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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.. Polly & the pyre to paradise»
Return To Alcatraz»
Jane Mitchell is one of Clare Valley's leading wine industry identities, Clare Valley Legend and Clare Valley Winemakers Hall of Fame, Centenary Federation of Australia Medal, SA Tourism Commission, Australian Regional Winemakers Forum, Wine Federation of Australia Council and Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation Board. Mitchell's largest vineyard is at Watervale, a very bleak place in the middle of winter at pruning time. It is known by the vineyard workers as Alcatraz, a place to do penance in the cold, wind and rain of a Clare Valley winter. Alcatraz only ever yields minimal harvests, source of the most memorable vintages in our nation's.. These old clare valley vines are just getting better»
Pick A Piccadilly Pinot»
Stephen George grew up amongst the grape vines, very near the hamlet of Reynella and the nascent Skillogalee in Valley Clare. Both salubrious sites which were originally planted to vine by George senior in 1970. Stephen's pioneering work at Ashton Hills was a major catalyst for the development of Adelaide Hills as an internationally renowned wine growing region. Along with the eminent Brian Croser, Stephen was one of the principals who placed Adelaide Hills on the map, resolved to produce the best Pinot Noir in the country and bring global fame to the Adelaide Hills Piccadilly Pinot style... From the misty chills of ashton hills»
Sevenhill
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Sevenhill
The Jesuits Society of Jesus migrated to Australia from Austria in 1848 seeking a life free from religious and political persecution

They settled at a site called Open Ranges in the beautiful Clare Valley and established Sevenhill, the oldest existing winery in the Clare Valley. Initially the main purpose of the cellars was to provide sacramental wine for religious use and this has been ongoing. Sevenhill Cellars now produce white, red and fortified wines as well as sacramental wine.

Sevenhill

The Jesuits renamed Open Ranges Sevenhill because of their hope that the immediate area would become a centre of Catholicism for the North - another little Rome with seven hills. They even named the stream that flowed through the property The Tiber. Sevenhill Cellars are today nestled among the vineyards close to St Aloysius Church and feature a well tended grassed picnic area with tables, seats and shade trees. Sevenhill winery produces all its own fruit on 72 hectares of vineyard.

Twenty varieties of grapes are grown yielding an average annual crush of 450 tonnes. The wine is completely processed on the property including the bottling of the finished wine (35,000 cases per year). This is a far cry from the pioneering days of the first Jesuit winemaker Br Schreiner. He and Br Schneider built a wine press in 1863 capable of pressing a formidable load of 4 buckets of grapes at a time!

The production of altar wine today accounts for 30% of the winery's production. Made in the style of a sherry and in conformity with the requirements of Canon Law is sold to all Christian denominations in Australia for use in religious services. It is exported to India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Guam, Borneo and Pacific Isles.

Sevenhill

In the history of Sevenhill Cellars, there have been 7 Jesuit Brother Winemakers. In September 1851 Br Schreiner bought some vine cuttings from Bungaree Station and planted them on the left hand side of the present road to the winery. This planting marks the beginning of Sevenhill Cellars and makes it the oldest winery in the Clare Valley. These vines were planted initially to meet the need for altar wine.

Brother John May SJ, Jesuit Winemaker Emeritus has been with Sevenhill Cellars since 1972. He was instrumental in building the winery up to the technologically advanced state of today. Winemaker Liz Heidenreich joined Sevenhill in 2005. Adelaide born and educated, 34-year old Liz has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained in Australia and overseas. "One of the historical treasures of Australia; the oft-photographed stone wine cellars are the oldest in the Clare Valley, and winemaking is still carried out under the direction of the Jesuitical Manresa Society, and in particular Brother John May. Quality is very good, particularly of the powerful Shiraz; all the wines reflect the estate-grown grapes from old vines!" -Wine Companion.com.au

Sevenhill