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Wine Freebies finds you great value wines www.winefreebies.co.uk |
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£10 discount voucher for Tesco Wines by The Case |
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Henschke Wine |
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Henschke
The Henschke family is one of the longest-established wine names in the Barossa. Johann Christian Henschke purchased land for a farm at Keyneton in 1861, after fleeing religious persecution in Kutschlau, Silesia (Germany). He planted a small vineyard and an orchard, and after initially making wine for family consumption produced his first commercial vintage in 1868, believed to be principally riesling and shiraz. His son, Paul Gotthard, continued farming and winemaking and planted more vines to increase wine production. Upon his father's death in 1914, third-generation Paul Alfred took over the property and as demand for fortified wines grew, winemaking assumed greater significance. Each generation built upon the reputation for quality, but it was fourth-generation Cyril Alfred Henschke who in 1958 created the wine that has most captured the red wine world's imagination - Hill of Grace. His first vintage of this shiraz was produced in 1958. Today, fifth-generation Stephen Henschke and his wife Prue uphold the family name and reputation, as winemaker and viticulturist respectively. The highly revered and much sought-after Hill of Grace is the pinnacle of the red wines - but another shiraz first made by Cyril, the Mount Edelstone, and the Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon introduced by Stephen as a tribute to his father - have forged their own niche with red wine lovers the world over.
Prue's meticulous viticultural management has seen not only new life breathed into the venerable vineyards, but also a new direction given to white winemaking that their forebears could never have imagined. For instance riesling from both Eden Valley and the newer Lenswood vineyard are contributing to the re-emergence of this classic variety, while research developments in colour and flavour have led to enormous improvements in quality in the Keyneton Estate and Mount Edelstone wines through improved trellising and fruit exposure. The original two-storey cellar, built into the side of the hill in time for the 1868 vintage, has been added to throughout the generations. Now covered with ivy, the stone building retains an old-world charm with its open fermenters and winemaking memorabilia on display. Cellar door, located in the original cellar building, has a rustic
appeal with its low doorway, stone walls and early family portraits
on the walls. Snug in size, it offers a warm welcome to those who venture
down the long picturesque road from Keyneton in a quest for quality. The Eden Valley in which the Henschke estate lies, is situated in the Barossa Range to the east, overlooking the Barossa Valley. Together, these valleys comprise what is today known as the Barossa zone. Englishman Joseph Gilbert planted the first Eden Valley vineyard, Pewsey Vale, in 1847. Henry Evans, son-in-law of George Fife Angas, the 'Father' of the Barossa, followed at Evandale in 1853 near the village known today as Keyneton. The Barossa Range lies in the South Mount Lofty Ranges, a north-south range. Eden Valley lies within the Barossa Range and consists of river valleys and undulating hills covered with large gums, rocky outcrops and Aboriginal sites. It is a high-altitude area of between 400 and 500 metres, compared with the Barossa Valley's elevation of 200 to 300 metres. This higher altitude, with its one to two weeks' later ripening pattern, results in more distinctive varietal flavour characteristics and higher acidities, due to the increased continentality. Soils are many and varied, ranging from sandy loam to clay loam over clay-weathered rock subsoils, which cover a schist/silt sandstone bedrock often containing ironstone gravels, quartz gravels and rock fragments. The soil is well suited to dryland viticulture. In the valleys the soil is deep, on the hilltops it is shallow and rocky. Annual rainfall is about 700 millimetres with 178 millimetres falling between October and March. The frost risk is slight, and the mean January temperature is 22.2ºC. Adelaide Hills The Adelaide Hills winegrowing district is a 70-kilometre swathe of the South Mount Lofty Ranges stretching from Mount Pleasant in the north to Mount Compass in the south; the nominal lowest altitude of vineyards is 400 metres. Annual rainfall lies between 700 and 1200 millimetres. Soils vary considerably and include weathered schists, skeletal quartzites, sandstones and podsols of varying fertility. The vineyards are generally planted on former horticultural or dairy farming lands. The generally known features of the Adelaide Hills vineyards are high altitude, cooler growing period, characterised by a cool, wet spring, and a typically South Australian dry summer which provides full fruit maturation in most years, except with late varieties. The Adelaide Hills can be categorised into warmer and cooler subregions. The Piccadilly Valley is cooler than elsewhere in the Hills and quite humid, which has a unique effect on the vineyards. It has the lowest heat summation, and since it is located directly behind Mount Lofty, it often has a band of cloud or fog over the area while the rest of the hills is bathed in sunshine. Hence it seems particularly well suited to sparkling wine production. The region may be classed as cool, moderately maritime, moderately
sunny and moderately humid. The undulating and steep sloping terrain
around Lenswood minimises frost risk and the altitude and protected
sites reduce the chance of a heat wave during the summer. Harvest dates
range from mid March to early April for pinot noir to the end of April
to early May for riesling and merlot. |
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