Situated in McLaren Vale which
happens to be one of Australia's most exciting wine regions, here are things
you would want to know about the Penny’s Hill Winery.
History
Established in 1988, this
promising winery is named after the hill at the base of which it is located.
Considering this winery has all
the elements of a great vineyard in place, the vines were planted in 1991 at
the property in a unique narrow-row configuration to amplify vineyard
productivity along with grape and wine quality.
In the year 1993, the
newly-planted Malpas Road property was purchased, followed by an adjacent
highly prized hay-producing paddock in 1996 that was planted to vines and named
Goss Corner.
After wo years, the original Goss
family homestead, ‘Ingleburne’ was added to the Malpas and Goss properties to
reconnect to make it an entire holding.
Ownership & The Team
Founder Tony Parkinson passed on
the ownership and management of the business to his good friend and fellow
South Australian winemaker Warren Randall.
The team at Penny’s Hill is
committed to growing outstanding fruit across their vineyard sites to deliver
the finest wines possible. They reflect upon the site where the vines are
planted. They are passionate enough to make sure that optimum flavour, balance
and ripeness are present in the fruit during harvest time.
Winemaker at Penny’s Hill
A passionate and experienced
winemaker, Alexia is a group winemaker for Penny’s Hill, The Black Chook & Thomas Goss brands, and a champion
for the McLaren Vale wine region; in particular its Shiraz and Grenache
varietals.
She has been in the winemaking in
McLaren Vale since 2004 and has undertaken vintages in both France and Italy.
Accountable for the production of many acclaimed wines, and no stranger to
medals, trophies, awards and accolades both domestic and international, she has
the ‘World’s Best Cabernet’ in 2016 for Penny’s Hill 2014 Edwards Road Cabernet
accredited to her name.
She works closely with the
viticulturist to maximise fruit quality and vine health. Her style includes
crafting elegant, fruit-driven, single-vineyard estate-grown wines to best
express the varying terroir of the three key sites: Penny’s Hill, Goss Corner
and Malpas Road, with more company-owned vineyards now being used to source
more fruit.
Winemaking at Penny’s Hill
The winemaking process at Penny’s
Hill includes each fruit parcel harvested separately in small batches and
individually nurtured throughout. The proximity of the vineyards to the winery
ensures the selection and hand-picking of particular fruit parcels for a “small
batch” approach to winemaking, enabling more options at final blending.
At each step of the winemaking
process, the wines are gently guided to bring out the ultimate balance of
texture, complexity and interest.
The Malpas Road and Goss Corner vineyards
have black Bay of Biscay clay that helps produce wines that are rich and
luscious with a soft, round finish. However, the Penny’s Hill vineyard with
sandy loam over clay soil produces wines with a perfumed bouquet and a high
level of fruit intensity and fine tannin structure.
The red wines at Penny’s Hill are
natured in the finest French oak barrels before blending. The presence of
optimum quality vineyards in the nearby Adelaide Hills allows the creation of
fresh, vibrant, balanced white wines of aromatic intensity and regional
expression.
Sustainable Winegrowing
A proud member of Sustainable
Winegrowing Australia, the Penny’s Hill winery contributes to the
sustainability program which minimizes environmental impacts and encourages
best viticulture practices.
Remember, it all begins in the
vineyard.
Now that you know how this winery
is going above and beyond to make the experience count for you, here’s a
recommended wine from them. Give it a shot.
About the Wine
This vibrant Merlot unfurls aromas of plum, dark cherry, black olive and tar, with nuances of chocolate. A medium-bodied wine with zingy minerality, light acidity and silk tannins leads to a smooth finish. This splendid red wine tastes great with food such as light meats, chicken or slightly spiced dark meats.
ABV: 14.5%
McLaren Vale, Australia
Article contributed by guest writer, Hugo Brown
