|
|
|
Glenrowan is a place of great natural endowments, it grows the finest fruit and hosted a famous gold rush. Glenrowan has remained quarantined from any exchange of viticulture since the 1890s, a felicitious quirk of history which has preserved the provenance of some great old vineyards. Baileys Glenrowan» |
|
Whole bunches and oak barrel ferments, the costly extravagance of three years tirage on sedimentery yeast lees, each bottle individually riddled by hand, disgorged and sent to cellar for the ultimate indulgence of extra age before release, Pamela is the zenith of the sparkling winemaker's art. Her luxurious effervescence exudes brioche, tarte tatin and French boulangere, her creamy textural mousse unravelling ribbons of rich yeasty autolysis, crème caramel and baked fruits. Wicks» |
|
Metala was the first ever to win Jimmy Watson Trophy, a significant accolade in the world of wine. Fruit for the White Label is sourced from splendid Langhorne Creek vines which can trace a heritage back to the original plantings of 1891. Metala» |
|
A single vineyard, strongly terroir wine by maestro Ken Helm AM, from fruit picked off neighbour Al Lustenberger's property, only released under the premium black label if it reaches the highest quality benchmarks. Since 2005 the collaboration of Lustenberger and Helm has claimed more than fourteen trophies. Helm» |
|
The Lovedale district of Hunter Valley is synonymous with world class Semillon. Resolved to make a transition from mining to wining, the De Iuliis family acquired a grazing property along Lovedale Road and established vines in the early 1990s. De Iuliis» |
|
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» |
|
Frank Potts established the Bleasdale vineyards in 1850, his eponymously labelled wine commemorates a legacy of innovation and resourcefulness. Frank Potts is a Bordeaux styled Cabernet which may contain varying portions of Malbec or Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc or Merlot depending on the performance of vintage. Bleasdale» |
|
Daniel James Wilson would write DJW rules on school book covers, desks, garden edgings and wet concrete whenever the opportunity arose. In 1997 DJW established a small 5½ acre plot of Riesling in the highest and most fertile corner of the family property. Wilson Vineyard» |
|
An auspicious construct of Barossa Shiraz, which has claimed significant awards throughout its illustrious history, including gold at the prestigious London International. Peter Scholz is one of the Barossa's most capable and respected winemakers with a heritage that dates back to early settlement. Willows» |
|
Perfect balance in wine cannot be manufactured, it occurs naturally. Gemtree achieves this elusive idyll. Gemtree» |
|
A passionate, family owned and operated winery who've been rewarded with highly coveted Royal Melbourne Gold for their impressive Langhorne Creek reds. Temple Bruer have been waving the magic wand with their brilliant efforts at Merlot, scoring further medals at the Small Winemakers and Rutherglen Wine Shows. Temple Bruer» |
|
Stephen Pannell is one of Australia's most decorated winemakers, Jimmy Watson and twice Max Schubert Trophy winner, London International Winemaker of Year and Chairman National Wine Show. He found time in between tours of duty at Wirra Wirra, Tintara and BRL Hardy, to do vintage in Burgundy, at the illustrious Mouton Rothschild and amongst the grand old vines of Barolo. SC Pannell» |
|
Terra Felix
About Terra Felix - the Winery
Terra Felix
Terra Felix was originally launched as the second label to the highly respected Tallarook Wines and grew to become a premium winemaking estate
Using excess grapes from Tallarook and surrounding vineyards, Terra Felix immediately caught the attention of wine reviewers. The initial vintages concentrated on commercial varieties such as Shiraz, Merlot Cabernet and Chardonnay. The problem facing the fledging brand was that there were plenty of these wines available on the market and distribution was a challenge. It was decided that Terra Felix should reposition its offering and concentrate largely on using Northern Rhone grape varieties. And why not? The growing conditions, soil and climate around Tallarook bear an uncanny resemblance to Northern Rhone.
The Goulburn region has shown a natural affinity with the Northern Rhône varieties. In January 2003, the region was awarded its own GI (Geographical Indicator) recognition. Shiraz, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, all flourish here, not surprising considering the uncanny similarities between the two regions. Steep granite slopes falling away to alluvial valley floors; a continental climate with comparable sun hours, rainfall and heat summations.
The Shiraz therefore became a Shiraz Viognier, the Merlot Cabernet was replaced with a Mourvedre; a Marsanne Roussanne was introduced, and only the Chardonnay remained from the initial offering. Those who know the Tallarook Chardonnay will understand why Chardonnay survived. Simply the fruit was too good to pass over. With the release of the new varieties in 2004, Terra Felix started to gain momentum in its growth.
Tallarook acquired a contract winery in the Yarra Valley called Master Winemakers. Winemaker Terry Barrett came with an impressive pedigree, most recently he had been chief at Brown Brothers. There his role required him to run the entire Operating Division which included internal and external grape supply, winemaking, and packaging. He was responsible for wine that had won over 50 trophies and 200 gold medals at national and international wine shows. He led innovation at Brown Brothers with the introduction of Italian and Spanish grape varieties as well as the flagship Patricia Range of wines.
By the end of 2005 Terra Felix was emerging as a strong business in its own right. It was decided that the Board of Terra Felix would split and three members would buy out the initial owner. A close relationship was maintained with Tallarook through grape supply and wine making at Master Winemakers. Winemakers Terry Barrett and Trina Smith continued their passion to make Terra Felix a highly recognised brand. Their efforts culminated in the 2005 Terra Felix Shiraz Viognier being awarded Wine of the Year by the Penguin Good Australian Wine guide. Terra Felix was being taken seriously indeed.
At the behest of winemaker Terry Barrett, vinification moved to Mitchelton where Terry could make Terra Felix utilising a much more sophisticated infrastructure than he had at his disposal. He also was keen to lock in supply of very high quality fruit. This required finding vineyards that were prepared to partner Terra Felix in their plans to grow the brand in Australia and at the export market. Today, the fruit for Terra Felix is grown by a number of small family owned vineyards from around the region of the Upper Goulburn, an area which is becoming renowned internationally as source of some of Australia's finest wines.
|
|