Tim has continued the tradition under his very own label, his estate wineworks are fortuitously based in the Clare Valley, home to some of Australia’s finest vineyards. Nestled in the hamlet of Leasingham, 2 kilometres south of Watervale, the Tim Gramp winery has served as a production and cellar door since 1996. The four acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, winery complex and old stone cottage provided the perfect opportunity for Tim Gramp to pursue his winemaking direction and philosophy. Since 1996, many developments have taken place at Gramp headquarters. These include extensive renovations to the old cottage, a total refit to the winery, a new crushing facility and crusher/ destemmer, housing of an old basket press and the planting of a new Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, designed using a unique Italian Sylvoz trellising system, the first of its kind in Clare Valley.
Other recent developments such as the use of screw caps for the entire range of Tim Gramp wines represent an important blending of modern wine making practices with traditional methods such as basket pressing that have withstood the test of time. This, combined with the best quality fruit sourced from the best performing regions, results in wines of outstanding quality and consistency. Tim Gramp's cellar door is housed in an 1860s stone cottage that was originally used as a half way house by the Burra copper miners en route to Port Wakefield wharves.
Tim and Kathy Gramp have renovated the old cottage with the same care and attention to detail that goes into the making of their wines. The cellar door balcony takes in sweeping views of the beautiful hamlet of Leasingham as well as the winery’s black duck dam and award winning gardens.
Tim's grandfather Hugo Gramp was Managing Director of Orlando. His father Snowy Gramp was a Director and Viticultural Manager. The Gramp family sold the company based in the Barossa Valley in the early 1970s, but Tim has continued the tradition by flying the flag under his personal label.
A graduate of Roseworthy College’s Wine Production and Marketing course, Tim spent a number of years in the McLaren Vale region learning his craft. In 1991, Tim gained access to some superb McLaren Vale Shiraz fruit and set about making his first vintage.
Tim's 1991 McLaren Vale Shiraz quickly found success on the show circuit, winning 1 Trophy, 6 Gold , 2 Silver and 1 Bronze medal, including Gold at the Intervin International Wine Show in New York City. Following vintages have continued to win Gold medals and the Shiraz has been stamped as the flagship wine for the Tim Gramp label. In a relatively short space of time, Tim Gramp has built a small but impressive portfolio of wine varietals that are crafted to represent the very best of a definitive region.
