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The Heathcote Wineworks were one of the first commercial wineries in central Victoria. Prominently placed along Heathcote's main boulevard, established by Thomas Craven in 1854 to cater for the huge influx of gold miners seeking their fortune. Thomas Craven was a purveyor of spirits and wine, he traded in gold, providing a lifeline to local prospectors. An entrepreneurial type, he also operated a coach service from stables behind the cellar door, despatching supplies and delivering mail around the central Victorian goldfields. The legacy endures within a measured range of small batch Shiraz, crafted to traditional techniques and fashioned for timeless excellence. Enthusiasts of grand old brands with a provenance and history are advised to avail themselves of a case or two Shiraz from Heathcote.. The alluring case for craven's place»
Halls Gap Vineyard was planted 1969, along the steep eastern slopes and parched rocky crags of Grampians Ranges, at the very beginning of a renaissance in Victorian viticulture. Since early establishment in the 1860s by the noble Houses of Seppelt and Bests, the region had earned the most elite peerage, a provenance of extraordinary red wines, bursting with bramble opulence and lined with limousin tannins. The Halls Gap property had long been respected as a venerable supplier to the nation's most illustrious brands. Seppelt and Penfolds called on harvests from Halls Gap for their finest vintages. Until 1996, when it was acquired by the late, great Trevor Mast, who was very pleased to bottle Hall Gap's fruit behind the exhalted label of Mt Langi Ghiran. Halls Gap joined the tally of Circe estate vineyards in 2013, whence it yields a wine that's earmarked for icon status by.. Land of the fallen giants»

Mike Press Adelaide Hills Merlot CONFIRM VINTAGE

Merlot Adelaide Hills South Australia
After several decades of crafting Australia's most memorable vintages, Mike Press is more sanguine than ever that great wine can only come from the finest vineyards. His dedicated hands on approach means that he is personally involved in every stage of the winemaking, from pruning the vines and inspecting grapes, right to plunging the ferments and bottling his finished wine. An apprentice of the great Max Schubert, Mike Press made history in 2006 for coming within a whisper of the Jimmy Watson Trophy with an unlabelled cleanskin wine.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$191.00
The superlative Mike Press homestead vineyard at Lobethal was chosen for its cool climate and propitious altitude of 500 metres, a rainfall, terroir and clime not dissimilar to Bordeaux, it yields extraordinary harvests of Merlot. Parcels are treated to a traditional maceration and vinification, followed by transfer to a selection of French and American oak hogsheads for a judicious term of maturation.
Bright scarlet hues. Plum and bramble nose, supple baking spice, cassis and varietal leaf. The palate is drenched with berries, blackberry, raspberry and strawberries, seasoned by dusty spice, a round luscious mouthfeel, cossetted by supple carob oak and supported by pliant licorice tannins. Drinking amazingly upon release, will evolve marvelous seamlessness and complexity over time.
Mike Press
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Mike Press
Mike Press Wines are located in the internationally acclaimed Adelaide Hills, setting the benchmark for quality wine at an outstanding price

With a string of awards, the secret to its success lies in a nurtured vineyard, more than four decades of experience, and a commitment to the consumer. Mike Press started his career with the best, working alongside Max Schubert at Penfolds before moving on to Seppelt and Krondorf. Mike Press was chief winemaker at Mildara Bass when they won the Jimmy Watson Trophy. He planted his Kenton Valley vineyard in 1998 to focus on growing quality grapes to on-sell. Boasting 85 acres of scenic beauty, Kenton Valley Vineyards, was chosen because of its cool climate, its altitude of 500 metres above sea level, and its rainfall, which is similar to Bordeaux in France. Initially the focus was on semi-retirement. Mike wanted to get in touch with the land by growing the best grapes possible and then on-selling at the end of vintage.

Mike Press

The idea of establishing and nurturing the vineyard and producing quality fruit without the marketing and commercial pressure was very appealing. But plans to sell grapes to large winemakers were quashed when the grape glut hit. With grape prices plummeting, they were unable to sell the fruit without making a massive loss. No longer able to make a good return on the fruits of their labour, Mike and wife Judy instead turned their hand to producing their own wine and entering it into shows. Suddenly they had an ever-growing supply of cleanskins that needed to be sold, so they hit the streets of Adelaide! After two years of letterbox dropping they established a decent sized mailing list and sent out three newsletters a year.

The response rate was overwhelming. The personal approach worked wonders and their customers loved the fact that Mike would personally deliver every box of wine to the door. The wine was originally sold as clean skins and literally sold itself. In fact, it sold out every year, and the accolades soon followed.

In a move almost unheard of, the clean skin wine was named a runner up for the most eagerly sought after wine award in Australia, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for its 2005 Shiraz and Cabernet; and received three trophies and seven golds in 2006 at the Adelaide Hills Wine Show for its 2005 Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot.

Mike Press

It was then Mike and Judy decided to label the wine – a decision which proved fruitful, seeing it recognised by the most renowned wine writers in the country. Reviews by the likes of Tyson Stelzer and Campbell Mattinson, led to the wine continually selling out, and in 2008 its Shiraz was bestowed the highest rated wine under $20 at the Edinburgh Great Shiraz Challenge. In 2009 it was the only single vineyard in Australia to have three wines in James Halliday’s highly acclaimed top 100 wines with its 2008 Chardonnay, 2008 Cabernet and 2008 Shiraz. Further awards followed and then great success at the 2011 Adelaide Hills Wine Show when the 2010 Mike Press Shiraz was awarded the trophy not only for Best Shiraz, but also for Best Wine in Show.

In 2010 Mike Press Wines was listed in James Halliday’s top 10 wines for the year; and this year, was named a five star winery in the 2011 edition of James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion. Despite the success, Mike and Judy’s philosophy remains unchanged, Mike Press Wines continues to be a family affair. With a staunch belief that good quality wine comes from a good vineyard, and a hands on approach, with Mike Press personally involved in every stage of the winemaking - from working the vineyard to bottling– to continue to deliver quality wine at an affordable price, so it can be enjoyed by everyone, any time.

Mike Press