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Thirsting For Thistledown»
Somewhere near the Seaview end of McLaren Vale's Chapel Hill Road, a perfunctory passerine perched her pincers astride a pair of power poles and saw herself alit. Down she went amongst the dry grown branches of an old Grenache vineyard, setting the valuable veterans ablaze. The scorched site eventually came to the attention of a winemaking trio, the Messrs Leske, Tynan & Cooke, Masters of Wine and a venerable vintner, all driven by a consuming passion to make greater Grenache. Thistledown vintage very small amounts of the most extraordinary Grenache. Beautifully detailed and conspicuously elegant, their floral bouquets and graceful finish emulate the aromatic lift and peacock's tail of a prettily perfumed Pinot Noir. Magnificent to savour as a captivating aperitif, a bliss alongside fine cuisine, the Grenache of Thistledown represent an exquisite new direction in the evolving Aussie Grenache style... Polly & the pyre to paradise»
Dog Ridge
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Dog Ridge
Dog Ridge is located at the base of The Southern Mount Lofty Ranges over looking the McLaren Vale wine region

DogRidge Vineyards employ modern viticultural practices which optimise sun exposure and canopy health, resulting in ripe fruit of intense colour and quality. This desirable combination has led to the creation of wines that express outstanding depth of colour, aromatic elegance and richness of flavour.

Dog Ridge

DogRidge is a family owned operation of 140 acres (56HA). We have many different vineyards ranging in age from young 2004 graftings of Viognier to some of the oldest bush vines remaining in the region today. At the McLaren Flat vineyards, DogRidge boasts several 1940’s plantings of Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon that form the basis of the premium bottled product.

The soils vary considerably over a small area giving us the opportunity to select small parcels of the best fruit which reflect the terrior of each site adding to the uniqueness of the finished wines. DogRidge is also a respected grower for several premium McLaren Vale wine companies and is a current member of the Wine Grapes Australia group of premium grape growers.

The name Dogridge was adopted as it suits the winemaking family's extreme love for Curly Coat Retrievers and the position of the family home on a sandy ridge in McLaren Flat. DogRidge can be one or two words depending on your mood. Either way, it’s lovely wine however you say it!

Dog Ridge

The DogRidge winemakers are proud of their environmental record. Property management is focused on sustainability and includes minimizing impact on the environment, the incorporation of biodiversity in the vineyards, management and renovation of remnant areas of native vegetation, recycling both oak and green waste and conserving valuable water resources. Cleaning semi-trailer loads of rubbish from creeks at DogRidge “THE DIGS” Vineyard, removing feral non-native vegetation and rebuilding eroded creek banks with native species.

DogRidge Duck Chase vineyard was established in 2001 on a severely neglected elevated site overlooking McLaren Vale on the edge of the Onkaparinga Gorge National Park. The site was cleared again of all feral species and the valuable ancient gravelly soils brought back to life in preparation for the establishment of this state of the art vineyard. In planning for this, significant open space has been revegetated by planting 6,000 trees and shrubs, all local native species, which has introduced some biodiversity into the project.

This has created the beginning of a wildlife corridor which when finally completed will link the Onkaparinga National Park in the north to the Aldinga Scrub in the south. The joy is that the birds and animals have already moved back in and taken up residence.

DogRidge is a family business taking action on many fronts, starting with a good hard look at the winery's CO2 footprint. DogRidge manicures about 47 hectares of vineyard, using up about 940 tonnes of CO2 per annum. Production of 100 tonnes of grapes into wine each year produces about 12 tonnes CO2. Added up it looks like DogRidge produces about 100 tonnes of CO2 a year and uses about 940 tonnes. These are rough estimates but they give a good idea of how activities affect the planet, DogRidge has decided to take a leading role in the management and minimization of climate change through winemaking.

Dog Ridge