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| Of particular importance to Shadowfax are the very close relationships with a select group of growers who provide harvests of the most intensely flavoured fruit. A prolific trophy winner, Shadowfax are a refreshing new wave, vigorously fruit driven, livelier than her Victorian siblings, characterised by slatey, flavoursome acidity, a touch of lees complexity and judicious dryness. Shadowfax» |
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| Brookland Valley Estate made a conspiuous impression through their stirling efforts at Cabernet Merlot when they claimed several significant trophies, including the hotly contested Qantas Best Wine of Show. Expressing fully the generous palate structure and aromatic richness of the stylish Margaret River Cab Merlot accord, beautifully perfumed, bramble flavoured wine, brimming with the quality and elegance which has earned Brookland Valley Estate a five star reputation. Brookland Valley» |
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| Meshach William Burge 1843-1942, was Grant's great grandfather, a central figure in establishing the Burge vineyards and estate. He was eleven years of age when his family moved from Wiltshire to the Barossa, where he toiled to develop what has grown into a thriving viticultural, wheat and sheep property near Lyndoch. Grant Burge» |
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| When Johann Gramp planted his vines along the banks of Jacob's Creek in 1847, he was less preoccupied with the making of history but more concerned with the selection of rootstock and fruit, his choice was Shiraz. Jacobs Creek still retain access to some of the oldest vines in Australia and can call on harvests of the finest Barossa Shiraz every year. Jacobs Creek» |
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| Outstanding Langtons Classification. The locals around the Lovedale property say that the sandy soils are so poor, that even the rabbits have to bring a tucker box just to survive! The lean and mean terroir is elemental to the long lived, fine boned style. Mount Pleasant» |
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| Bleasdale are Australia's second oldest family owned winery, established 1850 by English migrant Frank Potts. Potts built much of Adelaide's early colonial works before settling down to his homestead at Langhorne Creek. Bleasdale» |
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| Enthused by a consuming desire to make great wine, Andrew Nugent honed his craft as viticulturalist and winemaker amongst the vines of McLaren Vale before returning to the Adelaide Hills, where he established his very own wineworks at Woodside. Hand crafted from fruit grown to mineral rich soils above the historic Bird in Hand gold mine, a pure Pinot Noir with superb effervescence, dominated by red berry characters, adorned by a lift of stonefruits and floral.. Bird In Hand» |
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| Richard Bailey planted one of the first Glenrowan vineyards in the 1860s. The Bailey estate survived the downturn of the Victorian gold rush, the ravages of phylloxera and excesses of the Kelly gang, it endures to this day, producing some of the nation's most intensely flavoured and historically significant wines. Baileys Glenrowan» |
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| Since inaugural release, Howard Park Chardonnay has wowed wine judges and reviewers internationally. It was awarded Best White Trophy at the Tri-National Wine Challenge, Gold Medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Blue Gold at the Sydney International, two years in a row. Howard Park» |
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| The top cut, off a mere four hectares Pinot Noir, eighteen different rootstock and clone, all picked by hand and separately fermented. Parcels are treated to minimalist vinification and the extravagance of a Vaslin Bucher basket press, followed by a year in the finest French oak barriques and three years cellaring before release. Pressing Matters» |
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| The term Terra rossa means red earth, a rich, free draining soil that is considered by many as the viticultural equivalent of discovering gold. Beneath the strata of red earth at Wrattonbully sits a layer of ancient limestone, a winegrower's dream as it allows free drainage of water, yet ensures vine roots stay close to the surface, putting natural stress on the vine and limiting its vigor and yield. Smith Hooper» |
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| Don Lewis spent thirty five years crafting the nation's most memorable vintages while at Mitchelton. Nowadays he travels to Spain each year where he makes wine for Merum Priorati, returning to Australia just in time for vintage. Tar Roses» |
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About Loveblock - the Winery
Loveblock
Loveblock is a place of clean soils, healthy fauna and abundant flora, pure natural surrounds, sound viticutural practices and of course, great great wine
Back in 2004, Loveblock was a wild piece of land, untamed and hidden from the world. After working in the wine industry for most of their lives, Erica and Kim wondered what they could do with this wildness, how would the unique terroir translate to flavours in wine? Could they make wine that is elegant, restrained and complex? Wine that speaks of its place and season. Here in New Zealand land is precious; the economy largely depends on agriculture. As grape growers and wine farmers, Erica and Kim are custodians of this land. They must take care of it, restore soil balance and fertility without commercial fertilisers and chemical protection. They have learned that the rhythm of the land is immoveable, that we need to submit to it and respect it to get the best from it.
Erica and Kim want to make the best wine they can, wine that speaks with the voice of naked terroir. To do this, they hired the best winemaker in the land! At the heart of their environmental practice and ethical farming is the triple bottom line concept, Profit People Place, which directs the business and balance sheet, human resources and the overall health of those people in the business as well as the land and farming methods. Loveblock have a deeply held belief that people are custodians of their land. They farm it and grow grapes in accordance with Organic Certification standards, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand principles and low chemical intervention farming.
Grapes harvested from organically grown vines vary significantly from those harvested from conventionally or SWNZ grown vines. Organic vines compete with grasses for minerals and water because weeds and grasses are not killed using chemical herbicides.
Vigor is naturally curbed, plants are less active at harvest time and therefore deliver lower yields and around two weeks later than conventionally grown grapes. With Sauvignon Blanc for instance, the flavour profile at harvest is less pungent for various reasons.
Once harvested and in the winery, Organic Certification directs a low intervention regime that rejects using certain compounds routinely used in winemaking. Only organically certified products can be used, including yeasts and fining products. With limited yeasts available to capture a wider flavour spectrum and a lot of fining agents out of bounds, the organic winemakers’ toolbox is a lot more limited. In all cases, organic wine is a pure expression of the vineyard site and the handprint of the winemaker is much smaller. Winemakers have to be more careful, the flavours are more fragile and the thread of balance striven for in the vineyard needs to be retained. The wines are processed in a small Organically Certified Winery, developing at their own pace.
At Loveblock Farm, the anchor Estate Vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley is certified organic by BioGro New Zealand. The Loveblock team incorporate methods that are centuries old, such as composting to promote biodiversity and build soil, but they also draw from modern technology and equipment to make the vineyards more carbon efficient. Great wine of course, follows suit.
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