
Like many of their fellow Germanic migrants they made their way by ox cart to Bethany, the Barossa Valley’s first settlement, where they established a home and cleared the land to grow crops and graze animals. The Schrapels planted their first vineyard in 1852 from cuttings carefully nursed from Europe. A wine cellar was also built, but despite Johann’s reputation as an early colonial winemaker, the family concentrated on grape growing rather than winemaking for the next four generations. More than a century later in 1981, Johann’s fifth generation descendants, brothers Geoff and Robert Schrapel, established Bethany Wines in a quarry, where the pioneers had hewn stone for their homes, high in the Barossa Ranges overlooking the family’s vineyards and the historic village of Bethany.
The early 1980s were tough times for Barossa grapegrowers. A red wine boom was followed by a glut and, as grape prices fell below production cost, the State Government encouraged growers to pull out their old Shiraz and Grenache vines. Instead, the Schrapels chose to establish a tradition of winemaking from this undervalued yet irreplaceable resource of old vineyards. Gradually their reputation grew.
Now a vibrant family wine company, Bethany Wines employs many people and plays a significant role in the Barossa community. Geoff and Robert’s vision was to create a Barossa wine experience and in doing so, improve the quality of life for their customers, friends and family. In this they have succeeded. Their aim is to live well, provide for their children, care for the land and hand the winery and vineyards to the next generation in a better position than when they started.
The family's historic vineyards are the key to production of theiquality wines. Thirty hectares of vineyard in Bethany are owned by the Schrapels, comprising the Bethanien Block, the Old Manse Block and the Homestead Block. A range of varieties are grown from Chardonnay, Riesling and Semillon to Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Grenache. The age of their vines ranges from 15 to 80 years. The old vines require traditional management of hand pruning and harvesting, while the newer plantings are managed with modern viticultural techniques such as close planting, high trellises and canopy control.
Geoff and Robert look for maximum expression of fruit flavour in their wines and pay particular attention to the careful handling of grapes at vintage. The use of chemicals is minimised in grape growing and wine is made in small lots to maximise variations in fruit flavour and ripeness which contribute complexity to the wines; wines which are the most natural expression of their unique Barossa terroir.
During the last two decades Bethany Wines has won acclaim at Australian and international wine shows and consumer tastings for its hand-made, fruit driven wines. The greatest natural advantage the Schrapels have is the fruit which comes from the family's carefully tended vineyards. Their thirty hectares of vineyard in Bethany, comprising the Bethanien Block, the Old Manse block and the Homestead Block are fanned during summer evenings with cooling gully breezes, creating a special microclimate which allows the grapes to achieve good sugar and acid levels without becoming over-ripe. It takes a long time to know a vineyard. At Bethany these vines can live for four or five generations. The special understanding of how to grow grapes on the unique Bethany clay soils has taken many years for the Schrapel descendants to master.
The idyllicly gradual ripening conditions create well balanced wines with flavour and structure. The life cycle of the vineyard continues in much the same way as it always has, with minimal intervention to produce the best possible grapes and wines. Bethany also leases a further seven hectares of vineyard in the Trial Hill area in the high country of the Barossa Valley which contributes added elegance and complexity to their wines.
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