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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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| Streicker's Bridgeland property yields harvests of the finest Shiraz. Crafted to traditional winemaking techniques, a regimen of old fashioned plungings and open ferments, into a pure, single vineyard Rhone style Syrah. Streicker» |
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| The inaugural release of Hanging Rock Shiraz was vintage 1987 and what an event it was, immediately claiming gold and inspiring comparisons to Grange by the industry press. From from fruit grown to the estate Athols Paddock, a complex Heathcote style, more Syrah than Shiraz, boasting several trophies and over fifty gold to its distinguished history, big, powerful and rich, yet exhibiting an elegance and finesse that's rare in Australian wine. Hanging Rock» |
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| Campbell's Topaque is the most wickedly intense, lusciously rich elixir, laden with candied peel flavours, honeycombed fruit and amber complexities. Painstakingly crafted to the old world Solera system, a bespoke tradition of fractional blending and elevage, achieving the most indulgent concentration of flavour through a laborious racking of barrels as the angels take their share. Campbells» |
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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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| Paringa is one of Victoria's leading estates, having claimed Royal Melbourne Most Successful Winery Trophy and earning impressive international acclaim for it's founder, the eminent Lindsay McCall. His style is defined by his passion for viticulture and devotion to the art of making nothing but the finest wines. Paringa Estate» |
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| Haan have claimed a breathtaking tally of world class accolades for such a small, boutique Barossa estate. Conspicuous trophies and medals at the prestigious London International, Australian Wine Producer of Year and Trophy for Best Blended Red. Haan» |
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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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| A vineyard of some historical import, Bernoota is the original block, planted to the Follett family homestead along the banks of River Bremer, two decades before federation. A splendid construct of Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet, selected from old vines around the distinguished Follett family vineyard, perennially released to resounding accolades. Lake Breeze» |
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| Perfect balance in wine cannot be manufactured, it occurs naturally. Gemtree achieves this elusive idyll. Gemtree» |
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| Woodhenge is about big ideas, in the manner of cyclopean fences built by Australia's early settlers. A wine of great elemental sculpture, the assemblage of individual vineyard and sub-regional characteristics is the key to success of the style. Wirra Wirra» |
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| From the home of the 2007 Jimmy Watson, prior vintages of School Block have claimed gold medals at the London International and UK Sunday Times. A deluxe assembly of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot from three Scarpantoni vineyards, each with a unique terroir and mesoclime. Scarpantoni» |
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About Ninth Island - the Winery
Ninth Island
The Ninth Island Vineyard blocks sit on the 41st parallel astride Tasmania's lavish Pipers Brook and Tamar River Valley regions
Ninth Island, which is part of the Kreglinger group of wineries, acquired the immensely successful D Block Vineyard in 1993. Being located on the banks of the Tamar River this site does not have the frost risk of Tasmanian other vineyards. The view here is fantastic, and being a comparatively warm site, it is dedicated to table wine production, the backbone for Ninth Island's Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc range. It is also the source of Pipers Brook Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Tamar Estate (Cab/Merlot) wines. It is also the only site that is able to adequately ripen fruit if the vines are managed correctly to produce the Pipers Brook Tamar Estate Cab Merlot
The E Block vineyard is a small 6Ha adjunct to Ninth Island Vineyard (D blocks) and was planted in 1995 to Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay. This vineyard is irrigated from time to time and is generally managed using a combination of mechanical and manual inputs. The north facing aspect of this vineyard provides ideal growing and ripening conditions for the lush vines.
Don Buchannan developed the small Ninth Island H Block vineyard in the Tamar Valley in the late 1980s. The vineyard plays a significat role in the Ninth Island wines, particularly the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. This vineyard operates principally under a mechanised management strategy with the use of machines for vine management where possible. Dolerite soils require seasonal irrigation and fertilisers for maintaining vine health and fruit quality.
The Ninth Island B Block vineyard was planted in 1987 mostly to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
The B Block vineyard is susceptible to spring and autumn frosts. These frost conditions are managed with the use of three frost fans and sprinkler frost control systems. Planted under a high-density regime, it is non irrigated and located on deep red Kroznozem soils, ideally suited to the production of the Ninth Island Sparklings. Ninth Island have engineered an ongoing vine grafting program into this vineyard to extract lavish Pinot Grigio fruit.
The Ninth Island's G block property is the largest of the Pipers Brook Vineyard group. Totalling approx 56 Ha it was planted over three years from 1997 - 1999. It is planted primarily to pinot noir with some significant areas of chardonnay, pinot gris and a little pinot meniure. The soils generally consist of a medium clay loam through to a deeper Red Kroznozem soil type through the centre of the property. The vineyard is managed for production of both sparkling and table wines.
Viticulture operations are generally mechanised with the use of machine harvesters, wire lifting machines, leaf pluckers etc. This sight is flat in comparison to other Pipers Brook Vineyard sites and requires the seasonal use of five frost fans in susceptible areas to prevent damage to the vines from low overnight air temperatures. This vineyard is an important component to the Ninth Island Pinot Noir, Ninth Island Pinot Grigios and Ninth Island Sparkling wines.
The Ninth Island Sparkling wine vineyards are usually trained to a vertical shoot positioned canopy
The VSP system shades the fruit resulting in less colour and higher malic acid levels, both positive factors for sparkling wine. The cool sites produce ripe grapes with enough acidity to allow the base wines to undergo a full malo. This results in a rich, subtle and sophisticated style.
Low yields base wines only have richness and mouthfeel if they are from vines that have not been overcropped, ideally between 6 - 12 tonnes per hectare. Close planted vineyards history has shown that close planted vines do compete for soil moisture and begin their grape ripening cycle earlier than vines under less competitive pressure. The early style objective employed by Ninth Island for selected wines is to make big, juicy wines with rich mouthfeel and a dry finish.
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