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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» |
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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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The five most most exclusive parcels of old vine Shiraz, a secret component of the Barossa's most memorable vintages, hand picked off the De Fazio and Hillview vineyards at Belvidere and Moppa. Batches are crushed into traditional open top fermenters for a week of pumpovers, gently pressed into an extravagantly high proportion of new French oak hogsheads for two years maturation, followed by the final assemblage, unfiltered and unfined. Pirathon» |
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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» |
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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» |
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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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Charles Cimicky was inspired by his father to take over the reins at the family estate, that's when the good wines started turning into awesome wines. Today, Cimicky is one of the most meticulous winemakers in South Australia. Charles Cimicky» |
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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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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» |
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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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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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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» |
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About Gapsted - the Winery
Gapsted
Pass over the Buckland Gap, turn left at Tobacco Road, and cross over Snowy Creek to arrive at Gapsted's Victorian Alps Winery
Gapsted Wines is the premium brand from the Victorian Alps Winery. Small parcels of fruit are hand selected and crafted into these meticulous wines of distinction. The range focuses on single varietals and innovative wines, including the Gapsted Ballerina Canopy series, Gapsted Limited Release and Gapsted Valley Selection. The Victorian Alps winery was established in 1997 by six great friends who were also wine professionals. Their extensive experience in the industry and their passion for the region were central to the success of the winery over its relatively short existence. In 1999 the first wines were released under the Gapsted brand and in 2001 the stunning and award winning Cellar Door was opened.
The winery and cellar door are located on the Great Alpine Road, one of Australia’s premier touring routes. The road meanders its way along the stunningly picturesque Ovens Valley, up through the rugged Victorian mountain ranges to the height of 1700 metres, before winding down the other side and ending at Australia’s sun drenched southern coastline. The owners of Victorian Alps Winery are all passionate wine people with Shayne Cunningham, John Cavendon and Pat Murtagh providing the inspiration for the state.
John & Pat grew up together on neighbouring farms in the district. After their wild youth days of bush dances and courting girls, they settled down with loved ones, and planted vineyards. Shayne was a winemaker in the northern district of Australia, and would travel regularly to the North East Victorian region to sample grapes. He met John and Pat and they instantly became friends through their common love of the region, good food and fantastic wines. They all had a dream to build their own winery and decided to become business partners. After many long nights of planning and (the occasional tipple), the dream of Victorian Alps Winery became a reality. Today the winery crushes 11,000 tons and has storage capacity of over 9 million litres.
The unique combination of having a winemaker and growers as owners, allows the estate to have total control over the winemaking process from growing the fruit, right through to making the wine and distribution. Unlike larger commercial wineries, the estate avoids massive blending to intentionally create the same generic flavoured wine year in year out. Each wine is individual and carries the winemakers own signature, personality, and distinctiveness. It is a labour of love and passion from three mates that desire to produce special and personally appealing wines.
Careful and meticulous winemaking practices and specialized viticulture are utilized to ensure the highest quality cool climate wines are produced. Central to the process is the ballerina method of canopy vine management that allows the gentle morning sunlight and soft mountain breezes to delicately ripen the fruit, producing vibrant colours and intense fruit flavours. This distinctive canopy is symbolized by the Gapsted Wines ballerina icon.
The estate has a team of three excellent winemakers who are willing to throw their thoughts into the ring. They have virtually unlimited access to ultra premium cool climate fruit, grown by the partners of the estate, and a large modern winery producing a small premium product. All these factors combine to give Gapsted great structure and support, with the nimbleness to act as a boutique producer. The winemaking team places great emphasis on the importance of research and development and a significant part of this is experimenting with new varieties. The varieties also showcase the region; in particular the King Valley which is widely recognised as a pre-eminent area for alternate grape varieties, particularly those from the Mediterranean region. Gapsted now have an extensive range of Limited Release wines and intend to continue to develop the portfolio of unusual varieties.
The Victorian Alps Winery has spent many years producing wine for some of Australia's most prominent companies and in developing the premium Gapsted brand. The alpine influence is attributed to the altitude, cool alpine breezes, high rainfall and snow run off in spring providing abundant clear, fresh water. The water is naturally the coolest, clearest and cleanest with natural rivers, lakes and springs in abundance. These attributes combined with the cool nights contribute to unique climatic conditions of the King and Alpine Valleys. The cool ripening conditions prevent high levels of transpiration thus allowing grapes to retain natural acids, sugars and esters creating intense, lifted fruit flavours.
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