Returned servicemen from the Great War could look forward to government grants of pastoral freehold. West Australia's Willyabrup Valley was such a place, just a short walk from the balmy beaches of Indian Ocean, it offered the veterans excellent potential for agriculture. The fertile lands of Sussex Vale were originally established to animal husbandry by the discharged troopers, generations of livestock enriched the soils and it was astutely sown to vines in 1973. Fortuitously placed at the very heart of the Australian west's most illustrious estates, it continued to occupy the thoughts of neighbouring Howard Park's chief winemaker, until he acquired the property and relaunched a softly spoken range of.. A better block on hay shed hill»

There are few family names in the Australian wine industry as eminent and enduring as Glaetzer and Potts, they own and operate many of the oldest and most precious vineyards in Langhorne Creek. John Glaetzer was right hand man to the legendary Wolf Blass throughout the breathtaking sequence of Black Label Jimmy Watson victories. Ben Potts learned his trade at the oldest family owned wineworks in Australia Bleasdale, established by the larger than life Frank Potts in 1858. Ben's great grandfather was the first Langhorne Creek grower to supply grapes to Wolf Blass. The Glaetzer and Potts families have collaborated for decades to achieve many of the nation's most memorable vintages. Together, Ben Potts and.. Vital vintages from the most precious parcels»

The story of Langmeil begins with early Barossa settlement, planted to Shiraz by Christian Auricht in the 1840s, the estate vineyards were restored by the Lindner and Bitter families during the 1990s. Some of Herr Auricht's original plantings are still in production, three and a half priceless acres of gnarled, dry grown vines which provided the cuttings for much of Langmeil's refurbished heirloom parcels. A princely range of old, to very old single vineyard wines, delineated by the eloquence of each unique site, defined by the provenance of history and pioneer folklore. Saved from the ravages of time by the hand of providence and generations of dedicated Barossa growers... The legacy landscapes of langmeil»

Much of the prized harvests from the Hugo family property are destined for Australia's most esteemed brands, the best parcels however, are reserved and released under the Hugo label. Consistency of quality from vintage to vintage is the objective, making wine from the pick of estate grown fruit makes it a reality. A precious component of low cropped, dry grown old vines fruit, greatly enhances the depth of flavour and overall complexity. A Shiraz of opulence and finesse, opaque and textural, in the style of McLaren Vale's most outstanding vintages, Gold Medals Winner Royal Adelaide & Australian Small Winemakers Show, have your Hugo alongside standing rib, at a very value.. Headline harvests of hugo»

Graeme Melton and a mate were travelling across South Australia in 1973, their EH Holden was in dire need of maintenance and Graeme took up casual work at a passing winery. The site supervisor was Peter Lehmann and young Graeme had his epiphany on the road to Barossa Valley. Lehmann suggested that Graeme change his name to Charlie and take the pilgrimmage to Vallee Rhone. Charlie became prepossessed with the culture of old vines Grenache, Shiraz and Mourverdre. He returned to the Barossa, at a time when old vineyard fruit was made into flagon Port and growers were destroying their historic sites in return for government grants. Charlie emabarked on a crusade to conserve and restore the ancient vines, establishing his cellars at Tanunda along Krondorf.. Melton makes a mean mourvedre»

There are four tiny patches of vine at Scotchman's Hill, which have been mollycoddled by Robin Brockett, since the start of his tenure as chief winemaker in the 1980s. Excruciatingly limited after a strict pruning and rigorous sorting of fruit, they each yield a mere hundred cases of wine. Brockett has set aside the precious harvests of these superior blocks for his own label, a personal project to hand craft the finest of vintage, an exclusive range of the Bellarine's most elite single vineyard efforts. So besotted is Brockett by the spectacular quality of fruit from these four regal parcels, he has imported two 800 Litre Tuscan vinification Amphora from the Brunello commune of Montalcino. Whole bunches and wild ferments in the like of ancient clay.. Brockett begets the best of bellarine»

Right next to the Merry Widow Inn at Glenrowan, infamous of Kelly gang folklore, Richard Bailey set up shop to service prospectors during the great Victorian gold rush of the 1860s. Rows of newly planted Shiraz soon followed and the Baileys released their first vintage in 1870. The region was ultimately infected by the terrible vine killing plague of the 1890s, a guarded blessing for Glenrowan, which elevated the quarantine status of its vitiated vineyards to a marque of the highest provenance. Baileys endure as one of the new world's most arcane and mythical wineworks, a small estate of historically significant parcels, producing limited vintages, defined by their exceptional value, purity of parentage and wondrous regional.. The bushranger's brew»

William James Maxwell was an architectural sculptor who migrated from Scotland to Australia in 1875. He built a mock castle and established a family vineyard just outside Adelaide, which he named Woodlands Park. His son planted vines in nearby McLaren Vale and his grandson served a term as winemaker for Hardy Wines at the historic Tintara wineworks. William Maxwell's progeny remain in McLaren Vale, producing the southern hemisphere's most successful brands of Honey Mead, as well as vintages of the most extraordinary value in McLaren Vale Shiraz. But what does Maxwell taste like? Gentleman James Halliday describes Maxwell as robust, picking the eyes out of McLaren Vale shiraz; licorice, dark chocolate, savoury firm, ripe tannins, blackberry, positive.. Made of mature vine mclaren vale »