The economic enthusiasm of a young, sprawling land has sparked a remarkable and recent growth of under-populated Australia as a new star in the international wine export firmament. The Aussies are mounting a strong challenge to both Italy and France as a leading export resource for the United States. The ambitious Down Under wine producers are among the most advanced technically in the wide world of wine. Both vineyards and wineries have harnessed the principles of automation and as a result, premium bottlings are marketed as quite affordable. Virtually the entire southern coastal areas are now rife with producers, led by South Australia and New South Wales designations. Western Australia has quite recently taken advantage of its mild marine climate to initiate new vineyard development.

White varietals were an initial focus, with Chardonnay, Semillon and Riesling leading the way. In the past two decades, reds have come into their own, led by Shiraz, the Australian designation for the Syrah varietal. Cabernet Sauvignon is another widely planted red. Blends of both white and red are also common. Mitchell Wines’s Australian portfolio is focused on cooler weather appellations. We believe that these areas produce more refined, distinctive, and food friendly wines because of longer ripening seasons and lower yields.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Bleasdale — Langhorne Creek
Bleasdale’s vineyards were founded in 1850 by Frank Potts, making Bleasdale one of Australia’s oldest family-owned wineries. Bleasdale today is owned and operated by fourth and fifth generation members of the family. The winemakers are Michael Potts and Renae Hirsch. The principal varietals are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and the white varietal Verdelho.

Flinders Run
Established by Emanuel and Laura Skorpos in 1997, Flinders Run is located on the fertile plains of the Southern Flinders Ranges at the top of Spencer Gulf. Their property comprises a total of 170 acres of land, the vineyard are planted to the classic varieties of Shiraz and Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Water comes from an underground spring fed aquifer of excellent quality and is then pumped up and through an intricate series of pumps and pipes to drip irrigate the vineyard. The vineyard is viticulturally innovative and uses all the latest proven technology presently available in Australia. Advanced soil moisture monitoring, careful and strict disease and pest control practices combined with selective bud placement and numbers ensures very low yielding vines. All this effort is to ensure that the vines are in balance at all times, to ensure the highest quality fruit possible.

Longwood Estate — McLaren Vale
Phil Christiansen formerly worked at famed Hardy’s Winery, where he was a red winemaker in charge of their best wines. Since then, he has gone solo, making Shiraz in small, but ever increasing quantities. The Longwood philosophy of winemaking has always been based on creating wines that are fruit dominant. The structural quality of the wines (tannin and acid) is as natural as possible and is complimentary to the generous fruit weight in the glass.

Mollydooker — McLaren Vale
Mollydooker is an affectionate Aussie term for Left-Hander - because both Sarah and Sparky Marquis – the husband and wife winemakingteam based in McLaren Vale Australia - are both lefties!

Besides being left-handed, Sarah & Sparky are some of the most decorated winemakers in the world. They have received more 94-99 point scores from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate than other winemakers in the world. They have been awarded with five 99-point scores in the last 10 years. Five of their wines have been chosen in the Wine Spectator’s “Top 100” and their Carnival of Love Shiraz has made the “Top 10” list (two years ina row).

Sarah & Sparky have been named “Australian Winemakers of the Year”, have been chosen by Robert Parker among the “Top Wine Personalities in the World” and have been crowned “McLaren Vale’s Bushing King andQueen” a record three times. More information on this great winery can be viewed here.

Oliver Hill — McLaren Vale
Oliver Hill is a small boutique winery owned by Linda and Stuart Miller and founded in 1973. They specialize in premium quality, limited production reds. Specifically, a single vineyard Shiraz, “Jimmy Section”, coming from a small 5-acre plot planted 30 years ago; a Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the lower section of the same vineyard along with some Durif; and a Grenache, sourced from the “Bradey Block” vineyard of old bush vines some 80 years old. The wines represent the classic South Australian style, big and juicy with sweet black fruits, broad shouldered with substantial palate presence, yet maintaining balance and exceptional fruit intensity.

Tait Wines — Barossa
Tait Wines is located at the southern end of the famous Barossa Valley. The Tait family has long established roots in the South Australian wine industry and in particular they were long known for their fine cooperage skills. The Barossa fruit they use is always very low-yielding and produces highly concentrated flavors and aromas. Winemaker Bruno Tait’s winemaking philosophy is a simple one – source the highest quality grapes possible, preferably from old vines, and then produce limited quantities of full-bodied, rich flavored wines that are mouth-filling and soft-textured, expressing the generosity of the Barossa at its best.

NEW SOUTH WALES
Margan Family — Hunter Valley
With over 25 vintages of experience both in Australia (specifically Tyrrell’s Wines), and in Europe, Andrew Margan combines his understanding of vineyard management with his winemaking expertise to craft wines of individual character and finesse. The Hunter Valley is one of the few places where wine is made characterized by a warm, maritime climate. This climate generally produces ripe grapes that transform into rich, full-bodied wines with a softness that makes them a pleasure to drink.

Nugan Family — Southeast Australia
Nugan Estate, with its blend of the best of Old World tradition and the latest in New World winemaking technology, has a stable of wines sourced from the vineyards in McLaren Vale, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra, King Valley and the Riverina. The yields in the vineyards are kept at a level that is 50% less than their neighbors. These low-yields reinforce the quality rather than quantity-driven focus of the Nugan wines. For many years, they have been the largest and the best supplier of fruit in the Riverina region to Southcorp and Penfolds and wines like the Penfolds Koonunga Hills and Kalimna Bin 128.

VICTORIA
R L Buller — Rutherglen
Since 1921, the Buller family has produced heavyweight Muscats from their “Calliope” Vineyard, using the age-old techniques of basket presses and open fermenters to make the Muscats they call their “sleeping giant”. Found 4km east of Rutherglen, this non-irrigated vineyard is the source of the most premium Muscat’s and Tokay’s from RL Buller. Since the first grapes were harvested at Rutherglen in the 1850’s, connoisseurs of fine fortified wines in Australia and the United Kingdom have recognized the Muscats of the region as wines of unsurpassed richness. Today, wine merchants, writers and consumers around the globe acclaim the fortified Muscats of Rutherglen as truly the world’s richest wines.

Passing Clouds
Graeme Leith and Sue Mackinnon established a five-hectare vineyard Passing Clouds more than 25 years ago planting predominantly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 15-acre unirrigated vineyard survives on what water they receive in the winter season and the ability of their roots to search deep to find any sustaining water during the summer months. Hence the name Passing Clouds – they just pass by without leaving behind much moisture.

Traditional winemaking techniques are used in the winery; open fermenters, foot stomping, hand plunging and basket pressing. The wine is matured in American and French oak puncheon and hogshead barrels, after a series of rackings, the wine is egg white fined and estate bottled, unfiltered to retain full complexity and to extend cellaring life. Most of the wine is held for up to three years prior to releasing to ensure it is ready for your enjoyment — a rare service today.

Water Wheel — Bendigo
Water Wheel is regarded as one of Australia’s best value mid-sized producers. These wines capture the richness of wines twice the price, without compromising structure and balance.