News

After 3 vintages of torture the 2010 vintage saw McLaren Vale return to the way things used to be. A vintage of even temperatures, a useful few splashes of rain, no extremes.

Picking started a week or two earlier than it used to but our crops are a tonne or two per acre less than they used to be.

We got underway on February 12, picking Chardonnay and from then on vintage just kept ticking along in a very orderly fashion through to our last pick, which was Tempranillo, in the last week of March.

Selador Wines are thrilled to announce the addition of Warner Glen Estate, from Margaret River, Western Australia. After undertaking a trip to this region last year we have been keeping a close eye on wine coming from this region. Fast forward several months and we are finally adding this region to our portfolio.

Established in 1993, Warner Glen Estate sits on 100 hectares of pristine land abutting the Chapman Brook and National Park. The southern region of Margaret River consistently produces Australia’s best Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and is considered by some to be the home of Cabernet Sauvignon. The business is family owned and operated, and all efforts are driven by ‘Three Pillars of Quality’: Quality Terroir; Quality Viticulture and Quality Winemaking.

I was at a loose end one afternoon in early January and found myself reflecting on my last Australia Day weekend in 2009. My business partner and I had taken a road trip to McLaren Vale with the Selador Wines mascots (Murphy & Gypsy the Labradors) and had a ball! The memories prompted me to consider another trip, especially given that we had added another winery from McLaren Vale, Hastwell & Lightfoot.

You may be aware that several of our wines achieved great results at the Sydney International Wine Competition at the end of last year. This competition is the only event in Australia in which wine is rated against food.

One of the main aims of the Competition is to offer consumers independent information to help in their choice of wines more likely to enhance the pleasures of the daily dining experience and, by so doing, to add enjoyment and contentment to their everyday lives.

Well it is fast approaching vintage time so it's going to be all hands on deck with our wineries. In fact some have already started vintage due to the climatic conditions over the past 8 weeks or so.

Below is a little snippet from each winery to bring you up to date.

Always a great event to see what's new & exciting from New Zealand as well as some of the well known brands.

Two of New Zealand's best boutique wineries, Domaine Georges Michel (Marlborough) and Lamont Wines (Central Otago) will not be attending this year as they will be making separate visits later in the year with us to visit their loyal trade supporters and members of the public. Details later in the year.

Always a great event to see what's new & exciting from New Zealand as well as some of the well known brands.

Two of New Zealand's best boutique wineries, Domaine Georges Michel (Marlborough) and Lamont Wines (Central Otago) will not be attending this year as they will be making separate visits later in the year with us to visit their loyal trade supporters and members of the public. Details later in the year.

Pause and reflect before you make your next wine purchase – you can make a difference.

Sadly it has become doom and gloom in the wine industry after a very buoyant decade both domestically and internationally. Despite drought, fire and water issues, Australia’s grape growers have produced a surplus equivalent to 100 million cases of wine. How much is that I hear you ask? Think of 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools and you will be pretty close!

30 October - 1st November 2009

Recently I had the pleasure of taking part in the Marlborough Wine Weekend. The aim of the weekend was to bring together trade (journalists, wine judges, distributors) and wine enthusiasts to showcase the very best of Marlborough. A limited number of tickets were available for this weekend which consisted of tastings, master classes, winery visits and a gala dinner.

Once again I was very impressed with the attention to detail and organisation that went on behind the scenes to make this weekend a true delight. The weekend unfolded as follows:

Domaine Georges Michel have recently opened their 'tasting lounge' at La Veranda, situated next to the cellar door and winery. The resident host will be Rudy Schuil and the experience will be French with a New Zealand twist. The tasting lounge offers visitors to the cellar door an opportunity to extend their stay, sample some delightful and affordable plates of French cuisine and re-visit their favourite wines from one of the wine flights.